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Note: I used star symbols in words file but the stars disappeared when posting in RRL and I haven't fixed it yet, so my apologices if this chapter is confusing. PS I'll fix it sometime later. Author note:Kourii here, this work is based on Japanese novels so there are two types of names: Ex: Kurozawa Serika ( While Kurozawa is the family name, Serika is the surname as the way many Asians say their names.) Ex: Shelton Laker Ainsworth (Shelton is the surname, Ainsworth is the family name) **This chapter is subjected to change in the later phases( well might be minor changes only).     #Unedited Uhem, back to the story, as the princess seemed like she would not snap back anytime soon. The knight like person, urgh, I’ll just call him Mr. Knight as I don’t really recall him in the game. More like was there even a character like him in the game? “*Cough* anyways, Yes, this is not your previous world. This is Edea. You have been summoned here, and this country is called [Esteral].” Mr. Knight “Uhem, sorry for my rude conduct. It was unsightly of me. Please let me introduce myself. I am Rosemarie von Esteral, this country’s one and only princess, and also the one who have summoned you.” Rosemarie After hearing the cover up from Mr. Knight, the princess seemed to have snapped back from her daze, and go on starting to introduce herself while her sight was on mostly Shelton. Well, I already know you from the game though. Princess Rosemarie is the only princess of the king of Esteral out of his three children and also his second child. She has two other brothers, but somehow, they never really got any screen time in the game, I recall seeing them in the climax of Rosemarie capturing route but unfortunately, probably due to the laziness of the game makers, all that was shown about them were vague figures and two faceless characters. I was like ‘Behold! The pitifulness of mob characters!’, and quickly moved on. Alas, the GMs would never bother with designing, or even beautifying other unimportant male characters other than the rival and last boss. More like, why the hell did I play this game like mad then previous me!?? “And this here is the captain of the royal knight order, Zell Veindus.” Rosemarie The captain give a simple nod at her introduction. “This two here are the senior magicians who have made summoning you possible. Miss Prisella Macgarden, and miss Bertalia Kroh.” Rosemarie “Wait a second! Don’t go on speaking all you like! You said we were summoned, right? For what reason? Why so many of us, even dragging in Serika! And is there even a way home!?” Enri All at once, Enri who has been quiet all this time exploded with questions and with overwhelming vigor towards the princess, resulting in the knight captain stepping up before the princess. “I am sorry for my friend’s disrespect, princess. I’m sure he is just confused with the situation.” Shelton “I understand. It’s okay captain Zell, he is not a threat. As the hosts, we should not treat our guest so, and it is also a mistake on our part to have summoned too many people, urm Mister...” Rosemarie “Shelton, Shelton Laker Ainsworth. This friend is Kurozawa Enri.” Shelton “Shelton-sama, is it? And Enri-sama, what you want to know will be explained by the king so please would you follow me to meet the king?” Rosemarie Rosy, your pink cheek is betraying your poker face when you said Shelton’s name just then you know. “The king…” Chizu “Calm down Enri. Let’s follow her and let the king explain.” Kana “Are we going to meet the king?” Mina “I understand. Serika, are you are okay? You didn’t hit anywhere when we got here right?” Shelton The first half of the sentence was directed at the princess while the second half was directed at me without his usual calm smile. Shelton seems anxious, not just about me but the whole situation. “It’s okay. I am okay. Let’s just go meet the king.” Me I nodded to Shelton and Enri who is also looking towards me. *sigh* they really are overprotective, I am not so weak like when I was a child you know. Although one part of me feels annoyed at their protectiveness, another part of me is happy over the attention they give me. It has always been like this, even when I remembered my previous life, it was not like I, my personality, my past, all changed into ‘her’, I know and accept that I am Kurozawa Serika who cherishes both her big brother, and childhood friend. This is also the reason that I didn’t decide to run away from Shelton, and Enri. Although, I did try to avoid being too overly close with them, even finding a separate apartment to move into when I turn 15. It is not like I can just throw away my ten-plus years of relationship with my ‘family’ due to some vague memories, the relationship of us three is not so shallow. I am not exaggerating to say that we can even exchange our lives for one another. Even now, my feelings are the same, just that I am always suppressing them. Our story from the start was us three, and somewhere inside me, has always hoping that it will continue to be the three of us. *sigh* in the end, I am a ball of contrast myself. Argh!! What am I doing being all emotional all of a sudden??  “Well then this way please.” Rosemarie With the princess leading the way, we were led out with the magicians and knight captain in tow from the big room which seemed to be the summoning room. Passing through a long corridor decorated with old paintings which made us (except Shelton) amazed at the sight of the medieval castle. Only Shelton is in deep thought while following behind. Soon after passing who knows how many twist and turns around the winding corridor, we were led to a gigantic wooden door with the same circle like drawings around the edges. I am sure that is a defensive mechanism set up or something. What enters our eyes, as the huge door opens with a clack by the guards standing both sides of the door, was a big hall, bigger than the previous room, and a long red carpet with a throne at the end above some flight of stairs. Then the man sitting on the throne spoke. “Welcome, heroes. We are the XI king of Esteral, Frankas Falmia di Esteral.” King “We greet the king.” As the king’s words ended, everyone who entered the room went down on their knees, and following them Shelton did the same so we all followed to kneel. After all, Shelton seems to know how to behave in front of royalty. Really, I am quite curious what his maternal family is in terms of rank as I only know that they are an ancient family. From observing grandma Laura, I can’t tell at all though, either the grace she has as the old head of a noble family or the status and power of the Ainsworth themselves. “Rise.” King “ We thank the king.” All “We have been informed of the mistakes of the summoning, and we are truthfully sorry by our uncouth behavior such that can be called as kidnapping.” King As the king’s words finished, there was murmur among the officials present in the hall as lines like “Our king! To even personally apologize is…”, “Absolutely, we are…”, and so on was heard. “Silence!” King “As a king with the duty to protect his citizens, I am willing to bow down my head even if need be, so please Save us! O’ great chosen heroes!” King As soon as his words landed, the king stood up and bowed his head to us and then the princess, the magicians, the knight captain, and also the officials followed suit. “Eh?” Chizu “Wha-?” Mina “Wait-” Kana “This…” Enri They were all seriously bowing their heads begging us. Really this is quite a sight, but I know what is coming- “Please save us and kill the demon lord!!” and thus they simultaneously shouted. For a moment, we were all taken aback as we were stumped on how to react. “Please raise your heads. Although we might not know what is going on, but at least you should explain to us what it is that is threatening you.” Shelton “Yes, it is as you say.” King The king raised his head and sat back down on his throne as he started to order the rest to rise and called the princess to stand near him, and finally spoke. “Let me explain from the beginning. This world, Edea, has many different countries and races including humans, elves, and demons. Different from the weak humans, demons are strong. They are born with high magical capability and physical strength. As for this country, Esteral is one of the few human countries which was formed two thousand years ago. We humans, and demons have always been on bad terms due to the different Gods we believe in. While we believe in the God of light Vianna and God of judgement Sevor, the demons believe in the God of darkness Mergus and the God of destruction Ashurd.” King “Although there have been previous small conflicts here and there, the two races have not mingled with one another for a long time. We respect the existence of each other and the different Gods we follow.”Rosemarie Following after the king was the princess who had on a very serious face. This is the history of Edea that is also told in the game tutorial phase. I remember I’d read this so many times that I can basically score with flying colors had it been in a test. “Only until recently, the newly crowned king of the demons, Astroa, who is a cruel follower of the God of destruction, has declared war against the human race. This is why we decided to summon the hero, who has been foretold to be the savior since ancient times.” King “So, you are telling us that we are heroes, and to help you defeat the demons?” Enri “Yes, that is the case.” King “Are you kidding with us!? You are telling us to put our life on the line and fight ‘your’ battle for you? Moreover, against the enemy that are said to be stronger than humans!?” Enri “Enri, calm down.” Shelton “How can I calm down!? How!? Isn’t he just telling us to go and die!?” Enri From Enri’s shout, there was some kind of dark invisible pressure being let out from Enri which made the guards including the captain to take a defensive stance. Not just them was affected, even me and the rest was steadily getting pale form the dark pressure he was giving off, and it seems like the person himself wasn’t even aware of it. “I know how you feel Enri, but calm down, and let’s talk this peacefully.” Shelton “Calm? I am already calm enough, it is you who should stop listening to their bullshit!” Enri  His aura is getting more and more dense and is pressing us harder and harder. “Enri!” Shelton As Shelton shouted, a light gold aura also seeped out from him as it started to suppress Enri’s aura. The two of their auras clashed as one side is dark and overbearing while at the same time giving you a riling feeling, and the other is warm and gives one a gentle serene feeling. From the clash of their auras, I feel as if the air is getting thin and it was getting harder to breath. “Knights! Protect the king and princess.” Knight captain Zell “Berta! Prisella! Barrier-” Zell “Wait-” Rosemarie “Just stop it, both of you!! Are you crazy!?” Me As I managed to pull out my voice to shout at them, they finally snapped back, and the clashing auras disappeared. Enri who was rampaging began to calm down after he saw mine and everyone faces were pale, and he seemed to have figured out what had happened. At the same time, Shelton was also looking at Enri started to revert back to his normal composure. As I thought, there is something wrong with him as he should not have easily lost his temper like that. “…I…just now…sorry” As he heard me shout, Enri seemed confused while looking at his hand then turned towards me with a soft apology. “I am sorry for the trouble we have caused.” Shelton said after he looked towards his hand just like Enri and gave a bow towards the king and the princess. “No, it is us who are at fault. Knights relax, there is no danger here.” King “My friend was just a little rash, I hope that your majesty can overlook his behavior. First, let us start from introducing ourselves. My name is Shelton Laker Ainsworth. Enri, your turn.” Shelton “…I am Kurozazwa Enri. Sorry for just now.” Enri “Kurozawa Serika.” “I’m Yamada Kana.” “My name is Takamiya Chizu.” “Yamada Mina.” “My first question is that is there a way for us to return home?” Shelton “Well…that is…” Rosemarie “Hmm, Prisella, you tell them as you are the most knowledgeable on the subject.” King “Yes, as of the magic of right now, there isn’t any precise magic technology able to reverse the summon.” Prisella “What do you mean?” Chizu “Let me put it into an easier way, we cannot send any of you back right now as the magic we have used to call you here is only based on the ancient records and it is only a one-way trip.” Bertalia Just we were shocked at the harsh reality that we won’t be able to go back, Prisella’s confident voice was like a ray of light in the darkness. “However, we are confident that, given enough time, we can come up with a reverse summon magic based on the same record, and will send you back.” Prisella As her voice, we turned silent, thinking about being able to go back while fearing the duration we needed to wait. Well, the ones thinking that are only the rest except me. What am I thinking about you ask? Actually, I am standing there quietly but my mind is in total panic. This is wrong! This is definitely wrong!! I mean there wasn’t supposed to be this development at all! The 1st phase of the game or should I say tutorial phase was just the phase the party (Shelton, Enri, and Serika) was summoned, when they decided to kill the demon lord, the history and there wasn’t supposed to be a way back at all! Don’t tell me Prisella is bluffing? However, from the look on her face, she seems extremely confident, and it doesn’t look like she is lying at all. “Is it true that we can go back?” Kana “Yes, there is a high possibility that you can go back in maximum about 5 years as our research team is quite capable, you see.” King “Five years...” Enri In other words, we have to somehow survive here for 5 years, and we will able to go back? 5 years can be said to be a not so long nor short period of time. Many things can happen, and can we even trust what the people here are telling us? *sigh* this is totally out of my expectations. “My last question, if it is just as you’ve said then we have no choice but to fight then?” Shelton “No, we are not forcing you all to fight by yourself. We do have our own conscience. You all can choose not to fight, and we will also provide you with the necessary preparations for you to be able to survive here. For those who are willing to help us, we also won’t let you shoulder all the risks. We know that this is our fight, and we will still stand and fight no matter the odds.” King “We really sincerely ask you to please lend us your power as I am sure you have felt it too.” Rosemarie “Rosy-” King “I know I should not do this but please can you decide after checking your abilities out first? It is said that all the summoned will receive special powers so as to make up for the summon.” Rosemarie “Powers…is it?” Enri “Come to think of it since a while ago…” “You too?” “yes, I also…” As the princess words finished, the group started to notice something inside them was strange. Of course, I don’t feel anything though. “Fine. We will decide after we check our powers.” Shelton “Yes, Shana! Bring Vianna’s stone fragments here!” Rosemarie The princess ordered the short haired maid who was standing behind her as the king can’t help but give out a sigh looking at the actions of his daughter. Not long later, the maid called Shana was back with 6 palm-sized flat-surfaced stones and handed one of them to each of us. “This is called Vianna’s stone fragment. It is said to have Vianna’s magic energy stored within and can be used to check one’s status. All you have to do is concentrate the word status then it will be shown on the surface of the stone.” Rosemarie As soon as she said it, each of us closed our eyes while focusing on the stone. I also temporarily suppressed my thoughts can concentrated. ‘Status’ With a flicker a transparent window appeared in front of me. Name: Kurozawa Serika Age: 14 Level: 1  Title(s): Heroes’ family (+Luck) Health: MP: Attribute: Water, l..e Skill(s): -Swordsmanship Lv. 2 -Martial Reflex Lv. 4 RANK:***** ““Huh!? ”“ The ones who said that is not just me but all 6 of us. “What you can see is called the status. It is commonly categorized as stars with the lowest rank being a half-star and one star for all normal humans.” Rosemarie “Um, what does a hollow mean? And the status is flickering a little.” Mine was exactly a hollow there at the RANK there, and the attribute part is shaking at the last part. What is going on or is it some kind of BUG? “Mine is just fine though, the screen is just like a game’s.” Enri who was looking at his status said while looking towards me pointing at the space in front of him. “Perhaps… your concentration is lacking, you should try again one more time.” Rosemarie “Okay.” I answered while concentrating on the word ‘Status’ once again. *Flicker* Name: Kurozawa Serika Age: 14 Level: 1  Title(s): Heroes’ family (+Luck) Health: MP:Attribute: Water, life Skill(s): -Swordsmanship Lv. 2 -Martial Reflex Lv. 4 RANK: This time the attribute part shook a bit before turning into clear letters once again, it is written ‘life’ there. “It is still a hollow though.” Me “Eh? Mine is two stars though.” Enri “Hmm? My Rank is also two stars.” Shelton “Mine is one and a half.” Chizu “Mine too.” Kana “I also have 1 and a half.” Mina “Eh? Then it’s only mine? What does this mean?” I have a bad feeling about this as I turned to the princess for answers. “A hollow… it can’t be…” Rosemarie “What is it exactly?” Shelton “It means the lowest rank of all… one with the slightest potential to grow strong.” Rosemarie Her words were like a striking thunder as I was shocked by it and only then was I completely sure that this was no longer the game world I was familiar with. There were too many things different from the game. Perhaps… it was me or something else…it is similar but at the same time, different. Name: Shelton Laker (Shelton L. Ainsworth) Age: 14 Level: 1  Title(s): Vianna’s hero Health: MP: Attribute: Light, Holy Skill(s): -Empower (Light, Holy) Lv. 0 -Aura (Holy) Lv. 0 -Focus (Light) Lv. 0 -Light Blade (Light, Holy) Lv. 0 - Swordsmanship Lv. 3 RANK: Name: Kurozawa Enri Age: 15 Level: 1  Title(s): Sevor’s hero Health: MP: Attribute: Dark(Shadow), Holy Skill(s): -Bolster (Dark, Holy) Lv. 0 -Aura (Holy) Lv. 0 -Sixth Sense (Shadow) Lv. 0 -Severe (Shadow, Holy) Lv. 0 - Swordsmanship Lv. 4 RANK: Name: Takamiya Chizu Age: 15 Level: 1  Title(s): Summoned warrior Health: MP: Attribute: Earth Skill(s): -Martial Arts Lv. 5 -Strengthen (Earth) Lv. 0 RANK: Name: Yamada Kana Age: 15 Level: 1  Title(s): Summoned Healer Health: MP: Attribute: Light Skill(s): -Fast Chant Lv. 0 -Light Magic (Light) Lv. 0 -Heal Chain (Light) Lv.0 RANK: Name: Yamada Mina Age: 14 Level: 1  Title(s): Summoned Sorcerer Health: MP: Attribute: Wind, Fire Skill(s): -Fast Chant Lv. 0 -Fire Magic (Fire) Lv. 0 -Wind Magic (Wind) Lv.0 RANK:  

It’s dark. It’s very dark. Nothing is around me but infinite darkness. It’s making me anxious, and scared. I tried my best to look around and find my way but my body felt so heavy as if bound by chains, as if I’m in a swamp. Every movement was stiff and heavy. “hahahaha, finally found you….” As I was at my wits end, a very deep and creepy voice fragment resounded in the dark world. “Who are you?” as soon as I found that I was able to move again, I asked towards the void and found my voice echoing back. “…found you….my little s**d” the voice resounded again, and out of nowhere, chains sprang up and bound my arms, legs, waist, head, and finally they started pulling me down then the last chain went through stabbing my chest where my heart is. I opened my eyes wide in horror as I see the blood wetting my shirt. “Aaah!!” I screamed and sit up while my eyes sobered up and looked around. The cream-colored canopy was fluttering due to the wind coming through the opened window. The magic clock-like item was ticking on one side of the wall. The clock was pointing at the number 2 and I could see the faint silhouette of the moon through the window. All the sound I could hear was the sound of birds cawing and my own ragged breathing. By the time I noticed, my body was full of cold sweat. It took a while until my brain worked properly and I realized that it all was just a nightmare. Unconsciously, I put my hand on my chest and feel my heart thumping so hard that it could burst. The scene of the chains and voice kept flashing through my head. Already wide awake, I decided to get up and walked to the desk at the side of the bed, all the while telling myself that it was all just a dream, and that nothing was real. There was no dark space. No chains, and no voice, that it was only because of the anxiety of having been summoned here so suddenly. I took out a book hidden in the deepest part of the lower drawer where my school textbooks are kept, flipped a few pages, and came to a page that reads ‘Death flag avoiding countermeasures- Kurozawa Serika’ at the top of the page. Just reading the few first letters has an incredible effect of calming me down. Yep, after living in the palace of Esteral for some time, I have finally come up with my life-saving measures to get away from my(this) life-long worries. The plan is pretty simple. Here it goes: -Absorb the training during the first month like a sponge because it’s a precious chance to get accustomed to the common sense of this world. -learn alchemy as soon as possible. -Get away from the roots of all evil, Shelton and Enri. -Either become an alchemist or an adventurer. For now, this is the most I can come up with due to the possibility of this going differently from the original story of <Grimoire Knights>. Spending time recalling all the vague memories of the game from my previous life, and by the time I noticed, it was already dawn and there was sunlight peeking into the room. Ah, it is already time for training. “Yeah, just like that. Move not just your arms, but also your waist and shoulders.” I took a stance while holding a wooden short sword in one of my hands, and once again used it pry a blow from Shawn-san who was using a wooden sword. Due to the difference in weight and build if I were to use force against force, I’ll definitely lose, so using the concept of soft against hard from when I was taught at the dojo, I was able to fight with Shawn-san by prying his blows and counter them with my own. Considering the length difference between a normal sword and a short sword, without a doubt, Shwan-san has a big advantage going against me but it was made up for with my speed and reflexes. Shawn-san once again parried my attack, and I had to quickly step back. As if he’s been waiting for it, he followed up with strike which I was barely able to pry away but to my surprise he quickly followed up with another slash while I was still unsteady. “You’re fast Serika but your balance is bad.” He says as he stopped his sword right before my neck. “haa, right. It’s my lost.” I’m already quite accustomed to using a short sword since I’d long picked it as my weapon and trained in it in the dojo, but I just can’t seem to keep my balance well in a fight, and this could be a very grave mistake especially in a fight where one wrong move can be the deciding factor between life and death. “Still, you are improving pretty fast and you’re already able to keep up with me in a spar. Pretty impressive.” Shawn-san says while lifting up his sword and smiled. It might be a very late introduction but the knight responsible for teaching me melee combat is Shawn Tousel, with slightly long purplish hair and droopy blue eyes, a knight from the alchemist division. He is also my alchemist teacher. Why? Huhuhu, I’m the one who specially asked for his guidance after getting to know him back when I visited the alchemist division. Hmm… It should be when I got to tour the lab of elite alchemists that I stumbled upon his lab with many different glass bottles, shelves upon shelves of books and last but not least, a very beautiful dagger hung on one side of the wall. As my eyes were gleaming admiring the craftsmanship of the dagger and mumbling the very wonders of daggers itself, that was when Shawn-san in his lab coat entered and heard my mumblings. As fellow dagger brethren we quickly got along and by the time we finished chatting the guide was nowhere to be seen. My throat was sore and without noticing Shawn-san ended up not being able to talk for a couple of days due to sore throat after all the excitement of meeting a like-minded fellow in both ‘dagger-ry’ and alchemy. “Next should be alchemy training, right?” “Yes, last time you were going to teach me how to make simple potion as well as certain antidotes.” “That’s right, but last time I told you to try brewing simple drinks with mana to bestow recovery effects, did you try it?” “I did, but I’m not sure if it’ll work or not.” I reluctantly take out my pseudo lemonade-like drink which was made using a blue fruit in Edea called Krods, which is very similar to oranges, plus a common herb called Solte to give it a nice sour and sweet smell. However, different from the usual blue, the color turned a strange amethyst. It was probably due to the water as well as the process both of which was made by my mana. “Hmm, what a strange color but what kind of drink is this? Considering that it was made using Krods, it should be quite bitter, right? let me try it.” Shawn-san took the bottle containing the pseudo lemonade from me and looked at it curiously before finally decided to pour himself a cup. “…!” “What’s wrong? Is it good? Or is it disgusting?” Honestly, I’m not too confident about it. I was pretty excited when I was making it, but seeing the finished product totally sapped away my confidence of an accomplished home cook. Even Shelton and Enri were really looking forward to drinking it as I ended up making over four bottles but, alas, I really would cry if it actually tastes bad. “…this flavor…the sour but sweet aftertaste, even the refreshing smell. Is it Moneta grass? Wait, no Moneta is only grown to the south of the continent of ice, but Moneta can also be transported here, with the appropriate price paid getting Moneta isn’t really a problem. Moreover, there are plenty of adventures who harvest Moneta to sell to various merchants who then transport them to Esteral. Not to mention, the beast country to the west are also a great fan of them, so no matter how rare it might be here, acquiring them isn’t totally impossible …*mumble*…*mumble*” Me: “…” There he goes again, how can he even go off talking so fast like that. It’s like he’s competing in a rap show or something. “Boo!!” “!!” As I was considering whether I should interrupt Shawn-san on his little ‘whether or not it is Moneta’ conjuncture session, my waist was poked and my first reaction was to grab the other party’s hand and went for a shoulder throw. *Thud* “Ow!” “Wawawa, Shelton-san are you okay?” Princess Rosemarie who was following Shelton quickly went to his side. “Shelton? It’s you?” “Wait, how could Serika even acquire them if they aren’t even grown here. Then it isn’t Moneta grass but what is it then to have such effects in boosting both the taste and quality? Is it perhaps....” Shawn-san, still in his own dimension. “I’m okay, Rosemarie. Serika, you...should just train less.” Shelton looked at me as if in deep thought then said the last of his sentence as if speaking to himself. Train less? What do you mean to say in ‘this’ kind of situation, ‘this’ kind of world where I might drop dead at any moment I grow careless? I almost can’t resist rebuking and roll my eyes at him when I felt something odd. “Wait, how come you’re here?” plus with your new entourage? Shelton is now with princess Rosemarie, Mina, and surprisingly Prisella is also tagging along. (If you’re wondering who Prisella is, she is one of the senior magicians who summoned us plus Shelton’s future hare- no, girl comrade.) “I was able to get Prisella to let me off early during today’s magic lesson. By the way, how is your training, Serika?” Shelton turned to smile at Prisella who was walking over here then lowered his smile at the end of his sentence when his smiling eyes fell on the cup in Shawn-san’s hands. “I’m asking about Enri, idiot. Aren’t you supposed to be training together?” “Ah, Enri-sama, Kana-sama, and Chizu-sama are still training under miss Bertalia’s guidance. I decided to arrange them under miss Bertalia because I judged that she is the most suitable for teaching Enri-sama and them.” Princess Rosemarie quickly went on to explain as if afraid that I would blame her for separating them. Actually, I’m incredibly thankful for her splitting them this way. This period of time is the time for them to spread the foundation for the relationship with all the capturable characters so I am planning to take hold of this chance in order to strengthen myself. Plus whenever one of the duo moved during this time, their entourage (excluding Chizu-senpai) would always be following them, so dealing with them both at the same time is so troublesome that I’d rather join Shawn-san on his whatever-it-is-self-discussion. Imo, dealing with both at the same time is just pure mission impossible. “I trust in your judgement princess. I think I am improving fast thanks to being under Prisella’s guidance, right Prisella?” Shelton “Not at all, Shelton-sama is learning this fast due to you being such a fast-learner.” Prisella who already walked over heard what Shelton said and corrected him with a big smile making her dimples show looking like a cute squirrel. Uuuu, so cute. I feel like I would also fall for her had I been a boy. “Right, Shelton-san is really a genius. I have never seen anyone start using light magic so fast within the first weeks of learning the basics.” Rosemarie also joined on, singing praises of Shelton with eyes gleaming with admiration. “Yep, as expected of him, isn’t it? He’s always been good at anything he does.” Mina who popped out of nowhere also started joining on praising him while pumping out her chest as if she was proud that she was the genius they were talking about. “Ahaha, I’m not such a genius, you know. It’s just probably due to the blessing I received when I was summoned.” Shelton Looking at the scene, I rolled my eyes at them inside my mind. Shelton’s nose must have grown as long as his sword right now from the overwhelming praises. Isn’t it a given that he is a genuine cheat from the start? He ‘is’ the main character, duh? “*sigh* so what did you come here for again? Shelton-‘sama’?” I stressed the last part over his name to express my irritation over the gallery exhibiting that I never wanted to see, and asked him to just get it over with. “Ah, Serika, about the drink you were making so enthusiastically these few days, are you done making it yet?” His eyes are totally shining with anticipation while looking at the bottle in Shawn-san’s hands. “That’s...it’s, it’s not ready yet!” I’m not going to give it to you even though it is already done. Can’t you feel the piercing gazes from your entourage?? I don’t want to die early due to jealousy Shelton-sama T^T. “Eeeh~ How come? Didn’t you say it’ll be done by today? And what’s that Shawn-san is holding? Isn’t that your lemonade?” Shelton That’s why I said no. The gazes hurt!! “It’s not, definitely not! So, go away for now, it’s time for my next training!” I quickly try to find my escape route which is taking Shawn-san’s hand and pulling him, who was still mumbling stuff, away from the nuclear bomb that is known as Shelton. “Ah, Serika, you must let me drink it before Enri ok?” By the end of his sentence, he was basically shouting towards me as I’d already walked far away. “Shawn-san, it’s Solte grass I used in that drink.” After having gotten far enough away from Shelton, I decided to drop a bomb to finish Shawn-san’s self-discussion. “Ah, exactly, so it was Solte, huh. I am such an idiot. So Solte can also be used in making energy drinks too. Hmm, that’s possible.” Finally, discussion time ended, huh. “Eh, where are we? How come I feel like I missed something?” “No, not at all. You didn’t miss anything Shawn-san. You’re just imagining things. Shall we move on to our next training?” I’m too tired to even talk about what happened. I just want to grow strong quickly, so stop bothering me, why don’t you, Shelton-san? The result, after that day, Shelton and Enri kept coming over to me asking for the lemonade I made nonstop whenever their training was over or in between breaks. At night was even more annoying, from nice words to baits, and even by force, they tried to wrest over the remaining bottles of lemonade I kept in my room. I was super annoyed that I decided to ban them from coming over to my room at night to which they had been profusely trying to coax me into changing my mind. Just what is up with the lemonade? Are they going to die if they don’t drink it or something? It’s just a few bottles of failed energy drinks or is it that it’s somehow turned into Yggsdrasil potion or something without me noticing? Moreover, with the way the girls are earnestly trying to give them their hand-made drinks every now and then, how would I have the guts to give them my failed ones? I don’t want to become public enemy number 1 right now, you know?

GR Chapter 13: Magic and Musings   A/N: Hey guys, this is the author Kourii. I was so thrilled to see the literally first ever review on this story that I got so pumped up to write another chapter although I am still in my exam period XD.  To be honest, I have been losing motivation to write recently since I am having exams and graduating this year but seeing someone saying that my story is a hidden gem is so fantastic that I squealed out loud earning a raised eyebrow from my sister lol. Anyways, I know that my story doesn't have the best start with so many cringe-worthy scenes (I don't guarantee that there won't be more in the future since I have to set the premise for the next volume), but this will only be the case for the first volume which will probably be finished in about ten or something more chapters. I never really know what details to write in each chapter (I usually write what comes to mind first only to change everything later)  but do let me know if it gets too wall-of-text or boring to you.     PS: a shout out to @Virago, thank you so much for the review. I read it a lot of times and still like to read it again XD. Your comments are dearly appreciated. I will add Shelton's point of view later on but bear with the misunderstanding for a bit more. It's part of the premise of the whole series. PSS: Serika IS naive and dumb for not speaking out loud but I guess that is because she used to try but never succeeded to actually get them to listen that she just gave up. PLUS, unlike other I-can-do-everything-reincarnated-female-mc, Serika was mostly stuck in the hospital bed the whole of her previous life with little social interactions, so you can't really blame her for how she just apathetically reacts to everything, and not resolving problems through talking. Sorry for the rant *bows*       #Unedited  ON the morning of the third day, I opened my eyes to the melancholy of the sky turning dawn. I'm usually not an early riser, but I often like to appreciate the skyline at this exact time when I do get up early. The sky turns grayish blue as if the moon is sad to say goodbye followed by the exhilarating feeling as the rays of the sun burst out into a myriad of orange, red, and even purple. I kept staring at the sky for a few more minutes before moving on to get ready to leave the inn.     “Els Aqua” Chanting a water magic to create a ball of water, I played around with it by stretching it into different shapes and animals. No matter how many times I use magic, I simply can’t get over this amazing phenomenon since there is no magic on Earth, only science.   Getting tired of playing with the ball of water, I heated it up a bit using life magic then used it to wash my face and took out my makeshift toothbrush ( more like a wooden brush stick) to brush my teeth with my self-made toothpaste while my mind wanders off to the magic lesson I had in the castle.   From what I learned both from the galgame and the lesson, magic is thought to be something that is passed on and gifted from the ancient gods. One has to have mana to be able to use it. While the mana capacity is different from person to person, that in itself is not the distinguishing factor which can help one master magic. It is the type of magic that one is born with. Magic can categorized into about 5 types: elemental, unique, holy, fusion, and aura.   While elemental magic such as earth, wood, water, fire, and wind are the most common magic most living beings are born with, there are also rarer cases of unique magics such as void, shadow, life, space, and so on.   Of course, the category of magic is definitely incomplete if Holy magic is not included in the equation considering this world has quite a number of gods. If memory serves me right, Enri should be the god of Judgement, Sevora’s hero while Shelton should be the goddess of light, Vianna’s hero. There is also the god of darkness Margus, the god of destruction Ashurd, the goddess of war Noelle, and the great god of creation whose name doesn’t come to mind at all at the moment.   While the aura type of magic is usually something like martial arts magic or bodily arts, fusion magic is much more complicated.   It literally means the fusion of more than one magic, but since this type is so diverse, it is very difficult to quantify the actual concept and bounds of this type of magic. The most simple example is the spell Astrid Burst or fire hurricane. It is a fusion spell of two elemental magic: fire and wind where one first creates a tornado then add fire into it steadily in order to create a fierce fire storm.   Although this might sound easy theoretically but in actual practice, it is incredibly hard to control since both fire and wind is part of the most rampant parts of nature. Hence, only senior mages are able to use fusion magic. However, this example is only in the case of fusing elemental magic.   What if it's the fusion of unique magic for example, that is why I said that it is very complex. Who is to say that someday a truly terrifying fusion spell wouldn't just come flying at your house and obliterate everything into dust? You probably wouldn't even know what (magic) killed you. *shudders* Sh*t, what am I doing frightening myself so early in the morning?   *Uhem* Now back to myself, as you might have known, my attributes are water and life magic. While life magic is incredibly useful in everyday life and I'm very thankful for it, water magic is thought to be more mediocre due to its suppleness and not so cool attacking power. No doubt that it's due to this mindset that makes people oblivious to its potential. I swear there are only a handful of powerful advanced water magic spells developed so far, making me extremely frustrated with this fact. So, that leaves me no choice but to be creative and make my own spells.   Well, I have actually managed to do just that. Using the principles used in alchemy(which is equivalent value exchange) and transmutation, I created a few new practical spells that might not seem as flashy as others but quite deadly in its own rights. I also can shorten my chant after fiddling with things here and there. It was super fun experimenting magic with Shawn-san, and getting compliments for being creative. Shawn-san is very good at teaching me. His classes was fun, and rewarding at the same time. Oh, I really wish he was here with me, so that we can research more on water magic. I'm getting emotional again, geez. Anyways, by the time I stopped letting my mind wander to ridiculous topics, I had already finished packing my luggage for the journey. I went down the stairs to find Riley and the boss, Carlos-san busily running around preparing the place for the morning rush. A second glance around, I found a few people already here and there on some tables.     “Good morning, Rika-chan!” “Morning” I returned Riley's greeting with a smile.     “Oh, look who's up? Mornin’ Lil Rika.” Carlos-san said as he stepped in from the kitchen while holding a spatula. I almost burst out laughing due to how contradicting he looked with an apron on.     Fortunately, I was able to suppress my laugh or otherwise the spatula he's holding would be the weapon of my murder.   “Morning, Boss” I greeted back as he gave a nod in return before going back into the kitchen.   If you're wondering why I am calling Carlos-san boss, it is because it's what the people around here call him. It shows the respect that people have towards him. From what I've heard, Carlos-san used to be some underworld big shot but he's retired a long time ago. Now, he is just the kind and  caring big bear that looks after everyone in the neighborhood while running this inn.   Another thing I was wondering about was that considered how busy it is here, it was weird to have only two people running things, so I asked. The answer I got from Riley’s never ending grumbling was that there are actually 2 more staffs, but the both of them have been on a couple’s vacation for a while now. The husband whose job was to look after the barn at the backyard, was called Hein while the wife who was the main chef was called Ronette. Apparently, due to their being on vacation, Carlos-san had to step in as the chef. I have no doubt that there will probably be hell for them to pay when they come back after adventuring pass their allotted vacation from yours truly, Carlos-san. I heard in passing that Carlos-san has taken out his old 3 in 1 torturing package aeons ago to polish in anticipation of their return. R. I. P, a couple I haven't known yet but somehow think they deserve it.     “Oh right, you are leaving today?” Riley asked while wiping one of the tables. I took a random seat on the counter bar before looking up to answer her: “Yep, I'm going to travel around for a bit. This is only my first stop after all.”   “Aww, that's a shame. I would have liked it if you stayed here permanently. We can be neighbours, be best friends, be more than that, and probably be able to ogle at the summoned heroes together.” Riley whined.     I stiffened at the part when she said -more than best friends- *sweatdrop* I am not going to ask about this. Nope. It is the last part though that irked me.   “One set of breakfast please, Boss” finished placing my order, I quickly turned to ask Riley: “Summoned heroes?”   “That interests you doesn't it? So why don't you just stay?” Riley gave a mischievous smile and sat down on the chair next to me.     “As much as I'd like, but I still have some travelling to do in order to get the things I want.” To which, I gave an instant rejection. Well, I definitely won't stay here for long since I don't want the baka Duo to find out where I am.  I hope the prime minister kept his side of the deal, but there is this nagging feeling that I have to leave here today. I would rather believe in this guy feeling since it has hardly been wrong so far.   “Instant reply, huh. But Rika-chan-” She was going to start grumbling again only to have Carlos-san interrupt: “Stop it, Riley. You should know not to act so nosy. Can't you see that Lil' Rika has already decided?”   “Boss! Come on.” Riley pouted to her boss scolding.     “Well, don't mind what Riley is saying. You young un's should go for your dreams while you still have it. Go, fight, and fail for it. That's life for ya.” Carlos-san said with a small smile as he leaned on the counter from the big opening in the kitchen.   “Uuu, Boss…To finally be able to say that properly with a smile, I'm so proud of you…” Riley exaggeratedly shed a few tears as she teased Carlos-san in the background. The man instead just gave a deadpanned glare in her direction shutting her up instantly before continuing to talk to me.   “Um, what do you mean by heroes?”I am very curious about how she knows about it. I think the royal castle haven't officially announced the summoning having succeeded just yet, so how did she find out? Did I miss something when I walked around gathering necessities?   “Oh, there is a rumour going around about that with the demon invasion and all.” Oh, so it was through rumours. Someone working in the castle must have let something slip.   “Anyways, I know you will be going to the D-clusters eventually so here.” Carlos-san, handed me a white envelope. Not understanding what he intended, I tilted my head as to let him explain.     “If you really get there sometimes in the future, do give this to one of the adventurers there. His name is Darret. He should be active there as an adventurer. I think he will give you helpful advices as one.” Carlos-san further rummaged around a cupboard before throwing me a coin sack to which I confusedly caught.   “D-clusters are the series of dungeons to the west of the country, you know where it is right? So what I'm saying is that I am giving you a quest, and that *he pointed to the coin sack* is my advance payment to you.” The man crossed his arms on his chest as he looked at me quietly after he finished.   It took me a while to process what he was saying.   “Bu- but Carlos-san, the payment inside is too much. I'm not even sure when I'll get there.”   “Take it. You're Lil' Rika, after all.” He then turned back to cooking again leaving my hand extended with the money pouch.   “Rika-chan,  just take it. Boss is just looking out for you.” Riley who was looking on at the sidelines smiled and suggested.   “But still-” She again interrupted me: “Just take it,  come on. Boss is especially looking after you partly since you're so young and besides you have potential. After all, you're able to accurately dodge Boss’ wall-slamming blow on instinct, so take it as him investing in a future errand girl.” Riley finished with a playful wink then stood up to continue back to work leaving me in a daze.   It has been a hell of a ride in this inn but the people here are so nice. It has been very fun talking to them. It was great seeing the liveliness of the people of this world. They seem to be so full of energy and living life to their really best unlike from earth where this sense of living is quite dulled. Unknowingly, a smile creeps up on my face as I ate my breakfast happily.     I take back what I said. I don't regret stepping into this inn after all.

GR Chapter 14: Meeting the Girl with no Voice (1) A/N: The disputedly longest chapter of this volume so far. 3000+ words lol. *Author throwing chapter length commitment to the wind*  #Unedited “Thank you so much for your help so far, Riley. Boss” I once again bowed in gratitude towards the people of [Cyclops Pops] inn.  The both of them came to see me off in front of the inn and waved back as I finally turned around while slinging my bag full of travelling necessities over my shoulders. I walked towards the north gate through which I will be exiting the capital.  I have already mentioned once that my next destination is going to be a small town to the northwest of Esteral, Archi, the town of the beginning.  Archi got this nickname due to being the town where the first ever dungeon of the D-cluster was discovered. Though after more dungeons of the D-cluster were discovered, the town gradually lost popularity to other settle light cities like IIlos and Vallas.  Nowadays, you could say that it is no more than a slightly bigger rural village at the edge of the Bichet mountain range, and the D-cluster. My reason for going there is not for the dungeons though. What I want is the hidden piece “the G.E.M” or the Gift of En Mort. It was supposed to be something that Shelton would discover on one of his many commissions.  If memory serves me right, G.E.M is a very useful growing item with many uses and have helped Shelton on many occasions. I don’t really remember the details of its description clearly but it should be something along the line of being a little wish cloud (in a sense). This item is very mysterious as its effects differ every time it was shown in the story. In fact, it ranks as one of the top 5 most mysterious items in the unofficial [Grimoire Knights]’ player ranking. This is a hidden piece that is too good to leave out. Hence, I chose Archi as the place to lay low and bid my strength; at least until the two month death flag passes. Back to reality, I was almost at the north gate. I started looking around for the person I made a prior arrangement with.  Spotting a small cargo driven carriage with a pair of strong brown horses with scales on their upper body, I quickly made my way there. The man who was going over the stocks on the carriage turned towards my direction as he sensed someone having come over. “If it isn’t the little lass from yesterday. You got here right on time kid.” The slightly hunched old man said as soon as he recognized it was me. “Good morning, Mr. Boon.” This man is none other than the merchant, Boon Vedas. A normal travelling merchant who was recommended to me by none other than Carlos-san. He seems to be a regular at the Cyclops, and he was the one I was pointed to as soon as I said I was travelling Northwest. Well, he does seem like a pretty trustworthy merchant, so I decided to arrange to hitch a ride with him along the way on his carriage. With fifty coppers, I’d get a ride on his carriage until a village a little away from Archi. Plus I don’t have to spend money uselessly to buy my own horse. It is more cost effective in my judgement since I would have to feed and look after my horse had I bought one. Not to mention the fact that I’d have to camp out alone in the wild at night where monsters run rampant is so unappealing.  I would rather bet my journey on hitching a ride with Mr. Boon although the journey might take a little longer. Mr. Boon also hired some adventurers who would act as escorts, so I will get a chance to see them in action which will definitely be good for future reference. “Just letting you know, kid. We're setting off in a bit, so get yourself on that carriage at the back over there.” He said after receiving the pay from me, pointing to a slightly old carriage behind the cargo.   It didn't take long before we set off with the clicking clacking of the horse's hooves. I thought it'd be stricter when going out of the capital but it was surprisingly easy.  One of the guards just had a look into the carriage to confirm the passengers and that was it. I am not surprised since this royal capital will be broken into from the inside at around the third phase of the story.   Wait, I haven't talked about the original Galgame's story plot much, have I? It started when Shelton, Enri, and Serika was suddenly summoned to Edea in their first year and second year of high school respectively. The story plot is pretty simple. If you have played other RPGs then you would probably be familiar with the something like the main plot or main scenario. [Grimoire Knights] follows the same framework of an RPG but with the extra function of choosing love interests along with the progression of the main plot. There are a variety of choices available and side stories that go with the characters chosen. You can even choose to play as either Shelton, Enri, or other female characters in some of the scenarios. Back to the main plot, the game can be divided into the following phases: 1st is tutorial, 2nd is the bandit arc, 3rd is the dungeon arc, 4th is the Laister arc, 5th is the Grimoire scramble arc, 6th is the Fairy’s test arc, 7th is the Confrontation arc, 8th is the civil war arc, 9th is the Abyss arc, 10th is The Great War arc, and the last arc 11th is the Grand Finale. There was also a rumour of another epilogue or side story that was never really released, at least not when I was still alive. If I had to rank the length of the main plot of the game, I’d say that it is around the middle among other games I had played with my game otaku bff. The timeline right now is probably the latter half of the tutorial arc, and my eventual destruction flag should happen around the mid to end of the 2nd arc, the Bandits arc.  FYI, my memories of the game itself is fuzzy. It should already be a miracle that I remembered all of the general arc and events of the main plot. I mean, would you remember all details of the plot of one of many games you played? Though I did say it was my favorite, it was like one of my 10+ favorite games. Even now, I keep the notebook with the game related stuff on hand in case something pops up on my mind. Every detail is important after all, I never know since something useful might resurface. Taking my mind off the original game’s plot before I complicate myself to insanity, my eyes wander to the scenery on the side of the cobble stoned road the caravan is travelling on. It was already time for dinner before I know it. The pristine sight of bushes, trees, and rocks here and there in the late afternoon sun once again reminded me that it is a different world. You wouldn’t easily find such wilderness with all the development on Earth.   The carriages rolled to a stop at a slightly open clearing with a number of rocks. The place seemed to be a regular stop for the group as evidence of camps such as sticks and stacked rocks were still present. “Oi, Get off, folks! We’re camping here tonight.” Mr. Boon shouted as the three members of the adventurer party got off their horses and moved to set up camp. Oh, speaking of the adventurers, I never got to introduce them, have I? Apparently, they are called the  [Griffets], a D rank party with two D rank and one E rank member. The D rankers are the swordsman Rick and May who seemed to be a mage since she is carrying a staff. The last member is a slightly younger Don who I’m guessing is a rogue?  I don’t see him carrying any sword or dagger or maybe he hid them, I’m not quite sure.  The journey was very peaceful so far with no monsters attacking the group. I guess it is somehow kind of strange since at the least you would see some low class monsters like slimes and horned beasts around but there seems to nothing so far. I’m guessing that is why the group seems tense and on guard. Well, I’m also affected by the atmosphere.  My previous thoughts of a light-hearted journey and seeking adventuring advices is totally gone now. It’s only typical that something bad would definitely happen in these situations. I stepped down to the camping site with a bad premonition. Sh*t! D*mn it! I jinxed myself!! Recalling what happened, frustration boils in my system. I should have known something was gonna happen. The first hour of camping and preparing dinner was fine despite the tense atmosphere.  Then the three adventurers started panicking and shouting something about bandits, lots of them.  I looked to the other side of the camp, trying to confirm the signs that about twenty rugged looking bandits was really hiding. If so, then they were probably the reason there weren’t any ordinary monsters around. They must have been cleared out. The group came together to discuss as for what to do. “Is it true that there are bandits?” Mr. Boon asked. “Yes, I spotted them when I was scouting the area.” The youngest of the three adventurers responded. “Sh*t! Those f*ckers are everywhere right now! How are we merchants supposed to live like this!?” Mr. Boon couldn't help burst out cursing for his bad luck.   Well, it's only natural with so many refugees around the country.  After the new demon king had been crowned, the demons suddenly invaded and many countries were unprepared.  The price of which was the fall of the Great Empire, the superpower of the continent, and the place of convergence of all races. Only after the fall, did the remaining human countries realized the situation and banded together to fight against the demons. However, humans were alone and weak. The other races except the Beastmen of the Beast country were nowhere to be found after they were put off by the arrogance of the humans who used to rule the continent. Surprisingly, the demons army stopped attacking since last year. The reason is unclear but it seemed as if there might be some inner disputes in the demon country. Some also said that the demons are waiting for a chance. The chance to completely take over everything. Although the main army ceased moving, skirmishes were still present.  As towns and villages continues to be destroyed, refugees flooded everywhere. It is unavoidable that some had to choose to be a criminal to stay alive. I understood their situation. I knew but it is not my place to do something about it. In the end, I am just as selfish as anyone else. I am leaving everything to the baka duo. “Alright, let's do it!” Wait, what did I miss? It seemed that the group and Mr. Boon decided to negotiate with the bandits by offering one third of Mr. Boon’s cargo. “ *sigh* It is a good thing I prepared extra goods in case something like this happen.” “Things like this happens a lot? Isn’t it just a little away from the royal capital?” I couldn’t help asking Mr. Boon as I overheard his whisper when helping move one third of the goods to one of the carriages.  It was the one that would be given to the bandits later.   “Not until recently, and I didn’t think we’d meet one so early. War times like this, the only ones to suffer are the common people. Those d*mn noble knights and upper crusts just sit back and watch, too afraid to do anything about it, fretting a non-existent demon attack on the capital.” “This country is just a shadow of what it once was *Tsk* *tsk*” Mr. Boon clicked his tongue as he finished setting the carriage just on time as the bushes to the front and sides of the camp rustled. “They’re here. Get yourself ready lassie!” Our group of five people got together in a line, on guard, as the bushes reveal a lot of fifteen armed men in rag tags clothes. “Well, well what do we have here?” The line of men made way as the leader revealed himself.  The so called leader was a bearded middle-aged man with a medium built physique.  Although he was armed with better weapons (a sword) and armor, he looked more like a normal village guard than an expert bandit. The others wasn’t that heavily armed either. They looked like former villagers who had just started robbing people. “You know the rules, don’t you? Leave all your belongings and beat it!” Despite his not so intimidating threat, the lines that came out was so cliche that I felt almost embarrassed for him. “What? All of it? You might as well kill this old bones right here and now!” Mr. Boon courageously shouted back unfazed. An inkling of admiration bubbles up in me, Mr. Boon is ….so MAN! “Hmph! I don’t care for your puny old life. I just want my goods or otherwise everyone dies!” The leader looked at each of us before pulling out his sword and the three adventurers pulled out their weapons, oh and so did I. It was tense enough as if a battle could start any moment. “Wait! Half” Mr. Boon knowing that giving only one third would not work due to the number of bandits, finally opened his mouth again. I turned to look at him to see him letting out another sigh. “Look, we’re all just trying to make a living here, so just take half of the goods and let us through.” This time his voice gradually turned louder and clearly stated his conditions. The leader looked to be contemplating about it. “You wouldn’t want people from Cyclops going after your head, would ya?” The glare of Mr. Boon grew fierce as he gave a final ultimatum. The threat seemed to be successful as the leader was about to nod his head when one of the bandits whispered something into his ears. I didn’t know that the people at the Cyclops in was so influential as even bandits seemed to be afraid of them?   “Hmm? Oh, fine.” The leader nodded his head to his subordinate as he turned to us again. “Hmph! Alright, but on one condition.” He paused as his eyes fell on me to which I shivered due to the bad feeling I had. “Leave that little girl to us.” “Wait? Wha-” This was all that came out from my mouth as shock overcame me. “Why are you asking for her?” Rick asked after being quiet all along. “Are you planning on selling her as a slave?” The other young adventurer, Don said, reminding me of the terrifying possibility. “She is just a child. Don’t you have any conscience?” May shouted. “What I want her for is none of your d*mn business!” The leader suddenly ran forward and exchanged striked the unprepared leader of the three. Rick-san got his sword blown away in a strike and was slashed on the chest. “I will only say this once leave her and the goods or die!” The bandit leader’s shout reverberated in the place making all of us go pale especially me. Afterall, it is obvious how strong the leader is as he beat our swordsman so easily. I looked pleadingly to Mr. Boon to which he averted my gaze. I was once again despairing as the rest of the party did the same. Finally Mr. Boon turned to me as he softly said to me: “Look kid, I’m sorry. I don’t want to do this and I am sure that d*mn Carlos would kill me if he knows.” His words dashed my hope. He paused meeting eyes with the rest of the group then the other two members, Don and May-san also came to convince me, coincidentally blocking my body from the bandits’ view. “Please, I’m sorry too.” The female mage said heart-brokenly as she stealthily handed me something that looked like an orb. Recognizing what it was, I suddenly got a clue as to what they wanted me to do. “I can only hope they won’t do anything bad to you.” Mr. Boon also handed me a small paper which I quickly hid under my belt. “Rika-chan, I am so so sorry.” Don-san was the last one to bow in apology as he didn’t forget to slip a little something into my hands. “It’s okay.” I said as I nodded. Don’t worry guys, I got your message. I will try my utmost best to escape by myself. I intently stared back hoping to convey my words. Still, they looked and nodded at me with worry and sorry in their eyes. After that, I walked to the bandits as one of them gagged and tied ropes around my arms. It wasn’t long before we started walking to who knows where into the forest. I looked around not saying anything as I overheard their conversation. “Haha! Another success! We should definitely celebrate when we get back!” One of them said loudly. “D*mn right! We should! Those guys were such cowards!”Another agreed. “Oh right, why does Boss want this kid anyways?” “How stupid are you? Don’t you remember the deal boss made to that merchant f**ker?” “The deal with that skinny kid that ran away...Oh, I get it! She is going to be the replacement.” He slapped his hand as if found the answer. “Yeah, I know we don’t usually do this but that merchant guy is freaking scary. We have to hand someone in or otherwise…” The other bandit moved his thumb around his neck making a throat slitting gesture scaring his bandit friend into cold sweat. I see now. These bandits wanted me because they planned on using me as a replacement. I can’t help but internally curse. For the love of g*d, I just had to be here and kidnapped as a slave for that f**king whatever scary merchant! There is no way I am giving up without a fight! I got ready as I pretended to trip while dropping the orb that was given by May-san. A cracking sound was heard as heavy dark smoke was released from said orb. “What the-?” “Shit, it’s a smoke bomb!” I turned around and zoomed in on my targeted bandit amidst the chaos of the dark smoke, the bandit who was carrying my things. I gave a high kick to his chin, instantly knocking him out. I only managed to grab my sword and waist bag before I took out a Monsters’ Bane potion from the space bag. As soon as I threw it into the ground, I bolted in the opposite direction of the forest. I never turned or looked back. I ran and ran as my life depended on it, ignoring every scrape, cut and bruise on my body made by the branches and vines of the forest.  At first, there were footsteps chasing after me, so I tried running in zig zag directions, dropping one more Monsters’ Bane 100 meters into my run.  FYI, Monsters’ Bane (I learned its recipe from Shawn-san), despite its fancy name, is just a simple potion that releases a fragrance that attracts monsters from a circumference of 200 meters to it. I hoped with all my might that the monsters attracted can distract the bandits long enough to let me get away. I didn’t know how long I ran but just that my body is starting to feel tired. My legs creaked, and every step I take is labored. My lungs are tired due to repeatedly refreshing the oxygen to fuel my running. My pumping heart hurts after all the adrenaline ran out. To make it worse, I regret throwing the last Monsters’ Bane. Now the whole forest is filled with the sounds of monsters’ howling.  I was like sh*t, I screwed myself up! I remembered being warned by Shawn-san that my potions are a bit special, and more effective than others, and to be careful using them or experiment properly before using them in a fight.  I didn’t know my Monsters’ Bane was so freaking effective so I threw two of them. I digged my own grave, f*ck! *Bam* I tripped over face first by a tree root as I was distracted recollecting what happened. The feeling of eating dirt is not pleasant by any means, so do not ever try it at home. I tried to push my body up and felt like fainting from my fatigue. My best effort only let me sit up from the ground.  Hearing roars once again bring shivers to my spine. I guess running is no longer an option with how my body is right now (not to mention, I lost one of my shoes during my run). I thank the gods (I am not a religious person by any means) when I realized that I miraculously still have my sword and space bag with me.  I have to find a safe place to spend the night or else, I would be a night snack to the monsters here.    I once again thank the gods I don’t usually believe in as my eyes spotted a huge hollowed trunk of a dead tree nearby. I excitedly crawled towards the forest’s definition of a motel. The hole of the trunk is just big enough for my small body, and for once in my life, I am thankful of my small body. I didn’t forget to pull out some monster repelling grass from my space bag before I slept as the fatigue hit me in full force. “Aaaah!” To only wake up later in the next morning face to face with a closed up surprised face of a little girl.

“*whew* Finally, I’m done with training.” Sevor’s hero later known as the Black Hero “Oh, good work with your training.” Vianna’s hero later known as the White Hero “He~ your aura grew stronger again, didn’t it?” The Black Hero said while squinting his eyes towards the boy in front of him to whom he’s considered his rival since childhood. “It’s nothing new, same as yours, isn’t it?” The White Hero smiled his usual bright smile which brings with it a kind of natural warmth to it. “haha, it’s just great this way. Don’t let me surpass you, punk.” “The day that happens is the day that rainbows have ten existing colors.” “Good then, but where is Serika?” The Black Hero looked around for the usual small figure who would always be absent mindedly standing around somewhere when the three of them were together. It was amazing from how the tone of his voice totally changed just as the name of the girl came out of his mouth. “She was here a moment ago but saying she had to go to the alchemy building to find Shawn-san, she quickly escaped.” For the first time in a while, the smile on the White Hero’s face was slowly replaced by his eyes narrowing and brow furrowing. If this was seen by any of the girls around the hero, they would definitely be shocked dazed as the hero’s expression now, matched with his handsome face, gives off a cold, serious expression that is totally opposite to his normal self but it was incredibly strange that he also gives off a hard to describe devilish warmth. “Hooh, it’s that knight Shawn again.” The Black Hero also frowned and mumbled in his low characteristic deep voice which is his normal tone used with others. “Yes, it’s that Shawn, the one training her.” The White Hero paused a bit before continuing: “He’s also the one who got to drink the lemonade she made.” “hmph! What is he to drink something made by Serika before we did?” The Black Hero gave a snort. Ever since they were children, the two of them had always been close. Whatever she made would be given to him, and it was only later that Shelton appeared and it changed, but she would always give them first priority. He only accepted Shelton grudgingly due to Serika getting along with Shelton. (Although, Shelton punk himself is not so bad a friend.) However, now to think she would give priority to another is such a stifling matter to swallow for him, and he’s sure the guy next to him feels even more so. “*nods* Even if he is her teacher. I don’t think it’s normal for Serika to not give it to us first.” The White hero also felt that it was strange. To him, Serika is a special existence. One might call his feelings for her those of a childhood friend. He admits it’s true, she is his childhood friend, first friend, and they’ve been friends since forever. However, he’s been finding it more and more difficult to see through what she is thinking. It’s not that their relationship is worsening but it’s something else which he was unaware of. That was what making him feel so uncomfortable. “So, are we still going to confirm it?” The Black Hero asks as if growling. They’ve been trying to confirm something by persistently asking for the lemonade since a few days ago but with constant refusal from the person in question, what he sees is just a clear possibility that he wish would never happened. “No, we should just stop now. It is pretty clear now.” The White hero answered as if sighing, not sure about what he is feeling. Whether it was the feeling of losing something important or having someone snatch something important away from him or just pure disappointment, he was not sure anymore. He has experienced this feeling many times and it was related to the same person every time. “*sigh* so she really does like him.” The Black Hero deeply sighed. As much as he loves and is not willing to give his sister away. He cannot ignore her feelings. As much as something is precious, as much as one doesn’t want it to be broken or tainted. “In the future, if he is to hurt Serika““ I’ll make him pay for it.”” Both Heroes said at the same time with ice cold determination in their eyes. And so that is how an unbelievable misunderstanding by the two heroes ended up. At that moment, none of them noticed the turning point that would happen due to the result of their actions.

GR 18 Talking    #Unedited   The commotion with the mana awakening slowly calmed down and so did my wandering imagination.    Yes, she might be one of the harem members in the future. Even a dog or cat in the neighborhood can be one considering that there are beastmen in this fantasy world. It's a bit far fetched but (Grimoire Knights) was exactly this kind of game.    You have so much freedom as to choose your party members to train or grow stronger together. In the end, it all depends on the choices of that idiot Shelton.     If you ask me if I would still teach her how to talk  then my answer is yes. I can't always be avoiding things related to the original game. Moreover, the situation now is pressing enough. Even if it was not the case, I'd still decide the same thing. I just honestly want to help her.    Anyways, the little girl opens her eyes and looks at her hands as she felt the mana flow in her body. I can tell that she is feeling extremely refreshed right now. The feeling akin to as if you have finally gotten better after a super persistent runny nose that lasted over ten years.    Even the way her bare feet touches the ground must feel absolutely stunning especially since she was blessed with the spirits of nature.   The little girl ran towards me in fast-paced steps but then stopped about one or two steps in front of me. She then gave a ninety-degree bow as if showing her gratitude for me. I can feel her sincerity in her bow. “It’s okay. Don’t thank me yet.” I said as I reached my hand to pet her soft-looking navy hair. The girl looked up and I could see her eyes glimmering with hope. After all, it’s time to teach her to talk. I led the girl into sitting down as it seemed like this would take an extremely long time. I don’t think I could sleep early tonight as the sun had set already, but it’d still be worth it if we could communicate by tomorrow. Actually, my way of having her talk is by no means original or anything. It was for her to ‘talk’ by using mana the same way I carve my runes in the air. By concentrating mana onto one’s fingertips and extreme focus, one can bring form to mana even if only briefly. That is how one writes runes or so I was taught. “Listen well, I don’t know if this would work but try to focus and I mean really ‘focus’ mana into your index fingertips.” “It’s okay to fail for the first few times. Everyone needs lots of try to be able to control mana so delicately. Not to mention, this is your first time using mana.” “Hold on, you are using too much mana!” *spark* “See if you focus too much mana and forcing it in your fingertips it would go berserk and hurt your finger, so be careful!” *spark* *spark* *spark* “Don’t force it! Your finger might get blown away you know!” “…” “…” … By the time I came to again, it’s already the morning of the next day. I think I barely got a wink of sleep last night. Fortunately, the pain in my rib is more bearable than yesterday. I slowly sit up and ready to start my daily morning routine of washing up and re-applying the area with some monster-repelling grass, but my lower body is strangely heavy. As my eyes start to focus, I can see that the extra weight on my stomach was a blue head followed by a neck and small body curled to the side. It seems like this girl took my tummy as a pillow all night. No wonder I dreamt about my guts being hit hard by Shelton’s basketball. It was not without precedence.  The girl slowly wakes up as she felt movements from her nightly pillow. She probably saw my dead face as her face flushed and she quickly got up in a fluster.   Yes, yes. You are cute but I’m not ready to raise any flags. I let out a sigh as I got up to do my morning routine but this time with the little girl following along. It’s a good habit to maintain hygiene even in a forest, you know. As a modern person with knowledge about germs and so on, it irks me not to be at least a little cleaner. *cough* But I’m not that excessive with my washing routine either since some smell is still unavoidable considering we’re in a situation where we haven’t taken a proper bath for days. Don’t remind me about it. I hadn’t imagined that I’d be leading a Ta*z*n life at this point in my life either. I shivered as if I’d been hinted something about my future life. No, no, let’s stop thinking about such things.   *Growl* *Growl* The sound came out from both of our stomachs reminding me that it was time for breakfast. I took out some dried food and also a pot from my space bag. “Can you go and gather some firewood? I want to make herbal stew to help with digesting yesterday’s meat.” I said to the little girl as I start to make preparations taking out the ingredients. The mushrooms from yesterday and some Yuga grass should help enough as the main ingredients, but the taste would be lacking. Let’s use the bones from yesterday’s hunted deer to contribute to the taste. I suddenly felt a sign of mana as I quickly turned my head to the source. [Ok] Bright green letters were glowing in the air and so was the girl’s fingertips. “You succeeded!?” I shouted in surprise. The little girl laughed and drew another line of symbols. [Yes] “That’s great!” I also laughed happily with the girl as I went to give her a pat on the head. With this, we can earnestly aim on getting out of this forest now. After that little joyful interaction, the little girl went into the forest to gather firewood for our stew. I too poor my summoned water into the pot and heated it a little with mana as I prepare the other ingredients. After that I stretched my body a little as I waited for the firewood to boil the water. At that moment, I finally noticed the ground around where we sat down on yesterday. There were countless markings literally everywhere. It took me no time to recognize that they were the symbols I taught the girl last night. Symbols I came up with to establish a simple conversation with the girl. You’d probably guessed but just now the girl didn’t write letters, but symbols that meant {Ok} and {yes}. Thinking that it’d be almost impossible for the girl to learn to read and write in a single night. I had taught her symbols instead. Those that would be needed for minimal communications of course such as [Yes], [No], [hungry], [be careful], [danger], [left], [right], [front], [back], [people], [monster], [town], [hurts], and [happy] or [sad]. Enough symbols for daily communication, really. Still, I can see how much practice she did from all the markings on the ground. She must have been practicing all night.   My heart grew warm thinking of how hard she’d practiced to be able to talk. Remembering her lively eyes when she wrote her first lines of words (symbols), I realized something. Perhaps, I’d taken something for granted all this time. That something was the blessing of being able to talk, to convey my feelings and intentions. I was so used to being alone, and being understood by the people in my previous life that I’d never spent all my efforts to arguing and fighting for my feelings to be heard.  Maybe, things wouldn’t have turned out this way with Enri and Shelton, had I tried harder to speak out my feelings instead of just bottling them up. I’d kept my habit of making light of my own feelings and prioritizing others’ over my own.   In a way, I was quite stubborn. I’d insisted on doing everything on my own not wanting Enri or Shelton to help me. Was it really because they are the original’s protagonist and rival character respectively that I’d gradually closed them off from me? Had I really tried to open myself up to them with all my walls down? I continued reflecting all my actions ever since we were summoned to this world as I made the stew after the little girl brought back a bunch of firewood. As we drank the soup in silence, the little girl suddenly ran to my side and starts to write something.  Slowly, letters in the language of this world, ones I had not taught her formed. [Miura] “Miura…”  I slowly read it out loud as the girl gestured repeatedly between the line of letters and herself. “Ah, I see, so your name is Miura.” The girl- no Miura nodded repeatedly as I called her name. “okay, Miura. My name is Rika. Please take care of me.” I called her name as I remembered I had not told her my name even though we’d been travelling together for a while now. Finishing breakfast, we got ready for the final journey out of this bitter forest. With renewed energy and a new friend, it feels like my journey would be okay once again.

  #Unedited *Ring!Ring!Ring!* "Ugh" Without a doubt my clock is ringing nonstop, but I'm still sleepy so I just smashed it to shut it up.Hah, finally some peace and quiet. "Come on wake up!" Just when I was slowly drifting back into my dreamland a shout disrupted me. "Uuu.." I can't help but groan in protest. " Come on Serika, wake up already! Time to go to school!" This voice like the chirp of a roaster, the morning car screech, and the devil's blessing, is nothing other than my aunt's voice. "*yawns* just ten more minutes aunt Rei...." I had club activity yesterday so at least let me sleep over today. "KUROZAWA SERIKA! Wake Up!" Just when I was going to protest a bit more while still having my eyes closed, I felt the blanket being pulled and- *Thud* Following that comes the sound of me falling off the bed. "Owww... what you'd do that for? I only wanted ten more minutes."I said with a bit of tears in my eyes due to pain. Taking my sheet and forcefully pushing a fourteen years old girl out of bed is just plain cruel. I am still growing and I need my beauty sleep you know. "Finally up are we? If I don’t do this, you will never wake up on time. Come on, go get ready for school." Aunt Rei, said while pushing my uniform and towel at me while I was still yawning and scratching my aching bottom. "Geez, look at you. I can't believe you are still salivating when you sleep." She said while giving me a disapproving look. "Wha- I didn't! And I told you to not push me like that!" I denied but still stealthily used the back of my hand to wipe my mouth.  "Whatever, if you don’t like it then why can't you just wake up on your own?" Well, it's not like I'm bad at mornings or anything, there is a separate reason to that. "Just hurry and get ready. Your brother and Shelton is already waiting outside." There it is, my reason. I don't know why but ever since this year started, it has been decided that I would go to school together with those two troublesome duo. No matter how much I protested to my aunt, she never seems to falter or change her mind but she just continuously muttered creepy stuff such as "*mumble* with such cute boys walking beside you*mumble* like a scene in fairy tales*mumble*..." with that fantasizing expression of hers, that I shuddered while feeling like I have seen an Asura and went *Hiii*, ending up surrendering every time. For your information, ever since I remembered my past life, I have taken all kinds of pre-countermeasures like giving my brother and Shelton cold glares from time to time, stealing their toys, scold my brother to treat woman better, and I even manage to scare a girl away from Shelton. Hehe, he won't be able to get a harem member anytime soon as I have even spread a rumour in school that he still likes our kindergarten teacher. Huhuhu, I bet now everyone still thinks he can't forget her yet. (Author: That last part, aren't you behaving exactly like a jealous girl?) Hmm, seems like I heard something distracting but I guess it's just my imagination. I know, praise me, everything is according to plan huhuhu. Uhem, anyway, now I am walking towards the door outside, while still reminiscing about my achievements for the past three years. Though they might be insignificant but with the measly ability of an eleven years old child, you can say that I have properly crammed common sense into those two. "Ah, Seri-chan is here." A boy with short black hair, black eyes, and with a pointlessly handsome face for a fourteen years old flashes a perfect sunshine smile at me.Uuu, stop! The smile is too blinding, I feel like I'll choke the milk I previously had for breakfast.By the way, you should already have known by the name but Shelton actually is a half foreigner as his mother is British, and of a noble family at that. That's why his eyes are silver which anyhow just make him a (fist-)attracting ikemen(handsome). Actually, he also has blond hair but it is too eye-catching, so granny Laura who is his mother side's grandmother ordered him to wear a wig. "Morning.” Flashing him an indifferent look, I greeted him in my usual way. I don’t know why but every time I look at him, I have this sudden urge to give him a look of disgust. Maybe because these past three years despite of my teaching, he still continued to attract girls and brainwashing them with his 'All girls are good girls' line of his. "Finally ready, you sleepy head." Giving me a knock on my head is my brother, Kurozawa Enri.Giving him an upward glare due to our height difference, I rubbed my head and ignored him with a humph. Don't tell me about it. The most painful thing is that even after these three years, this guy is already starting to turn into the 'Enri' like in the game. It's only a matter of time until he becomes a full blown womanizer! What’s more, he keeps teasing me every chance he has, so just like right now I am in my 15th 'Ignoring Enri' strike. I wonder where my kind and loving older brother went to *sob*, so sad. "What? Still angry about last night?" Enri asked with a smirk. "...you still have the nerve to talk about it?" I menacingly grumbled back. Just by remembering yesterday, I feel like I would make a certain someone my punching bag any second right now. "Come on... heh, who knows that drawer is where you put your private stuff?” He said with a amusing grin and then turned to talk to Shelton. "Hey, Shelton, you know what? This girl here actually has her own private drawer in her room full of strange books. She is more perve-" Noo! I will not let you spill nonsense to others about my private drawer!!! *Thud* "Oww, haha what? You don't want to let others know that you keep porn though you are a girl?" Growling and rubbing his face where my punch landed on, he still continued about it! Ukyaaa!! "That's not porn in there. I keep my secret diary there you know! It was you who went through my stuff without my permission and thought it was porn on your own!" While chasing him to give him another punch, I protested loudly. By diary, I mean the diary that I have noted about the events and anything else related to the game and my strategies, so there is no way I would let anyone else read it. Never!! We began our chase with Shelton as our pole, with me throwing out punch after punch while my brother was able to dodge them all. "What? It's not porn? Then why did you *swish* overreact like that?” He asked while in the interval of my punches. "Well, Serika, stop playing around, and Enri. She said it's her diary right? of course she wouldn't want to show you." Shelton added while trying to stop me by holding my forehead with his hand. "Let go, Shelton. I'll punish that privacy invading freak so that there will be no more victims." With our height difference, I suddenly feel like cursing the foreign blood in Shelton. After all, who in the age of fourteen years old is almost 175cm tall already? I don't even reach up to his chest at this point, and my height is normal for a girl my age. Really, even his stature is one that you would only find on a model. This guy grows too fast! "Alright, sorry Serika. I promise you that I won't touch that drawer again...*mumble* at least when you're there *mumble*." Enri said while still hiding behind Shelton though Enri is also a freak with his 177cm height. "I heard that!" Using my favorite scarf as a rope I pulled Shelton's hand away and face my one year older brother. *Bang* "Oww!!" "Geez, not cute at all. Punching your big brother because of just a little tease." Brother Enri grumbled while we were walking to school, which resulted in a death glare from me. "Ahaha. Why can't you two just get along already?"Shelton asked with a dry laugh. "As long as he stops being annoying." Flashing Enri a disgusting look, I answered Shelton while walking along the street. "Aren't we getting along just fine though?" Geez, what is this guy saying with that deep charismatic voice of his. Really, I sometimes can't help but wonder why the heaven is so harsh. Giving these two such awesome features, but you just have to give them such bad traits. A cool charismatic guy is actually a womanizing pervert+ an M, and a model-like ikemen(handsome) is actually a harem mc+ a super dense enemy of all girls. "Shelton, you absolutely can't trust this guy. He is a freak in many ways." "Serika, what's with that whispering and that disgusting look? You know I am still your brother right?" "Ah, Seri, your scarf is loose." huhu, Enri is ignored means that this is my win.While I am still engrossed in my win, Shelton stepped before me, leaned over, and carefully fixed my scarf in place. *Badump, Badump* Uwaa, I can feel my heart beating hard. Such a girl killing trick, this guy is so brutal. I can totally imagine countless girls who would fall for him in the future. Wait a sec, you know this is the way to the school so there are a lot of students right?You do know you are the number 1 most popular guy in school right??So stop doing such embarrassing stuff already or I'll be the one to suffer! "There this should do it." Shelton stepped back with a sunshine smile. "...." I can already feel dagger gazes from the girls all around. I think if glares could shoot lasers like superman, I would already have been pulverized without a trace. "Shelton, how many times that I told you to not get within a meter of me?" "Ah, right you did. Well, sorry. I got careless." Shelton apologize with a sorry look. If you wonder why he apologized so earnestly then it is because I have fooled him into thinking I hate physical contact with other people. This is also part of my plan to not get unnecessary enemies due to being a certain ikemen's childhood friend. "Ahh~<3 Shelton, Enri~here you are." Such overly gracious voice is nothing but the voice of a certain duo's fan group. "Ahh, Kana." My brother who was quiet since a while ago greeted the newly arrived girl who is Yamada Kana, his girlfriend. "Good morning Kana."Shelton replied with his usual smile. "Did you miss me Enri?"With a shrew voice she went to Enri and asked with a wink. Eww, what's with that flirty attitude? I swear I heard you greeted Shelton first then Enri later. I really have no idea what my brother sees in this girl as all she has is probably a cute face, and a nice body, but I bet her inside is almost rotten. "Shelton~Enri~.hi<3" Following her is her usual group of girl followers or in other words the 'Shelton and Enri' fan club's executives. As a result, I was blown away from the two by the group of ants- I mean girls. Just like a group of ants roaming over sweet sugar cakes, laughing sound and shrieks are heard and occasional sarcastic remarks directed at me flies over. *sigh* Letting out a breath, I went ahead to school without turning back to look at the duo. Well, this is actually nothing special as I get even worst treatment sometimes. Being the lone girl friend for two popular boys is harder than ever. I'd be lying if I say I didn't miss the times that I was an Otaku, and an air-like existence in school.Well, at least now you know why I'd rather not go to school with them.

#Unedited By the time I arrived at the school, it was already almost time for class. Well, my club president set this rule that we had to go to the club every morning so I had to hurry on the way to my clubroom while ignoring the looks and attention from the people around me. *sigh* Though my looks as a girl is only a little above average, but I guess being a childhood friend and a sister to the two most popular guys in school is getting me famous in a not really good way. I really am sick of being compared to all the beautiful people around me. “Look at that girl. Only with a look like that and still acts so arrogant sticking to Shelton and Enri’s side like a gum.” *twitch* Would you at least tell me with what or when the h*ll you saw me acting arrogant?! FYI, it’s Shelton and Enri who keeps sticking to me when I must be the one who most want to run away to the other side of the planet! “So gross! It’s not even winter so what is she wearing that scarf for?” *twitch* Excuse me for wearing a scarf in spring, but I’m weak to the cold you know, and this scarf is my defense item for your so called harassments of my appearance! Geez, when I don’t wear my scarf, I got told off for wanting attention with my above average face, but now that I wear my scarf you say I’m gross. Should I be happy that I graduated from attention-grabbing to being gross? “Shameless, just because she gets a little attention, and here she acts like everyone is invisible to her.” *twitch* You know I have never asked for such attention, and do I have to smile and thank you for all the harsh remarks you people are spitting at me? Like instead of ignoring you I should go: Thank you for the praise while flashing a sunshine smile?? Ugh, my mouth is getting tired from all the twitching already. It didn’t use to be this bad at school but ever since my brother went out with Kana, ridiculous rumors about me have been circulating around at school like I have a serious brother complex or I am a sadist or I’m monopolizing Shelton and Enri and so on. What a joke! It’s definitely that rotten K*nt*cky or whatever’s doings, just wait until Enri gets sick of you, and I’ll get back the debt two fold from you. Even if I look like this, I’m a black belt Taekwondo and I also practice other arts in a dojo. Even if I were to lose, I’d just get one of my seniors or masters in the dojo to send you straight to a porridge-special hospital, huhuhu. By the way, one of my masters in the dojo is also a teacher here, that’s why I can ask him to give me some justice. *Thud* “Oww..” while hanging my head low lost in thought, I accidentally bumped into somebody in front of the club door. “What…? Serika, what are you doing dazing like a dumb robot?” The one speaking is no one else but my club president, Takamiya Chizu. “Ah… Chizu-senpai” With long straight black hair and big brown eyes, she is one of the top beauties in the school. With a face that screams ‘’I’m a weak girl, please protect me.”, you would never think that such a cute girl is the ace of the Taekwondo club. “Are you checking in for this morning? The meeting is already over though.” Chizu-senpai asked with a smile. Aah, such an angel, somehow I always think of my cute sister from my previous life whenever I look at her. “Yes…Are you already leaving for class?” She is Enri’s classmate so her classroom should be on the upper floor. “Yes I am. By the way, there is no club today. The club room is closed for cleaning, you see. Hmm, I don’t see Enri and Shelton with you today.” She said smiling after gazing around the empty area behind me.  “They got ‘sugared’ by Kana and the others on the way…… left them behind.” They would usually follow behind me when I come to my clubroom so I guess it ‘is’ strange for her to not see them today. Really I don’t know if this is one of the scenario of the game [Grimoire Knights] or not. There wasn’t even that much information of Shelton’s life before being summoned but I get the feeling that the two are quite over-protective over Serika. For example, walking to and from school together, having lunch together, walking to class together, and even going with me to the clubroom everyday. Rather, I know we’re close as childhood friends and siblings but don’t they get tired of doing it everyday? I, for once, would like them to stop, as it just makes me gather more hate from their fans. It looks as if I’m hogging them all for myself, you know. By the way, I wonder did Serika get bullied as much when she was in school? The harassments so far are manageable as I have fast reflexes but things sometimes tend to get out of hand, and there are even times that I got into arguments with Enri and Shelton. “Serika??” Senpai’s voice brought me back to reality. I seem to have been standing in a daze while thinking about such stuff. “Sorry, senpai.” “It’s alright. Then see you tomorrow.” Chizu-senpai finished then walked to the stairs while waving to me with her angel smile. Waving back to her until I no longer see her back, I fixed my scarf in place and start to walk to class. Aah! I forgot to give her book back! Hmm, I should just text Enri to tell her for me since they are in the same class anyway. It didn’t take long until I got to my class. “Ah, Serika!” The first one who noticed me when I entered the classroom was Shelton. Hmm, the fact that he’s here means that Kana has finally let him off, huh. “Why did you just go ahead without me? We talked a lot about you. It would’ve been fun if everyone walked together.” Or so he said with his usual smile. *sigh* come on, at least let me get to my seat first before sending that plagued gazes would you? You too Shelton. Stop following me especially when you have rows of girls behind your back. Really, this guy is so clueless that I feel like I’m talking to a mental monster sometimes. “Ah, yeah.” While giving him a half-hearted reply, I walked to my seat, ignoring Shelton and the gazes of everyone else. “Shelton~ we were talking about today after school. Let’s go to karaoke after club, ok?” “Er, sorry. Today I kinda want to rest so…” He gave the girls a sorry smile and only then did they reluctantly let him off. “So what do you want to talk about?” Seeing him standing there not going back to his seat, I asked to get this over with. “Ah, Seri-chan really knows me best, don’t you?” “Stop with that -chan already. Got a favor to ask or something again?” Others might not be able to read his all-smiles expression but me as his long term friend, there is no way I can’t. “Serika, you know I’m in the basketball club right?” He said as he took a seat in front of my table and turned around to face me. “Yeah…so you want me to go cheer your match?” “Yep! You know Enri is also playing and this time it’s also against that East Middle school.” “Hmm, is it an official match?” “It’s only a practice match but I know you won’t go to the official match like usual, so can you at least come cheer us on today?” I don’t really like places with too many people but since I didn’t get to cheer for their previous games, I guess this time is fine. I also heard that East Middle school is tough. “Fine, but on one condition.” “Yes! It’s fine by me. Anything you want Serika.” Happily smiling, I swear I saw imaginary tails and ears on Shelton just then. “You have to win.” I said with a small smile. If I were to be there and cheer, of course they have to win. “Of course!” Looking a bit surprised after hearing that, he responded in a firm voice and with a bright smile. Is he really this happy that I’m going to watch his match? I haven’t seen him smile like this for a while. It’s a little different from his usual all-smiles expression, how do I say it, this somehow looks like his heartfelt smile. *Ding*Dong*Ding* Oh, class is starting. “You promised to come alright?” Shelton asked for another confirmation. “I got it already. I’ll definitely be there so go back to your seat.” *Kyaa!!!* “Shelton and Enri-sama are both playing today! This is such a hot event~” What greeted me just when I got to the gym was the shrieks from the girls. Geez, how did this got leaked? Isn’t this just a private match? “Serika? There you are. Come here.” Just when I am hesitating whether to go in through the crowd of girls or not, Enri who had stealthily gotten behind me called out to me, and pulled me into the gym through all the ruckus. “Kyaa, Enri-sama~<3 pull us in too!” “Ugh…” Hearing the shrieks at point blank range, I feel like my ears would burst. “Ugh, this is too noisy, SHUT UP!!” Seems like Enri got passed his limit as he glared at them after shouting. The girls turned quiet from Enri’s momentum, and only after we got passed them did they seem to snap back to reality. “Kyaa!! Enri-sama! That glare, so cool~” Even without looking in the mirror, I can tell that I have an extremely apethic expression on. Once again, I realized how it is to be such a fangirl, and strengthening my resolve to not be one of them towards either Shelton or Enri in the future. Enri pulled me until we arrived at the seats at the front row, just a bit away from the place where our school players are staying at. “Tsk! Aoyama! You and your big mouth! Why did you have to tell the girls?!” Enri shouted to a slightly thin boy just a little bit away from Shelton, who was walking towards us. The boy named Aoyama, flinched after seeing Enri’s glare. “Hahaha, stop it Enri, it was the president’s intention to have the girls cheering for us in the first place.” Shelton spoke before turning to me. “Serika, you came.” Uuu… that same smile again. Sorry but I’ve already gotten over it years ago. “I promised, didn’t I?” After answering him, I tried to walk to the seats and took a random one to sit. Only I got yanked back with the first step, realizing that Enri still haven’t released my hand. “Let go.” “Ah, I forgot. I got so excited since this time Serika is coming to cheer me on.” Correction, I came to cheer Shelton on, and ‘you’ are just a by-product. “*sigh* yeah, yeah.” “Me too. I got excited that I got to play with nice opponents and that Serika is here.” Shelton actually got on with Enri this time huh. Truth be told, I am also excited. This is literally the first time ever I am watching a basketball game as I spent a lot of time in the hospital and on animes or mangas in my previous life. I also heard that Shelton and Enri are very good at it as they are both tall for their age. Well, it is information from their fans though I don’t know if they are really that good. “Come on, Serika. Can’t you be more encouraging for us? Give a smile or at least call me brother Enri or something.” “Hey, Shelton, Enri!! The coach is calling for you!” Just as Enri started whining for attention from me. They got called in for a briefing from the coach. “Serika~” “I guess we have to go now, huh. By the way, Serika, your seat is over there, next to Kana and Mina. Get along ok?” Wait… why do I have to sit with Kana and that… Mina? Isn’t that place plagued with evil intent for me? “Wait…” “Let go, Shelton! I have to hear Serika call me brother and smile…” Enri who got pushed ahead by Shelton, struggled to turn back to me. “Come on, let’s go. The coach is calling you know.” Enri give me another glance then gave up and started walking back. Hey, Shelton-kun, you can’t just leave me here to be a human target… Come back… *sigh* no choice, I have to just sit there and watch the match, right? Let’s just pretend the both of them is just air. “Hi, Serika.” When I sat down, the first one to greet me was Kana. “Um” In return, I nodded as a sign of greeting. It’s okay, I don’t usually talk much at school anyway. “Didn’t think you’ll be here today.” The one who talked was Mina, Yamada Mina, Kana’s younger cousin. Hearing her soft voice, I clenched my hands as it reminded me of a memory I tried to forget. Just like Kana, Mina has big bright brown eyes, but unlike Kana whose long hair is dyed reddish brown and slightly permed, her hair is the shoulder length bob hair. It burns me to admit that they are as beautiful as models but that is their only good points in my opinion. There aren’t many people who I hate, but this Mina is one of them. This is not because she is Kana’s cousin but because of what she did last year. Well, actually I hate both them cousins. They make me sick, making me realize that beautiful girls can be this two-faced and hateful. “I’m here for my brother and childhood friend. What are ‘you’ even here for?” My motto is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I don’t talk much but I won’t back down on those I hate. “What? I got invited by Shelton, got a problem with that?” This the point I hate about Shelton. As a harem MC, he honestly thinks that girls are all good creatures, and he doesn’t know about how it would hurt those around him with it. “And I am also here to cheer on Enri and Shelton. Let’s get along well okay?” This Kana is as fake as usual. Although her face is smiling, her eyes doesn’t have even a hint of it. If I was to interpret it, they should be saying ‘Why the h*ll did this disgusting girl come here? F*cking go back already.’ I should just outright ignore them since the match is going to start soon anyway. Not long later the match started, I finally got to fully experience the thrill of a sports match. It was somehow very intense since the first round. They guys from East middle school were very good as they kept pressuring our team. The score was rapidly tied as no side had the advantage although both Shelton and Enri were amazing as they passed and scored. Ahh, they started pressuring Shelton from scoring the ball. Uuu, there is only a few minutes left before the game ends, and the score is tied. Just one more goal and we will win. Carried by the atmosphere, I shouted what I couldn’t say earlier: “Good luck, Shelton!!” Just as he turned to look at me I continued: “You promised to win, didn’t you?” “Enri, try harder. I won’t cook you dinner if you lose!!” After hearing my shout, Shelton and Enri exchanged glances and smiled. Shelton moved very quickly towards the basket. Although, he instantly got blocked by several boys he quickly jumped. Just when I thought he was going to score a goal, I saw the ball was actually thrown backwards towards Enri who was ready to catch it. Enri started running towards the basket but then he was getting blocked by the same guys who blocked Shelton just now. At that moment, Shelton who had gotten out of the blockade blocked them just before they was able to get to Enri, enabling Enri to jump and scored the last winning point. *Tweet*Tweet* “and the game is over!!! Congratulations to West Middle school! Woah! Such a nice finishing goal by Enri-sama and Shelton-sama!!” The manager of the club who has taken upon the role of announcer is talking nonstop due to the excitement. Is this just me or did that scene just now seems just like this morning when Enri stood behind Shelton? “How was that Serika? Ready to call me ‘brother Enri’ again?” “We really did it huh. Thanks to you we won, Serika.” “Geez, if you were already going to win, don’t make people all nervous.” “If we didn’t do that we wouldn’t have heard what we wanted to hear from a certain someone right, Shelton?” Enri said with a smirk. “Haha, it was Enri’s idea, and Serika is quite stubborn after all.” Shelton joined in with that bright smile of his again. “How was that, Shelton? That ‘Good luck!’ and ‘Try harder!’?” Uuu, I know Enri won’t let this chance to tease me slip by. “I have to say, the feel from it was not bad at all.” Waa, Shelton not you too… “Whatever, I did come here to cheer for you, didn’t I? I at least have to …cheer... for you...” I got really embarrassed after remembering what I said that my last words turned into only mummers. “What did you say?” Enri acted ignorant as though he didn’t hear it when I know he did. Well, at least I have to congratulate them properly. “I said, Good job winning the match.” I gave out a full smile. I am happy that they won and I also am happy that I got to watch such a match for the first time. “Serika~” Enri who saw me smile, suddenly started hugging me while Shelton was standing there, smiling back at me. Well, at least I had a lot of fun, today. Although, I got reincarnated in such a game world, I am spending each and every day having fun as Kourozawa Serika who has an ikeman childhood friend and a womanizer brother. So mama and papa in heaven, please don’t worry about me. I had no way of knowing, that the fun I had then, would shortly be the last I would have in a long time, and that the events that would happen from now is so unpredictable. Again and again making me realize that this is not the same game world that I knew of.

#Unedited “Wha-!!”“Where is this?!”“Where are we?!!”“This is-!!” Amidst all the shock and scared people of the group, there was me who was in a much greater turmoil than the rest of them. Yep, this is it. The Oh, so legendary other world summoning, and the reason I’m in so much shock is that this development is absolutely too fast. Come on, has the game, [Grimoire Knights], finally got bugged up?Shelton and us are only fourteen years old, you know? F*ck*ng 14 years old.Isn’t the summon supposed to happen two years from now? It’s no big deal for the overly grown Shelton and Enri, but I’m just your normal middle school girl, you know? Oh wait, wasn’t the original Serika supposed to die about two months after the summoning?Does that mean ‘I’ have a death flag two months from now?Oh my goodness, I think I’m gonna faint. At this rate, all my preparations so far are going to be wasted. The things I prepared in order to avoid the death flag like going to a dojo, changing Shelton, and so on, are all still incomplete yet. Even worse, there are extras who got summoned with us. With the exception of Chizu-senpai who coincidentally passed by, why does the other two have to be the ones I hate the most? “Enri~ Where is this? I’m scared.” Kana “Shelton-kun, I think I hurt my ankle.”Mina *sigh* They are no one but the Yamada sisters. How did this happen? Now let’s go back to three hours ago. Three hours ago After the match was over, Enri, who started hugging me, got pulled away by the club members who then lifted him up while shouting ‘Hoorah!!’ and went away to the coach, leaving only Shelton and me standing there. There was a brief silence, then I decided to break it with the thing on my mind. “Why didn’t you shoot just then?” Well, better ask now when Enri is not here. “What? I was blocked, and Enri was in a better position to than me.” “Really?” I eyed him suspiciously. “Yes. Anyways, Enri is very excited this time, and he said he want to go to eat together after this.” Hmm, this smile again. “Really? Are you going too? I thought you wanted to rest?” “Hmm, this is also resting for me though.” “Hey, Shelton! Come here!” Ah, he got called again. “Crap, coming! Serika, can you wait for us at the back of the building? We’ll be there in about an hour or two.” “okay, I also plan to go to the library.” “Okay, then see you.” “Shel… “ I quietly murmured. “Sometimes... you don’t have to be so considerate.” Just as he was about to turn his back, I whispered and without checking if he’d heard or not, I turned my back and walked away to the library. Well, I’m sure he did. He stopped a bit after all. I’m sure he passed the ball to Enri on purpose. Enri is, how you say it, more competitive than he seems since he was little. He would have become a completely self-centered prideful boy if not for my hard work and the incident from five years ago. *sigh* The trait is still there even if he doesn’t show it as much, and Shelton, who knows that, has often refrained himself, but I’m totally different. I can’t tolerate it as he is my important family in this life so I want him to grow up well. The same goes for Shelton too. I want my best friend to live well without any restraints or any complex or the like. Well, this is just my thoughts as an almost thirty plus years old woman though. One and a half hour ago Ah, it’s already almost 7. The library should already be closing right about now. I got carried away reading the book about medical plants. Why I am reading this you ask? This is part of my preparations for when we get summoned to Edea. Though the name might be different, I found out that the appearance and property are the same as on Edea. This way I can freely use them well to make potions, and be an Alchemist. Yep, I want to be an alchemist. In the original story Serika had water attribute magic which was deemed as useless with only a bit of offense power and heal, so I’m planning on surviving as an alchemist there. Oh, I got carried away again. I better text Enri to wait for me a bit as I still have to return a book to Chizu-senpai. ‘Wait for me. I’ll be there after 20 minutes’ sent. I already called Chizu-senpai a while ago, she said to meet behind the main building, exactly where Enri and Shuu will be waiting at. “Hey! Serika!” Just when I exited the library with the borrowed herbal book in hand, I got called out by a girl’s voice. Hmm, those two girls again. What are they up to now? Calling me, I’m busy you know? Well, let’s just ignore them. “Hey! I’m calling you, Kurozawa Serika!!” The girls, Kana and Mina ran out of patience and walked to stand in my way. *sigh* “You have any business with me?” I kinda have a bad feeling about this. “Well, we do, duh? That’s why we called out to you.” This Mina… She acts like a good tempered kitten in front of boys and the others, her real temper is three words… Rude as f**k! “Hmm, actually we do have something to talk to you about.” This Kana is better, but still she is definitely a cunning fox. “Can you follow us to the back of the building for a bit?” Here it is, the cliche go-and-get-bullied scenario. I really don’t want to go but I am supposed to go there anyway, so….I guess let’s just play along. I do have confidence that I can get out of most situations unscathed. With Kana and Mina leading the way, we got to our destination in no time. Seems like Chizu-senpai isn’t here yet. That’s also good as I don’t want her to get involved. “So, what is it?” It is probably about that same old ‘Shelton and Enri’ business again. “Just we got tired of enduring your acts.” Oh? My act? Which?  “Just transfer from here already, you b*tch.” Really an insect-full mouth you got there, Mina. “Why?” I guess I really have high resistance against such foul words after hearing the same things again and again, as I don’t even get angry at them anymore. “Why? Because you are gross, a nuisance in everyone’s eye here. Always acting all sweet in front of Shelton and Enri just because they consider you as family.” Oh, finally our Kana has revealed her tails. “Get it yet? Gross Serika?” Mina, you know, you sound just like a lackey just then. Really, I wonder how I even fell for your friend-act back then. Perhaps I really was blind at that time. “*sigh*....First, I will not transfer from here. Second, I’m not considered as family by those two… I am their family.” “What- you bi-” Just as Mina was going to pounce on me with her palm, she got stopped by Kana. What is even more surprising was that the slap that was aiming for my face landed on Kana’s face instead. Is this Kana perhaps an M? To think she would willingly slap her own face, albeit, indirectly. “AAh!” Wait, wait, what are you shouting for? Isn’t that your own work? “Eh?! Kana? What are you doing?” Even Mina is shocked to have her slap land on the wrong person. “I’m sorry *sob* I’m *sob*sorry… Even though I know you don’t like me, I love *sob* Enri so please let me stay by his side.” Eeh!? What is this 180-degree turn in attitude? Umm, wait, you lost me there, Kana, what language are you speaking in? How come I don’t get what you are talking about at all? “That’s…right. You are his sister, but why are you so cruel? To think you would tell Kana to quit school because you want them to break up?” At first, Mina seem to be taken aback by Kana’s attitude but soon she played along. Uh huh, I get it… They are standing opposite of me so they definitely see who is coming while I can’t. I don’t even have to turn around to know that Shelton and Enri are walking towards here. “Sorry, I don’t get what you two are saying. Don’t find me for something pathetic like this.” Giving them an apathetic look, I said and turn around to walk away. The best way to deal with a drama scheme like this is to ignore it completely. “I’m sorry, I won’t call you out again. Please don’t stop me from loving Enri.” Urgh, the drama is still ongoing? “What is going on here?” and so with great timing, the main heroes made their appearances. I would have pulled out a popcorn and watch this like a drama if I wasn’t the villain involved in this. “Serika?... Kana?” D*mn, Chizu-senpai is also here. She just has to come at such timing huh. “Kana? What’s wrong?” Enri asked when seeing Kana cry. “*sob* it’s nothing. *sob*” “What do you mean nothing, Kana? Serika slapped you!!” Mina looks so happy following up on her cousin. *sigh* “Wait, here use this handkerchief to wipe your face.” Shelton stated with his usual sweet voice, and handed Kana a handkerchief. “Serika slapped Kana?” Chizu-senpai mumbled in a small voice as if confused about the situation. “She was-” *Rumble* *Rumble* Just as Mina was spitting out non-existent details of the situation, the ground started to rumble strangely. *Flash* With a flash, a giant circle-like drawing appeared on the ground where we were all standing on. Wait a minute!!! I know this scene! More like I’m too familiar with this circle. Isn’t this the summoning circle that is supposed to appear two years in the future? *Vroom* The intricate lines and pictures on the two-overlapping magic circles started to rotate and spin around. In just a blink of an eye, we were floating from the ground. ““Serika/hold on!!”” Both Shelton and Enri shouted at the same time and reached out to grab my hand. *P’swish* Unfortunately, just as they were about to reach, the magic circle let out an extreme sucking force and with a strange feeling as if my mind is being ripped apart, I lost consciousness. *Back to present time* This is really such an absurd situation here. We are currently standing on a not so high platform which looks more like an altar with two stairways and decorated by two strange looking statues similar to those of the Greek’s gods. The walls below the altar are pure white with intricate circle drawings and towering pillars. “Oooh!! The summon was a success!” Just as our eyes was getting used to the scene around us. In surprise, we heard the voice of a man in a knight getup. Wait isn’t that a real knight? “Is that so? What a relief!” Just then the high voice of a girl was heard. “Finally, We have succeeded at our third try!” Another voice of a girl was heard. “It is all thanks to everyone’s effort. Really, I’m so grateful.” Yet another seemingly gentle and charming voice that can pull at one’s heartstring. Although the language used doesn’t seem to be the one we are familiar with, somehow we can understand it and even the tone of voice is properly conveyed. Of course, this is definitely due to the cliche translator function exclusive to the summoned that made us able to instantly understand the language. Anyway, when we turned to look,behind a big middle-aged looking veteran knight whose voice was the first one we heard, there were two incredibly beautiful girls wearing long baggy robes, and next to them was a princess-like girl wearing beautiful snow white dress plus a maid standing a little bit behind. The first who spoke was a red shoulder length haired girl, one could not help but look twice at her almost ‘cool’ features with her tall stature. Coupled with her amethyst eyes, she was without a doubt a cute boyish type. If memory serves me right, she should be Bertalia Kroh, a senior magician of the fire attribute. Next to her stood a bobbed haired cutie similar to a small animal and with lavender colored hair and big caramel colored eyes, her whole look exudes a gentle and clumsy kind of feel. Without a doubt, she is Prisella Mcgarden, the daughter of the prime minister of this country, and also a senior magician of the twin attribute of earth and wood. Why do I know them so well? How can I even forget them? They are the first capturable characters to choose from in the game <Grimoire Knights>. Isn’t beautiful girls appearing, calling you a hero, and asking you to save the world with capturing hot girls as a by product, the usual cliché theme for galgames?  “Pardon my lack of courtesy just now. To you who have appeared, welcome to Edea.” The girl or should I say princess bowed for a bit as she turn to us and spread her hands to perform a perfect greeting posture. Her bearing was so graceful that she had all of us captivated for a moment. As expected of a princess, I suppose. “Please excuse my interruption and speech, but is this not Earth?” The first one of us to regain their senses excluding me, and interrupted the princess was Shelton. He said to excuse his speech but he doesn’t sound even a little bit rude. Uh huh, I forgot this guy’s mother is a member of an English noble family. Really, such gold spoon children should just explode. When the princess’ line of sight stop on Shelton, her eyes widen and then her face turns slightly pink. [Without missing a beat, her heartbeat quickens at the sight a charming silver eyed prince. Never before had she seen such a cool and handsome person other than her brothers…. It was love at first sight.] I could almost hear the non-existence voice of a narrator describing the scene occurring before my eyes. And so this was the start of my heart wrenching adventure in another world while trying to avoid my death flag. However, I should have known that things were not going as planned since then...

This chapter is in Enri’s point of view. June, Seven years old. “Ooi! Where did he go?” In the neighborhood park which kids consider their playground, a group of boys among whom the oldest was around twelve years old, can be seen to be running around the park as if searching for something. The oldest was the fat kid with a yellow shirt shouted. “He clearly ran towards here just now!” A boy standing near the fat kid replied. “Yeah, I also saw it!” Another boy who seemed younger than the rest of the group reported to the fat kid.  “I know! Find that foreign kid!” The fat kid who seemed to be the leader of the group shouted his orders for the others to search around the park.  “Oi, fatty what's up?” Watching the charade from under a tree as I was reading a book, I was curious from all the commotion.  “Oh, look who's here. Isn't this my bro Enri?” The fat kid looked over and found it was me as he reluctantly came over. “What? You aren't happy to see me eh?” The fatty flinched as he saw me lowering my eyes at him.  “No. Absolutely not. Ahaha!” The fatty acted as if he was in front of his angry mother. He spoke very politely and didn't dare to be domineering like in front of his companions just now.  Of course, his current attitude is what I personally ‘trained’ him. After that day when he took my things and almost pushed Serika down, I was actually blacklisted and ostracized in his group. Among all the things he could do, he chose the most stupid option, so in retaliation, I challenged him everyday over every little thing. Of course, I beat him in everything no matter what he proposed to do and group fights were no exception. Ha! Serves him right to get beaten! “So what's up?” I asked while sweeping a glance towards all the kids who were searching around from place to place.  “hmph, you see. There is this new foreigner kid who bumped into me. I asked him to apologize but he just pushed me and ran away. My guys saw him coming here, so we're looking for him.” “Foreign kid?” “Yep. That punk’s face looks similar to us but he's got blonde hair and silver eyes, like a white kid. He's got guts messing with me.” Oh, that is quite rare indeed. You don't get to see a mixed easily these days, not to mention in this neighborhood since most of them are stars or famous people. “Did you see him?” “No and I don't care. Just quiet down and don't bother me.” White kid or not, who cares. I'm not that bored. Moreover, I still haven't finished reading this book yet.  “Yes, of course.” After ordering the fatty, I was going to go back to reading my book but I remembered and looked around to check for a certain person. She should normally be playing around in the sand and the swings but… hmm? She is nowhere to be seen?  Ugh, this is weird. Today is a Sunday so we decided to come and play in the park like we usually do on Wednesdays, and Fridays. Serika actually didn’t want to come since she wanted to watch the new cartoon but the TV accidentally broke down. Mom had to pacify her so long just to get her to come here. What should I do? As a good brother, I’m supposed to go find her but I’m at the climax of this book at the moment. What a dilemma. In the end, the climax was more enticing, and I ended up forgetting about finding Serika only to look around in panic later. Fortunately, I found her near some bush near the trail going into the trees further back of the park. I asked her where she’s been but all I got back from her was a mischievous smile and the answer that it was a secret. Look at this girl....  Two weeks later, Hmm, Hmmmm, Strange. Something is fishy with my sister recently. Before, she was quite reluctant about going to the park during the week. However, she is suspiciously eager recently. Not to mention her mysterious secret outings which are getting more and more frequent. I once interrogated her but she was as stubborn as a piece of wood and refused to say a word. *sigh*is this what others call a rebellious phase? Isn't this too early? Back to the present, I after taking all things into consideration, am now stalki- following my sister while slowly crouching on the ground with the nearby bushes as cover. In front of me was Serika who was standing there while looking around as if she's waiting for someone. Suddenly, there was a sound coming from a nearby bush just as I was planning to reveal myself. Serika seems to notice it too as she turned to the sound. “Ahh!” Before I could react, there was a shadow behind her and she screamed. Serika is in trouble! Without looking clearly, my body rushed out on its own. The next moment I threw my body towards the assailant. “Ow!” A pained voice sounded as both of us tumbled to the ground. Of course, it hurts for me too but at least I got a body cushion below me so my pain is definitely less. “What are you doing to Serika?” As soon as I regained my balance, I quickly grabbed the opponent's collar and readied my fist for a punch to the face. Surprisingly, the body under me was around the same size as me, if not just a tad bit smaller. “Ni-chan, Stop!” My fist was just a few centimeters away from his face by the time Serika shouted. Only then did I get to have a good look at the one being pinned on the ground. Blond hair, silver eyes, and a beautiful face that could be mistaken as a girl. Isn't this guy a half? Speaking of which, there have been rumours of a half hanging around the neighborhood for a while now. It's this guy isn't it? “Ugh…” The mentioned boy let out a pained groan while I was in thought. “Ni-chan, can you please get up first? You are hurting Shell!” Glancing at Serika's face and the boy's face, I slowly got up while not forgetting to send a glare at that girly boy's direction. “What were you trying to do to her?” I don't know why but I just feel irritated looking at the guy's face. What kind of boy looks so feminine? Not to mention his voice is soft just like a girl. “I- I was planning to scare her...a bit.” the boy flinched at my voice and timidly answered. I unconsciously clicked my tongue at his meek attitude, and unsurprisingly, the boy flinched again until his eyes were getting misty. “Ni-chan, no bullying Shell!” Serika who helped the guy up quickly pulled him behind her as if she was a hen protecting her chicks. I got more and more irritated at the sight. It was my first time meeting a boy who was so weak that he needed a girl (my baby sister who is even weaker than him) to protect him. This was the first meeting between me and Shelton who was the same age as Serika. I found out later that the two of them has been secretly meeting to play together recently. They agreed to keep it a secret due to the irritatingly timid Shelton being afraid of the fat kid's gang. Even more annoying is that Shelton was apparently a child of our parents’ good friend, and he will be living in the neighborhood from now on.  Instead of being happy for getting a new playmate like Serika, I was annoyed at the appearance of an eyesore popping in my life. I didn't have the best impression of him. In my eyes, he was too timid and weak. He would get bullied all the time for being different from the rest. With him like that, Serika too would sometimes get in trouble with others to protect him, and most of the times I ended up as the one helping them out. This went on for over six months until one time, Serika got injured when they got surrounded when I wasn't there. She had to rest at the hospital for a whole week. This was the last drive to my irritation, so I dragged Shelton away to teach him a lesson.  I remembered telling him to not be around Serika and us anymore if he keeps on being such a wimp. I vented my feelings on him and gave him a good lesson. He disappeared for awhile, and appeared again as our neighbour. I secretly warned him again but by then he seems to have changed. There was an indescribable light in his previously cowardly eyes. From those eyes, I can feel another type of annoyance as well as excitement. Annoyed due to him being close to Serika, and excitement due to having found someone I can compete with without holding back. September, ten years old Time flew by in the blink of an eye, I am already ten this year. Recently I have a worry and it's that I'm having this jittery feeling whenever I'm around a certain girl in school. The girl was called Hana. At first, it wasn't as bad. I just thought that she was cute like a timid animal and somehow reminded me of Serika when she was little. She was shy, small, delicate, and would look very cute when she smiled as her dimples would show. She didn't seems to have that many friends. Overall, she gave out a clumsy vibe that makes me not want to let her out of my sight. *cough* The reason I know her this well is because my eyes keep on following her unconsciously, and it's not that I am a stalker. Yep, definitely not.  Another good news is that Serika has grown to be very healthy. She is nine now and from what the doctor said, the fact that her heart's grown akin to a normal person's and self-repaired the damaged part is nothing sort of a miracle. Serika is very healthy and athletic now. Partly due to her interest in Kendo, me and Shelton has chosen to be in the club so that she will be able to see the sport up close. We are now the aces of our school's Kendo club. In fact, I found that I was quite talented in it, and I was even nominated by the coach to register in the Child Kendo tournament (Shelton refused due to family reasons). I wasn't planning to participate but I got an unexpected motivation from a conversation I coincidentally overheard. “Ne, Hana-chan. I heard Enri-senpai is going to be participate in the Kendo tournament. What do you think?” A girl whose name I can't remember poked at Hana. “What? Is that so?” Hana who was washing her hands in the sink half-heartedly replied.  “What do you think about Enri? I think he's really cool.” “Un, I also think he is kind of cool…” Hana softly replied while her cheeks turned pink. I can feel my heart beating faster from her words in return as I waited for her next words. “Especially when he is practicing Kendo, his posture and sweat filled form is so handsome, isn't he?” “Uhm…” Hana shyly agreed. “I think he'll definitely be the champion if he participates in the tournament.” Hana shyly nodded as a reply. Then they left the sink. After that, I agreed with the coach and told my parents that I am going to aim for the championship. I also had Shelton spar with me when he was free with Serika cheering for us on the side.  On the day of the tournament, all of the family was there to cheer for me except Shelton who had to go back to UK to pay his yearly visit to his mother. Of course, I won the matches in a breeze. However, there was this guy a few years older than me who was so desperate to win that he even played low tactics. In the end, I beat him fair and square that he had no choice but to admit defeat. The second day of the tournament which was the finals was also smooth though mom and dad was busy with work and weren't able to come see me. At least Serika and Hana were there. In order to not disappoint, I spontaneously won every single match and got the championship. I celebrated a lot with the club members and the coach while Serika said she was going to wait for our parents to come pick us up. At that time, a boy suddenly called out to me saying that a girl called Hana wanted to see me in the park near the school. My heart beated really fast when the familiar name came up. I kind of want to see and talk to her, so I went there immediately after telling Serika I had to go somewhere for a bit. My expectations were broken as soon as I saw Hana standing there behind a group of boys who looked to be delinquents. The head of the group was someone I just met and beat the day before. He was the desperate guy. Obviously, the boy came for his grudge about me beating him yesterday. However, what caught me by surprise was the fact that he was Hana’s big brother. He somehow found out about my crush on Hana and asked her to help draw me out. For a moment, I felt betrayed and hurt when my eyes met with Hana’s panicky eyes. She knew, huh. She knew and still helped him. I can feel my heart hurting even more than the pain inflicted by the boys hitting me. Feeling somewhat funny at my stupid self, I laughed while enduring the hits. How stupid I was. But thankfully I can still feel the pain on my body. I left my actions to my instincts and finally fought back. A very simple rule of mine: “They hit you hard. You hit them harder.” I lost track of time and I couldn’t even feel my hands anymore. All I remembered was dodging, punching, kicking, and even headbutting. By the time I came to, everyone was laying on the ground groaning in pain. My fist was bleeding. My face was so bruised that I knew I looked like a pig head even without checking in a mirror. It’s only in Animes that someone can still look unscathed after a fight like this. I may be young but I know at least this much. I turned to the sound of a whimper. It was from Hana. She had a terrified look on her face as her eyes met with mine. Her eyes were visibly turning misty as I kept staring at her. Then she fell on her butt as I stepped towards her. “Don’t ever talk to me again.” I softly said near her ears. She cried while trying to stand back up and finally took to her heels running away from the place. I stood there looking up at the sky when I felt a few drops of rain falling on my head. Ah, it’s raining. Feeling exhausted beyond words, I just stood there unwilling to move a muscle letting the rain wash my face. Suddenly, a bad premonition washed over me. Despite being so tired just a moment ago, my feet once again burst with energy allowing me to run to the entrance of the park. What I saw from afar was something I would never ever forget in my entire life. Hana was crouching down on the road as a cargo truck who was driving fast approached her. In that split second, the driver turned his wheels avoiding her by a hair's breadth. I haven’t even got the chance to let out a relieved breath when I noticed a car in the direction the truck was veering off to. As if it was replayed in slow motion, the moment felt like an eternity. No matter how fast I ran, it was impossible for me to reach it. There was a loud crash followed by the sound of grating metals. I can feel my heart breaking into pieces and my world falling apart. It was because I recognized the car which was hit by the truck. I also saw the people inside of it. They were people I’d recognize even from a hundred meters. They were my parents and Serika.

#Unedited   The next morning, I woke up early and went on my way to the west side of the building we were staying at. The west side are pseudo offices for the various officials above Viscount rank, sort of like a preparation room before going to morning court. Although I was a bit lost at first amidst the never ending winding corridors, I was still able to find my way to my destination after receiving directions from a maid who reluctantly told me the way. I had to ask many many maids just to be able to get here that I feel tired already. And so, here I am standing in front of a silver-framed wooden door on which various engravings were present at the edges. From the first few vines like patterns, I can tell that a magic for fortifying the toughness, fire resistance, and even safety measures like lock magic were casted on the seemingly luxurious door. Although, I said luxurious, these types of engravings are still quite common in Esteral especially in the aristocratic circle where you can find them on almost any slightly important room. Because it is not that hard to get them engraved as even your average first star magician can do that but only those with sufficient alchemy knowledge can bring these engravings to their greatest potential. For example, there exists a series of professions evolved from alchemists including enchanter, potion master, magic smiths, and so on. I felt slightly proud of myself for choosing to learn alchemy and being able to recognize such engravings albeit some on the door are still too complex for me to understand. Well, it’s as expected, it is the room of the person in the position just a tad bit lower than royalty afterall. Being reminded again about the person I'm about to face makes me feel like butterflies are moving around in my stomach and I nervously fix my scarf in place for the Nth time. *sigh* Toughen up Serika! This step is what you decided on! No matter what, you can’t just back down now!Yosh, let’s bring it on!Steeling myself yet again, I knocked on the door, and pushed it open after confirming the permission from the room. “Excuse me.”“Hmm? This is a surprise, you are the person I least expected to come see me.” The person who had been dealing with the mountain of documents on the table lifted his head and uttered in surprise. “Well, well, if memory serves me right, you are Kurozawa Serika, correct?” The person with lavender colored hair and cream colored eyes adjusted his glasses and put down the feathered pen he’d been using to write. “Yes, sir. That is my name.”“I can more or less guess the reason you have come to see me, the prime minister, but first thing first, do sit down, and would you like some tea?” The prime minister said as he put his hands together on the table and gave a look to his aide to signal him to make tea. That is correct, the person I came to see was no one else but the prime minister of Esteral and Prisella’s father, the Duke of Mcgarden, Cross Mcgarden. “I’d love to but I would like to finish what I came for as soon as possible, so I’ll be humbly declining your offer.” With the minimal courtesy I learned during these few weeks, I refused his offer for tea with my guards up at 150% more than normal. Heck, there’s no way I’d be able to be all friendly with a person so excellent in politics that he’s able to securely sit on the prime minister position for so long, and I’d laugh my ass off if anyone told me he doesn’t have a hand in the things that happened yesterday. He ‘is’ Prisella’s father, and the prime minister after all. “As you please. Vincent, I want green tea.” Then he gave his aide a meaningful look to which it was well understood as the aide, Vincent, nodded and quietly went out of the room. “Now then, what business might Ms. Kurozawa have with me?” As he said that his prime minister aura naturally flooded out like a tide making me incomparably tense that my back unconsciously straightened. “Then I won’t hold back anymore. Grant me three requests, and I will swallow what happened yesterday and will not bring it up again.” I bravely kept looking directly at his eyes without avoiding eye contact, showing how serious I am. “Oh, I see. Let’s not waste time then. First things first, I admit what happened yesterday was within my authority and we are perfectly clear with what happened.” Just as I was planning to counter what he said, he continued. “Nothing will likely change our conclusion over the case but as a person in position of power it's natural that I should at least hear you out, is this what you think?”“Err, yes” I was pressured with his clear cut declarations that I stammered my answer out while my brain worked on how to continue. “So, miss Kurosawa, what might those requests of yours be?” Those eyes showed his intentions clearly as if they were saying any unreasonable requests will be rejected immediately. Facing such pressure, I can feel myself turning calm. That’s right. This is what you should do. Only when you stay calm would your requests be granted, Serika. “First, grant me permission to leave the castle. Second, give me the resources required to survive in the city.” “Hmm, interesting requests, and the third?” “The third, I will tell you after you agree.”. Perhaps it was due to my tendency to adapt quickly or my resolve to leave the current situation that by the end of my sentence, I can feel the nervousness fading gradually and I began to get serious while confronting the person before me. “Pardon me, miss Serika, but are you sure of this? or if you are doing this purely out of impulse, then I suggest that you go back and train instead.” “No, sir. I’m doing this not on impulse but for my future.” Perhaps he saw the seriousness in my eyes that he straightened his back and looked directly at my eyes. “What if I do not agree to your requests? Actually, you don’t have any grounds at all to request anything of me, don’t you think? Do try to convince me despite the requests from you, the one suspected of assassinating royalties?” When Prisella said it, I felt nothing but anger, but when the prime minister says it, how come I feel so ridiculously ironic. “*chuckles* suspect, is it? Simple. It is something that also benefits you, and is something you can’t refuse.” “Hoo~ and why is that?” “First, you and me clearly know that what happened was the dirty works of your daughter. I might not able to refute it now but you know I’m an otherworlder right? There are more than one ways that I can use from my own world which you’d have never imagined to clear my name. ‘If’ I decide to put my all into it, that is. Then once the truth comes out, what do you think my brother and Shelton will think of your daughter and the rest of Esteral who planned such a thing to frame me, their only family in this world? Would they still continue to be friendly and strive to save you or be angry enough to turn their backs on you?” If you guys think I’m a soft persimmon then I’m sorry to disappoint you but I’m not. I know the cards in my hands fully, and the points about investigating was, of course, a complete lie. I know that these people will definitely clean up after themselves perfectly, and to dig into it is just too troublesome but they don’t know that. Just the trait of being an otherworlder has a degree of intimidation already, so why not use just that. As for Enri and Shelton, who cares about them right now when I have so much trouble protecting my own skin? There’s already no turning back. “Can I take this as a threat?” By the end of his question, I can feel a deadly aura around him as he lowers his eyes. What a terrifying calmness, like father like daughter I guess. “Of course not. I’m offering you a deal that is good for both sides. I’m sure you upper nobles see me as much of a nuisance as your daughter and the others do. A variable that is threatening enough that can turn the heroes against you with so much as a few phrases, am I not? You definitely cannot let that happen, so that’s why your best move is to slowly weaken my ties with the heroes so that one day you can finally throw away this useless chess piece without any consequences, isn’t that so?” A bit time consuming and round-about move, but definitely an effective one. “Since it is so, then this request is like a pie falling from the sky for you. You don’t have to spend even a tiny bit of effort nor risk ruining your relationship with Shelton and Enri, and you can get me out of your sight.” “Hence, my third request: keep my location and every move a secret from those two heroes you summoned.” By the end of my sentence, the person in front lifted his eyebrow as if surprised that I’d throw away my only insurance card of surviving in this world. “I don’t care one bit what plans you have for them but I want out from all of it.So that’s why your best choice is to agree to my requests. You can’t risk losing the support of the two heroes right now, can you?” With this, all of my cards are thrown into the game, all there’s left is to wait for the ‘okay’ then I’m set. After receiving permission, a bag of coins and a short sword was given to me. The first was securely strapped to the belt on my waist while the later on my back. I strapped the sword so that it's tilted a little to the right so that I can easily reach it with my right hand. Then I once again check all my belongings. A leather belt hangs on my waist, and on it were a bag of coins, knives slots, and a small space bag hanging on the line of my right pelvis. The bag is the same one as ‘that’ kind of bag (where the space inside is a different dimension, those kinds of bags), and it stores miscellaneous stuffs like potions, alchemy ingredients, food and even my belongings of the previous world such as my phone, school bag, and uniform. This space bag wasn’t given to me by the prime minister (as if that stingy old fox would give away something this good), but by Shawn-san who told me it was a keepsake from his master, and giving it to me after he, at some point, recognized me as his student. I reached my hand again to stroke at the space bag feeling a little choked with emotions. I’m really sorry, Shawn-san. Don’t worry, I’ll find you no matter where you are or whether you are dead or alive, so that I can make it up to you for dragging you down. Having finished checking all my equipment and luggage, I got out of my room and gave my thanks to Mr. Vincent who came with the bag of gold coins and info of where I can get out of the castle unnoticed as well as the fake ID I’ll be living as from now. Here is what is states: Name: Rika Kursa Race: HumanTitle: Minor noble Level: 06Occupation: N/A Ability: Alchemy(Beginner)Rank: N/A ‘Rika Kursa’ is it? Derived from my original name right? Well isn’t this pretty obvious?That old fox sure did a lazy job. “A pretty good name isn’t it? Considering only those descended from nobles have surnames, you are supposed to be a distant relative of a territory-less viscount Kursa, alright? Make sure you don’t blow your cover.” Mr. Vincent said that with a proud look that I somehow don’t know how to break it to him of what a lousy job he did at making it. “Err, um, thanks.” *sighs* I’ll let someone else break his bubble. “Another thing is that I have put the Rank and Occupation on privacy. You can change that if you just focus and chant ‘Change’ in your mind just like when you are checking your status.” Oh, let’s try it out. ‘Change’ Name: Rika Kursa Race: HumanTitle: Minor noble Level: 06Occupation: Alchemist Ability: Alchemy(Beginner)Rank: N/A “Of course this is the case only for special IDs such as this one that comes with changeable information as anything but the name and race can be changed. Normal IDs can only be altered by specific agents stationed throughout the country after having shown proper evidence, so you should keep that in mind. Moreover, this is different from status which can measure the changes of a person’s ability directly, so it is recommended to update regularly especially if you plan to be an adventurer as it can contribute to your adventurer rank-ups.” Mr. Vincent explained patiently about the new ID to which I am very grateful for. Although the father-daughter pair was hateful, they have a good eye for subordinates, Mr. Vincent is an excellent person who is also very kind.  “I understand. Thank you very much for your advice.” “Now you just need to go through this side of the green house and there will be a small corridor with a small gate at the end. I’ve already moved the guards away. You have only 30 minutes before the next guards take over so good luck.” He finished and bowed towards me to which I bowed a bit in return as thanks. “Well then I’ll be excusing myself.”I started walking through the greenhouse while marveling at the various plants and flowers. While I was looking at them, I thought of the baka duo. Thought of how Enri always loved to compete, how he’d always stand in front of me and Shelton when we were kids, how we hugged and cried after the death of our parents, how he’d fawn over me all the time, and how Shelton used to be a cry baby when he was a kid, how we became friends, how he’d learn to stand in front of me instead of the other way around without me noticing, how he’d quietly moved next to our house again and again no matter what happened to me and Enri, and finally of how the three of us used to be so used to each others’ company. Even as I thought of these things, I never stopped my steps. It’s not like we’d never meet again, right? However, for now, it is best that we don’t meet. Until, my death flag is resolved, I hope I won’t see them. “Serika!” How funny. I thought I heard Enri’s voice just now. I guess I already started to miss- “Wait up, Serika!!” Wait, that’s not my imagination. As I turned around while thinking that, I saw Enri’s anxious face running towards me. “Just what are you doing?!” Finally caught up with me, Enri stopped about two steps away from me and angrily shouted.“…” Looking at my brother’s angry face, I once again let out a sigh after going quiet for a moment thinking of what I should do so that I can get out of here as soon as possible. “What, you say. It’s as you see. I’m leaving.” “Leaving? Just where the h*ll are you going? To that d*mned Shawn guy?” Seeing me refuse to answer, Enri turned even more angry. “Serika, that guy was just using you, he’s lying to you all this time! You mustn’t believe what he told you.” “Prisella and them found all the evidence of his betrayal. It was just a moment of confusion that you did it right? The princess already forgave you.” By the end of his last sentence, I snapped. “Tsk. I did it? Enri, you are the one who don’t know anything!” “Since you don’t know anything then let me ask you. Will you believe if I said that I didn’t do it?” By the end of the sentence, I can see the confusion in Enri’s eyes and that gave me joy as well as…hope. “As expected, you are angry right? About last night?” Just who am I kidding. Fine, just let it go: “That’s enough already. I have already decided to leave, so the reason no longer matters.” “Alright, Serika, I know it was my fault last night so- “Stop it Enri, no matter what you say, I’m still leaving.” “You decided, huh. I got it but as your brother, I can’t just let my sister go the wrong path without stopping her. You are my precious little sister so I never thought that I’d one day be forced to stop you from doing what you decided to do instead of supporting it. Please, Serika just turn back, I, we can’t lose you.” For a second, I was shaken, but I forcefully resisted it thinking of the future events. Only by leaving will I be able to survive, so that I can perhaps have a chance to see you guys again. I have no choice but to leave. “Sorry, brother.” With that I reached for the sword on my back. Seeing my do that Enri slowly did the same with the swords on his waist but I can see determination in his eyes and perhaps… sadness. I feel very guilty that I almost can’t make myself look directly at his eyes. Although I tried to act cold on the surface but I’m still a normal girl who never lived independently from her family and one who loved her family deeply at that, I really feel bad for Enri. Still, without a word I turned and dashed for the gate way outside of the castle prompting Enri to jump and stand between me and the exit. With this I have no choice but to fight him, huh. *exhales*The sound of me exhaling was still ringing in my ears when I moved my sword quickly for a strike towards his right wrist. As if expecting it he stopped my sword by flipping his sword at a weird angle. Seriously what a freakish reflex, but he’s still slower than me. Taking my sword back, I started to slash at different places to get a feel for his skills with the sword, and I can feel his strength overpowering me as well as his Aura which is the same devilish one at the day we were summoned. Making use of the rebound of his counter, I jumped back. Really, he’s strong, very strong especially his overpowering Aura. Just go to h*ll already f**king cheats. Frustrated, I reached for my belt and took out a bottle and a pill, and put them in my mouth. Enri perhaps knowing that they were some kind of doping potions turned on the offensive and jumped at me. The strength of his strikes turns stronger and faster. Tsk, it still takes sometime for the pills to take effect, Serika, you have to endure. “Serika, just give up. You know, you can’t beat me even with your potions. Just stay, and we’ll go through everything together. Just as before.” “I’m sorry.” As soon as I felt the pill taking effect, I dropped the bottle I have been biting in my mouth. *crash**flash*After the bottle broke on the ground, a circular vine like patterns appeared on the ground and it flashed letting out a blue colored smoke. This was an alchemist encryption, which I set up by moving my legs in particular directions as I was attacking Enri. According to Shawn-san who taught me this: “Serika, you are still very weak, so this encryption that functions partly like a formation is for emergency use especially when you want to escape. The smoke has a sleep-inducing effect that will last about an hour, but only use it in emergency because it has a large area of effect and consumes a lot of mana. I do hope that you will not have to use this until you get stronger but this is a precaution for when anything happens.” Or so he said. I would never thought I had to use this so soon on Enri no less. Enri was probably thinking that I was drinking a strength or speed enhancing potion but actually I was only pretending to drink it but my real goal was the encryption on the ground, and I was only waiting for the antidote which were the pills I swallowed to take effect. “Cough, cough, Shit. Serika, where are you?” Having found me amidst the smoke, I can hear him dropping the sword he was holding and walked towards me with wobbly steps. Seems like the smoke is showing its effect: “Cough, please…stay…with…me…Seri…” By the end of his sentence, he fell asleep and almost fell face first to the ground had I not been in front of him. “Idiot brother, you are always so careless.” *sigh* I better get going when the smoke still have some effect and get as far away from here as possible. “See you later, idiot brother.”

Chapter Sixteen - Capital Punishment The wolf circled the three of us, like some kind of drill sergeant, its eyes never leaving us for a second. It didn't look to be in a good mood at all, which surprised me because I just couldn’t understand what was going on. I'd heard stories about conduits, about how they typically complimented their mage's personality. Cameron was feisty, though, not like a disciplinarian as this wolf was. However the hell those two were “complimentary” was beyond me entirely. But it continued to circle us, its face curled into a snarl that would have gotten me ready to strike on any other wolf. I couldn't really figure out what it was doing this for, why it seemed so… whatever it seemed. I was so damned confused by this that I was ready to draw the sword anyway. I kept my cool, though. Didn’t want to trip the thing up. The wolf stopped in front of us and growled, for whatever reason. My hand drifted closer to my blade on the off chance it turned violent. The wolf didn’t move, though. It stood there, it growled, its black eyes were locked on Cameron, much like earlier. When it finally jumped at her, Cameron defensively fell to the ground and crossed her arms in front of her. “Git off, ya beast!” she screamed at it. The wolf didn't, however, and kept her pinned to the ground. “You! Are! Putiful! Have you ever considered fighting, maggot?! You fight! You live!” Sari rolled her eyes. "She's a little girl, asshole." The wolf hopped off of Cameron and stood on its hind legs to look Sari square in the face, except that standing like that actually made it taller than Sari, by almost a full two feet. That bastard was bigger than I thought it was. In a show of force, it growled at her and bared its teeth. "You weren't asked your opinion, maggot!" "Don't call me that, assface." "You speak when spoken to, soldier! That goes for each of you! Each! Of! You!" It dropped back on all fours. "There are no little girls or little boys anymore, maggot, this! Is! War! You fight! Or you die! And if you don't fight, you get no pity from me!" I rolled my eyes. I wasn't sure what the hell this wolf was trying to do, but it was pissing me off. Either way, it wasn't exactly doing its job as Cameron's connection to pure magic if it was too busy busting everybody's balls like a hard ass. I just leaned up against the carriage and waited for the wolf to understand what was really going on. Unfortunately, my actions ended up pissing it off. The wolf ran up to me and clamped down on my leg hard. I saw blood pouring from where its teeth punctured my skin, and the pain radiating from the wound was more severe than anything I’d ever felt. I drew my sword and strongly considered killing the wolf right then and there, robbing Cameron of her conduit, but I stopped myself before I could make that mistake. The wolf took notice, however, and let my leg go. It then backed up and stood up on its hind legs. “I think you don’t take this seriously, maggot!” I wanted to tell it to shut up, but unfortunately my tongue decided to disappear into my throat as the wolf started changing. The head was still that of a wolf, and its body remained covered in its weird green, gray and brown fur, but it grew into a more humanoid shape. It was almost like a changer, but I knew that didn’t quite explain it. In less than a minute, standing before me was a warrior with a wolf’s head, fur and tail. Those dark eyes were the same, though, meaning that this was still the same creature that had damn near taken my leg out of commission. “It’s time to teach you maggots what war means!” The only one of us who could actually speak was Sari. All I could hear her say was, “What in the --” and then I got a face full of wolf fist. I hadn’t even seen him move. One second he was a good five feet away from me and then the next second his fist was connecting with (and potentially breaking) my nose. I staggered backward, against the carriage. I saw stars, which didn’t help at all because they just blocked my view of his foot making contact with my stomach. I doubled over as the air was forced out of my lungs, but only just before his knee hit my chest like a rock. I hit the ground on my hands and knees. I could barely breathe, barely see and really barely comprehend what had just happened to me. Naturally, he wasn’t done. He must have balled his hands together when he slammed them into the back of my head, or else his hands were just that large that it felt that way. Either way, he hit me and I was flat on the ground almost literally eating dirt. I so very much wanted him to be done with his “lesson”, but he obviously wasn’t, because he picked me up and hoisted me over his head. My vision was just starting to clear and the first thing that I saw was Sari and Cameron upside down for whatever reason, and then he dropped me onto his knee so hard that I was damned lucky my back didn’t snap like a twig. Not that it didn’t hurt like a sonuvabitch. I rolled over onto my side, hoping that if I just didn’t see him, he’d cease to exist or something like that. Of course, that wasn’t the case, because he knelt down and yelled in my ear. “You are a sorry excuse for a soldier! You are a sorry excuse for a housewife! You are just a sorry excuse! If the battle were down to you and me versus the enemy, the enemy would laugh at you!” Oh sweet Jesus I wanted him to shut up. If only I could feel anything in order to grab my sword, I’d try to stab this bastard while he was gloating. Lucky me I saw my sword right there in front of me. I tried to reach for it, but I couldn’t actually tell if my arm was moving or not. At least, I couldn’t tell at first. When he grabbed the sword and pulled it away from me, I realized that I had actually been moving, otherwise he wouldn’t have had reason to grab the sword. “This is a crutch!” he shouted. He was always yelling or shouting. Didn’t he have a damned indoor voice? “You cannot rely on crutches on the battlefield!” “I don’t!” I shouted, or at least tried to. It actually came out as “Ughydof” or something like that. I was more impressed that I had enough air in my lungs to make noise. “That is horseshit, maggot!” He punctuated each word with a kick to my side so strong that I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d punctured a kidney. Hell, at this point, I would forcibly remove my own kidneys just so that the extreme blood loss would bring me relief. “Okay, stop!” Cameron shouted. And, to my surprise, he did. I flopped onto my back and saw that he’d not only stopped kicking me, he’d even shifted back into wolf form and was just patiently sitting there, glaring at me. At one point, he bared his teeth and growled, but then he stopped. “What the hell?” I asked, which came out as “whuhfaell”, thanks to my inability to speak properly. I hoped Cameron knew a healing spell, otherwise I’d need the rest of the trip just to heal my face. The wolf turned away from me to presumably look at the girls. “I hope you two aren’t as pisspoor as this waste of a meatsack.” Sari had suddenly come up beside me and was helping me to my feet. Well, she was helping me do something other than lying on the ground doing a corpse impression. Eventually, she just dumped me in the carriage. For once, I was happy we’d left Jaide with Trafus, otherwise this would be awkward. “You okay there, Cres?” “How do I look?” I asked. This time it actually came out right. “Better than you did when we met.” “Ha. Ha.” She must have turned away from me to talk to the wolf. “What the hell was that for?” she asked it. “You three couldn’t keep yourselves alive on the battlefield if I left you in a steel reinforced building! How you’ve made it this far is beyond me! By the time you’ve figured out why you’re here, you’ll have an arrow in your skull!” I assumed that last part was directed at Cameron in particular. I already knew what I was doing, and so did Sari. “Can ya not just help me learn my magicks?” Cameron asked. “Stop… y’know, killin’ my friends?” The wolf jumped onto the cart and sat down beside me. “I suppose I can tone it down, but I will shape you into effective soldiers!” I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Just lemme sleep…” I barely finished the word “sleep” before I feel unconscious. ”Riley, c’mon. It’s time,” I said. She didn’t look like she was ready for what we had to do, and I honestly couldn’t blame her. I was barely ready for what was about to happen. But I couldn’t let her give up now. We were so close. We needed to see this through to the end. “I know,” she said, “I’m just… Cres, you know what’s gonna happen.” I shook my head. “That’s not the point. If we don’t…” I took her hand. “If we don’t do this, everything is at stake. We can’t let that happen.” I saw tears streaming down her cheek. “I know. I really do, I get it, but I don’t… I don’t wanna lose you.” I cupped her face in my hands. “You never will.” I could tell that wasn’t exactly reassuring her. I wasn’t really reassured myself. We only had one shot at this and if we failed, there would be nothing left. Hell, the very idea of this terrified me. I couldn’t really comprehend what it was doing to Riley. The weight of this must have been destroying her. But I was there for her. I was, while not really ready, certainly determined to see this through to the end. I took her hand once more, then leaned in and brought my lips to hers. One final kiss. It lasted minutes. It lasted for days, weeks, years, centuries. Time froze completely, all while we stood there making out like children. I wanted nothing more than to stay there, kissing her, for the rest of eternity. If only the world was just us… She broke off the kiss and looked up into my eyes. "I guess if that's our last kiss, at least it was a perfect one." I chuckled. "Don't think of it as the last, think of it as our first." She clutched my hand tightly. "I will. Alright, Cres, let's get this started." I looked down and saw a bright star of light on the floor growing all around me. I hadn't heard her whisper the spell at all, which meant she was getting better at her casting. Used to be I could hear her in the neighboring kingdoms. I laughed quietly. I was so glad I'd met her. "I'll see you again soon, Riley," I said as I kissed her hand. And then the light enveloped me… I woke up with a headache and a great deal of confusion. What the hell had that been? And why was that girl there? More importantly, why did it seem like we were… well, involved. I didn’t even know her, why would I be kissing her? Where had that come from? I didn’t have any answers, and neither did… the nothing I was asking them to. The carriage was moving again, so at some point we’d gotten back on the road. Sari was at the front, Cameron and the wolf were sleeping on each other (what the?) and the sky had turned pretty much completely black. Must have been somewhere around midnight. There was just one particular oddity, however. “Where’s the moon?” I asked, my voice sounding like gravel run through a water wheel. I still felt like complete shit, but I was at least capable of moving on my own. I slid into the seat beside Sari. “Oh, you’re awake,” she said, some amusement in her voice. “What did you ask?” “It’s night, but I don’t see any moon.” “You haven’t really been in this part of Dorenden, have you?” “No.” “The Dark Night, it happens every year at this time.” I coughed out a laugh. “Who came up with that name?” She shrugged. “I dunno. I learned about it from some shaman near here.” I looked around at where we were, which was pretty much just forest. “Where exactly is here?” I asked. She smirked. “Congrats, Cres Siorcas, you’re about to visit the Imperial capital of Myzacile. Or, well, we’re on a road close to it, anyway.” I blinked twice. The capital? I could have sworn it was on the eastern most edge of the Empire, not somewhere in the middle. “You sure?” She nodded. “Positive. Jaide and I came here on a job once, and I recognize everything.” “Everything, huh?” “Okay, so I don’t technically recognize everything, but I can see where I’ve been.” “How?” “Back before I left the Plains Tribe, the witch gave me the instructions to make this powder,” she reached into her bag and pulled out a small bag of light green stuff. I’d caught sight of her pulling the bag out before, but I’d never considered asking her about it. “It’s used to track where I’ve been, and only I can see where I put it.” That seemed… odd. “And you didn’t use it in that weird forest we were in a few days ago?” She shook her head. “No, I did, but it evaporated immediately. That place was friggin’ screwy, okay?” “So how long does it last?” “Forever, so long as whatever trees I wipe it on don’t get cut down.” I had to admit, I was impressed. “You gonna share that stuff so none of us get lost?” She shook her head again. “There’s a reason only I can see it. The ingredients require something of me in order for the powder to even leave a mark.” Something of her? “Whaddya do to make it work?” She glared at me. “Personal, Cres!” I sighed. “Fine, fine.” She giggled. “I’m joking! I cut the tip off of a hair and grind it up with the rest of the stuff. I’ll teach you guys some time, just not now.” I rolled my eyes. I guess if that was the best I was gonna get, it just was. I didn’t understand why she hadn’t brought this up weeks ago, but that was her choice. I had other things to focus on. Myzacile. I’d read about it, many times. Back when I was a kid, and even after Circi and I were driven from our home by the white dragon, she’d have me keep up with my studies as much as possible for two people nomadically running around. Myzacile was the first city founded by the Empire after the Judgment of the Gods. It was said that the first Emperor was an immigrant from Qinata, hence the heavy Qinatan influence on some villages. Though I’d never been on an airship before, it was said that no matter where in the Empire you were, from an airship, you could always see Myzacile. On the subject of airships, one passed overhead almost enough to land on us. The dodo were rustled a little, but they did their best to keep going straight. I’d only ever seen an airship once, from a distance. They were essentially large boats, given flight by combining electricity with magic, and propulsion by steam engines. How they stayed in the air was beyond me, but I assumed it had something to do with magic. The airship pulled up over the treeline, then slowly began turning to the right. I assumed that was where Myzacile was, and that this airship was heading there. “We gonna follow them?” I asked Sari. She chuckled. “Of course. You wouldn’t believe all the stuff we could steal in Myzacile.” I glared at her. “Seriously?” “What? Once a thief, always a thief. Even if I’m an honest one. Besides, where else are we supposed to get stuff? Do you see money on either of us?” She wasn’t wrong. What we’d spent at that inn a few days back hadn’t been much, but after we got our stuff back from Trafus’s family, we hadn’t gotten our cash back. Presumably, Trafus took it as payment or something. I didn’t know or care, honestly. I guess stealing would havta do for now, after all. “Alright, but we are not gonna get into deep shit and be chased out of here immediately, you understand me?” She laughed again. “Yeah, like we’re not wanted, or anything.” I sighed. Goddamn it, she was right about that… The books I’d read said Myzacile was always visible from an airship. Once we cleared the forest and finally came into capital territory, I could understand exactly why it was always visible from an airship. The city itself was huge. Obnoxiously huge, in fact. If there weren’t seven or eight Peresten-sized cities packed into this place, I’d be amazed. I’d never seen something so large in my entire life, and I doubted I’d see something this large again. The first thing you’d see when you came into the city was the bridge. It was a good seven miles long, and that was a conservative estimate. It seemed to take forever before we finally crossed it. The reason for the bridge was that the capital was, in reality, a floating castle in the middle of a large lake. I would never believe such a thing existed if I wasn’t looking at it. The bridge we crossed was only one of several, all leading to the nearest edge of the land surrounding the lake. The second thing that was most obvious about the capital was the Imperial Palace. It was dead center of the city, rising a good five miles straight up. I’d never seen buildings that tall before, as even in most cities a building would never really go over two floors, three at the most. Inns were an exception, for obvious reasons, but the Palace dwarfed even some mountains nearby. Gold spires stood out from every corner of it, though I couldn’t entirely see what shape the Palace was from the carriage. The city itself looked so very crowded, like everyone was packed into a sardine can. Airships didn’t quite fill the sky, but there were so many that I didn’t understand how I’d never seen them earlier. Most of them were landing on or near the Palace, presumably to ferrying dignitaries and such to meet with the Emperor. After I finally peeled my eyes away from the magnificent sight, I turned to Sari and saw her grinning. Clearly she was amused by how in awe I was. For her, a thief destined to one day be a chieftain, this kind of thing probably wouldn’t be uncommon. She’d probably snuck into and out of this place dozens of times just to steal some fruit for people, and when she’d finally be High Chieftain, her days would be full of going to places like this. But holy shit was I gonna be amazed at what I was seeing for at least the rest of the day. We reached the end of the bridge, where a station was set up for inspecting incoming travelers. Beyond that just a bit was a large gate, which looked like it was made out of gold and wood, though I very much doubted that. It would likely be too heavy to open if it had gold built into it, unless they were using magic or a dragon to open it. Even trolls weren’t that strong. A soldier stood there, wearing a black outfit with only the chestpiece and helmet of his armor over top of it. He looked outrageously bored, like his day had been slogging on for hours and he was this close to his shift being over. “What’s your business in the capital?” he asked. His voice even sounded like he was trying to suppress a yawn. Sari answered, “Visiting friends and family in the northwest borough.” His eyes shifted from us in the front to Cameron and the wolf in the back. “And your pet?” He walked around to Artus and tried to pet him, but the wolf instead snapped at him. “Has he got his shots?” Cameron smiled. “Oh, he’s up ta date ‘n all. Me da took him to the vet just the other day.” The soldier looked like he wanted to press further, but instead realized that asking anymore questions would just take minutes away from his day. “Alright. You can lock your birds up at the pen just inside the gate. You’ll need to take city carriages to your destination, though you may just want to walk. Dogs aren’t exactly well-regarded by most of our carriage drivers.” I smirked. “I think we’ll be fine.” The soldier took a step back and waved us through. The massive gate ahead of us opened, allowing us passage into the city proper. I nearly gasped at the sight of the buildings I saw. Myzacile had a beautiful aesthetic, with every building looking in some way as it if were built with gold, silver or crystal. The buildings were tall to the point that even what appeared to be houses were taller than most of the inns that I’d seen. And here I thought I’d seen everything. Sari directed to birds over to the stable house to the right of the gate. It was already full of horses, and the stablemaster seemed quite confused about our dodo, but she just shrugged and found us a spot to park the carriage. I didn’t quite understand the confusion, however, because there was another set of birds in another stable, though these were yellow, a little rounder and a little taller than our dodo. My stomach started to rumble. All this thought about birds made me hungry for chicken, but I put that out of my mind for the time being. I pulled my sword out of the carriage and clipped it to my belt just before a soldier walked up to me and grabbed it. He was dressed similarly to the one at the gate, but this one was clearly an elf. “By order of the Emperor, only military personnel are allowed to carry weapons in the capital,” the soldier said, his voice carrying a bit of an accent. “Are you serious?” Sari asked. Another soldier popped up from out of nowhere and grabbed her bow and her daggers. “Hey!” The first one repeated, “By order of the Emperor, only military personnel--” “Are allowed to carry weapons, yadda yadda, we heard you,” Sari finished for him. “In the capital,” the soldier decided to have the last word. “You can retrieve your weapons when your business is concluded. You said you were visiting family in the northwest borough, there is a boat nearby to take you to the northeast borough, from there is a carriage to the northwest.” The soldiers then turned and walked away from us, in complete lockstep, like they’d rehearsed this thing for years and couldn’t get it out of their heads. Hell, maybe they had. I just didn’t like the idea of my blade not being with me again. I thought I’d dealt with that long enough at Fork. Luckily, I still had a dagger hidden in my belt. And I saw Sari slipping a sheathed knife into her bra. I inwardly laughed at that. Once a thief, always a thief, I guessed. Not that I was much better, though. “Where we gunna go?” Cameron asked. I saw that at some point, she’d slipped a collar on Artus that I didn’t even know she’d been carrying. The idea of an animal created by magic being leashed up was amusing. I turned to Sari. “Northwest borough? What’s over there?” She smiled. “Exactly what we need for the rest of our trip.” I sighed. Whatever the hell that meant. “No ticket, no ride,” the boat rower said. He was a short, fat man with a bushy mustache and what sounded like a voice made of broken glass and concrete. “You want a ticket, you go to the travel office and buy a pass.” Sari groaned. “I just told you, we don’t have any money and I do have a pass, it’s just at my parents’ house.” I had no idea who these ‘parents’ were she was talking about. “I can show it to you once we get there, but we can’t get there without you.” The rower shook his head. “No ticket, no ride,” he repeated. Sari looked like she wanted to scream. “I’ve done this before!” she actually did kinda shout. “How did you even get this job, from your mother?!” He just plopped down in his seat and covered his face with a straw hat. “Whatever, I’m off duty anyway.” Now, she screamed. “You’re an asshole!” She kicked the boat, probably intending to kick it hard enough to knock him off of it, but all she succeeded in doing was hurting her foot. “Ugh! Now we havta walk!” I grabbed her by the shoulders. “C’mon, not exactly a big deal.” “Uh, yeah it is. This place is huge!” Cameron said, “It’ll be alright. There’s plenty uh places to rest, right?” I smirked. “See, Cameron’s looking at the bright side.” Artus piped in with, “You sorry sons of bitches want rest. You either go fifty miles without stopping or you give me two hundred push-ups with one hand!” We all stared at him for a good minute before I just said, “Yeah, that’s not the plan.” I turned to Sari. “Where exactly in the northwest borough are we going and why?” I asked. She sighed. “I wasn’t lying about having a travel pass, and we can use that to get places that we couldn’t just by walking there.” She pointed up at one of the airships floating above the city. “Like on one of those.” “Why ya wanna git on one uh those?” Cameron asked. “We get on an airship, we can go straight to Peresten.” “We’re going to Endawa,” I reminded her. “Yeah, but if we go to Peresten, we can meet one of my old contacts and get some supplies.” “Why can’t we do that here?” “You said you didn’t want to steal stuff!” “And this contact of yours is just gonna give some shit up?” She shrugged. “After a fashion. He’s a snakekin, I know how to deal with them to get everything we could ever want.” Cameron said, “That sounds kinda too much. We should just get stuff here.” I nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me.” Sari sighed again. “Okay, that’s not the only reason I wanna go to the northwest borough.” I smirked. “There we go. What’s the other reason?” “Well, after Trafus told you guys I’m the High Chieftain, it got to me, y’know? I’ve always known I’d havta live up to that someday, but I hoped that it would be somewhere down the road, like I’d get rich from all the thievery before I’d ever havta do that.” She sat down on the edge of the boat launch. For some reason, I only just now gave thought to the fact that we were having this conversation right beside the rower, who could just be faking the nap he was taking. “You know the Empire and the Plains Tribe aren’t exactly on the best of terms, especially after the last war.” I nodded. “I read about it in the papers, yeah.” “Well, one thing you don’t know is that women from the Plains Tribe are often taken from their homes on the border’s edge and sold as sex slaves here in the capital.” “Whuh?” Cameron asked, clearly shocked. I couldn’t blame her. Sari nodded. “Yeah. And there’s always slaves on the airships, brought in to serve as a way to sway dignitaries from other countries outside this continent. I just… it’s a personal thing, I know, but if I’m gonna be High Chieftain some day, I wanted to start by freeing those slaves. I know we’re out to try and stop the white dragon, but the world at large is still gonna be there when we’re done with that, and we should try to make a difference that way, y’know?” I sighed. It did seem like it was outside our goals, but the idea that she was actually trying to help people rather than steal from them was actually kind of shocking. She wanted to do this, but I couldn’t be the only one to make that decision. “Cameron,” I said, turning to the girl, “what do you think?” She looked like she didn’t want to make the decision, either. “I dunno. It’s… it sounds like it’s too big for us alone. How are we gonna free all the slaves on all those airships?” Artus shifted into his humanoid form for some reason. He looked ridiculous with the collar still on and Cameron still holding his leash. “Rescuing prisoners is a heavy duty that every soldier needs to consider strongly, but it’s always the right decision to make. This operation needs to be thought out, planned to the tiniest detail and every soldier needs to carry out their mission to the bitter end.” I blinked twice. “Did you… did you just say a sentence without shouting?” He stuck his face right in mine. “Savor the moment, maggot!” Well, that ended quickly. I just chuckled. “Alright. Sari, you wanna live up to your birthright as High Chieftain?” I asked. Her eyes lit up. “You mean it? You’re gonna help me do this? Even though it’s completely side-tracking our quest to kill the white dragon?” I shook my head. “This isn’t a side-track at all. We need more allies if we’re gonna kill that monster, and what better way to do that than to unite all the Tribes under their High Chieftain? And saving her people will only get her there much faster.” She jumped up and wrapped her arms around me in a hug I was pretty sure I’d never seen her do this entire time. Okay, maybe when she hugged Kalena. “Thank you!” she said through tears. I only knew she was crying when the tears hit my shirt. She broke off hugging me and hugged Cameron and Artus in turn. “Thank all of you.” Cameron said, “We wouldn’t make ya leave or anythin’ like tha. Of course we’d help ya.” Artus shifted back into wolf form. “I go wherever my mage goes.” I squeezed her shoulder. “We started this together, we’re going wherever it takes us together.” She smiled. “That would be sweet if I thought of you as more than my brother.” I smirked. “Hey, brothers can help their sisters do important things, too.” She whispered, “I know,” in such a tone that it sounded like she wanted to say more, but stopped herself.

Chapter Twelve - "You Have Got to be Kidding Me" “So, what's this guy’s name?” Sari asked. She was laying with her feet on the bed, her back on the floor and had to be seeing me upside down. She was barefoot, pretty much just in her top and panties for the moment. Cameron was sitting cross-legged by the head end of the bed, just off the pillows. I couldn’t tell if she was asleep or not, but her eyes were closed. The room was tiny. It was just the bed, a table with a lamp and a single, broken window that looked out on the town outside. There was room for one sleeping bag, which was laid out on the floor just far enough away from the door that I wouldn’t be hit by it whenever somebody opened it. Wasn’t even a fucking bathroom. The town looked so much better than this place suggested. I briefly wondered if there was room to sleep in the town square. Or that bar. I ignored the room for the time being. Sari had asked me a question, and I was likely looking like an idiot just standing there. “Trafus Moor, he said. Though, I doubt he was telling the truth.” She looked comical asking me serious questions in her position, but she kept things pretty much all business. “Do you trust him?” I shook my head. “Of course not. He’s a headhunter.” Cameron asked, “A what?” proving she was awake. Sari answered, “The worst kind of bounty hunter, they don’t take capture jobs, just kills, and they prove it by taking off the target’s head and bringing it back to the one who hired them.” I nodded. “Usually, they keep a trophy. Trafus has a Qinatan sword similar to mine and several Plains Tribe tattoos that clearly weren’t his own.” Cameron’s eyes shot open. “He cut off somebody’s tattoos?!” Sari giggled. “No, sweetie, he probably cut off the dude’s arms and had some back alley slob copy them. You can tell by the ink; the Plains Tribe uses the inky blood of a darkwolf, it looks much different than regular tattoo ink.” “That… doesn’t sound much better.” I nodded. “It’s really not. Regardless, we’re not gonna trust this guy, but we’ll use him as long as necessary and we’ll keep an eye on him at alltimes. If necessary…” I took a few steps closer to the bed. “You know any spells to jack his life up?” Cameron shrugged. “A couple. I turned the neighbor girl into a boy once while she was kissing her boyfriend.” Well, it was creative, but I didn’t think just turning the guy into a woman would actually deter him. I’d keep it in mind, though. If nothing else, it was a solid Plan B. Hopefully it’d be easier to deal with him any other way, or just easy enough to let him disappear. I didn’t want to kill him, and I wouldn’t if I could help it. I sat down on the disgusting floor and rested my feet. If the cockroaches didn’t tear this place apart in the next few weeks, it would be because it was too dirty for them. How the hell this place stayed in business was beyond me. “So, back to Trafus,” Sari said, “how far will he take us?” “No idea. As long as we’re not a problem, I guess.” “A problem? Us? Please, we’re sweethearts.” I rolled my eyes at that. I knew she was joking, but that didn’t make it funny. I sighed and leaned my head back on the windowsill. The ceiling looked just as bad as the floor. I said, “We need to have a destination. If we have a destination, our deal with Trafus has an expiration date. What’s a town you know where we can get better transport?” Sari shrugged. “Nowhere in the Empire. Kepton’s the largest town I know, and I can’t go back there. On account of the thievery I pulled.” Cameron asked, “Thievery?” Sari turned to her. “Oh, yeah, I forgot you didn’t know. I’m a thief.” I laughed. “Not a good one.” “I was a great one before you came along.” Cameron edged closer to Sari. “Ya gotta tell me about this.” “When you’re older. When’s your thirteenth birthday?” “In a few months.” “Remind me then.” All I could do was keep laughing. The town was quiet when daybreak came. I stood outside the inn and waited for Trafus to finally show up. Sari and Cameron were both still inside, doing… something. I wasn’t entirely sure what, it was probably some girl thing I’d never understand. Regardless, Trafus was late and the girls were late and I didn’t have anything to do. I leaned against the inn door. I drew my pocket knife and spent a few seconds using it to pick my teeth after whatever the hell the inn believed counted as breakfast. It was just as disgusting as the building, and how I’d managed to keep it down was beyond me. I could barely stomach thinking about it, honestly. I caught something out of the corner of my eye. It darted between buildings, between shadows. It didn’t take long to move, nor did it seem to stop. Whatever it was, it was fast. I could barely keep up with watching it. If it had speed on its side, that meant I needed to make this end up on my terms. I studied its movements, watched it go from building to building throughout the town. So help me, I hadn’t noticed so many buildings before then. I held off on drawing my blade just yet. I didn’t want to appear hostile if this thing wasn’t. I wanted the upper hand, not disadvantage, which meant I needed to look as though I wasn’t anticipating a threat. I didn’t even position my hands for easy access to the sword. Instead, I unenthusiastically stepped away from the inn and moved toward one of the buildings. I found a hiding space on the side of the building I knew the creature would make its move from. I could tell from how it had moved so far that it was picking specific buildings that were out of sight from the inn door. That meant whoever it didn’t want seeing it was likely at the inn. And the girls and I were the only guests. I finally drew my blade just as the creature was about to sprint past me. I lunged the sword forward, toward the creature’s feet. It stumbled as it tried to pass, landing on its face. I twirled my sword for some reason that was likely my ego. The creature in question was… Jaide? He looked worse than he had when I saw him, back in Endawa. His hair even more disheveled, his face covered in a light coating of hair that didn’t quite hide fresh scars and his body thin from starvation. “What’re you doing here, Jaide?” I asked. The changer’s eyes darted left and right, then locked on me. “Who… Who Jaide…” he asked, a hoarseness to his voice that suggested he hadn’t had anything to drink in days. “You Jaide,” I said, stupidly imitating him. Instead of responding, Jaide curled up into the fetal position and started shaking. It was both concerning and pathetic. It was an almost complete change from what he’d been back in Endawa. Had the Escorts done this to him after Sari and I escaped? What exactly had been done to him? Trafus rolled up to the front of the inn riding a cart, drawn by large… bird… things. I was expecting horses. Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting any kind of transport at all, but horses would have been better. He looked as though he were mildly annoyed, as well. “Looks like you caught yourself a good prize there, Kid. Guilds pay good money for changers, especially one as infamous as Jaide Redclaw.” I sheathed my sword and walked over to him. “Not what I’m interested in. What the hell are those?” He patted the nearest bird. “These are giant dodo, and you won’t find a faster animal. A carriage drawn by fifty horses couldn’t catch up to ten dodo.” I glared. “I seriously doubt that.” He laughed. “Fine then, doubt it all the way to our destination, Kid.” I sighed. Whatever. I walked over to his cart and found a rope. Using the rope, I bound Jaide’s hands, but not his feet. He didn’t resist, barely even moved. It was almost like he was a stone or something, or a dead animal. Sari and Cameron walked out of the inn a few moments later, both in clothes I didn’t know they had. I was still wearing the same ratty clothes I made it to town in. Sari was wearing a pair of skintight pants, a top that exposed her stomach and left arm but covered her right arm and a pair of hunting boots. Cameron was wearing a pair of shorts, a tank top and sandals. “Is that Jaide?” Sari asked, a surprised look on her face. “Who’s Jaide?” Cameron asked, almost as though she’d heard Jaide say exactly that five minutes ago. “You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me, it is Jaide! Ha! What’s he doing here?” I rolled my eyes. “He doesn’t know. He doesn’t even remember his own name.” The two of them made it over to me. Sari looked Jaide over while Cameron decided to take a look at the dodos. “What the hell happened to him?” Sari asked. Before I could answer, Trafus did. “He’s been touched by their mind rapers.” He dismounted from the cart and patted the dodos for comfort or something. Cameron looked the most concerned. “Mind rapuhs?” she asked. Trafus gave an odd glance at her. “No, rapers.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Tha’s what ah said.” I sighed. “What are mind rapers?” I asked. “Disgusting things,” Trafus answered, still giving Cameron that look, “they peer at you from dark holes in their heads, never seeing your physical form but looking so intently at your being. They take it, rip it apart and spit it back out.” He pointed to Jaide. “Most people end up like this poor bastard, lose their entire sense of self. Others…” he visibly shuddered, “I don’t like to think about what happens to the others.” Sari was suddenly behind Cameron, holding onto her. “Do they ever come back?” she asked. Trafus simply shook his head. “The Empire does this on a regular basis?” “You wouldn’t believe how many people, M’lady.” He took a step closer to the girls. “And the mind rapers aren’t even the worst thing they do.” I couldn’t say I was surprised the Empire did such things. My dad used to warn Circi and me about the things the Empire liked to do to people who disagreed, to people who fought back. Most kept quiet, and said nothing. Others regretted their decisions not to. No, I wasn’t surprised, I was disgusted. Sari and I hoisted Jaide into the cart, though I could have done it myself. He was so malnourished, he likely weighed less than a hundred pounds. Had one of those worst things Trafus had mentioned been behind how he looked like he’d been mistreated for almost a year, or had the Escorts done their damage to him right there in Endawa? I could almost imagine them taking control of that inn and destroying him in the basement, while unsuspecting visitors checked in up above, completely oblivious to it all. I put the thought out of my mind and helped Cameron into the cart, then Sari, then hoisted myself up into it. Trafus got in last. “So, swordsman, where are we headed? West is a direction, but we need a destination.” “Endawa. Small village out there.” He nodded. “I know it. Irvine and I go way back, we fought in the war.” “Friends?” He shook his head. “Opposite sides. We fought in the war.” I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. That’s our destination.” He smiled. “Fine. Endawa it is.” “How much further?” Sari asked, after yawning. I immediately yawned as well, thanks to how goddamn contagious those things are. Cameron was already asleep, so she didn’t yawn, and I couldn’t tell if Trafus was yawning. Jaide was out cold, not even blabbering his gibberish. The sun was just beginning to set as we finished crossing through a mountain range I had hoped we’d avoid. The idea of these birds on steep pathways just concerned the hell out of me, but Trafus had vouched for them and we’d actually managed to get through it all no problem. Now if only the damn birds could fly, we’d be in great traveling shape. From what I could tell from the map I’d stolen from the inn (like the innkeeper would really miss it), we were at least two days travel from Endawa, and from there I saw at least a couple options. One was a city called Peresten, which looked to only be about a days walk from Endawa. That meant that the girls and I could dump Trafus in Endawa to hang with that Irvine guy he mentioned and we could get on to the next step of our journey. Peresten looked like a big enough city to draw the white dragon to it. If we were lucky, we’d get there in time to stop it. “Hey,” Sari said, a little more forceful, “how much further?” Trafus finally looked back at her. “We’re making camp in a little bit.” “Where are we, anyway?” I answered, “The closest village is only about an hour or so away, from the looks of this map, on the other side of this forest.” I had to admit, I wasn’t fond of the idea of going through another forest, but a good portion of the Empire was woodlands, so I guess my fondness in the idea was irrelevant. “Called Fork.” “Fork?” “Fork,” I repeated. “That’s the name on the map, at least.” “We’re not going there,” Trafus said. “Why not?” Sari asked. “We’re not.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Fine, just sayin’, it’d be nice to know why.” I wouldn’t mind knowing the real reason, either, but I didn’t say anything. I could tell Trafus’ mind was made up and we’d never be getting the answer we were looking for. I had a feeling it had something to do with the man’s headhunting career. Maybe it was his greatest shame, maybe it was just a town he’d hunted too many people in. Maybe it was something altogether different. Trafus stopped the birds just outside the forest, then tied them to the nearest tree. He then reached into a bag he had tied to the side of the cart and retrieved a relatively large double-sided axe with markings from Esosca painted on the blades. “Come with me,” he said to me. Sari sat up. “I’ll come, too.” Trafus shook his head. “No, M’lady, you stay with the girl. The Kid and I will be back in a short moment. We’re just going to get firewood.” He let the handle of his axe hit the ground and leaned with it. “Besides, somebody needs to stay with that one,” he said, pointing to Jaide. She slumped back into her previous half-lying/half-sitting position. “Fine, just don’t take too long. I worry about Cres.” I laughed. “Yeah, right. Worry. She smiled. “Shush. Just go off, do your man work.” I was about to say something when Trafus pushed another axe - unmarked, this time - into my hands. He jerked his thumb toward the forest, then led the way into it. He led me deep into the forest before we actually even started chopping any wood. I would have asked why we didn’t just use the closest trees, but Trafus seemed… different than he had been back in town. I assumed it was something to do with our close proximity to Fork, whatever the hell that place was to him. “So, do you need a nickname?” I asked him. He stopped swinging his axe. “What?” “You call me Kid, you call Sari M’lady. Do we need to give you a nickname?” He swung the axe into the tree again. “The only nickname there is Kid, Kid.” I stopped swinging now. “What?” “You heard what I said.” I shrugged. “Fine, whatever. What’s up with you and Fork, then?” “No.” “I’m not here to bond,” I assured him, “but if it’s important to this ride, I feel like we need to know.” He shook his head. “It’s not important. We’re not going there, it’s an hour in the wrong direction and I don’t want to talk about it.” He hit the tree again. “You didn’t mention you were this chatty, Kid.” “Trust me, I am.” He laughed. “Fine, how about you tell me a little about yourself, then? What does the great Cres Siorcas need to go west for?” I narrowed my eyes. “Funny, I didn’t tell you my last name.” “No, but it was easy to piece it together. The finest headhunter in all of the Empire once owned that sword you carry, and everybody knows he was killed by the white dragon.” “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said through gritted teeth. And I was right, he didn’t know. My dad wasn’t a headhunter, he couldn’t have been. “Whoever lied to you about my dad should have checked his facts. He wasn’t a headhunter.” He nodded. “Fine. See it as you choose. You’ll love him more that way.” He finished up on his tree and the wood came falling down, right into the clearing we were standing at the edge of. “Now, hurry up with yours. The girls are probably getting cold.” We finished with all the wood chopping, then carried it all out to where we were parked. In the time we took getting to know one another and chopping all the wood, Sari had set up a tent she must have found from Trafus’ stuff and was starting on another. Cameron was hugging one of the dodos and Jaide was still bound in the cart. The sun had just dipped under the horizon when we finished setting up our little camp. We tied Jaide to one of the trees that the dodos weren’t tied to, and started the fire a few feet away from the tents. Cameron sat down to the right, beside me, which I found weird, because I thought Sari was the one she had connected to the most. Trafus was on the opposite side of the fire from me, and Sari was on the left of me, playing with one of her arrows. From somewhere, Trafus had caught some small animals. I hadn’t seen him do it, but I assumed he’d done it while I helped Sari set up the other tents. There were three of them, one for Trafus, one for me and one for the girls. I wasn’t entirely comfortable with Jaide being left tied to that tree, but I damn sure wasn’t putting him in any of our tents. I was still unsure what to do about Jaide. On the one hand, I didn’t want anything to do with him, but he did sacrifice himself for Sari and I to escape. He was still the direct cause for why we needed to escape anyway, but that wasn’t the point. Maybe we could dump him off somewhere along the way to Endawa. I’d have to talk about it with Sari, but I doubted she’d disagree. I heard something out in the woods. Sari and Jaide did as well, but Cameron and Trafus didn’t even pretend to hear it. Cameron, I found out, was asleep. Trafus simply snorted, “Don’t let woodland noises scare you.” He prodded the fire with a stick. “Especially noises from these woods.” Sari looked at me with a look of annoyance. I assumed Trafus’ demeanor was getting on her nerves, or something. She proved me right when she asked, “Are you ever gonna tell us what’s up with you and these woods?” He glanced up at her. “Not if I never need to, M’lady.” Her look toward him had turned to steel. “Stop calling me that.” I asked, “Why do you call her that? You said it wasn’t a nickname.” He shifted his glance to me. “You don’t know?” He snorted a laugh. “I don’t know how long you two have been traveling together, but the young woman beside you is High Chieftain Sarika of the Plains Tribes. The only person who can actually unite all the chieftains of the tribes and bring them together again.” The only words that escaped my lips were, “You’ve gotta be shittin’ me…” Sari stood up. “Shut your mouth! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Cameron was suddenly jolted awake. “Whuh’s goin’ on?” I answered, “Apparently Sari’s a tribe chieftain.” “Whuh?!” Sari shook her head. “No, I’m not.” Trafus was full-on laughing. “On the contrary, M’lady, I know exactly what I’m talking about. You see, ten years ago, I was paid by the Emperor himself to travel to the Seles Plains and kill your father. My instructions also included you, but he’d already been long dead at that point. Instead, I set my sights on you, but no one knew where you were. I spent over a year hunting you, trying to find even the barest hint of you. “After your parents were killed by the white dragon, I learned you were taken in by various villages, each more eager to train the future High Chieftain than the last. Then, I finally learned why I could never find you. You had never been taken in by any other villages, and were instead sheltered by a witch’s magic while you lived among only a single tribe. By the time I found out, I’d already given up hopes of finding you, and told the Emperor’s cronies that you’d been killed alongside your father in the white dragon’s assault.” He poked the fire again. “He paid me most handsomely.” I stood up, which surprised Cameron, who also stood up. “You told me your parents died on the waters between Seles and Qinata.” Sari looked like she was fighting back tears. “They did. I didn’t lie, I just didn’t tell you the whole truth. I’m not a High Chieftain, because I can’t be. Not while there’s still fighting going on between the Empire and Plains Tribes.” “Whu’d he mean ‘bout you bein’ hidden by a witch’s magic?” Cameron asked. Sari sighed. “This old witch promised my uncle that she’d keep me hidden from - ” she almost shouted “ - guys like him!” She returned to her normal volume. “But, I couldn’t return to the capital for a long time. My uncle left me with his tribe while he went to the capital to try and broker peace between the tribes. That’s why I’m such a good thief, because his tribe specializes in that sort of thing. He was always the black sheep of the family before he ended up being my only family.” Trafus laughed again. “The forgotten monarch and the headhunter’s son. You two make quite the pair.” Sari looked at me with a confused eye. “Headhunter’s son?” “He really doesn’t know what he’s talking about there,” I said, with an almost angered tone. “My dad was never a headhunter.” “Tell me, Cres, what did your father do?” I kept quiet because I honestly couldn’t answer that question. I knew so very little about my father, other than his skill in combat and that his sword was a priceless family heirloom, passed on from the days before the family left Qinata to come to the Empire. For all I knew, Trafus was right and my dad was the best headhunter in the business, except that I couldn’t think that way. I wouldn’t sully my memory of my father by giving in to that. Sari folded her arms over her chest. “Fine, Trafus Moor, since you seem to know so much about us, why don’t you tell us something about you?Why don’t you wanna go to Spork? Why does that place seem to be the one thing you’re afraid of?” “Fork,” I corrected her. She glared at me. Trafus’ previous smile from shitting all over our secrecy suddenly turned into a death glare. “I fear nothing from Fork. And make no mistake, M’lady, though I have revealed your secrets, I maintain my own because people like you could never understand them.” “Really? You know I’m a professional thief, right?” she asked. “A thief, yes. Hardly a professional. But that is not the point. You’ll learn nothing about me because you don’t need to know. Your own belief is that you’ll leave me in Endawa when we arrive there, that our relationship is kept on a leash that you hold.” My hand drifted to my blade. “Are you suggesting otherwise?” I asked. “As a matter of fact, I am.” He stood up, now. “It wasn’t coincidence that we met in that pissant bar, Cres. I’m a headhunter, and you know exactlywhat that means.” I growled, “You gotta be kiddin’ me!” He shook his head. “No. I was hired to kill you three. Seventy thousand gold apiece for you and the High Chieftain, and twenty-five thousand for the mage.” “Why am I so damn cheap?” Cameron asked, her voice suggesting she’d just been insulted. Trafus ignored her, however. “So, Cres, if you think you’ll even make it to Endawa, you’re wrong.” “Who the hell hired you to kill us?” Sari demanded. “The Emperor himself. You see, that little stunt you pulled in Kepton with Redclaw brought this about. When the Escorts couldn’t capture you in Endawa, they hired me. When their spies found that you’d joined forces with this girl, they added her bounty into the mix.” I drew my sword. “You’re outta your goddamn mind if you think you’ll actually kill us,” I exclaimed. “Long have I dreamt of adding your father’s sword to my collection.” He drew his own Qinatan sword. “Today will be the day the dream becomes reality.” Just before we were allowed to have our fight, arrows were fired from the woods, all of them missing us just enough to make it seem as though they were merely firing warning shots. Sari had drawn her bow and was ready to loose an arrow of her own when some dog… wolf… thing jumped out at her and took the bow. She was left with a large bite mark on her left arm. She jammed her knife in its neck and made it run off. Trafus and I both readied ourselves to fight whoever it was attacking us. I was certain we’d be ready to kill each other again right as soon as this was dealt with, but he clearly wanted to preserve his kill. The longer we stood there, however, the longer we simply waited. The threat didn’t seem eager to leave the woods. “Oh, come the fuck on!” Sari shouted. Whoever was out there started laughing, loudly. It was a man, I could tell, but their age was impossible to determine. I dug my feet into the ground and waited for whoever they were to make their appearance. The man who stepped out from the woods was not what I expected. Relatively slight, with stark white hair. His face was completely hairless, even lacking eyebrows. He was dressed even more unexpectedly, wearing armor plating on his legs and arms, but a simple vest and shirt on his torso. A very large, impractical looking broadsword was sheathed on his back, and a pair of long knives were strapped to each leg. The vest was buttoned up, but I could see a little bit of an image on his shirt. What surprised me most about this guy was that Trafus looked like he was about to shit his pants. “You have got to be kidding me…” he breathed. “It’s been a few years, Trafus,” the man said, “Mother sends her regards."

Chapter Four - The Thief “Where are we going?” Sari asked. She was walking on the rail, perfectly balancing herself. I had to give her credit, that was a pretty difficult thing to do. I was simply polishing my knife, which was something I did whenever I woke up. I was honestly surprised that she was still with me, and hadn’t just robbed me in my sleep. “At the moment, we’re just walking the tracks. I don’t know where to go, exactly.” I pulled a canteen out of my pack, took a drink and then handed it to her. “Just because we started this quest doesn’t mean I know how we’re gonna do it.” She gulped down a little more of my water than I expected her to. “Really?” she asked, sarcastically. “And here I thought you knew everythingwe’re gonna do.” I glared at her. “It’s not just that I don’t know where to go, I don’t even know where we’re headed. It’s not like I grabbed a map or anything.” She passed my canteen back to me. “We’re headed for Endawa,” she said, “a nowhere little town..” “Do you live there?” She shook her head. “Nope. But I’ve been there, though. I hid out there for a couple days after my ex and I pulled this job in Kepton.” “You had a boyfriend?” “I had an ex boyfriend. We were together for about three days, then we were partners in crime.” “What did you steal from him?” She glared at me. “Nothing. He got caught, I didn’t. It was that simple. What’s it matter to you?” I slipped my hand to my sword hilt. “I like to know who it is I work with. It’s kinda the reason I’m alone.” She smirked. “Sucks to be you, then. Everybody should have friends.” I had friends, once upon a time. Hell, I used to have a family. I put those memories out of my mind. It wasn’t good to dwell on the past. Especially my past. I moved my hand away from my sword and relaxed myself. Sari was walking ahead of me, and didn’t notice. I felt something in the tracks. I knelt down and placed a hand on the track, and then I stood back up. “Move.” “What?” Sari asked. “Something bigger than a train is on its way.” I spotted and small ditch just ten feet away, and bolted for it. Sari was there before I even had a chance to slide to a stop. We waited, a good twelve minutes later, something big rolled past us on the tracks. It wasn’t going fast, likely due to its size. It wasn’t like a normal train, and looked more like a castle on rails. Every third car, there were soldiers standing guard, very familiar looking soldiers. They were wearing the same gear as the six men that attacked me the day before. We watched it pass, and once it was finally gone, I climbed out of the ditch, followed by Sari, but I wasn’t paying much attention to her. Those soldiers came after me, and they were guarding that train. I needed to find it. “You seemed pretty fixated on that train,” Sari said. She was filing her nails with a small knife. “I’ve seen the guards before.” “Know any of ‘em?” “No, but I’ve killed some of their friends.” “Those are Royal Escorts, which means that train had a member of the Imperial Family on board.” There was something in her voice, some sort of recognition, and something else that I just couldn’t figure out. “Who’d you piss off up high to get Royal Escorts after you?” “Who said they were coming after me?” She smirked. “You were the one who said you killed some. Royal Escorts don’t leave the sight of a member of the Imperial Family unless they’ve been ordered to kill somebody. Everybody on the continent knows that.” I shrugged. “I don’t know what I did, unless you count sneaking on board a train to avoid the fighting.” “You mean, you’re not a soldier?” I shook my head. “Not a legit soldier, no. I’ve seen my share of fighting, against both.” The look on her face told me she was much the same way. Granted, she was a thief, so that made quite a bit sense. Just going from one town to another would probably put her up against different soldiers. But there was something different about her. She had some sort of recognition when it came to the Royal Escorts she mentioned. We came to a small lake, a little less than ten miles away from the town. I knelt down by the lake and splashed some water on my face. It had been about six weeks since the last time I had a real shower, but light bathing in lakes kept me from smelling like rotting wood on a hot day. Sari pulled off her top, wiggled her skirt off, took off her boots and jumped into the water. She swam around for a good five minutes, almost like she was part fish or something. “C’mon, jump in!” she shouted, once she finally surfaced. I shook my head. “Nah, I don’t think so.” She blew me a raspberry. “Why not?” I shook my head again, then looked toward the town. “So, whaddya know about that place? You said it’s called Endawa?” She did the backstroke over to the edge of the lake where I was standing. “It’s a nowhere town, nothing really interesting to do, nobody special to steal from. I hid out here once, and the Imperial Guard never thought to look for me.” She pulled herself out of the lake and pulled a small towel from a pouch on her quiver. “There’s this neat pharmacy, though the lady who works there is kinda… Creepy, to say the least.” She turned toward me. “Her kid’s pretty hot, though.” I sighed. “That it?” “Kinda. I doubt we’ll run into him, but have you heard of the dragon slayer Irvine?” The name sounded familiar, but I didn’t know it. “I don’t know.” She pulled her panties back on and gave me a weird look. “You’d know if you heard about him. Most of the dead dragons on this planet are courtesy of him. Both the Selen Empire and the Tameran Republic treat him with more respect than they do their own royalty.” “What does he have to do with this town?” “He lives here.” I raised an eyebrow. “A tiny place like this produced an amazing dragon slayer?” “And your hometown produced a guy who can actually beat me in a straight fight. Don’t assume.” She put most of her bikini top back on, then turned her back to me. “Wanna tie me down?” Part of me wanted to know why she couldn’t do it herself, another part of me really didn’t care, and the third (typical red-blooded male) part of me rationalized, Cres, it’s a hot girl asking you to put her bikini on her, just do it. Although I didn’t see Sari as potential dating material, she wasa damned attractive girl. “Whatever,” I said, as if it didn’t matter to me. I spotted a dark red circle under her left arm. “What’s this?” “Huh? Oh, that’s my birthmark.” “It’s not very big.” “Birthmarks don’t need to be big, Cres.” I finished tying off her top and then handed her quiver over to her. She reached into it and pulled a rubber band out of a pouch, then tied her hair into a ponytail. “Okay, ready to go?” “I have been,” I said. “You’re the one who derailed us by going for a swim.” She blew me a raspberry again. “Whatever,” she said, mocking my tone of voice from just a minute ago. I shook my head. The nowhere little town that Sari described was actually pretty busy. People were milling about, children playing in the streets. That pharmacy that Sari had mentioned before had kids running in and out of it, with the owner chasing a few of them out for playing in the aisles. On the rooftops, there were men sitting in ballistas, aiming at the sky. This town was both enjoying a lazy Saturday and preparing for war at the same time. I walked into the pharmacy. There were only three people inside aside from me, the woman who owned the place, a boy my age and a cute girl my age, who was sticking close to either the boy or the woman. “Looking for anything in particular?” the woman asked. “Just came in to buy a drink. Um… Quick question: Do you take Republic currency?” She sighed. “We’ll take it, yes, but I’ll have to give you Imperial change. We don’t often get Republic money here.” I grabbed a bottle of soda and brought it up to the counter. The girl was eyeing me, like she recognized me or something. I didn’t recognize her, but I’ve met a lot of girls in the past two months. Maybe I saw her at some point. “This it? Nothing for your girlfriend out there?” the woman asked. She nodded toward Sari, who was standing outside, looking annoyed. “She’s just a friend, and no.” She walked over to the cooler I’d gotten my soda from and set another one down beside mine. “It’s on the house.” She also tossed on a couple of granola bars. “It’s a little rude to bring a girl like that along and not buy her something.” “Thanks,” I said, with a slight bit of sarcasm. I paid for the drinks and granola bars (even though she told me that Sari’s were free) and left the building. Sari gladly took her drink and snack and munched away at it loudly. I sighed. Some girls. “Hey! Sarika!” I heard from somewhere. Sari and I both turned and I spotted this boy running toward us, a big smile on his face. My hand drifted to the hilt of my blade, because something about him didn’t feel right. Sari didn’t look pleased to see him, either. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into an alley a few feet away. I followed her, after making a quick look around. Something told me he was being followed. “What are you doing here, Jaide?” she asked. “You got caught.” “They let me out, for some reason.” He glanced over at me. “Who’s this guy?” I was about to answer, but Sari cut me off. “He’s Cres. And he’s none of your business.” Jaide raised his hands in a back off gesture. “Okay, okay. Good luck with this one,” he said, directing the line to me and pointing at Sari, “she can be pretty feisty.” She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, you still didn’t answer my question.” “Yeah, I did. They let me out.” “No, they didn’t. The Imperial Guard never just lets somebody go.” She drew her knife and put it to his neck. “Who’s got your leash?” He pushed her away. “I got loose, okay? Nobody’s got their claws on me.” He readjusted his collar. “I really snuck away from them, okay?” “And you just happened to come here?” “We were gonna meet up here, remember? I took my chance that you’d still be here.” I grabbed him by the collar this time and shoved him against the wall. “Why’d you shout to her in the middle of a crowded street if you weren’t trying to clue somebody in that she’s here? If you were alone, you would have come up on her quietly.” “Dude, nobody can sneak up on this girl. She woulda gutted me if I’d tried.” Sari let out a small groan. “Please. Your aftershave would have told me who you were right away.” She folded her arms under her breasts and stared him down. “But Cres is right. You’re not here because you wanted to catch up with me after escaping. How many of them, and where are they?” “I’m telling you, nobody is following me. What do I gotta do to prove it to you?” I watched him closely. There were things about him, things that I couldn’t tell if Sari was noticing. His eyes were darting back and forth, between me and her. There was sweat on his forehead, and his hand had moved to an empty sheath. He wasn’t carrying a sword, but I couldn’t tell if he had a knife. I grabbed his arm and pulled his hand away from his sheath and slammed him against the wall. “What are you doing?” I demanded, never raising my voice but keeping it authoritative. Something hit the ground when he hit the wall. I knelt down and picked it up, a pocket knife. “Why were you getting this out?” “I always have that out. It sits in a holder in my sleeve, you knocked it out when you slammed my hand against the wall!” Sari kneed him in the crotch. His eyes bulged, his hands went to groin, and then he fell over, unconscious. “Pick him up.” “What the hell did you do that for?!” I nearly shouted. “This way, we can rent a room at the inn and question him there. The idea that people could be watching us out here is giving me the heebies.” I sighed. Something told me today was gonna be a longer day than it already had been. “Was that the kid from the pharmacy?” I asked, setting Jaide down on the bed. He’d been squirming a little in the bag, but that wasn’t anything another well-placed kick from Sari hadn’t cured. I considered asking her where she’d gotten the large burlap sack we’d stuffed him into, but decided against it. That quiver of her’s seemed to have more than just arrows in it. “Looked like him. Maybe his mom’s pharmacy is just a part-time gig.” Sari shut the door and locked it. “Now, let him out of the bag.” I untied the knot and pulled the bag off of Jaide, who was still mostly unconscious. He stirred a little, but didn’t wake up. “You’re not taking this too personally, are you?” She glared at me. “You’d be taking this personally if your ex-partner ratted you out.” “What’d ya steal that he’d actually turn you in for?” She sat down on the other bed in the room. “We didn’t actually get anything. The job went bad.” “Then what were you going after?” “Fruit.” “Seriously?” “Look, I’m a thief, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a heart, okay? Kepton’s a poverty trap, and the Imperial Guard were transporting crates of fruit through the town like it was some sort of show. Jaide and I were gonna steal the fruit and give it to the people.” “Robin Hood would love you.” She glared at me again. “Shut up, okay?” I pulled some zip ties from my belt and tied Jaide’s wrists. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way. So why’s this Kepton place so bad?” She relaxed, then cleared her throat. “Early in the war, the Empire was drafting people to fight. Anybody who wouldn’t go found their way to Kepton, which was outside Imperial territory. When the war got bad, and the Empire started annexing the rest of the continent, that meant Kepton fell under Imperial rule.” She looked toward the window. “Everybody who wouldn’t go to war was there. And once the Imperial Guard found out about it, they didn’t just drag the draft dodgers off to war, they torched the place.” “How many died?” She shrugged. “I dunno. Too many, as far as I’m concerned. Ever since then, Kepton’s been a shanty town, and treated like it’s one of the Empire’s greatest conquests.” She looked over at Jaide, then stood up, walked over to him, and grabbed him by the collar roughly, waking him up. “What did you tell them, Jaide? Did they let you go to get to me?” He pushed her off using his shoulders. “They didn’t ‘let me go’, okay?!” He snapped the zip ties off. “I got away from them, and they weren’t Imperial Guard. I don’t know who they were, but they knew about you, about your… Abilities.” I drew my blade and put it against his neck. “Did you tell them about her?” “No! They already knew! ‘Lead us to Sarika’, they told me. I don’t even know how they knew your name.” “I saw Imperial Guard snatch you, so how did these other guys get you?” Sari asked, moving my sword away from his throat. “The Guard threw me on a train, and then these guys in swanky suits came into the car and started asking me questions. I swear, they looked like they crawled right out of a fancy party.” “How’d you get loose?” He sighed, then rubbed at the back of his neck. “One of the Guard came into the car with a meal for me, and I knocked his helmet off of him. After that, I just barely got away from some Royal Escorts. I don’t know when, but they moved me to a different train, coming from the Republic. I musta been out cold when they did it. When the train came to a stop - “ I cut him off. “The white dragon was attacking the train yard,” I finished. “How’d you know?” Sari answered, “Because Cres killed the Escorts that were chasing you.” She turned to me. “Looks like you didn’t do anything to piss them off.” I ignored that. “You came straight to Endawa right after the depot was assaulted, didn’t you?” I asked Jaide. He stood up from the bed. “Yeah. I took my chances that I might actually see Sarika here, and I waited. I haven’t even gotten any sleep, save for those times you knocked me out.” Sari coughed out a laugh. “If you’d walked the tracks a couple hours later, I’dda tried to rob you instead of Cres.” She pulled some more zip ties off of my belt. “I’m gonna tie you up again, and we’re gonna leave you here.” I saw something out the window. I moved over to the window and saw several of those Royal Escorts. Who had they followed? Me or Jaide? “We’ll send somebody in to find you, and you tell ‘em we left for the Republic, got that?” “Too late,” I said, “we’ve got company.” “What?” “Escorts. Seven of them. At least.” “Were they following you?” Sari asked Jaide. “I don’t see how!” he shouted. I picked up Sari’s quiver and bow and handed them to her, then pulled my knife and cut the ties off of Jaide’s wrists. I handed him the knife. “If I find that in either me or Sari, your head will be in a very small box.” They gave us no trouble until we reached the front door. I looked around for the kid from the pharmacy, but there wasn’t anybody here. There were only six rooms in the place, it wasn’t really big enough to hide in. Jaide was right behind me, and Sari behind him, ready to loose as many arrows as she needed to. The idea that these Royal Escort guys were here for Sari had crossed my mind more than once in the three minutes it took to get from the room to the front door. Somebody had wanted Jaide to tell them where she was, whether that was because of what they’d done in Kepton or maybe even because of what she could do, I didn’t know or care. I hadn’t known her long, but I was still going to protect her from being captured by the Empire. The streets were empty now, almost as if everyone had been ordered back into their homes. The very idea of this made me uneasy. I motioned for Jaide and Sari not to move, then slipped my blade back into the sheath. I stepped out into the street slowly, carefully. I looked up and down the street and watched as the Escorts moved into position on the rooftops ahead of me.  I looked back at the inn and saw that Sari had moved into position, just like I told her. She had come up behind the Escort on the roof of the inn and impaled him with an arrow from behind. Clearly these guys didn’t know the concept of body armor. The Escort she killed made no sound, so the others didn’t know what had happened, because they all trained their bows on me. I motioned for Jaide to join me, then grabbed him by his shaggy yellow hair. “Lookin’ for him?” I shouted. “He’s with me. You want him, you gotta go through me.” One of the Escorts jumped from his vantage point and drew a sword. “We’re here for Sarika.” “What do you want with her?” “That’s not of your concern.” “Shame. Damn shame.” I tilted my head to the right, and an arrow flew right into the Escort’s covered face. I pushed Jaide back toward the inn just as several arrows from their side were loosed on us. I made my way to the Escort’s body and relieved him of his bow and quiver of arrows. I wasn’t as good a shot as Sari, but I was manageable. I didn’t stop moving. I sprinted for a storefront about six doors down from the inn. I didn’t even realize it was the pharmacy until I broke through the window at the front. That girl was there, but otherwise the place was completely devoid of people. I motioned for her to keep quiet, then I drew my procured bow back and loosed an arrow at one of the Escorts at about the same time one of Sari’s arrows hit him. I had no view of Jaide or Sari, though every now and again, I could see an arrow hit near an Escort. I couldn’t tell if she was missing on purpose or because she was constantly moving. The Escorts were moving, too, which suggested to me that neither side was really capable of hitting the other right now. I drew another arrow and took aim at an Escort that landed on the ground in front of the pharmacy. He drew his bow and fired an arrow at me, but I dodged it. I was about to shoot him, but Jaide jumped on him and blood flew from the man’s chest. I turned back to the pharmacy girl and asked, “You got a ladder to the roof?” She shrugged. “I dunno. Today’s my first day.” Shit… I hopped over the broken windowsill and ran out to Jaide, who was still tearing the Escort to shreds. None of the remaining Escorts were focused on us, which told me they must have cornered Sari. I grabbed his shoulder. “Hey!” I whispered, “C’mon!” He turned from the body he was mutilating and I almost didn’t think I was looking at Jaide for a moment. His face was less human and more wolf-like, and his hands had grown razor-sharp claws. “What the hell?!” He pushed my hand away from him and stood up. “You never asked,” he said. “Where’s Sarika?” “What the hell are you?” “Ask when we’re not fighting Royal Escorts, and I’ll tell ya.” I sighed. “Fine. Now, let’s go find Sari and get the hell outta town.” Almost as if on cue, Sari screamed. We both looked in the direction of the scream, and I saw someone dressed in Escort clothing falling from the building across the street from the pharmacy. I didn’t think, I simply ran, and dove to catch her before she hit the ground. There was an arrow sticking through her leg, blood flowing freely. I looked up at the roof of the building and saw a single Escort looking down at us, and then several more joined him. I’d seen seven before. I’d severely underestimated the number. I ripped the arrow from Sari’s leg, causing her to cry out in pain, then I turned to Jaide. “Think you can distract ‘em?” He rubbed at his cheek. “Gladly. Get her outta here.” I nodded. I moved, sprinting off in the direction opposite from where the Escort’s were. I heard the sounds of fighting, and knew almost instantly that they were going to make it as slow and painful for Jaide as they could. I’d treated him like shit, and now I was indebted to him. Dammit, the irony. I came to the edge of town, literally. It was a cliff, and down below was nothing but water. Sari was unconscious, so I couldn’t ask her if she was ready for a swim. I took a deep breath, and then an arrow clipped me across my left cheek. I felt blood seeping from the wound, and my decision was made. I jumped, and braced myself for the inevitable landing. The water was cold, and painful when I landed. I kept hold of Sari, but it was difficult. This fall would have woken me from the dead, but she was still out cold. I envied her. The current was strong, and nearly split us apart more than once, but I held her tightly. I tried to swim against the current, into neutral territory, but in the end I couldn’t. I lost consciousness as I watched the Escorts reach the cliff, one of them carrying Jaide over his shoulders.

Chapter Fourteen - Sibling Rivalry The man that I assumed was Trafus’ brother and his posse led us through the forest toward Fork. The ones that weren’t carrying our stuff had bows notched and ready to fire, complete with a twitch to their hands that looked like they desperately wanted to do so. Trafus’s brother had his hands clasped behind his back the entire time. We walked at a leisurely stroll, a pace that would be right at home if we didn’t look like a private militia and their hostages. At least we didn’t need to walk with our hands behind our heads, though our hands were tied. Cameron’s mouth was also taped up, to prevent her from using any spells. I would have ripped the tape off her mouth if I had the chance, but I didn’t. Trafus’ brother didn’t speak, neither did his men. It was as if this were nothing to him but a pleasant walk through the forest, as if he were alone. I wanted so very much to break the silence, but every time I was about to speak, Sari shook her head and I kept quiet. She was playing at something that she wasn’t telling me, that was for sure. Instead, I thought about the things I had just learned at the campfire, at Sari’s lineage and the bounties on our heads. The only people I assumed would want us dead would be the Empire, which made sense for me and Sari, but not Cam. She hadn’t done anything since joining us, and the Empire wouldn’t know about her regardless. I could only assume we had been watched since we entered Imperial territory, but that still wouldn’t account for how they’d know she was a mage. I wasn’t seeing the big picture yet. Someone seemed to know more about us than we did, and that just disgusted me. I stumbled somewhat on a rock that I hadn’t noticed. I didn’t land on anybody, but one of the bowmen nudged my back with the tip of his arrow. “Don’t do that again, kid,” he said, his voice suggesting he smoked at least a pack a day. I shot him a glance over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, dickhead, I won’t.” Trafus’ brother chuckled. “Don’t take their threats too seriously, young Cres,” he said as if he and I were having a casual chat, “he’s under orders not to harm you.” “That’s reassuring,” Sari said, her tone outrageously smartassy. “It should be. My men are the most lethal in all the Empire.” “So rare to see a headhunter who uses grunts,” I commented, “most of them keep to themselves.” I motioned toward Trafus with a head nudge. “Like your brother, here.” The asswipe stopped, as did his men. We did, too, probably just because everybody else did. He turned around and moved closer to me. He said nothing right away, merely stood directly in front of me and tried to look intimidating. Little did he know, I wasn’t easily intimidated. He put his face right in mine and sniffed. It was weird, but I didn’t say anything in response. Finally, he said, “You think me a headhunter, boy? You think I’d stoop to something so low as to kill a man and collect his bounty?” “You tellin’ me you’re just a normal bounty hunter? Even then, this kinda crew is a little overboard.” He sniffed again. “As a matter of fact, I’m not a headhunter or a bounty hunter. If you remain alive long enough, you’ll find that I am a mercenary.” There was a long silence before I asked, “Why would it matter if I live long enough if you’re just gonna tell me anyway?” Trafus growled out, “Don’t encourage him.” The asshole walked over to Trafus and grabbed him by the face. “I’ll ask you kindly to silence yourself, Trafus. You’re not likely to survive this journey, and I’d very much to prefer that Mother believes you died from a wild animal, not the stroke of my sword.” I laughed. “A headhunter and a mercenary. Your mother must be so proud of the two of you.” The brother kept up his intimidation game, but this time, he upped it by drawing one of those long knives and pressing it against my neck. “As you’ll soon find out, boy, Mother is quite proud of both of us, and she does not take kindly to insolent twats like you. Please, don’t presume yourself in control of this situation.” I smirked. “You really need to ease up on the breath mints. Or stop cleaning your knives in peppermint oil.” I heard Sari laugh, and Cameron made some approximation of a noise that sounded like a laugh. Of course, the joke actually did have some repercussions. Namely, the asswipe’s knife across my face. “Cres!” Sari shouted, though she couldn’t move, as one of the bowmen had his arrow notched and held to her face. I felt blood dripping from the wound. I couldn’t see it, but I could tell it likely looked worse than it really was. Or I was in shock, one or the other. Honestly, it might’ve been both. Shock from how bad it wasn’t. I was sure that was maybe a thing. Regardless, I coughed and said, “That tickled.” Trafus growled his words again, “Pytre, stop!” Pytre. Finally I had a name for the sphincter. Would wonders never cease. Pytre laughed, a strange thing that I honestly never wanted to hear again. “Please, Trafus, the three of you wander into an area under my protection and you believe I’ll simply allow you any sort of pleasantries?” He grabbed me by the face. “You’re sorely mistaken.” “There are four of us, fuckface,” I said, in spite of his hand over my mouth. “The girl doesn’t count.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cameron roll her eyes in disgust. I wanted to laugh. But Pytre saw nothing funny about this. Instead, he pushed me down onto the ground, sheathed his long knife and drew his sword. It was such a large blade that he needed to take a few steps back to make certain he didn’t hit anyone by retrieving it. The most amazing thing to me, however, was that he wielded it as if it weighed nothing, or at least no more than his knives weighed. He did nothing but stand there for the longest time, likely another intimidation tactic or something. Eventually, he started to circle me, as if he were some sort of vulture. His bowmen moved themselves as well as their prisoners out of the way. Finally, he stopped and brought the blade to within an inch of my neck and held it completely still. “I don’t particularly want to kill you, but your friends will take your example to heart, Cres.” He lowered the blade to the point where it was touching my neck. “You won’t live long enough for me to tell you that I had decided to kill you all the second you entered my territory.” This time I did laugh. “You really don’t know what the hell you’re talkin’ about most of the time, do ya?” He lifted the blade a little. “What?” “‘You won’t live long enough to learn what I’m about to tell you anyway’. Jesus, man, that’s half your schtick.” I hadn’t heard the click of my pocket knife hitting the ground by my hand, but my fingers had found it at some point that I also hadn’t been aware of. In seconds, I had the rope binding my hands cut, and I managed to roll onto my back to kick the sword away from my neck. “You’re either a gloating bastard or you don’t know how words work.” He looked surprised, if for no other reason than because his men had searched me and somehow missed my pocket knife. Honestly, that had surprised me as well, but it was damned lucky. I stood up, then wiped the blood from my cheek. Not as bad as I’d been afraid of, that was good. Still, it could end up worse since I was standing there facing down a man with a comically large sword while only holding a pocket knife. Thankfully, Trafus was there to be the… voice of reason, I suppose. “Stop this, Pytre!” He stepped between us, his back turned to me. “You’ve no reason to kill any of us. Let me collect my bounty, and I’ll leave this area for good.” Pytre made no movement. He said nothing. He merely stood there, holding the sword in one hand, with a bored expression on his face. Then, finally, “I don’t think so.” He sheathed his sword and retrieved more rope from his side pack. “You’ll be taken to see Mother, as I’d intended from the beginning. She’ll decide what’s to be done to you. Perhaps you’ll live long enough to find it’ll be unpleasant.” As Pytre walked over to me to tie my hands again, I quickly raised my knife. “No.” He smiled. “Fine. You won’t be bound again. Stay in line and nothing more will happen.” I merely glared at him. Fork was a small village, smaller even than Endawa had been. There were three buildings, an inn and two houses. One of the houses looked like it had either been recently built or very well maintained, the other house looked derelict, as though it would fall apart at any moment regardless of how much was done to repair it. Pytre led us from the forest into the village, where he stopped us and the bowmen kept their weapons trained on us. He proceeded to go inside the inn and left us all outside. I assumed this was standard procedure for the asshole and his men, because there wasn’t even one word spoken between them when he left us. I stepped over to Trafus. “Care to explain?” I asked. He snarled for a moment, like some kind of rabid animal, then said, “He’s going to inform the commander of the city guard. After that, he’ll take us to Mother.” I stuck my hands in my pockets. “What exactly is your mother to all this? She the village elder or mayor or something?” He laughed. “You could say that. Fork isn’t exactly a village. It’s our home.” “What?” He motioned to the bowmen with his head. “These men, all my family.” He looked specifically at the one to his left. “This is my cousin, Joakeem.” He nodded toward the one over my shoulder. “That’s my half-brother, Arteth. Pytre’s mercenaries are his own family, my family.” Sari looked at the one closest to her. “And you guys have exactly zero problems with holding your family at arrow point?” That one shrugged. “Money’s money, and Mother pays us well to keep the family estate clear of outsiders. That includes family members who left.” “Wait, Fork is your family estate?” “On the contrary, Lady Sarika,” an older voice said, female. I turned to the direction of the sound and saw a woman in her mid sixties wearing combat gear, with an armor chestplate and an open helmet. She had a pair of longswords crossed on her back, and a Qinatan blade sheathed on her left hip. Beside her stood Pytre and another man who was likely the father to this whole family. “Fork is our family name. The land is our estate.” I piped in, “But Trafus’ last name is - ” Trafus cut me off. “It’s my father’s last name.” “Of course it is…” The old woman stopped in front of me and held out her hand. “The headhunter’s son, Cres. It’s an honor to meet you.” I didn’t shake her hand. “Honor’s all yours.” She took the hint. “You’ll be given ten hours before your execution for trespassing. You’ll be given food and bedding for the duration.” Sari rolled her eyes. “What the fuck? You’re gonna room and board us and then put us out of your misery?” “Of course. It’s the Fork way.” I turned to Trafus. “Is this why you left?” He nodded. “Among other reasons. The family business and I didn’t agree.” Sari asked, “What part? The money?” “The mercenary work. Hiring myself out is less dignified than killing a man and taking money for it.” I turned back to the woman. “I disagree, but with both of you.” I walked over to the guy holding my sword. “Now gimme my stuff, let us go, and you’ll be free to deal with Trafus all you like.” One of the longswords was now resting on my shoulder. “You don't seem to understand, young headhunter. You’re to be executed.” Sari screamed, “Why?!” “For trespassing on Fork land.” “Trafus brought us here,” I said, wary of the sword ready to cleave my head off. “You kill him, we’ll be on our way.” The sword moved, so I turned back to the old woman, who returned the blade to the scabbard on her back. “Trafus brought you this way?” “No, I’m makin’ it up! What the hell did I just tell you?! We’re on our way to Endawa, we didn’t even want to come this way!” I left out that I’d suggested dropping by for the night. It was better that way. Otherwise, the bitch might want to kill us just for suggesting that. She walked over to Trafus and grabbed him by the collar. “Is this true?” “Maybe I felt like visiting you all after I collected my bounty,” he answered, his voice cold. She threw him to the ground, a surprisingly forceful move for an old woman, but then again, she was packing longswords. “You were a fool!” She turned to Pytre. “They get five hours instead, ready the gallows.” She pointed to me. “And tie him up again.” I rolled my eyes. Jesus Christ… I was tossed in one of the rooms of the building I'd earlier believed to be an inn. Instead, what I found was a prison cell, complete with concrete walls and metal bars. There wasn’t a cot, merely a concrete slab on the floor with a cinder block acting as a pillow. There wasn’t a toilet, just a hole in the floor with an open pipe and a roll of moldy paper towels beside it. The Fork family wasn't as hospitable as they first appeared… The family member that shoved me in the cell reached through the bars and cut off the new rope I'd been tied with and then left without a word. I just rubbed at one wrist, then sat down on the bed slab. The girls and Trafus were elsewhere, though I assumed they were close. The building was only two stories tall, so it wasn't exactly large. Hopefully escape wouldn't be too difficult. Of course, I'd also need to find the weapons, which were presumably sitting in some part of the main house, being mulled over by these assholes as trophies or something. They'd find themselves so very wrong as soon as I got out and sliced them all into tiny bits. I wasn't bloodthirsty by nature, but these bastards just got under my skin. Including Trafus. I wanted to gut him most of all, just for getting us into this, but also because we were just a bounty to him. Who wanted us dead wasn't a concern of mine yet, but the fact that somebody did want us dead was insulting. I was just trying to kill a goddamn dragon, was that so hard to understand? Not like I was a threat to anyone who didn't cross me. I leaned back against the wall and tried to calm myself. It wasn't easy, but I managed it. I studied the area around the cell. The cell itself wasn’t large, only about ten feet from floor to ceiling and nine by nine all around. There was one window, small enough that they didn’t even bother with bars. The corridor outside the cell was stark, without even as much as a stain on the wall opposite the cells. I’d seen when being brought in that the cells only lined one wall, which I assumed was the case on the other floors as well. There was little light in the corridor or the cells, and I couldn’t see if there were lights in the ceiling. There were posts along the corridor wall that looked like somebody could hang a lantern there. Maybe the Forks were insanely old-fashioned when it came to how they maintained their prison. Not like we had electricity for two hundred years or anything. This place disgusted me more and more every second. The most unfortunate part of all of this was that I couldn’t see anything that looked even partially like a way out. The bars were too sturdy, the window too small and overall the place was too dark to really see anything. There was no place to hide in the cell in order to sneak attack one of the Forks when they came to grab me for my execution, so all I could really do was sit there and wait. I was distracted by a noise, from outside. I stood up and walked to the pitiful excuse for a window and tried to see what it was. I could see Pytre and one of his other brothers setting up the gallows for our execution. Mother was standing off to the side, watching the whole thing. She looked pleased with her sons, or herself, one or the other. I wanted to spit on them. Then one of the bowmen walked up to her and pointed in my direction. She glanced up at me, then simply nodded. Seconds later, an arrow was loosed, and I ducked out of the way. The arrow itself snapped in half as it hit the top edge of the window, and the head did something outright miraculous: it bounced off the window ledge, then the wall, then the floor and then managed to lodge itself in my leg. “Goddamnit!” I shouted. The damn thing hurt, absurdly so. And then Trafus laughed. “Asyaif is a good shot. When he was only seven, he was the head bowman in our hunting party.” I tried to pull the arrowhead out of my leg, but it was stuck in there but good. Instead, I growled, “I don’t need to know how good your brothers are at anything, okay?” He laughed again. “Asyaif is my nephew, not my brother.” “Funny, aside from your mother, I haven’t seen any women here.” “You can imply what you want, but my brothers and cousins do have families of their own. They live here, on the family land, as a matter of fact.” “Where? In a cave?” “You’re not far off. There are tunnels under this land, and the families live there, maintaining the illusion that our land is only home to a few.” I laughed, but it was pained. “Bet they’re all pale as fuck.” “You’re not wrong.” I sat back against the wall, doing my damndest to ignore the pain from the arrowhead. “Tell me, Trafus, why did you leave the family?” He didn’t answer right away. He was either trying to figure out what lie to tell me or just trying to figure out what words to use. Honestly, for the first time since I met him, I thought he was actually ready to show some emotion. Finally, he answered the question: “Pytre and I were on a scouting trip near Vesta, on the eastern coast of the Empire. The family had been hired to raid a pirate crew, and Mother had sent the two of us ahead. She did that frequently, to stoke the fires of our little sibling rivalry. Pytre and I had always been at each other's’ throats for Mother’s attention.” “That’s what this boils down to? Sibling rivalry?” “Not entirely. We made it onto the pirate ship, determined to finish the assignment without any of the rest of the family. I made it into the holds first and found that this pirate ship was nothing of the sort.” “It wasn’t a pirate ship?” “No. It was staffed by pirates, yes; but these weren’t garden variety brigands. They were a group of Qinatans, hired to ferry people back and forth between nations whenever someone needed to leave Qinata. What I found in the holds were families, mostly women and children whose men had been conscripted in the Qinatan imperial army.” He was quiet for a few minutes, almost as if for dramatic effect or something. He continued shortly after. “When I told Pytre, he ignored me, and then he slaughtered the crew, killed the families and sank the ship.” I felt my jaw drop. I figured Pytre for an asshole, turned out he was a monster. All in the name of the gold, I suppose. “So, you switched career paths from merc to headhunter because you asshat brother murdered innocents? And despite this moment of humanity in your past, you still wanted to kill Sari, Cameron and me.” His moment of silence told me he was choosing his words. “I don't kill innocents, or children.” “Except when the money's good?” “You and your women aren't innocents. The High Chieftain is a party to murder regardless of whether she was there or not, and the mage is a soldier in a war that’s been raging for centuries. You being the son of a headhunter means you lost your own right at innocence long ago.” I stood up and grabbed the bars, even though he couldn’t see me. “Look, fuckface, I don’t care who you think my father was, even if he was a headhunter, that doesn’t reflect on me.” “Sins of the father, Cres. I’m in a similar situation.” I let go of the bars. “Ideological bullshit. I’m my own man, what my father did doesn’t have jackshit to do with me. Especially since the white dragon killed him.” He laughed. “You can feel that way if you choose, but there are many out there who would disagree with you, not just me.” I didn’t say anything. Anything I did say would have likely prodded him into having the last word anyway, so I just let it happen. I needed to stop letting what he said about my dad get to me. I knew he was wrong, so it didn’t matter what he said. And regardless, I wasn’t my dad. I was going to avenge my dad. And yet I still felt like shit at the very thought of what he was saying. Five hours later, the sun had set and clouds had begun to roll in as we were brought back out into the yard before the gallows. At least half of Trafus’ family were carrying torches, providing the classic execution atmosphere. All we needed was torrential downpour, thunder and lightning and we’d be hitting every cliche in the book. Mother walked onto the gallows and stood before everyone. We were positioned between the crowd and the gallows, facing away from the crowd, shoved to our knees. I assumed the bitch was going to give some sort of speech. I was not proved wrong. “Before you stands four trespassers on Fork land. The son of the legendary headhunter Siorcas, the High Chieftain of the Plains Tribe, a mage and the One Who Left.” I glanced over at Trafus. “Look at that, you got a nickname.” The guy who’d dragged me out elbowed me in the back of the head for my comment. The hag carried on: “These trespassers felt they could infringe upon Fork land and succeed in their efforts, never to face retribution. As we have done for all our history, we shall show these criminals the consequences of their actions.” I stood up. “The only actions we took were sitting on the edge of your land while we made camp.” “As is punishable by death. This is private property.” I rolled my eyes. “Private property, Jesus Christ. Put up some goddamn signs then, you stupid bitch!” I would have laughed at the chorus of “Don’t talk that way about Mother” that came from the assembled Fork brothers around me. That included Trafus, which was hilarious in its own right. “I’m serious, dumbshits! Imperial law clearly states that no actions against trespassers can be taken unless the land is clearly marked and proper signage is applied.” I didn’t actually know if that was true, and honestly gave exactly no fucks if it was, but this bitch wanted to act like her word was law, so I figured making one up would be my best chance. I just needed to figure out what my chance would be. Unsurprisingly, it did nothing. “Imperial law doesn’t apply on Fork land. We were here long before the Empire, we’ll be here long after it falls.” “So that you can murder children?” Pytre, standing to her side, definitely picked up on that. He narrowed his eyes and was his left hand drifted to his long knife. But his mother didn’t let him take any action. “As is our right, the four of you will be hung, one by one. We’ll begin with the mage, first.” Cameron began to whimper through the gag in her mouth. Sari stood up, absolutely enraged. “You won’t lay a fucking finger on her!” The bitch continued, “The High Chieftain will be second. Followed by the headhunter’s son. The One Who Left will be last.” Finally, I was tired of this whole presentation. I let my pocket knife slide down my sleeve, downright amazed at the stupidity of the Fork family that they’d failed to take it from me not once, but twice. At this point, I was starting to wonder if it was intentional. I cut my hands free, then swung my arm back, driving the knife into the neck of the man behind me. I grabbed the sword he’d carried on his back and tossed my knife to Sari. Almost immediately, I was rushed by several members of the family, each one carrying some sort of bladed weapon. A dodge to the left, a parry to the right, there were too many of them to fight. A five second glance at the gallows showed me that Pytre and the bitch had yet to enter the battle. Arrows whizzed past my head, but not because of the bowmen firing them. I was just lucky enough to dodge them at the right time. I was also lucky enough to get a chance to take out another member of the family in a one-in-a-million slash across the neck that I hadn’t even been trying to do. Briefly, I caught a glance at Sari and Trafus. The both of them had managed to get free, get weapons and were fighting their own cadre of Forks. For almost a second, I actually felt bad for Trafus, having to kill his own family. Then I decided I didn’t care, since said family had tried to kill me for no reason other than setting up a camp. Honestly, the fuckers had this coming. I drove my borrowed sword into the chest of the one Trafus had said was named Joakeem. As I did, I felt a sharp pain from my leg, which shot through my body. The arrowhead! Dammit, I’d completely forgotten about it! Why the hell did it decide to hurt now? Whatever, I needed to push through. Or, at least, I only needed to push through for a few more seconds. As if possessed by a demon, Trafus shouted, “PYTRE!” which caused all of us to stop. Lucky for me, too, as one of them had just about hit me in the face with his spear. Everyone looked at Trafus, who was holding one of his brothers or cousins by the collar with one hand, and a battle axe in the other. He put the blade against his captive’s throat. “Come down here, Pytre!” Pytre jumped down from the gallows and drew his comically large sword. “Are you challenging me, Trafus?” Trafus let go of the family member. “That day, on the pirate ship.” Pytre smiled. “Ah, that old chestnut.” He rested the sword on his shoulders and held onto it with both arms. “Still sore about that, are you?” “Killing innocents wasn’t our mission.” “Killing worthless creatures trying to worm their way into the Empire was our mission!” “Is that how you justify it?” Pytre took a step closer. “It’s not justification. Mother knew you wouldn’t finish the job, and sent me. What we were paid to do was kill those filthy Qinatans and their cargo. You were told it was a scouting trip, I was told everything.” That sent Trafus into a blind rage I couldn’t even begin to understand. He moved faster than anything I’d ever seen, swinging that axe one-handed, left then right then back again. He was so angered I almost felt like he had real human feelings. Then again, if what Pytre was saying was true, Trafus had been lied to by his own family, who resented him for leaving when they’d proved themselves nothing but bloodthirsty monsters. The entire Fork family was such a cycle of hypocrisy that it almost intrigued me. Trafus’ attacks, unfortunately, were nothing compared to Pytre’s dodging skills. For a man who looked like he was in his mid-fifties, Pytre was fast. Faster even than Trafus’ already inhuman attack speed. When one swing came within a hair’s breadth of basically cat scratching Pytre’s arm, he finally stopped playing around and brought his sword around, splitting the axe in two. A single kick and Trafus was then on his knees, at Pytre’s mercy. “Mother looked for an excuse to kill you so long ago. I was actually ordered to leave you on the ship, but you figured out what the cargo was before I had a chance to sink the the damn thing without your knowledge.” He gripped the sword with both hands. “Instead, you left of your own free will, and came back to let me finish the job.” Trafus threw away both halves of the axe. “Then do it already, you son of a bitch!” I smirked. The hag scowled. Pytre looked pissed. He brought up the sword to swing it into Trafus’ face. “Don’t talk that way ABOUT MY MOTHER, BASTARD!” Just as I was certain I’d see the last of Trafus as that giant sword cleaved half his head clean off, he shouted, “Girl! Now!” Before Pytre even had a chance to swing, there were two arrows in his chest. Within a second, they were followed by two more. I looked around and saw that Sari had, at some point during this whole thing, stolen one of the bowmen’s weapons and positioned herself somewhere with a clear line of sight. Pytre dropped the sword and then fell to his knees. Trafus stood up and picked the massive weapon up with ease. “Pytre Fork, Elisa Fork” - I assumed that was their mother - “I’m here to collect the bounty on you.” He turned his head only slightly to address his family. “Any of you who object, speak now or forever hold your tongues.” A second or two passed. No one said anything. Nobody even moved. “Good.” There was one motion. It was swift and it was final. And when it was over, Pytre’s head rolled toward the gallows, where the hag looked down at it with a horrified look in her eyes. I checked my blade when whichever asshole it was handed it back to me. “It better not have been used on fruit.” “Who'd use a sword on fruit?” Cameron asked. She'd been talking almost non-stop since the gag had been taken out of her mouth. It was almost cute. “Idiots,” I answered. I turned to Trafus. “You're not gonna chase us down and chop our heads off later, are you?” He smirked. “Shame I won't collect on that particular bounty. Oh well, Pytre and Mother's bounty will have to do, I suppose. Not nearly as lucrative, but far more satisfying.” Cameron asked, “Whut made ya decide ta change yer mind?” Trafus looked down at her. “Had it not been for Cres distracting everyone, I'd never have had the chance to challenge Pytre.” “I gave you the knife you used to cut yourself free,” I said, “you call that just a distraction?” He half-grinned. “Of course.” As she slung her bow and quiver over her shoulder, Sari walked up to us. “Okay, can we get our asses out of here now? I shot probably three of these guys in the knees, and I think they wanna pay me back double.” Trafus laughed, then patted me on the shoulder. “Endawa is due west, should only take you another two days if you stop to rest at night.” “And do we get like… horses, or anything?” “The carriage and the dodo has been brought through, ready to take you wherever you need to go.” I asked, “Can you two go get everything set up for us to leave?” Sari nodded, but rolled her eyes. “Ugh… Those birds are weird!” She grabbed Cameron’s hand. “C’mon, let’s go get it all ready.” I had one more thing to do before we left. Something had been bothering me since Momma Bitch was taken down, and I needed to understand it. I turned to Trafus. “So, you beheaded your brother and mother, and we killed at least a half dozen members of your family, why is everything all squared up?” He sighed. “It’ll take time. I’m certain more than a few are disgusted with what’s happened.” He looked out on the members of his family, some of them even with those wives and children I’d been told about. “Mother kept the Fork family traditions going, and many were happy with that. Others, not so much, ready to move on and change things. I’ll let the ones who want to be mercenaries go on their way, I’ll let the ones who want to choose their lives go their way.” I sighed. “Well, I guess since the results are you not killing us and us not getting hung by your mother, I can’t complain.” I slung my sword over my shoulder. “Don’t take this any other way than how I feel, Trafus, but we had goddamn never see each other again.” He grabbed my arm as I turned to walk away. “Cres. Your father’s legacy lives on in you. I won’t be the last one to have recognized you as his son.” “I said it before, I’m not my dad. It really doesn’t matter what he did, because I’m going to forge my own legacy.” He nodded. “Save travels, Cres Sciorus.” I nodded back. “And for you, Trafus Moor.” The birds were slower than Trafus suggested they were, but that didn’t surprise me. I assumed he’d done what he could to calculate our distance based on the birds’ average speed, so I doubted we were losing any time or anything. Either way, the sun was just starting to rise over the horizon as we came out of the forest. The glow it cast upon the dark clouds above looked almost hypnotic with shades of purple and gold across the sky. I rested comfortably in the back of the carriage, Cameron beside me and Sari at the front. The kid was pouring through some book she’d brought with her, likely a book of mage stuff. All three of us were quiet. I figured we just wanted some time to relax after that Fork nightmare. At least, that was how I wanted it. The girls might have felt differently. “Whuh’s ‘at?” Cameron said, sitting up from her previous lying position. She set the book down and leaned a little forward. “What’s what?” I asked, turning to look at what she was talking about. “That!” she shrieked, pointing out at something. That was when I saw it: A wolf. A very odd wolf, larger than normal. Its fur was an odd mixture of colors, mostly browns, grays and greens. Its eyes were dark orbs, completely lacking pupils. It was looking directly at Cameron, its gaze fixed on her in such a way that it looked almost like it recognized her. She pulled back, a frightened look on her face. “Whuh’s tha thing doin’?” I reached back and patted Sari on the shoulder. “Stop the birds.” She groaned. “Ugh, why?” “Just do it!” She complied, very much under protest, and then turned around to see what it was I was telling her to stop the carriage for. When she saw it, her eyes widened in either shock or surprise. “What the hell is that?!” Before either Cameron or I could answer (granted, we didn’t actually have an answer), the wolf had jumped forward and latched onto the carriage. It pulled itself up, growling the entire time. Cameron scrambled backward, over the front end of the carriage and between the dodo. I tried to grab for her before she fell out, but I missed my chance. Instead, I pulled my knife, ready to jam it in the wolf’s side, but it jumped out of the carriage right after Cameron. I quickly followed it, but the two of them were between the stupid dodo, out of my reach. For the first time, I cursed Cameron being such a small kid. Sari tried to grab her from her vantage point in the front seat of the carriage, but the dodo were getting riled up, rocking the carriage. She rolled backward, into the back of the carriage, away from Cameron. I tried to dive under the dodo to pull the wolf away from the kid, but I stopped just before I dove. Rather than moving, I watched the wolf pull Cameron away from the excited dodo, grabbing her collar with its mouth. When she was far enough away from the birds, it let go of her and sat down, like a patient pet that had just happily found its owner for the first time in days. “Whuh…?” the girl asked. Then the wolf said, “You let yourself get blindsided and nearly ended up an amputee! You are a sorry excuse for a soldier, soldier!” Sari sat up in the carriage. “Who said that?” she asked. The wolf jumped back up into the carriage and pinned her down. “I did, woman! And if you aren’t paying attention to every edge of your surroundings, the enemy will! Kill! You!” Cameron squealed, “Who are you?!” in such a high pitched tone I would have honestly preferred a whistle being blown in my ears. The wolf sat down in the seat Sari had been sitting in. “My name is Artus, and I am your conduit!”

Chapter Ten - Unexpected Aid I motioned for the girls to stop and get behind the trees. Someone was coming up the road and I couldn’t risk whoever it was. I grabbed Cameron's hand and helped her flatten herself against the largest tree. I watched Sari climb her tree and ready her bow. The first thing I saw was horses. Six of them drawing a carriage behind them. The driver was wearing armor, but it didn’t look like he had a sword on him. I let my grip on my own blade loosen, despite not even realizing I’d reached for it. I looked up and saw Sari had an arrow drawn. I waved for her to lower the bow, but she kept it trained on the driver of the carriage. On the one hand, I should have been glad that she was ready to defend us if necessary, but on the other hand, she might just get us killed trying to protect us. I returned my gaze to the carriage driver. The carriage stopped. The driver hopped off and moved to the back, where he retrieved a small box. He reached inside the box and pulled some oats out and fed each of the horses in turn. I kept my eyes on the carriage. No one was getting out of it, which either meant no one was in it, or someone wasn’t willing to let themselves be seen in such a place. The driver returned the box to the back and then pulled himself back onto the front seat. I looked back up at Sari and saw that she’d slightly lowered the bow. I turned back to the carriage and watched as the driver snapped the reins and got the horses moving. I moved Cameron around the tree so that the driver would never see us as the carriage passed. The carriage kept on, so I assumed we weren’t seen. Then the carriage stopped. The back of the carriage was pulled open by long fingers with even longer fingernails. The head that thrust outward was almost camel shaped, with large nostrils and larger eyes. I couldn’t tell if the creature was male or female, or even what race it was, but it began to sniff the air around the carriage. Its eyes darted left, then right, then -  Directly at the tree Cameron and I were behind. I slid Cameron and myself as close to the tree as possible, but the creature’s gaze didn’t leave our direction for a good minute. Then, another long fingered hand reached out and pulled the first creature back inside, and the carriage continued on its path forward. I waited until it was out of sight before I finally let Cameron go and breathed a sigh of relief. Sari slid down her tree and slipped her arrow back into her quiver. “What was that?” she asked. I shook my head. “No idea.” Cameron added, “Nobody ever comes into these woods. Dad told me there was a large battle here a long time ago, and the spirits of the dead linger.” Sari glared at me. “Great. You led us into another ghost place.” I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, we were dying the first time.” Cameron looked between us. “I have no idea what yer talkin’ about.” I ruffled her hair. “We’ll tell ya when you’re older.” I looked around the forest now. It didn’t look out of the ordinary, so how Cameron had actually pegged this forest as the one where the spirits linger, I had no idea, but I also wasn’t from around here and figured she knew what she was talking about. If there were ghosts about, neither Sari nor I could do anything about them. The last thing I wanted to deal with was more ghosts, but if I had to, I had to. “So where do we go now?” Sari asked. I looked over at Cameron. “Which direction is that town your dad told us to go to?” She shook her head. “No way to know.” I raised an eyebrow. “What?” “The forest. When we find a way out, we’ll be where we’re goin’, but…” she pointed east, “it could be that way,” now west, “or that way,” then down, “or that way.” “Down?” Sari asked. “The forest doesn't care. Out is out and that means we’ve reached our destination.” I sighed. “Great. At least it's not a specific direction.” I heard something in the distance, sounded like a wolf. “Sounds like whatever direction that’s in is the one we don’t wanna go.” I turned to Sari. “Pick a path, we go that way.” The path Sari chose was more or less the path that carriage had taken. I wasn't comfortable with it, but I had no better way to go. If we were lucky, we wouldn't run into the carriage and we would be out of the forest soon. Taking that path made me think about the carriage. Whoever was riding in it had to know about the forest, so why had they come here? Were they looking for something? Someone? And why did it seem like they were looking straight at me? So many questions, nothing even resembling answers. I put them out of my mind and focused on the forest, the possible threats. Cameron knew nothing of what animals dwelled in the forest, only that whatever called the forest their home was lost there, permanently. I thought back to Kalena and her beach. That was one lost soul that had been left without peace. Cameron made me think this forest was full of them. I looked up through the trees and watched as the sun began to dip downward. It had been early morning when we set out and I know less than two hours had passed. Either time passed differently here, or the forest was already starting to screw with us. “This place is givin’ me da creeps,” Cameron said. She threw in a shiver for added effect. Sari hugged Cameron from behind. “This is nothing. Cres and I spent some time ona beach recently that a ghost lived on.” “I thought ya said ya weren't tellin’ me that til I was older.” “You’re thirty minutes older at least, now’s as good a time as ever.” I laughed. Sari glared. “What happened?” Cameron asked. “We met a girl named Kalena, she lived on the beach,” I answered. “She helped us forward.” “She was the ghost?” I nodded. “And all she wanted was companionship. Hopefully, Sari and I helped her find it.” “She helped us find money, at least,” Sari said. She’d let go of Cameron and reached for her bag. “Ultimately,” I said with a raised voice, “I think we helped her more than she did us.” “What did ya do?” Cameron asked. Sari answered, “We gave her friends.” I was about to add to that when I saw what was in front of us and stopped dead in my tracks. The girls stopped beside me, the expressions on their faces told me they too were worried. The carriage. Sari didn't draw her bow, but her knife instead. I unsheathed my blade and motioned for Sari to stay with Cameron. I took slow, careful steps toward the carriage. It was overturned, wrecked. I reached it, looked inside. No one was in the back, no driver at the front, it was as if the carriage had never had anyone in it to begin with. I knelt down by the horses. Dead, blood wet, but wounds almost ancient. I put my hand on the corpses and no warmth radiated from them. It had to be some trick of the forest, but it was a strange trick. It was as if the forest had killed them long ago but preserved their blood. I stood and saw the driver. He wasn’t dead, wasn’t with the carriage; he was instead standing a few yards away, glaring at me. “Are you alright?” I asked. He didn’t say anything, didn’t move. Something was… wrong about him. I adjusted my grip on my sword and took a step toward him. And then he was gone. I looked around, trying to find him, but I couldn’t. He was nowhere to be seen, nowhere to be heard, hell, I might have imagined him in the first place. I jogged over to where he’d been, my eyes focusing on the ground where he’d stood. Tracks, just as I’d hoped, proving that I hadn’t been crazy when I saw him, but the problem was that the tracks led to the spot he’d stood, not away. I knelt down by the tracks and realized they, too, weren’t recent. Somehow, the ground had kept them, held onto them, but if they’d been made at any point in the last few years, it would have been a surprise. “There’s nobody here,” I said to the girls. “Nobody but us, I guess.” I turned to head back for the road, but made no movement. The girls were gone. The carriage was gone. The road was gone. “Aw, sonuvabitch, don't tell me I’m alone, now…” I looked around and saw nothing but forest around me. Either the forest had decided that I needed to be away from the girls for a bit, or it was just screwing with me for no good reason, either way, the only thing I could do is make it out of the forest and hope they did the same. I made it my pledge that if I ever got out of there, I’d never set foot in another ghost place again. The direction I’d picked had been a very boring one. I didn’t see anything but trees for at least a good three miles, though I could have been wrong about the distance. Trees, sticks, twigs, a rock or two, and the occasional budding flower. How anyone made it through this forest was completely beyond me. Of course, that was probably the point. The forest stopped people from leaving, trapped their souls. The fact that every way was out was just to lull you into a false sense of security and leave you stranded there for the rest of your life. I understood it, but that didn't mean that would help me escape it. I had to find the girls, pure and simple. That didn’t seem like it would be easy, however. Every tree looked the same, every second felt the same and if the sun had moved, it had moved backwards, because there was just as much sun as there had been when I had been separated from the girls. I couldn’t even tell how much time had actually passed. Had time actually passed? This place was unnatural, so for all I knew, time didn’t work right. “You are correct,” a voice said. I spun around and drew my sword in one motion and nearly fell on my ass. Standing behind me was one of the camel faced creatures I saw in the carriage. It looked at me with glazed eyes, eyes that simultaneously looked like they’d never seen anything in life, yet saw everything there was to see. “This place is the last destination for many, therefore time is a worthless element.” I lowered my blade. “Who are you?” The being ignored my question and instead walked past me to one of the trees. I couldn’t place its accent, but the h’s were stressed. “I first came here to escape time. Time has enslaved my people longer than most. This forest was but a myth to us, a place where time had no meaning. We sought it for centuries.” “What are you saying? What even are you?” It turned to me. “I am Arcrin, the last of the Khaalhees.” I raised my sword again, but didn't point it at the creature. “You knew we were on the road, and I saw another of you in the carriage. How are you the last?” Arcrin walked around me, its eyes on everything I was carrying. Then, it stopped at my scabbard and look a long sniff. “Your have already felt the timelessness. You saw us on the road you believe it to have been this morning. In truth, four days have passed since then, four days of traveling the path to find my carriage how it was a thousand years before you were born.” A thousand years? Hell, just the idea that the girls and I had been in this forest for days was enough to make me go insane, and somehow Arcrin had been here for centuries. If the creature wasn't completely mad, I’d be more than amazed. “Do you know a way for me to find my friends? The young woman with the bow and the girl under our protection?” Arcrin finally turned to me now. Its face looked older now than it had when it had appeared. “I know many ways. Many ways to do many things, all of them impossible for me and difficult for you.” Difficult didn't surprise me. In fact, I was used to it. I slid my sword back into the scabbard and folded my arms across my chest. “Tell me.” It waved to the forest. “You must find the lowest point in your journey. You must seek that which will help you continue. It may not be what you expect.” It walked over to me and put its hand on my shoulder. “Once you and your friends have been reunited, you will find your way. Once you have found your way, you will leave the forest.” “And how will I - ” I cut myself off when I realized that Arcrin was gone. I looked around as if I thought I was going to find it, but of course I didn’t. It had appeared as abruptly as it had appeared, as mysteriously as it had appeared. I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised. I had just hoped it would be around to help more. Find the lowest point in your journey, Arcrin had said. You must seek that which will help you continue. I had no idea what the words meant, exactly, nor did I know what the “lowest point” in my journey would be. Considering I’d been going on for who knew how long without finding one shred of evidence that I’d be able to get out of this damn forest with or without the girls, it seemed like I’d already reached the lowest point. But I trudged onward. I went only in a straight line, for fear that if I turned around, I’d never find which way I wasn’t going, or was going, or whatever the hell passed for progress in this almost evil place. The idea that I might be trapped grew in my mind. I was beginning to believe I’d be stuck there forever, much like Arcrin. I collapsed against a tree and realized for the first time since losing the girls that I was exhausted. I’d run for days and never felt this tired before, but now I simply couldn’t stand. Everything about me seemed heavier than it should have. If my arms weren’t fallen logs, my head wasn’t a rock and my chest a slab of stone, I would have been surprised. Of course, none of it was true, but that didn’t stop me from feeling as though it were real. The lowest point in your journey, my mind replayed. Perhaps I’d finally gotten there. Maybe this was finally the end of my journey instead. A hand appeared before me. I looked up and saw a girl standing before me. It didn’t take long for me to recognize the girl from the store back in that village during the Royal Escort attack. She motioned for me to take her hand. “C’mon,” she said, “I promise I totally don’t bite.” I took the offered hand and stood. I didn’t realize before just how much taller than her I was. Sari was at least half a foot shorter than me, and this girl didn’t look to be even that tall. Now that I could see her without my life being in danger, I saw things I didn’t notice before. Her face seemed warm, kind. I recognized it from somewhere else, though. I saw someone I knew from some time ago in this girl’s face, but I couldn’t place who or when. “You’re the girl from the village,” I said, as if it were the only thing I could say to her. She nodded. “And you’re the boy being attacked by the Royal Escorts.” “How are you… How are you here? Did you get sucked into this forest, too?” She shook her head. “I’m here because you’re here.” She walked around me to the tree I’d sat against and picked up my sword. When I had unhooked the sheath from my belt, I didn’t know. She thrust it into my arms. “All things are here because someone’s here.” She waved to a flock of birds that stood watch upon a tree. When they appeared, I had absolutely no idea. “These birds.” Now to a pair of rabbits poking their heads out of side-by-side holes. “These cute rabbits.” She motioned to herself. “Me.” She motioned to me now. “Even you. You’re here because of your friends, right?” I returned my sword and sheath to their proper place on my belt. “Yeah, I am. So, you’re not real, then?” She shook her head again. “I’m real. Realish, I guess. I’m not really Riley, and she’s not really here, but in a way I am and she is.” She poked me in the chest. “In here.” And now on the forehead. “And here.” Riley. Was that really the girl’s name? And even if it was, how would a manifestation of my memories know the name when I didn’t? “You’re here to help?” I asked. “I am,” she answered. “Is this a you’ll tell me what I need kind of help or a you’ll be very vague and help me without helping me kind of help?” “More of a look over there and walk with me kind of help.” She pointed to my left and my heart nearly stopped. Sari and Cameron. Wandering around like dead souls. I broke into a run and managed not to trip myself up on the all the fallen branches, rocks and even dead animals that hadn’t been in my path just before. The path seemed to grow longer as I neared the girls, no doubt a trick of the forest. I pushed on, however. I wasn’t letting this goddamned forest stop me this time. As I got closer to them, I lunged forward, and found myself rolling on ground that had gained a slope just a second before I jumped. “Cres!” Sari shouted. Oh, thank christ they saw me… She slid down the slope after me and came to a stop with her boots hitting me in the chest. I groaned, which caused both her and Cameron to laugh. “Where the hell did you go?!” I got her feet off of me and stood up. “I went to check on that carriage - “ She cut me off. “And vanished right alongside it. This place is fucking weird.” “No kidding.” Cameron slid down the slope. “What have you two been through?” Cameron answered, “Ya wouldn't believe it. Ghosts an’ dragons an’ a giant frog. Pro’ly the strangest thing was tha’ thing we saw in da carriage, talkin’ ‘bout this place being a kinda trap.” “Dragons?” She nodded. “Big one, pro’ly about six feet tall, turned into a girl shorter ‘an Sari.” Sari rolled her eyes. “She was just as tall as I was. maybe an inch shorter. Kinda tan or dark skinned, looked kinda familiar.” I asked, “Did she look like that?” I pointed up at the top of the slope. Riley was standing there, waving, a smile on her face. And almost as suddenly as she arrived, she was gone. I turned to Sari and Cameron, who both looked confused. I smiled. “I’ll explain later.” I looked at the forest around us and finally saw an opening in the trees. “I say we leave first.” The sun was just beginning to set when we reached the town of Farson. The place was settling down for the evening, stores were closing and people getting off of work were gathering on their porches to watch their children play in the road. Everything looked happy and peaceful. It was the kind of place that reminded me of home, so many years ago. I gripped the sheath of my sword and thought of the day my father died. The day my mother died. The day Circi and I were made orphans. It was and would always be a fresh memory, no matter how much time passed. My thoughts turned to how long it had been since the girls and I had entered that bastard forest. It had been the sixth of October when we left Cameron’s home in Vesperia. I needed to see a calendar, or simply to ask someone. I couldn’t do that from the street, though. I spotted an inn just off the main road and made my way toward it. Sari and Cameron followed behind me, likely because they needed sleep. As did I. The inn wasn’t a kind looking place, not like the one in that village that I met Riley in. The wallpaper was tearing in many places, and the fireplace in the lobby was falling apart. The check-in desk still looked pretty good, but the woman behind it looked to have seen better days less recently than the inn had. “‘Ow can I ‘elp you?” she said, in an accent that wouldn’t have sounded out of place across the east sea. I spotted a calendar on the wall. Still October, though from the days crossed off, it was apparently the eighth now. I shouldn’t have been surprised, really. Four days in there, two out here. We were lucky it hadn’t been years out here. “A room for three, with separate beds, please,” I said. “Adjoining rooms, if we can get them.” She shook her head. “Nah. Ya can get three rooms or ya can get one room, but ya can’t get adjoinin’ rooms.” I sighed. “Okay, we’ll take one room with three beds.” “Ya can’t ‘ave that, neither.” She walked to the board of keys behind her, grabbed one and slammed it down on the desk in front of us. “Three thirty-six. Ya get one bed and one night.” I sighed again, grabbed the key and handed it to Sari. “You two get comfortable up there. I’ll be back in a little while.” She looked at me funny. “Where are you going?” “To see if I can get us some transportation for the morning.” The innkeeper piped in, “Ya might wanna try the bar ‘cross the town. Lot’sa bounty ‘unters willin’ to take people wherever they wanna go.” I nodded. “I guess I’ll do that then.” I turned back to Sari and Cameron. “Back in a little while,” I repeated. The bar I found looked even worse than the inn. One of the windows was completely broken out, one of the lights by the entrance had a person’s head smashed through it - still - and none of the lights inside the bar seemed to be working. The place was lit by candlelight, almost as if electricity hadn’t been discovered yet. As I walked in, a jukebox came to an earsplitting screech as it stopped and nearly everyone turned to look at me. The bartender behind the bar was polishing one of his glasses, a couple of patrons by the jukebox who were holding onto one another had stopped kissing or whatever the hell they had been doing, the three people sitting at the bar turned around to gawk at me. It was as if I’d interrupted everyone’s daily routine. Then again, I might have. I walked up to the bar and sat down on one of the stools. The bartender walked over to me, still polishing his glass, and leaned against the edge of the bar near me. “No,” was the first thing he said. “No to what?” I asked. “No.” “To what?” A bald-headed man with what appeared to be a Plains Tribe tattoo covering one side of his face turned slightly toward me. “To anything you ask,” he said, answering for the bartender. “The Raven’s Claw isn’t kind to outsiders, least of all those carrying a Qinatan blade.” I gripped my scabbard. “That so?” He nodded. “Lucky you, I don’t have a problem with outsiders or Qinatan blades.” He gestured to the sword he wore on his back. “I have one myself.” I leaned over the bar, grabbed one of the glasses and reached under the bar for a bottle. “Mine’s a family heirloom,” I said. “Mine, as well.” He took a long, hard drink of whatever he had, then took the bottle from my hand and refilled his own glass. “Just not my family.” He took another drink. “You being an outsider, I figure you need to go somewhere. I’ll take you.” I took a drink from my own glass. “I just need passage west. Me and my companions.” “I don’t care where you’re going. I’ll take you west.” I angled my glass toward him then took another drink. “That was a little easier than expected.” He smiled. “I’m sure.”

Interlude - Fighter Cecilia Gullwing wiped her sword clean with a rag that was increasingly more and more red. By the time she was done, the sword shone as brilliant as a freshly produced mirror, but the rag no longer retained any of its former white color. She loved to look at the blade. Simple, yet elegant. It wasn't curved, like a Qinatan sword, nor broad like those from the Scagisles. The blade was thin, but still had a distinct weight to it. Few could carry it one-handed, and fewer still could actually fight with it. She slid the sword back into its sheath and stood straight. She clipped the sheath to the holder on the back of her armor and stood at attention as Captain Bertrand walked into the room alongside his entourage, the Dragonslayer Guild. She had never seen him so disgusted, so ready to fight. His face held a grim determination, a look that said he wouldn't stop until the job was done. Flanking him were but two members of the Dragonslayer Guild. The Guild was made up of those who Bertrand had personally trained in the years since he joined the Imperial Guard. There were seventeen members of the Guild, all accomplished dragon slayers before they were brought in and taught Bertrand’s methods. Rumor had it no member of the Dragonslayer Guild was truly a member of the Imperial Army, but answerable only to the Emperor himself. Even the Emperor’s Guard was considered a part of the Army. Cecilia couldn't even guess what they were doing in Kepton when there was a dragon on the loose in human form. Word was the Guild was being sent to Endawa to kill it. The rest of her fellow soldiers were lined up beside her, all of them obviously nervous. Cecilia felt nothing of that sort, but she was very anxious. One of the Dragonslayers escorting Bertand was Rawley, her ex. She hadn't seen him in months, ever since he was appointed to the Guild. He glanced at her, and suppressed a grin almost immediately. She didn't return it. What spark he thought they'd had was dead and gone, and Cecilia felt no desire to try and revive it. "You are the finest the Empire has to offer," Bertrand started, "men and women both who've risked life and limb. You know battle, you know all that is necessary is killing the enemy. Your resolve is stronger than any of your opponents, and you know this because you have survived. You have proven yourselves the greatest throughout this world. “It is because you are the greatest -- the finest -- that I am here now. You all know what the Guild is. You all know what it means to be invited into it.” He stopped and looked directly at Cecilia, for some reason. She felt a bead of sweat on her forehead. “Entry to the Guild is a great honor among the Imperial Army, and it is not given lightly. The Guild is the elite unit in the Imperial Army, and to be allowed this opportunity is once in a lifetime. “Therefore, we will only be choosing one of you.” Cecilia looked at her compatriots and saw them looking at one another as well. There were nothing but confused faces and looks of concern on all of them. She felt it herself, and most likely looked it, which wasn’t a common occurrence all on its own. Cecilia Gullwing prided herself on never allowing herself to feel confused, let alone look it. All the members of her unit were capable, were worthy of entrance to the Dragonslayer Guild. But she wanted it, strongly. No doubt the others did, as well. They had all heard stories of what the Dragonslayer Guild was allowed, what they were required to do, and it was nothing more than the fairy tales of old brought forward to modern times. Knights killing great beasts that attack the innocent, saving the Empire from utter ruination. It wasn’t something one believed possible much anymore, but the Guild did it on a regular basis. Cecilia felt a great deal of excitement well up inside her, something she hadn’t felt since she was a girl. Those days, when she wanted so greatly to be a knight like her father and mother, to uphold the legacy of the Gullwing name. She gave her all -- fighting, training, seeking out an ‘enemy’ to take out and prove her worth -- and only through her dedication did she manage to succeed. Her parents hadn’t wanted it, however. They felt that they had fought enough, that their daughter should be a poet or anything other than a soldier, but she saw only shame and dishonor in the paths they wanted for her. She didn’t just want to uphold their reputation, she needed to. And she felt that need in every endeavour. From joining the Imperial Army to even her relationship with Rawley. But this was different. She had already upheld her family name, now she wanted to carve something for her own name. So that her future daughter could strive to live up to the achievements of Cecilia Gullwing. She couldn’t imagine anything better. “Kepton, as you know, is full of thieves and scoundrels,” Bertrand continued. “A simple task, but the first step to deciding which of you will be given the honor of becoming the next member of the Guild.” He motioned to his two flanking companions. “Lieutenants Rawley and Berkshire, as well as my other lieutenants, will accompany you on missions I have prepared for you.” Cecilia understood the need to have a watcher, but she had a sinking feeling that Rawley would end up as hers. She didn’t need that as she tried her damnedest to join the Guild. But she told herself that it wouldn’t be a concern. She would overcome that obstacle just as she had all the others in her life. Cecilia Gullwing decided right then and there that she would become a member of the Dragonslayer Guild. Naturally, Cecilia’s first task was a simple, very annoying task: Surviving a conversation with Rawley. “How’ve you been?” he asked as he leaned against the balcony railing. They were standing watch over the northeastern part of Kepton, supposedly the greatest hive for criminal activity. Cecilia had never been to Kepton before, but she’d read the reports. The crime syndicates in this part of the world were notorious for keeping out of trouble and still accomplishing their goals. “Well?” “Hmm?” She had genuinely forgotten about him for a moment as she watched the streets. They weren’t wearing their armor, so anyone who looked up at the balcony would simply see a man and a woman sitting at a table on a balcony, nothing strange or out of place about anything. She still couldn’t get over the feeling that the criminals knew who and what they were, however. “I asked how you’ve been. You haven’t really said anything since we got here. I was kinda hoping for a peaceful lunch with a beautiful woman, honestly.” He finished the line with a cheeky smirk. She let slip a grin of her own. “That’s not why we’re here, Rawley.” He gestured to her. “And yet you’re wearing that delightful dress.” A dress she felt very uncomfortable in. Cecilia had never been one to dress up. Not that she couldn’t. In fact, despite her discomfort in attire such as the simple black minidress and heels, she had the look of a woman who wore this sort of outfit on a daily basis. Her hair was let loose from the ponytail she generally wore it in and her make-up was perfect. Her mother had always driven her to dress and act like a proper lady of the court, though she always had to fight against her daughter’s desire to get out and fight the bradts that commonly plagued their village. Still, even she had to admit, she couldn’t ignore that the compliment had made her feel somewhat proud. “You know exactly why I’m wearing this dress,” she replied. “And you know why we’re here.” He sighed. “I do. I really do.” “How is it you’re taking this so casually?” He took a drink of wine. “You know that’s just who and what I am. I don’t take anything too seriously.” She cut a piece of her steak and swallowed it almost whole. “Yes, I know that. I just don’t understand how. You’re a member of the Dragonslayer Guild, the elite of the elite of the Imperial Army, and yet you treat a stakeout like a casual meal between friends.” He shrugged. “Is there any reason it can’t be both? We’re still friends, despite not being romantically involved anymore.” She almost choked on her steak as she laughed. “That’s… debatable.” He smiled again. “Hey, it’s how I see it.” She had to admit, it was a nice way of looking at it. “Still. We have a mission here, a responsibility, and you act like it’s nothing.” He leaned back in his chair. “Of course I do. But not just because that’s how I feel anyway.” He took another drink. “It’s also how we need to act.” He leaned forward and pointed at a pair of men standing in the doorway to a small house. “See them over there? They’re lookouts. They know what to look for when it comes to undercover knights. They don’t even need to see our faces, they can tell by our body language or by our subtle movements.” He sat back again. “Act like a commoner, and they know you’re not. Act like somebody who doesn’t give a shit, they can’t tell the difference.” He gestured to her. “You’re sitting there squared shoulders, you look like you’re begging to fight, not like a woman in a daring black minidress having lunch with a handsome man.” She laughed again. “What makes you think you’re handsome?” He popped a grape in his mouth and said, “Please,” as he chewed. He swallowed and continued, “The point is that how you act is just as important as what you look like when you’re observing criminals. There’s no way they won’t find you out when you act like you do.” She wasn’t quite sure she truly understood what he was getting at. She couldn’t really act like anything other than the soldier she was. Rawley, on the other hand, had always been this way. He’d never acted like a soldier. Even in battle, he acted more like he was playing a game of fencing with friends rather than slaughtering his enemies. Cecilia knew she was taking lives and acted accordingly, shutting her emotions off and letting everything feed her resolve afterward. And yet, Rawley had been welcomed into the Guild while she was merely the best the Imperial Army had to offer. Maybe there was something to his approach after all. Not that she felt she could do exactly what he was saying. She didn’t know how to not look like a soldier, for instance. Perhaps she needed to get herself more accustomed to outfits like her dress, to formal gatherings rather than formal engagements with the enemy. Maybe being a member of the Guild was less a warrior’s calling than she thought. She’d work on it. For now, she merely watched the two men Rawley had pointed out. She didn’t look at them directly, but kept watch out of the corner of her eye. They were smoking cigarettes, talking and occasionally laughing. They seemed more capable of being casual than she felt she was, much to her chagrin. And then they moved out of the way of another pair, a man and a woman. The man appeared in his fifties, and though his eyes were open wide, he obviously couldn’t see. He didn’t use a cane, however, and seemed to know exactly where he was going. The woman looked a great deal younger, possibly in her early twenties, and she obviously wasn’t his date. No, Cecilia could tell this woman was a warrior, like her. “Nobody knows his name,” Rawley said, obviously having taken notice of what was happening. “His subordinates call him the boss, but that’s nothing, really.” “He’s blind?” she asked. Rawley nodded. “Blind, but the man is amazingly capable of getting around. He’s based somewhere around here, but we don’t know much about his operation beside that. The most we know is that it reaches across the Empire." "And the woman?" "Mercenary. Yelena Something-Or-Another, I can't remember. Former Imperial, she left the Army about ten years ago." Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "Ten years ago?" She looked back out at the couple. "She doesn't look any more than twenty-three at the oldest." Rawley nodded. "You're right, she's actually twenty-one. She was conscripted at the age of seven, served for four years and then deserted." That didn't sound right at all. "We don't conscript children! That's…" "Amoral, illegal, against the Articles of Recognized Warfare? You're right. As is taking people from other nations and selling them as slaves, but it's still a common practice. The Empire is always trying to do the thing that will ensure our own survival, and that's not always pretty." He gestured to Yelena. "She was seven years old when the Plains Tribe slaughtered her entire village. She managed to kill thirty of them on her own, to the point they were begging our soldiers from protection." Cecilia almost didn't want to believe him, but it sounded too far-fetched to be false. A seven year old soldier, killing men twice her height and three or four times her weight. The circumstances behind her entry to military service would be enough of a reason to keep her a secret, so it was no surprise Cecilia didn't know about her. But how had Rawley found out? "How do you know so much?" she asked. He plopped another grape in his mouth. "Captain Bertrand tried to recruit her to the Guild. They had a history, it seems, though I don't know shit about that. She's the reason for at least one of those scars on his face." Cecilia shuddered. Captain Bertrand was a capable fighter, almost a dancer on the field of battle, and the idea of a woman -- no, a girl -- injuring him was downright absurd. She could think of nothing more outlandish, but, once again, Rawley’s story was too crazy to be a pile of lies. She had to admit, the woman interested her more than “the boss”. “Are we going to…” she cut herself off when she saw Rawley throwing off his dinner jacket and jumping from the balcony. She hadn’t even noticed that he’d been carrying his twin daggers on his back, hidden beneath the jacket. He drew them as he landed on the ground in front of “the boss” and the woman. I’ll admit, that’s somewhat impressive, Cecilia thought. Still, a warning would have been nice! Cecilia jumped from her own chair, briefly considered jumping from the balcony, but decided against it. The last thing she needed was to break her legs by trying to land in high heels. Nothing would ruin her chances of entering the Guild faster than destroying her limbs on her first mission. By the time she reached the ground, Rawley and Yelena were both standing at the ready, weapons drawn. He appeared to have taken a cut to the cheek, while she didn’t seem to have taken any damage whatsoever. “The boss” had disappeared entirely, most likely somewhere his two lookouts had taken him. Cecilia drew her own sword, then ditched her heels. They would be a hindrance in a fight, and she needed any advantage she could take if Yelena was actually as capable a fighter as Rawley described. Yelena stood a good fifteen feet away, holding a collapsable lance in one hand. She didn’t look like the talking sort, which wasn’t much of a surprise. Cecilia herself didn’t speak during an engagement. Yelena looked at Cecilia, then at Rawley. The woman seemed to be examining them, taking in everything about them with nothing but a quick glance. If that was truly how she managed to succeed, then Cecilia had to give her some credit. That thought was pushed aside as Yelena jumped forward, thrusting forward with the lance. She lunged first at Rawley, clipping his sleeve with the tip of the lance. He merely ducked into a roll and tried to hit her with his daggers, but managed nothing more than swiping at air. Cecilia swung her sword and realized just too late that she was about to hit absolutely nothing. Yelena Something-Or-Another was fast. Rawley was quickly back on his feet, swinging and slashing, doing his best to land even a glancing blow, but Yelena twirled the lance and managed to block each and every strike. Then she leapt upward, pointed the tip of the lance down and was ready to send it directly into Rawley’s head until Cecilia pulled him out of the way. “Thanks, love,” he said with a wink. Cecilia didn’t return it, however. She was focused on Yelena, studying her as closely as possible. The woman was light on her feet, just plain light in general. She had the body type of a twelve year old, stood only about five foot two and couldn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds. She knew just when to shift her weight to strike harder or faster when she needed it, and was faster than most runners. There was now no doubt in Cecilia’s mind that this woman truly was the soldier that Rawley had described her as. The look in her eyes explained she cared for nothing but the mission. Whatever “the boss” was paying her was insignificant because the fight she was engaged in was what she was there for. This woman had never had a childhood friend, had never had a first love, had never even given a second thought to anything. This woman was an obstacle, and Cecilia had to remove her. Cecilia steeled herself. She grabbed one of Rawley’s daggers and twirled it in her fingers. It was less a tactical move and more a taunt. Hopefully, that surprised Yelena enough to give her a slight edge. She ran toward the woman, her bare feet almost gliding over every loose rock in the courtyard. Unfortunately, just as she was about to swing, Yelena moved, jumping upward. Cecilia brought her sword up just in time to block the lance before it slid into her skull. She thrust the dagger outward, toward the woman, but only managed to hit the air. Yelena dropped to a couch and tried to uproot Cecilia by sweeping her legs with the lance, but instead she jumped out of the way and swung her sword, just managing to cut the space her head had been just after she moved. The woman jumped backward, toward a tree. She grabbed onto it, mouthed some words, then kicked away from the tree with both legs. Like an arrow, she shot straight forward, pointing the lance out. Cecilia cursed as she dodged the attack, because the woman had managed to knick her on the arm. Blood coursed down her arm, almost ruining her grip on the dagger. She realized what Yelena had done. The woman had used some sort of spell to enhance her speed. Either the woman was a magic user, or else she’d been told one of the easy spells that even those untrained in the ways of magic were still capable of. Cecilia had never found a use for spells, felt they took away any sort of challenge. She much preferred the simple pleasures of physical combat. That she saw that same fire in Yelena’s eyes meant the woman felt exactly the same, but used simple spells to make her physically more capable than she was. But no sound had come from Yelena’s mouth. She was either mute or quiet. Either way, Cecilia knew her plan of attack. She dragged the tip of her blade on the stone beneath her feet, creating a small amount of sparks. Yelena did the same with her lance, almost as if she wanted to mirror Cecilia. That indicated a sense of pride that must have cropped up somewhere in the middle of the fight. That gave her another way into fighting this woman, a way to defeat a soldier who had proven herself even stronger than Captain Bertrand. Pride goeth before the fall, after all. Cecilia leapt forward, swinging her sword. Yelena brought the lance up to block it, but she wasn’t ready for Cecilia’s second attack. Cecilia had planned the swing to fail, planned for the block, and brought the dagger down into Yelena’s right hand, her dominant hand. No doubt the woman was ambidextrous, like any proficient soldier, but the loss of the dominant hand would still be a major handicap. Naturally, Yelena shifted the lance to her other hand after pulling the dagger out and throwing it to the ground. Her eyes almost glowed, and Cecilia could see the fire behind them was renewed with a hatred for her and her alone. Cecilia had wounded her, hurt her in a way that she had probably never before experienced. This unique mercenary soldier was now just like any other. The lance lunged forward, forcing Cecilia to jump backwards, landing on her knee just beside Rawley, who hadn’t really felt like standing up, apparently. He’s probably enjoying me twirling around in a dress, she thought, cynically. She pushed the thought away and grabbed his remaining dagger. She got to her feet just in time to block the lance from embedding itself in her chest. She shifted her legs to take the weight of the other woman pushing against her, trying her damnedest to drive that lance into her now mortal enemy. Cecilia used the woman’s newfound anger to her advantage and brought the dagger down into Yelena’s left arm, causing her fingers to twitch and the lance to fall out of her hand. Yelena dropped to her knees in defeat. Cecilia almost felt sorry for the woman, who did nothing but stare at her fallen lance. “I was told you were the greatest fighter in the Imperial Army,” Cecilia said to the woman. “You proved that today.” Yelena looked up at the one who bested her. No words escaped her mouth, no sounds of any kind. The fire was still there, however. The fire of a fighter. And then she picked up the lance and thrust it into Cecilia’s stomach. The breath left her, almost sucked straight out of her lungs. Apparently Yelena hadn’t been as defeated as Cecilia had thought. All the while she thought she was leading the woman to sacrifice her life for her pride, Yelena had actually been enacting that very same strategy on her. But it had still brought her directly to her downfall. Yelena was too close, her hands full holding the lance and pushing it into Cecilia’s stomach. Cecilia still had her sword in her hand, and all she needed to do was swing. So very simple. So very easy. She didn’t even need to put that much strength into the swing. Rawley pulled the lance out of her stomach just a second later. Finally, the lazy bastard had decided to move. She felt a warmth in his arms that she hadn’t felt in quite a long time as he helped her to the ground where she could lie down. The blood was pooling around her, and she jokingly thought, This is ruining my dress. Perhaps a bit of Rawley was rubbing off on her, after all. She turned to her right and saw Yelena’s face beside her. The woman’s eyes still held that fire, that pure disgust for Cecilia. They would forever hold that look, that feeling. Cecilia’s face had been the last thing she had ever seen before Cecilia’s sword separated her head from her neck. “The boss” may have gotten away, but Yelena Something-Or-Another was dead. “Cecilia Gullwing,” a voice said. She heard it, most certainly, but she still hadn’t opened her eyes. When she finally did, she saw Captain Bertrand standing there, in full armor and carrying sheets of paper in his hand. “By order of the Emperor for your efforts and success, you are hereby inducted into the Dragonslayer Guild.” She tried to sit up, to salute her new captain, but she managed only to lift herself onto one elbow. “Thank you, my lord,” she said through a hoarse voice that sounded like she’d just eaten a gallon of paint. He smiled. “Lieutenant Rawley told me everything, specifically of your fight against Yelena Beseria. To defeat such an enemy of the Empire is no small feat, and far more worthy of entry to the Guild than most others.” He turned to someone she couldn’t see. “Such as Lieutenant Rawley.” She turned and saw Rawley leaning against the doorway, looking as casual as ever in a leather jacket, white shirt and blue trousers. “Oh, no need to single me out, Captain,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. Bertrand ignored him. “In fact, it has allowed you special privilege. You, Cecilia Gullwing, are no simple lieutenant in the Guild. You are now my right hand, Lady Cecilia Gullwing.” Cecilia nearly choked on her own tongue. Lady Cecilia Gullwing? So very few in the Imperial Army were given the title of Lady or Lord, and of the Dragonslayer Guild, Bertrand was the only one. Until now, it seemed. “My lord, I don’t…” He held up a hand to shush her. “Mere words are unimportant. You have done a great service to the Empire and the Emperor has rewarded you.” He drew his sword. “Lady Cecilia Gullwing, I now formally claim you a member of the Dragonslayer Guild.” He bowed, as did Rawley, and then returned the sword to its scabbard. “The doctors inform me that you will be completely healed in under a day. Afterward, I will have a special assignment for you and Lieutenant Rawley.” She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Still paired up with him? “Of course, my lord,” she said, hiding that annoyance. “Good.” He lowered his head. “Rest well, Lady Cecilia.” Once he left the room, Rawley shut the door. “So… Lady Cecilia.” She reached for anything on the table beside her to throw at him, but found nothing. “Stop that!” He smirked. “Hey, I can’t help it, you’re my superior now.” “How?” He sat down on the edge of the bed. “I put in a good word. Captain Bertrand took the death of one of his greatest failures as a great personal favor, and argued with the Emperor in your favor." He reached into his jacket pocket. "Also, entry to the Guild is usually marked by a souvenir from the mission. I didn't think you'd want Yelena's head, so I grabbed this instead." With a single click, the lance extended outward. "The weapon that pierced the midsection of Lady Cecilia Gullwing." Cecilia took the lance and held it for a long while, completely silent. Then, finally, she said, "Thank you, Rawley." He put his hand on her shoulder. "You really do deserve the title, Captain Gullwing." She laughed. "Captain?" "Promotions, babe. Nobody with the title is below captain. So, Lady Cecilia, get well soon. We've got something special ahead of us." Cecilia finished adjusting her armor and picked up her weapons. Her sword had been cleaned before she left the healing house, but she still took a cloth to it anyway. She did the same with her new lance, after having her armor modified to carry it. She had no intentions of storing it collapsed. It was a trophy, one she would wear proudly. Rawley walked into the room and clapped, for whatever reason. "Alright, Captain, what are we here for?" She shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I thought you already knew." He shook his head. "All Captain Betrand told me was important. No details." As if on cue, Captain Bertrand walked into the room with Lieutenants Farron and Grimbolt behind him. "Captain Cecilia," he said as he entered. She slightly bowed. "Captain Bertrand." "The airship Tribute is ready for you. There is cargo you're to retrieve near Peresten, a group of Plains Tribe slaves that the Emperor has requested personally. Also, there is an interesting prisoner aboard, awaiting transfer to Myzacile." "A prisoner?" Cecilia asked. "Endawa was not a complete failure, we succeeded in driving the dragon from its home, and managed to capture its conduit." Cecilia blinked. The dragon was a mage? Was that even possible? “Is it cooperating with us?” she asked. Bertrand nodded. “For now. We still have it restrained, for your safety. The Emperor’s Guard will take it from you when you arrive in the capital.” He took something from a side pouch on his belt. “A simple assignment, Lady Cecilia. Though I still expect something to happen. The dragon is out there, somewhere, most certainly looking for its conduit.” He handed her the item. “May good fortune find you, Cecilia Gullwing.” She looked down at what he’d handed her. A necklace, with a red jewel. Inside the jewel was a rune, much like those on Captain Bertrand’s sword. It looked beautiful, but not exactly a combat accessory. Still, if it was a gift, it was a nice one. She tried to remember how to respond to the saying he’d just begun. “And may it travel with you, Captain Bertrand.” He nodded, then patted her on the shoulder. After he had left the room, Rawley whistled. “Weeeeell. What’cha got there?” he asked. She held the chain and let the jewel hang. “It’s pretty, but why would he give it to me?” He smirked. “Maybe he’s got the hots for you.” She glared at him. “Don’t. It’s bad enough I have to deal with you.” He turned to walk out the door. “Just you pretend you’re not staring at my ass when I leave.” She shook her head. Sure, Rawley was too much to handle, but even his bullshit couldn’t take away her good mood. She had a mission, and she was going to succeed.

Chapter Seven - The Many Firsts “Don’t worry about the reading thing,” Sharena said, handing me a brown paper bag. “There are more than a few people your age that can’t read, and they had years of practice.” I sighed. “That’s not exactly comforting. That just tells me I might go years before I actually have a good grip on reading.” “Oh, you’re doing fine.” “I don’t feel like I’m doing fine. Three days of trying to get a handle on this, and all I’ve got is a few words.” I grabbed at the hem of my skirt. “Plus I’ve gotta deal with this.” “Sweetie, you look wonderful.” “I’m only just used to pants and a shirt. It feels weird to wear a skirt “ “You look like you’re dealing with it well,” Kenny said. I didn’t even notice him walking up to me, when did he get there? “It’s not easy.” Sharena smiled. “Kineas, don’t deny her pain, understand?” “I’m not,” Kenny said, leaning against the counter. “It’s just interesting seeing a dragon in a skirt.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m a human right now.” “How would you look if you were still a dragon wearing that uniform?” I shrugged. “Dunno. It would probably look goofy.” He turned to Sharena. “Is there some way we could do that at some point? Maybe slip her some elixir that lets her switch between human and dragon?” I shook my head. “No. I’d sorta like to keep the fact that I was a dragon a secret, seeing as the whole town tried to…” I then chose my words carefully, “tar and feather me?” I sort of asked, glancing at Sharena. She nodded. “Yeah, Tar and feather me.” I picked up my book bag. “Did humans really do that to people?” Sharena nodded. “Humans aren’t a very civilized species, despite how much we claim to be.” “Okay, what about my mage power? Does that have to stay a secret, too?” She put a hand on my shoulder. “It would probably be the best option, sweetie. It’s not uncommon for people your age to know magic, but being a mage isn’t common at all, let alone around here.” I sighed. “So, I have to be completely unassuming and average. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?” “You’ll be fine, don’t worry about it.” She smiled. I nodded. “Yeah. Fine. I’m gonna force myself to be fine. If I’m not fine by the end of the school day, then tomorrow I don’t go to school.” Kenny made a noise. “I dunno about that. That’d probably be more suspicious than you just being the weird new girl.” Sharena rolled her eyes. “Either way, the two of you need to get to school.” She walked over to the front door and I saw the forest outside. Again. “If you don’t go now, you’ll be late.” “Why do you risk being late for school just to have a scenic route through the woods?” I asked Kenny. Mithra was walking beside me, trying to get my attention. I picked him up and held him. “We’re actually closer to school with the woods.” Kenny had gotten a carrot from somewhere, and suddenly I felt hungry. “I think you’re gonna like school. It’s easy, even if you don’t know how to read.” “How does that make it easy?” “Because you’ve got me to help.” Mithra climbed onto my shoulder, which put me off-balance a little. “You think they’d actually let you help me?” “I don’t see why not.” I sighed. “Help would be great.” I glanced at the feathered cat on my shoulder. “I’m not entirely sure you can come, though.” Mithra yawned. “I don’t intend on staying.” Kenny laughed. For some reason, it made me smile. It was sorta funny, I guess. I had a feathered cat that could talk sitting on my shoulder while I walked to school. Yeah. Funny. The walk itself was pretty uneventful. Kenny was right in that walking from town, where the house actually was, to school would be a greater distance. The place was huge, compared to most buildings in town. It was actually bigger than the inn that Kenny’s dad owned. Sharena had told me that kids from at least six towns around us were enrolled there, so I assumed it was the only school for teenagers around. Kenny led me into the fenced-off school yard, then it occurred to me to make sure Mithra wasn’t with me. I couldn’t see him anywhere, so hopefully he was back at home. I walked around the yard, in between the other kids. Nobody looked at me funny, though it felt like they all were. If this was what it felt like being the new kid at school, then I felt a great deal of sympathy for everyone who dealt with this. I found a spot by the door to the building and sat down, making sure to keep my knees together like Sharena showed me. Skirts were funny things, neither easy nor difficult to adjust to, just different. I hugged my legs to my chest, waiting. Kenny said that a bell would ring to tell us when school would start. “Square root of seven twenty-nine is twenty-seven… The kingdom’s war with the north raged for thirteen years…” I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl sitting on the ground with books and papers surrounding her. I could tell her parents had come from a continent to the east, or maybe she’d come from there, too. She would write things on the paper around her, then glance at one of her books and write something else on another paper. The bell that Kenny mentioned rang, and the girl struggled to pick up all her stuff. I walked over to her and started to pick things up with her. She looked up at me with surprise, so I flashed her a smile. “You looked like you needed help.” She nodded. “Yes, yes, thank you.” I was about to respond to her, but Kenny grabbed me by the arm and dragged me inside. He led me into the building, down a set of stairs, through another hallway, and finally into a room where a woman was sitting behind a desk. We waited for about twenty minutes before the woman at the desk looked up at us. “The principal will see you now.” Kenny motioned for me to follow him into an office, which I did. In the office sat a man who looked to be around Sharena’s age (human ages were difficult for me to determine). He was writing something down on papers, but I couldn’t tell what. “Mr. Endawa, it’s nice to see you.” The man looked up. “This would be your sister, I assume?” Kenny nudged me toward the desk a little, so I took that as my cue to talk. “Yes, sir. My name is Riley.” He looked back down at the paper. “Riley Endawa,” he muttered to himself as he scribbled something on the paper. “I’m told you have a hard time reading.” I wanted to groan, but I didn’t. I was hoping I’d be able to go the day without anyone knowing that. “Um… Yes, sir.” He nodded, for some reason. “Nothing to be ashamed of. At last report, approximately one-third of our students have trouble reading, most of them from the prestigious families around here. This letter from your father,“ he held the letter up, “tells me that you come from a poor village in the Plains nation, a village that was recently ravaged in the war.” He set the letter back down. “You’ll be put in classes with Kineas, he’ll help you along.” I nodded. “Thank you, sir.” He made a motion with his hands, like someone shooing away a rat. “Now, off to class with you.” Kenny grabbed my arm again and yanked me back out of the principal’s office, then out into the hallway. “Well, that was easy,” he said. “For you maybe. I felt… Unwelcome.” He shrugged. “That’s just Principal Leifsson. He’s not a bad guy, he’s just not all that, well, friendly.” “I could tell.” I pulled my hair away from my face. “You don’t have difficult classes, do you?” He shook his head. “No. Plus, you’ll probably like gym.” “Gym?” “Yeah. Physical education, we pretty much just run and play sports.” I sighed. “This sounds like it’s gonna be more difficult than I thought.” “Remember, draw from your heart. Put down on the paper what it is you feel.” The teacher - Mr. Rothun - passed me about the fifth time since Kenny and I got to class. I had the distinct impression he was trying see if I left my blouse open enough for him to look down it, but he was also peering around the guys like that, too. It was probably just nerves hitting me, since nerves was all I could even concentrate on right now. I was better at sketching than I thought possible considering I’d never done it in my life. For whatever reason, I couldn’t keep the idea of drawing dragons out of my mind. Luckily, I wasn’t the only one. That girl I’d helped outside was sitting beside me, and she was drawing dragons, too, but her’s looked different. Mine actually looked like what real dragons looked like, whereas hers were goofy-faced, with little arms and no wings. “How come it looks like that?” I asked her. She looked surprised. “Oh, um… Where I’m from, we celebrate dragons instead of fearing them. We have festivals and one of the years of our lunar calendar is the Year of the Dragon.” That seemed surprising. A culture that celebrated dragons? “You mean, everything the white dragon causes doesn’t turn your people away from dragons?” She shook her head. “No. Dragons have been a part of our culture since our first emperor. He swore allegiance to the dragons, and told them that Huaxia would always be a place of safety for them.” She drew a symbol down in the corner, away from the dragon. “This is the symbol for Dragonland.” It looked less like chicken scratches to me, but it still didn’t mean anything. I couldn’t read the common language, I sure as hell couldn’t read whatever it was she was writing. Whatever language Huaxia wrote with, it was sure pretty, though. “Endawa,” Mr. Rothun said, looking in my direction. The problem was that Kenny was sitting right beside me, and we of course shared the last name. “Show me your art.” He tapped the corkboard (Kenny told me what it was) beside him. Kenny and I each looked at one another, confused. “I’m sorry, the shorter, more well-endowed Endawa in the room.” I gulped. That meant me. I stood up, walked around the room, and made my way to the front of the classroom. I took grabbed a thumbtack off of the corkboard and tacked my dragon drawing on the board. “I don’t know if it’s any good.” Mr. Rothun looked it over and rubbed at his chin. “Good? This is fantastic, Ms. Endawa.” The corkboard was on wheels, and he moved it closer to the ring of tables that we sat at. “Can anyone tell me what this is?” he asked. Somebody on the other side of the room raised their hand. “It’s a dragon.” Mr. Rothun walked over to the chalkboard (Kenny also told me what that was) and picked up one of the erasers. He threw it at the boy who had answered. “Wrong!” He walked back over to the corkboard and smacked my drawing. “This is photorealism! This is the kind of artwork you only find from those who have practiced day-in/day-out for their entire lives! All of you should strive to this level!” Suddenly, I felt even more nervous than before. I didn’t want to be praised, I wanted to be the girl in the back of the room that nobody talked about. “It’s not really that good, is it?” He walked over to a bookshelf that I hadn’t noticed until now and pulled a large red book down. “This is the artwork of the famous Oakfinder, a Dwarf whose level of art few have been capable of reaching, even after decades of work.” He set the book on the lip of the corkboard. “Ms. Endawa has done so.” Dammit, this really wasn’t helping me. I felt nervous as hell. “Return to your seat, Ms. Endawa. Create for us another masterpiece.” I walked back to my seat feeling more nervous than I had when I’d been called up. I sat down, then slumped down in my seat. Kenny just smiled as he kept working on his drawing of the house. “I think you’re the first person he’s singled out since school started.” In a sarcastic voice, I just said, “Gee, thanks.” I picked up my drawing pad and pencil. “This is not how I wanted my first day to go.” “Enjoy it.” “No.” “Why not?” “Because if I enjoy it, I get people’s attention. I don’t want anybody’s attention.” The next class was a history class. Today, specifically, the teacher was talking about Endawa village. It was the only word on the chalkboard that I could read, which wasn’t exactly a great thing. It wasn’t helped by the fact that the teacher kept morphing back and forth between forms. Starting at one end of the chalkboard, she’d be a human, then she’d become a coyote, then she’d become some odd furry thing that I’d never seen before but looked to vaguely humanoid. She kept talking in the common tongue, though. That was good. “As we discussed last week, the Endawa family established the village over five hundred years ago, by Arcturo Endawa the First. His son, Arcturo the Second, was the one to begin the family’s dragon hunting heritage, by killing the dragon Nazarenus, the remains of whom currently provide the village’s center fountain.” That surprised me. I didn’t know there was dragon in that fountain. How’d they make a fountain out of a dragon’s remains? I nudged Kenny. “Did you know the fountain was made of dragon?” He shook his head. “I thought it was quartz, honestly.” The teacher changed into a monkey-looking animal now. “Many believe that it was Arcturo the First who named the village after himself, but it was in fact his grandson, Bhaltair Endawa, who defeated the Qinatan conqueror, Osamu Nakajima, who the village was named after. It was named in his honor of his sacrifice. His wife, Osamu’s sister Riko, was the one to suggest the name.” I whispered to Kenny, “I didn’t know you were part Qinatan, either.” He shrugged. “It hasn’t exactly been obvious in the family for generations.” “Kineas!” the teacher shouted. She had become a large bird that I’d never seen before. “You and your sister may already know your family history, but that does not make class an excuse to chat. Please pay attention!” I raised my hand. “I’m adopted, so I’m sorta learning this all for the first time, ma’am.” “Then I expect you to listen!” I shyly lowered my hand. “Yes, ma’am…” Several of the other kids in class let out quiet laughs. Of course, I embarrassed myself. Gym class alone made me wonder just how long I would be able to stand going to school. The locker room experience was odd enough, as I wasn’t used to changing my clothes in front of other people, even if they were other girls. When I was handed the gym outfit, I nearly doubled over in laughter as the shorts would cover almost nothing and the shirt only came to just above my belly button. The outfit came with its own special one-size-fits-all bra that was supposed to keep my breasts from flopping around. The outfit wasn’t uncomfortable anymore than it was just odd to wear for someone who’s only worn a limited amount of clothes in their life. I felt like I was wearing less then when I had the skirt on, probably relating to the fact that the shorts pretty much just covered my underwear. If not for the shirt, I’d feel like I was parading around half-naked. The girl beside me, who I semi-recognized from art class, handed me a small thing that looked like a circle. “What’s this for?” I asked. “Rubber band to tie your hair back. Trust me, you’re gonna need it.” Ii took the thing - the rubber band - and then realized I had absolutely no idea how to tie my hair back as she suggested. “Um… Can you do it for me?” I asked, shyly. She looked surprised, but nodded. “Yeah, sorry. I didn’t think about it, you’ve probably never done this before.” I wanted to tell her that she was more right about that than she thought she was. I didn’t, but the thought was still there. She took me into the restroom that the locker room had and did it in front of the mirror, so that I could see how it was done. That relieved me greatly, and I told myself I’d practice at home. I looked odd with my hair tied back the way it was. If I looked at myself straight on, I could see a minor family resemblance to Kenny. I wondered if anybody else would notice it, because I wasn’t supposed to look like Kenny and I shared any DNA. Then again, I wondered if anybody even cared. So far, everybody was treating me like I’d always been there, like I was just another girl. Even when I had screwed up in history and art, they weren’t treating me like I was something new or even foreign. “How good are you at dodgeball?” the girl asked. “Huh?” “Dodgeball, it’s a game where people throw red balls at each other. Whoever gets hit can’t play anymore.” I shook my head. “I’ve never played it.” “Well, I hope you’re a pretty good shot, it’s almost always boys vs. girls and the boys usually win.” I watched her walk out of the locker room and prepared myself. Judging by what she’d described, I’d seen people play dodgeball before, when hiding in a forest once. The idea of being hit by a ball didn’t sound great, but if it was a game that people played, it looked like I was gonna havta play it, too. I followed everybody else out of the locker room into the gymnasium. The room was big, mostly white, and had an orange floor. The guys were spilling out from their locker room, as well. Kenny was already out, sitting on the large bench… Thing… That I didn’t know the name of on the one side of the room. The teacher walked across the room, a clipboard in his hand. “Alright, everyone, you know the drill. Girls on the left, boys on the right. I want two volunteers.” He pointed at Kenny and I. “You two.” I leaned close to Kenny. “How are we volunteers if he picked us?” He shook his head. I followed Kenny over to the teacher, who checked some things off on his paper. “Distribute the balls,” he said. Kenny pulled me over to a cart kinda like the one we kept the stock in at the pharmacy, but it was filled with red balls. “Coach likes them in a straight line, for some reason,” he said. We pulled the cart to the center of the gym and he started on one end, I started on the other, each of us setting a ball down and then going back to the cart to get another. By the time we got to the center, there were fifteen balls lined up. I walked to one end of the girl’s line and Kenny walked to one end of the boy’s line. The coach blew on a whistle. “Go!” Everybody scrambled for a ball and several of us - boys and girls alike - were knocked out almost instantly. I managed to jump out of the way and threw a ball straight at Kenny, not even realizing I’d aimed for him. The ball hit him in the head, and knocked him on his ass. He just smirked when he realized I’d been the one to eliminate him. A ball whizzed past my head, forcing me to my feet. I grabbed another ball that had hit the floor and threw it blindly, hitting a red-headed boy in the stomach. I rolled out of the way when another ball hit the wall behind me (when I’d gotten close to the wall, I didn’t know). I grabbed that ball and hit a tan-skinned guy with a weird tattoo on his face. I ran for another ball, jumped for it, and was just about to grab it when a ball hit me in the face. I was thankful that I was already on the floor, otherwise I would have landed pretty hard. The coach blew his whistle again. “Rios!” he shouted. I sat up and saw him patting the girl who’d given the rubber band on the back. “It’s about time the girls won a game.” He started moving the balls back into the center of the room. “Line up! half and half!” The red-headed boy helped me up. “What’s that mean?” I asked. “Half the boys and half the girls on either side.” He smiled. “I’m gonna be on your side. I don’t want you to hit me in the face again.” I smirked. That was actually pretty funny. I felt tired. Kenny never told me that school would be as exhausting as it was. Of course, a lot of that probably had to do with the four games of dodgeball we played in gym. My face still hurt a little from taking so many hits. I was almost dragging my feet as we walked home. “You looked like you had a good time,” Kenny said. “Huh?” “At school. You looked like you were having fun.” I nodded. “I was, kinda. It was nice to just be around other people.” I looked around the forest for the house, but I didn’t see it. Granted, most of the forest looked the same, so for all I knew, we weren’t anywhere near where the house was. “Nobody treated me like I was the new girl, which was nice.” Kenny smiled. “There were some guys in the locker room talking about you.” “Whaddya mean?” “Hey, Kineas, is your sister available? or Where’d your dad find such a hot girl like that to adopt? You’re actually getting more than a few guys interested in you.” The idea of that concerned me. I hadn’t really put any thought into guys being attracted to me. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if I was attracted to guys. The idea wasn’t repulsive, or anything. I’d never really been attracted to girls, though I’d hardly met any female dragons in my life. I’d barely met any male dragons, either. I could actually count the combined numbers of both on one hand. “The best one had to be when somebody asked Can your dad find me a girl like that? I think everybody laughed at that one.” I said, “Wow, a boys’ locker room is full of way more talking than I expected.” “Not as much as my friend Kaui says your locker room is nothing but talk.” I shrugged. “Well, yeah, there’s a lot of it. I wasn’t paying attention to most of it.” “Aw… I was hoping some of the girls said something about me,” he said, laughing. After a minute, he stopped. “Um… Wasn’t the house here this morning?” I looked around. This actually did seem like the part of the forest where the house had been. “I thought it was.” He sighed. “I guess that means we’ve gotta walk back to town. Maybe Sharena’s too busy at the pharmacy and didn’t have time to do the spell.” “We should probably get there to help then, right?” He nodded. “Yeah. Wanna race?” Despite my exhaustion, the idea did seem kinda fun. “Why not?” The pharmacy had a Sorry, We’re Closed sign on it when we got into town. I was actually kinda proud of myself for being able to read the sign, maybe I was getting better at it faster than I thought. There didn’t seem to be anything special happening in town, so Kenny and I continued on our way to the house. As we approached, I saw two figures in the house, shadowed by the lights. One of them was Sharena, but I couldn’t tell who the other one was. When I pointed it out to Kenny, he got excited. He ran to the house, threw open the door and shouted, “Dad!” I followed Kenny into the house and saw the man standing there. He was relatively young-looking, but there was an unmistakable family resemblance to Kenny. The man wore a sword on his back and had yet to set down a large bag that he was holding, but he was too busy ruffling Kenny’s hair and looking happy. “Hey there, squirt. You been keeping the inn running while I been gone?” “Yeah. Oh!” Kenny ushered me closer. “You two haven’t met yet.” Kenny’s dad put his hand on my shoulder. “You must be Riley. Sharena’s told me a lot about you already. Name’s Irvine, and for as long as you’re livin’ with us, I’m gonna be your step-dad.”

  Prologue - An Evening of Shadow The wind howled outside the small cabin on the western edge of the Seles Plains. The lights flickered, and the windows buckled. Rain hit the roof, and lightning crashed out front of the house. The tree just outside the front window was rocking back and forth so much that one would have been worried that it would uproot and destroy the cabin. The storm was one the likes of which many people didn’t see their whole lives. But for the figure in the cabin, it was nothing special. It was an annoyance. The figure left their bedroom and walked to the front of the cabin to peer out the window there. The storm was nothing if not consistent. The last time it happened, the tree actually did uproot, and the figure had been forced to use plenty powerful spells to repair everything. And even then, the tree itself had to be replaced with another, so the figure had to leave the comfort of their home and venture into the nearest town all for a tree. Granted, it wasn’t the tree’s fault, but that changed nothing in the figure’s mind. The figure flipped the light switch and began to light candles. The candlelight bounced off the walls, creating bright spots and dark shadows. The figure laughed at the symbolism. Bright spots, dark shadows. That had been the figure’s life story. The figure sat down in a chair by the front window. Though annoying, the figure often felt calmed by the sounds of rain, thunder and lightning. The figure poured themselves a cup of cider and opened a book they’d left on the end table for weeks. The figure remained in the chair for hours, struggling to keep reading in the fading candlelight. But that was not a real problem, for the figure was purely waiting for time to pass. The figure wasn’t awake because they chose to be, and they weren’t awake because of the storm. The figure was awake because they were expecting someone. Someone they hadn’t seen in days, or weeks, or months or perhaps even a year. The figure took a sip of the cider they had poured and realized now that they’d let it get too warm. It had been hours since the figure sat down to read, and still the one they waited for had yet to arrive. The figure began to wonder if they would need to wait another set of years for their friend to arrive. The storm outside began to die down. A good sign, the figure felt, as it meant that the tree would stop shaking in the wind. The figure stood and took their cider to the sink to pour it down the drain. They would return to bed, their friend would understand with all the lights off and return at a later time, certainly. Nothing was lost, nothing missed. But as the figure reached the sink, they were aware that they were in no way alone in the kitchen. The figure spied the other standing in the darkest shadows. They were not afraid of this shadow, however, no matter how dangerous the other seemed to common people. The other didn’t move from the shadow, nor make any noise. “It’s taken you some time,” the other said. The figure shook their head. “Not at all. You’re the one who took too long. I’ve been in the other room, reading by candlelight. Quite peaceful.” The other nodded its head. “So it is.” It took a step out of the shadow. “I trust you’ve been well?” The figure nodded now. “Very. Quiet life out here. No one to bother me, unless I need something from town.” “That can't be often. Not a mage of your talents.” The figure smiled. “I’m not as strong as I used to be, and you know that.” The other brought itself fully out of the shadow and took the cup from the figure. It turned the cup this way and that, examining it. If the figure didn't know, they would have assumed the other had never seen anything resembling the cup. “You demean yourself, Misane. As humans go, you’re the strongest of the lot. Regardless, you’re too young for your power to have diminished.” The figure - Misane - smiled once again. She took the cup from the other’s hands and placed it in the sink, where it would sit until she did what few dishes she’d have the next day. She returned to the living room and took her seat in the chair once more, and motioned for the other to take a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the room. When the other entered the room, what few candles remained blew themselves out. Misane was not surprised. Shadow surrounded the other. Misane crossed her legs and laid her hands in her lap. “To what do I owe the honor of this visit?” she asked. The other leaned back in the chair and smiled. “It’s been over a year since last we spoke.” She rolled her eyes. “Is that all it’s been? I was certain at least two years had passed.” “Where is the child, Misane?” She knew that was what the other was there for. It broke her heart to know that the other was looking for the child, but of course he was. It was all he could think about, wasn’t it? Where the child, her child, his child, their child had been taken. She had expected this from the moment she discovered she was pregnant, the second the child was born. She would not let him have the satisfaction. “I don’t really know,” Misane said. It wasn’t a lie, she truly didn’t know. She had given the child to a friend and told that friend to go as far as they could. If she could hold the child in her arms, she’d be a happy woman again. Then again, just knowing that the child was safe from harm was enough for her. The other didn’t move. “So you claim.” She waved him off. “Please, do you think I’d allow myself to have that information knowing how easily you could get it out of me? I’m not stupid, my dear.” He smiled. “No. You’re not.” Misane leaned back in her chair. “Now that that’s settled, shall I pour you some cider? It’s quite good, if I say so myself.” He shook his head. “Your cider is how we got into this situation in the first place, Misane.” “I was rather hoping we could be a normal family. You, me, our child.” He tsked. “You knew that was never going to be a possibility.” She nodded. “I knew. But I hoped.” He stood. “And that hope led us here. You’ve hidden our child from even yourself and now there’s little else to do but to deal with the situation.” “And how should we do that? Knowing you, your choices would be to either kill me or let me live in my peace and solitude and craft a spell around my land so that our child can never find me. Which would you prefer?” He walked over to her chair, his toothy grin almost a source of light in the shadow with which he draped himself. “Anything magical I did you would be able to break. Your mana was always more powerful than mine, Misane, you know that.” He reached out and ran his hand along the back of her chair. “And killing you would be a disservice. Our child will need its mother eventually, even if it’s come of age by the time it meets either of us.” Misane nodded. “I believe that leaves us at a standstill.” She stood and walked to the door. “Now, if you’ll be so kind as to leave, I believe our slight lovers’ reunion has come to an end.” His hand moved from the chair back to her face. She felt a chill as he touched her cheek. “Now, now, Misane.” He brushed past her mouth. “Your mother taught you better than that.” She wanted to reach out and send him across the room. She had been weaving herself just such a spell most of his visit, but something about him kept her hands still, incapable of movement. She surmised he was weaving a similar spell, keeping her from hurting him. She kept herself calm. Not easily, but she managed it. The other removed his hand from her face and walked back over to the chair he’d been sitting in, but he didn’t sit down. “No harm will come to you today, my sweet. Nor any other until the child is old enough.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “At least none of my doing.” “How kind of you,” she said, ready to spit at him. “Now, I think I asked you to leave.” He nodded. “You did. And I’ve said my words.” He walked back to her and reached out for her chin, but she leaned her head back. He simply sighed out a laugh. “You’re a beautiful woman, Misane. I was lucky to have met you when I did.” “And you’re a monster. If I could change history, I would gladly erase you from it.” “And our child as well?” Of course he would say that. She felt a sting in her heart at her own words. “Your one act of kindness doesn’t erase everything else you’ve done.” He nodded again. “No. But the child won’t be like me. The child is a light on this world.” “I’m so glad you can recognize that.” She motioned toward the door. “Leave.” “It was wonderful to see you again, Misane.” With that, he walked through the door and disappeared into a mist that had begun to shroud the cabin. After a short time, the mist itself faded away, almost as if it were simply covering the tracks of its master. Misane shut the door and returned to her chair. She felt tears streak down her cheeks. Never in her life had she felt that afraid of the other, that worried. She knew it was because of their child, of what he might do when he found it. She reached up to wipe the tears from her face but it was no use, more simply took their place. The world was in danger, now. More than it had ever been. She stood and walked to the desk in the corner of the living room. There, she retrieved a notepad and pen and started writing a note. She had many, many things she wished to tell her child, but she wrote one very, very important thing, folded the paper and placed it in an envelope. She held the envelope to her chest for a moment, as if the words being near her heart would change everything. She walked into the yard and watched the sun rise on the horizon. The orb in the air shone red that morning, a sign of a coming storm. She couldn’t think of that, however. She grabbed a shovel from her garden shed and started digging until she found the small metal box she was looking for. The horn within the box was shaped like a coiled dragon, the mouthpiece being the tail and the other end the head. It had been a couple years since she last used it, so Misane hoped she was still capable of calling her old friend. She took a deep breath, put her lips to the mouthpiece and blew as hard as she could. And much like the beast it was designed to resemble, fire came out of the open end of the horn. Please, Orcos, come. She didn’t have to wait too long. The dragon known as Orcos was old, older than most other living dragons. He wore signs of his age, from his graying scales to his dull claws to his withered teeth. Even Misane’s father looked better than Orcos did on any given day. That didn’t stop her from hugging the dragon as soon as he landed. “It’s been too long, child,” Orcos said. “I know, and I’m sorry for that, but this is urgent.” “So I gathered.” She held out the envelope and held it to him. “I need you to keep hold of this.” He took the envelope between two of his large fingers. “It’s for the child?” She nodded. “Yes.” He knelt down to look her in the face. “Was he here?” He obviously spoke of the other. She closed her eyes and nodded again. “Yes.” He drew himself to his full height. “Is the child in danger?” She shook her head. “Neither he nor I know where it is.” She felt that sting in her heart once more. “It was for the best.” Orcos nodded. “I understand.” He knelt down again. “I’ll take it. I’ll keep it safe until the child is old enough.” Another tear slid down Misane’s cheek. “Thank you.” He reached out, but unlike when the other was there, she didn’t stop him. “You won’t be here when the child comes of age, will you?” She shook her head. “I need to be at Laotok.” He nodded again. “I’ll take you.” “Thank you,” she said, “I’ll just be a moment.” “Take the time you need, child.” It didn’t take Misane long to prepare what she needed. She took one bag, nothing more. And in that one bag, she had one book. The ancient laws of Laotok permitted one personal item, one reminder of the world one was leaving. It would be the only thing binding them to the Earth. She chose the journal she’d kept since she was little. If necessary, it would be the one thing left of her to remind her child who she was. Misane said goodbye to Orcos at the gate to Laotok. She said goodbye to her parents, to her friends, to the other. But she did not yet say goodbye to her child.

Chapter Two - The Knight I was ready to draw my blade the second someone came into view. The hiding spot I'd picked was out of the way, but that didn't mean an attendant wouldn't step in for a smoke or something. I didn't want to kill anyone, but I couldn't afford to be seen. I needed to rest, but the odds that I'd be able to while looking out for anyone were slim. My nearly ten hour trek from one continent to the next was a mistake. I closed his eyes for a moment, just a moment. I needed just a quick rest. Twenty-five seconds of sleep wouldn't be a problem, would it? No. I could afford that. I just needed to keep track of time. I opened my eyes again a moment later, feeling no more rested than I had been before. The idea that I could get any rest at all was likely a mistake. I should have known that. I felt it when the train hit something on the rail. There shouldn't have been anything on the rail. I stood and nearly fell over when the train came to a sudden stop. That wasn't good in any way. I needed to move, to get off the train. I kept a firm grip on the hilt of my blade and slipped between the multitude of boxes in the train car. They were fast. I counted six of them, all dressed in black. I could tell they were here for me. One of them slashed open the crate I was hiding behind, only to find me gone. I flicked on my flashlight, making him look up, smiled at him, then swung my sword and lopped his head clear off. I sprung from the ceiling of the train car and took out another one of them, bisecting him from right shoulder to left hip. The other four rushed me immediately, but they weren’t difficult to kill. A severed head, a broken arm and impaled chest, a pair of legs kicked out from underneath a man I cut in half, and finally a simple impalement. When I was done, four more carcasses laid among the two that were already there. I sheathed my sword and used a crate to brace myself when the train suddenly began to move again. Great. Whatever the found on the tracks must have been cleared off. Oh well. It just meant we’d get to wherever this train was going, finally. I didn’t even care what the destination was, I just wanted to be gone. The train came to a more controlled stop somewhere. I could hear people outside, one of them mentioned a dragon. The outer door of the train car opened, and I ducked out of sight again. I had to decide whether or not I was going to hop off the train here - and potentially kill this man - or get off elsewhere. “Can you believe this? Somebody dumped some mannequins back here!” The man picked up one of the limbs. “Good ones, too. This really looks like blood.” Another man pulled himself into the train car and looked around at the bodies. “These aren’t mannequins, dumbass! Somebody greased these guys!” The second man pulled out a radio. “We’ve got… I don’t even know how many corpses in the eighth car, looks like they were chopped up, we need security here.” Crap. I got ready to draw my blade, but then I heard shouting from outside. The two that had gotten in the train car jumped out and went of to see what it was. There was cursing, and fighting. Dammit, the war hadn’t followed me, had it? I drew my sword and rushed out the car after the other two. It was worse than I thought. It wasn’t the war that had followed me. It was him. He was one hundred and forty feet tall, at least twice as long and I don’t know how wide. Colored bone white, with a great deal of blood splotched around his body, as if he painted himself with it. His eyes were solid black, with small white dot pupils that always looked like they were staring at me. His head was horned, like he’d been spawned by a demon rather than a dragon. Plumes of fire burst from his nose every time he took a breath. Across his left eye was a scar, though it was hard for me to believe he’d ever been injured in any way other than self-inflicted harm. Another scar adorned his stomach, this one larger, more recent. I jumped upward and toward the nearest building. It had been quite some time since I saw this dragon. I’d been fourteen when he tracked me down and slaughtered my sister. How could he have found me now? Was he stalking me? What could he possibly want with this town? The dragon lifted his head and opened his mouth, letting out a roar that I was too familiar with. I stood there, like I always had, just like that day. I couldn’t move. Crap! Nine Years Ago… I dropped my dragon toy down the stairs and quickly stumbled after it. How could I do that? Stupid, stupid, stupid! Mom grabbed me by the arm and stopped me from falling on my face. “I thought I told you to go to bed, young man,” she said, a playful tone in her voice. Mom rarely ever reprimanded me, even when I did something wrong. “I couldn’t sleep,” I said. “So why were you playing in the hallway?” “Because Circi wouldn’t let me play in our room.” “Maybe because you and your sister need some sleep, sweetie.” She walked down to the landing halfway down the stairs and picked up my dragon, then tossed it to me. I fumbled with it for a second, but I didn’t drop it again. “Now go to bed, okay?” I nodded, then turned around and started to walk to my room, but I stopped when I heard the front door rapidly open and close. I heard panicked voices. Dad was home! I bounced down the stairs and saw him arguing with Mom. What was going on? He pulled his sword and sheath off of his belt and placed them on the table, then grabbed a suitcase from the kitchen closet. What was going on? “Dad?” I asked, stepping away from the stairs. He grabbed me by the shoulders. “Cres, go wake your sister up, we have to leave now.” “Why?” “Don’t question me, Cres, we just need to go!” Dad didn’t yell at me often. In fact, this was only the second time in my life that he had yelled at me. The first had been when I touched his sword the first time. Whatever was going on, this was serious. I ran up the stairs and opened the door to my bedroom, which I shared with my older sister, Circi. She wasn’t a heavy sleeper, so it took me little time to wake her up. “Dad says we need to go,” I said, “he won’t say why.” “Dad’s home?” “Yeah. He says we need to leave. He sounded worried.” The ground started to shake. What could be causing that? What was going on? I followed Circi downstairs and then she was pushing me back up the stairs. I only caught a glimpse, but I watched fire burst through the front door. And I heard screams. The ceiling suddenly caught on fire. I ducked, like I’d been taught in school. Why was everything burning? Where was this fire coming from? I followed Circi into the bedroom, where she opened the window and looked down. “Okay,” she said, turning back to me, “we need to jump, Cres.” “But, Mom and Dad…” “I’m sure they made it out, but we can’t get out downstairs, so we’ve gotta jump out the window, okay?” “But we don’t have anything to land on!” “I’ll go first, and I’ll catch you, but you’re gonna havta jump when I tell you, understand?” I nodded, then watched as she climbed into the window, then jumped down. I quickly rushed to the window and looked out and down to see if she was okay. I didn’t want to think of the alternative. I watched her crawl out of the bush that Dad planted outside his study. Good. I didn’t want her to be hurt. “Jump, Cres, now!” I climbed into the window and took a deep breath. I just had to jump, that’s all. It wouldn’t be hard. I just had to jump. The heat on my back made the decision for me. The fire had spread to the bedroom, and everything was burning up, popping, crackling. I let go of the sides of the window and felt gravity doing its work. I fell, and landed in the bush, just as Circi tried to catch me. She pulled me out of the bush and brushed me off. It didn’t look like I had any cuts or anything, so I was okay. The smoke was billowing out of the first floor windows, and I could tell nothing on that floor would be exempt from the fire’s rampage. I hoped Mom and Dad got out before it got too bad. Circi grabbed my hand and pulled me around the house, where we saw that it wasn’t just our house, but the majority of the neighborhood and the town, as well. There were fires everywhere, and not everyone was lucky enough to make it out of their homes. I saw more than one flaming corpse hanging half out an upstairs window. “Circi! Cres!” Mom shouted from somewhere. I spotted her before Circi did, and Dad was there as well. They were running toward us. Time slowed to a crawl for just a moment as a giant foot came down in between my parents and me. I looked up and saw black eyes with white pupils staring down at me. The eyes turned from me to my parents, and then a roughly half-circle shape appeared in the blackness underneath the eyes. The half-circle was red-orange, and then it opened further. The red-orange in the half-circle spread outward, in a cone-like shape. It grew, and grew, and grew, and then encompassed my mom and dad. Heat spread from the cone, but I was frozen solid, watching my parents burn. The fire shooting from the dragon’s mouth stopped almost as quickly as it began, and the dragon moved on, torching the rest of the town. I didn’t move. I couldn’t move. I simply sat there, on my knees, looking at the charred remains of my parents. Hours passed, and I didn’t move. I couldn’t move. Present Day That same dragon was standing in front of me yet again, staring at me yet again, scaring me yet again. Thanks to that roar, I just couldn’t move. I closed my eyes and tried to find something else to focus on. It wasn’t easy. No. Not just difficult. It was impossible. There was only one thing I could think of anywhere around me, and it was the dragon. “You!” I shouted, hoping my voice sounded less like a frightened boy and more like a man who could actually fight a dragon. “Have you been following me?” The dragon looked in my direction again, but didn’t say anything, or move, or do anything other than stare at me. It was like he was looking through me, somehow, like he knew something about me that I didn’t. He was taunting me. I remembered that I had my sword drawn, the sword that had been my father’s. It had been the only thing spared when the house burned down that day. It was the only memento I had of my entire family. The dragon stood on his hind legs and spread his wings. He roared once again, then flapped his wings and took off. The wind from his flapping wings nearly knocked me down, but I braced myself, and when the dragon was gone, I felt my heart rate return to normal. I looked around the train yard and saw several warehouses on fire, with people dragging bodies out of them. So many dead, all thanks to that dragon, who may very well be following me. Crap. The sun was setting as I made my way through the Seles Plains, using the railroad tracks as my one and only guide. It’d be too difficult to see the tracks, soon, thanks to the clouds that were about to blot out any moonlight I’d potentially get. I looked around, hoping to find some place to rest for the night. An arrow flew past my head. I drew my sword and prepared for the oncoming assault. My muscles tightened up, ready for the battle. The Plains Tribe always hunted in groups of six or eight. There would be two archers, one on either ridge surrounding me, and between two and four lancers. There’d be a single swordsman, who’d be the one to engage in single combat, and then finally one commander, who’d be kept out of the fight. I looked to the ridges, but there was no one there. My eyes roamed downward and to the left, where I saw something that looked like a cave. The sun was almost down entirely, so my night vision would be kicking in soon, but for the moment, I could barely see the cave. I took one step off the tracks toward the cave, and another arrow nearly hit me in the back of the head. I spun around and held my blade ready. I hadn’t been expecting a lone girl who didn’t even look a day older than me. “All the money you’ve got, and your fancy sword,” she said, ready to loose the arrow she was aiming at my head. She was clearly one of the Plains Tribe, going by her clothes and her war paint. The war paint was a recent addition to the Tribesmen, based more on old myths and legends than on whether or not it really frightened their targets. She was wearing a cloth skirt, a bikini top and a pair of combat boots that looked to be a size or two too big. There was something odd about this girl, though. I’d met many Plains Tribe women, older and younger than this girl, and none of them seemed as… confident as she seemed to be. Something about this girl told me that if I didn’t comply, that arrow really would be in my face. I slipped my sword back in the sheath and unclipped it from my belt, then knelt down and set it on the ground. As I did, my free hand went to the knife hidden and sheathed on my boot. I stood up and held the drawn knife in my hand, then tapped the side of the blade against my arm. “You sure I can’t block it with my knife?” She smirked, then disappeared into a light puff of smoke. Now that was quite the trick. I knelt down again to grab my sword, and then I was suddenly looking up at her arrow pointing straight at my eye, that smirk still on her face. No wonder she seemed confident, she could move faster than anyone could see. I just wasn’t too happy about an arrow in my face. She said, “If you thought I’d missed you earlier, you’re wrong, I just prefer not to kill people when I can rob them.” “You’re pretty good.” “No, I’m pretty broke, and I need your money. Your sword would just be a bonus.” “How do you do that?” “This is a robbery, buddy, so I hope you understand that I’m not here to answer twenty questions.” “I’m intrigued.” “And I’m bored, so either gimme the money and the sword, or I’m just gonna leave.” “Really? You’re trying to rob me, but if I don’t give you anything, you’re just going to walk away with me alive?” “Y’know, that is actually a major hole in this story. Hrm… I guess I could kill you, but you could have a family somewhere expecting you. On the other hand, you’re walking the train tracks at night alone and you’re packing a sword, so odds are good you’re a loner, meaning I could grease you right here and now and nobody would ever know or probably even care.” She drew the arrow back further. I had little time to act. “Option one or option two?” “Is there a three?” “There’s barely a two.” “No three?” “Two’s disappearing as we speak.” “I like three.” “Option two has officially been taken off the list, so I guess you’re gonna get that arrow in the head you asked for.” I slammed the knife into her foot and quickly grabbed for the arrow she was about to lose her grip on. I just barely managed to stop it from going into my eyeball and pulled the bow from her hands. “Yep, option three.” I stood up and smiled at her. “Works every time.” I sat against the cave wall, carving the core out of an apple that I’d found discarded along the tracks. The girl was beside me, playing with her bow. I would have tied her up if I thought it would actually do anything. She was calm now, didn’t seem like she wanted to rob me anymore. Maybe she’d just been lonely. I cut out a chunk of apple and threw it in my mouth. “What’s your name?” I asked. She looked up from her bow in surprise. “What?” “Your name,” I said, slipping another chunk of apple into my mouth. “Everybody’s got one.” I cut out one last chunk of the apple then tossed her the half I didn’t eat. “Mine’s Cres.” She pulled her own knife - much bigger than my own, I noticed - and started taking chunks out of the apple. “Sarika.” “Nice name.” “It’s the only thing I remember from my mother. The last thing I heard her say.” “What happened to her?” She closed her eyes. This was painful to her, I could tell. “I was only five when it happened. We were crossing the ocean between Qinata and Seles. My father was rowing the boat, my mother holding onto me. I remember the water around the boat started to heat up, like… Like somebody turned on a stove burner and we were the ones boiling. I looked at my dad, and it was almost like he knew exactly what was coming.” “How do you know?” “The look on his face. He seemed… Resigned to it. Not even three seconds before it happened, he closed his eyes, and I watched a tear fall down his cheek. That was when the fire shot straight up, out of the ocean, and incinerated my dad. I grabbed for my mom, and she held me as close as she could. I started crying, and she whispered things in my ear. She tried to soothe me, but it didn’t help.” She reached up and wiped tears from her face. “You don’t have to tell me anymore if you don’t want to.” She shook her head. “No, I’ll tell you.” She took a deep breath and then continued: “Its head rose out of the water first, those eyes… Black as the night. Its scales were a kind of - “ “Bone white,” I finished for her, “with spots of blood all around him as if he painted himself with it.” Sarika’s eyes were full-on watering now, and I could tell that mine would likely follow. “You’ve seen it, too? The white dragon?” I nodded, slowly. “I was nine, he took everything from me. Destroyed my home.” I picked up my blade from beside me. “This is all I have left of my mother, my father and my sister.” “It’s not just us he stole lives from, I’ve met a lot of people who’ve lost friends, loved ones and homes to the white dragon.” She unslung her quiver from over her shoulder and unzipped a special pocket. She pulled three arrows from the pocket, arrows with very unique heads. “These were given to me by a man who lost his children to the white dragon. He was no good with a bow, but he could make arrowheads.” “And he gave them to you?” She nodded. “I don’t rob people who’ve lost stuff to the white dragon.” “Only three?” “He said they came from a special kind of sword, the only sword that’s injured the white dragon. He only had enough material for three arrowheads.” “You mean somebody’s stood in front of that beast and stopped pissing their pants long enough to hurt him?” She nodded again. “It’s hard for me to believe, too, but I could tell he wasn’t lying.” I took the arrows from her and examined the heads. They were plain, simple triangles with sharp points. The man clearly understood that whoever tried to kill this dragon with these arrows wouldn’t give two shits whether or not they had a special design. I tossed them back to her. “Does the dragon have a weak point or something?” She shook her head. “Not unless you count the eyes, but I’m pretty sure he told me to aim there because they’re eyes.” She returned the arrows back to her special quiver pocket. “I only ever saw the white dragon one time after he murdered my parents. He was too far away for me to do anything, and I still wasn’t as good with my bow as I am now. I don’t remember where I was, but it was eight or nine years ago.” I stared at the fire. She could have been there, my hometown. “I saw him today,” I said, my voice low. “He stared at me like he knew exactly who it was he was looking at. Like he’d made it his personal quest in life to track me down and hurt me.” She whispered, “Sorry.” I tossed the apple core at the fire, causing sparks to shoot out. Sarika pulled back a little. “It’s time I make it my quest to hurt him. I’m tired of running away from him.” I looked over at her. “I could use your help, seeing as you obviously know how to handle yourself in a fight.” She nodded. “Nothing would make me happier than to see that bastard’s head lopped off.” “Thank you, Sarika.” “What few friends I have call me Sari,” she said. “Thank you, Sari.” “No, thank you for asking me for help. Nobody’s ever done that before.” She set her quiver down on the ground. “Now, do you mind if we start this quest tomorrow? I need some sleep.” I choked back a laugh. I tossed some dirt on the fire to kill it, then closed my eyes so that I could get to sleep.

Chapter Eight - The Next Leg of the Journey “Do you even know where we’re going?” I asked. Sari was a little ways ahead of me, powering forward like she had a destination on her mind. “Have you even been to this continent?” She shook her head. “Nope, but I know herded animal tracks when I see them and I see them right here.” She pointed at the ground beside her. “We’re on farmland, and that means there’s a farmer and a place to hole up for the night.” I sighed. “You’re assuming this farmer won’t just try to behead us when he finds us on his land.” She glanced over her shoulder at me and smiled. “No, I bet she won’t.” “Why?” “Because this is her husband’s land, and he’s not here right now.” I was too tired from all the walking to even bother asking why she was specifying a female farmer. Wherever it was we were, I didn’t know if women ruled these lands or men. Hell, I didn’t even know where we were. Pleasant looking place, lots of woods. Lot of maple trees, I noticed. I reached for my canteen and went to take a drink, but it was empty. Great. The walking finally ended when we came to a rather tall chain link fence. It stretched out to either side of us, so I couldn’t see where this farmer’s land truly ended. I heard some cows in the distance, but that was the only real clue that I was on farmland at all. I drew my blade and touched the fence with the tip. Nothing happened, so the fence wasn’t connected to electricity, if this farm even had electricity. Sari looked over at me, then shrugged. I returned my sword to the scabbard and gripped the fence. “Looks like we climb,” I said. I began my ascent and made it about halfway when I realized that the fence seemed to be growing. “Do you see that?” I asked. “What?” “Is this fence getting taller to you?” “No. Why are you yelling when you’re right next to me?” I looked down. Right next to her? I was a good fifteen feet up. I took a step down in descent and found my foot on the ground, exactly where I’d started my climb. “What the hell?” She looked at me funny. “What?” “I’d gotten halfway up the fence, I know I did.” She groaned. “Oh, man, we’re not still stuck on Kalena’s beach, are we?” Another voice answered, “I’d say not.” I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a kid, probably about ten or eleven. Chin-length hair and delicate features confused me as to whether this was a boy or a girl. Their accent was odd, one I hadn’t heard in awhile, and I couldn’t quite place where. “You’re on me farm.” I drew my blade again, but I found flowers instead. Sari started laughing. “Um… Did you mean for that to happen?” she asked. I threw the flowers away and reached for my sword again, but this time I couldn’t even get a good grip on it. I turned to the kid. “Alright, what the hell is going on here?” The kid smiled. “I’ll take ya to me pa. He’ll let ya know.” I looked over at Sari, who shrugged once again. Sari and I were led to a house that didn’t look big enough to support two people, but once we were taken inside, it was suddenly the size of a small fort. Magic houses always seemed to be bigger on the inside than they were on the outside. I noticed a humanoid figure on the second floor, but it just looked like the figure was standing there. There was a sound in the room to my left. A puff of purple smoke escaped the room, then someone coughed. I backed away from the room, then the door to the room opened. The man who left the room was tall, at least seven feet. He had a large beard, covering at least half of his body length. He wore a cloak, and pulled back the hood to reveal his very bald head. “Welcome, welcome. Cameron tells me ya were caught out by the fenceline. How can we help ya?” Alright, now I was confused. The kid had made it seem like we were in trouble. “Well…,” I said, “We don’t exactly know where we are.” He coughed out a laugh. “Oh! Just passin’ by, are ya? Well, don’t be shy, yer welcome for the night.” Sari didn’t look at all convinced. “So, where are we?” she asked. “Vesperia. Specifically, the most southern province, on the McGregor farm. Me name’s Sheamus McGregor, and this is me little girl, Cameron.” I looked over at Cameron and saw her blush. She didn’t seem to like being called little girl. “Where did ya both come from?” Sheamus asked. He pointed at Sari. “Yer from the Plains Tribe, aren’t ya?” He was suddenly holding her bow. He hadn’t reached for it, it was just in his hands. If this guy wasn’t a sorcerer, then I was hallucinating. “Fine craftsmanship. Your parents got this from their parents, did they?” Sari took her bow back. “Don’t,” she said, her voice ice cold. “And no. I got this from the tribe leader that my father left me with.” “Ah. It’s a fine weapon, no two ways ‘round that.” “I know.” I drew my sword and held it out. “What can you tell me about my blade?” I asked. There wasn’t anything he could say that I wouldn’t already know, but I felt like testing him. He took the sword and held it in his hands for a moment. “It’s sharp. Forged in Qinata, I think they called this a katana, once upon a time. Not that it’s got a name now.” He inspected the hilt. “Carvings. A language not passed human tongues in centuries, if at all.” He handed it back to me. “Where’d ya find that, lad?” “It was my father’s.” “Where’d he find it?” I shook my head. “I don’t know. When he died, it passed to my sister, and then to me.” He nodded, knowingly. “Where ya from, laddie?” “It doesn’t matter anymore.” He knelt closer to me. Suddenly, I felt shorter than five-foot-nine. “Not true, boy. Ya came from somewhere, ya gotta keep holda that.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “Now, where’d ya come from?” I pushed his hand away. “It doesn’t matter. It’s gone, it’s not coming back.” I returned my blade back to its scabbard. “Now, you offered help before.” “Aye.” Sari grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me out of earshot of Sheamus. “What the hell was up with that?” I whispered, “Testing him.” “Why?” “Something feels off about him.” “You mean other than the fact that he’s a sorcerer?” I shook my head. “He ain’t just a simple sorcerer, Sari. There’s something else here.” The man began to clap. I reached for my blade. “Yer a smart one, laddie.” He was suddenly closer than I thought he was. “You too, lass. You put the pieces together faster than the laddie did.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m not a sorcerer. I’m not a conjurer.” I drew my blade and prepared to fight, but he was gone again. His hand was suddenly on my shoulder. “You can put that away, laddie. I’m not gonna hurt ya.” My sword was suddenly floating in the air. “I’m one o’ the last mages in these parts.” He sat down on a chair in front of me, one that hadn’t been there before. “And me little girl over there is the other.” I kept one eye on my sword, the other on him. “You haven’t exactly been up-front with us, so why should we trust you?” “I coulda killed ya the second ya set foot on muh farm, laddie. But, I know what yer here for.” He waved his hand a moment and my sword was sticking into the floor. I didn’t reach for it, but I was ready to if the need arose. “Yer goin’ after the white dragon.” Sheamus sipped from a cup I didn’t see him pick up. “Word came from a friend o’ mine lives in Endawa village. He’s one them whaddya say mind communicators.” Sari raised an eyebrow. “Mind communicators?” “Them who speaks to a person’s mind. Ye never know when they do it, they just do. And they have seen yer thoughts, friends. They told me all about yer run in with the Imperial Escorts, and where ye fell into the water. I knew it was only a matter of time before ye showed up here. The white dragon’s a menace to the whole world, and if yer determined to take the bastard down, I’ll do all I can.” That almost seemed like too easy a fix. “What all can you do to help us?” “Not much, sadly. Me conduit’s been dead for many a year now, and me power’s not what it used to be. Tappin’ into mana’s a little dangerous without a conduit, so all I’ve got are simple conjurin’ tricks for the most part. A wee bit of teleportation magic that I don’t use too often. There’s but one thing I can give ya, and that’s me wee girl.” I looked over at Cameron, who didn’t look too happy at what was being proposed. “Why?” I asked. “She’s not been given her conduit yet, though it could happen any day now. Either way, she’s capable of enough to help you. We’ve talked it over, and while she’s not happy with the idea, she’s willin’ to go with you.” Cameron spoke up. “Not happy is an understatement, dad. I’m just agreeing because I know it’s what’s best.” She turned to Sari and me. “You’ll let me join ya, right?” I pulled Sari to a corner of the room. “What do you think?” I asked. She looked as though she wanted to say ‘no’. She looked back at the girl, then back to me. “She’s a kid.” “I’m sorry, are you eighteen yet? We’re kids!” She shook her head. “Yeah, and we’ve kicked a lot of Royal Escort ass back in Endawa. All we know about her is that she’s a mage who doesn’t have a conduit yet. That doesn’t help us and I don’t want to be responsible for her.” I couldn’t blame her for that, but at the same time, Sheamus was offering to help us without knowing anything about us except our mission. Something about that seemed genuine to me. I walked over to Cameron. “You don’t have a conduit, what can you do now?” The girl shrugged. “Simple tricks. Like what I did with you and the fence, earlier. Dad says if I’ve got anythin’ of me mother in me, I’ll be good at summonin’.” She rubbed her left arm. “But I cannae guarantee that, sorry.” I turned to Sheamus. “You’ll need her, laddie. And she needs you.” Sari walked over to me. “Look, I think we can manage with just the couple of us, we don’t really wanna separate you from your daughter.” Sheamus stood, grabbed my arm and pulled me into another room. Sari came to follow us, but he shut the door before she could get into the room. “Yer not takin’ her from me, yer takin’ her for me. You cannae let her know this, lad. Without me conduit, me magic sucks me life force.” “Why haven’t you told her?” “She’s young, twelve years. I won’t make it to her thirteenth. She needs someone to take care of her, lad.” I rubbed at the back of my neck. “I can’t promise her safety.” “No, ya can’t, but ya can promise me that she won’t see me wither and die here. That’s all I need, laddie, and that’s all I ask.” For the first time since Sari and I got there, I really saw the old man that Sheamus had become. Clearly, some of his power was concentrated on staying rather young looking for his daughter’s sake. If I had met him like this, I would have assumed him to be a seventy or eighty year old man, almost about to die. For the second time in recent memory, I met somebody who wasn’t at all what they seemed. As if I’d dreamed the whole thing, the man returned to his younger form. I realized that I had no real choice in the matter. “I’ll take care of her.” Sheamus nodded. “Thank ye, laddie. Do your best.” I stood there, holding the pack full of food that Sheamus had given to us. He was busy saying his goodbyes to Cameron. She was full of tears, and I didn’t blame her. Sari was beside me, sharpening her arrowheads. I hadn’t told her what Sheamus had told me, though I would eventually. I’d tell Cameron, as well. Hopefully, the girl would understand. “Ya need to be on the lookout for that conduit o’ yers, sweetheart,” Sheamus said, patting her on the head. “You’ll know it when ya see it.” She nodded. “I know, dad. I read yer book.” “Good.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small leather-bound book. “Take it with ya. You’ll be usin’ yer mana like a pro in no time.” She smiled and took the book from her father. “I’ll miss ya, dad.” “And I’ll miss you, Cameron. Yer as pretty as your mum. Ya be good, now.” She nodded again. “I will, dad.” “Good girl. Now get goin’.” He turned to Sari and I. “There’s a town about fifteen miles south, you’ll be back in the Empire then. White dragon sightings should take ya where ya need to go.” I held out my hand. “Thank you, Sheamus,” I said. He ignored my hand and hugged me instead. It was the kind of hug my father would give me, once upon a time. The kind of hug a father gives a son when he’s proud of him. No words were exchanged, but none needed to be. I returned the hug and then Sari, Cameron and I began our trek southward. I took one look back and once again saw the old man that Sheamus truly was. That was the last I saw of him. I knelt down by the river we’d begun to follow and splashed some water on my face. Sari and Cameron were a few feet away, in the river and washing each other’s hair. It looked like they were having fun. I reached into my pack and grabbed my canteen. I filled it with river water, and then took a long drink before filling it with more water. The sun was starting to get low. I wondered if now would be a good time to tell them about Sheamus. Cameron hadn’t said so much as a word about her father since we left the farm, and I couldn’t tell what Sari was thinking about the whole situation. It wasn’t too different from when her own father died. Would she be angry at Sheamus for hiding the truth from his daughter and me for hiding it from both of them? The possible negatives outweighed everything. I splashed some more water on my face and then nearly reached for my blade when something grabbed at my arm. I pulled my hands away from my face and saw that it was just Sari. “In the water, Cres,” she said, yanking even harder on me. With how I was crouched beside the water, pulling me in wasn’t too difficult for her. The riverbed wasn’t too deep, not even waist high. I was drenched, but I’d been pulled in rather than getting in of my own free will. Hopefully, there was a place to do the wash wherever we were going. “What’s on your mind?” Sari asked. I noticed for the first time that she was topless. “Please tell me it’s not the boobs.” I laughed. “Trust me, you’re not my type.” I brushed my hair back with my hand. “Just… Things.” She glanced around me at Cameron, who was resting in a part of the river that seemed a little deeper. “I’ve gotta ask you what her dad said to you in that room.” I nodded. “I know. I’m… Worried about that.” “Why?” I lowered my voice. “Don’t tell her, okay?” “What happened?” “Sheamus is dying. He wanted us to take Cameron so that she wouldn’t see him die at home.” I saw shock in her eyes. She scratched at her left arm. “Ya mean… He probably died right after we left, didn’t he?” I nodded. “I think he did.” “What do we tell her? She’s hoping her conduit comes along any day now and that we can swing back to her farm to show her dad.” I shook my head. “I don’t know. Believe me, it’s on my mind.” “Cres, we’ve got to tell her. As a teenage girl who lost her dad, I really think she needs to know.” I half-walked/half-waded my way to the edge of the river and leaned up against the bank. “I know. I don’t know how to tell her.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “Just tell her. Don’t hide it from her.” I sighed. “You’re right. Goddamnit, you’re right, but at the same time… This is more pressure than I signed on for.” I took off my jacket and threw it at my bag, then pulled my shirt off. “I’ll tell her.” I walked over to Cameron and pulled her out of the water. “I need to tell you something.” “Is it about Dad?” I nodded. “He told ya, didn’t he?” I was suddenly confused. “How did you know?” She looked down at the ground. “Dad’s book. Whole section there on what happens to a mage without a conduit. I didn’t tell him I read it.” I knelt down in front of her. “Is that why you agreed to this?” She nodded. “I dinnae want him to worry about me. He wanted me away so I dinnae have to see him die. I’m kinda glad, actually.” She started to tear up. “I don’t know if I coulda… I’ve been livin’ with me dad me whole life, watchin’ him die woulda killed me, too.” I put my arms around her. “I know. I promised your dad I’d take care of you as best I could, even though our aim to take down the white dragon could probably lead to all of us dying.” She nodded. “I know. Dad wouldnae have left me with ya if he thought it was gonna happen, but I know it could.” I broke off the hug. “If we make it out of all this alive, we’ll come back to give your dad a proper burial.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “He’ll just need a headstone. Mages don’t leave bodies when we die, we just fade away.” I was about to say something to her, but I spotted movement in the trees. My blade was across the river with my pack, Sari was closest to it. I grabbed Cameron and jumped into the river, carrying her as fast as I could. I stopped when an arrow grazed my left cheek, embedding itself in the riverbank in front of me. “I’d stop there, if I were you,” a man’s voice said. “What have we got here?” the man asked. “Couple love birds takin’ a bath in my stream?” He let out a laugh. “She’s a might young for you, son.” I turned around after setting Cameron on her feet. The man wasn’t alone. There were at least five others with him, all of them dressed in green hunting clothes. Two of them - neither the leader - held bows, drawn and ready to loose. Getting to my sword never felt more necessary. I motioned for Cameron to stay behind me. “My name is Bikendi Ola, and these are my Hawks. That is my stream you’re standin’ in, and I’m not gonna let you use it.” I remained calm. “You’d kill a little girl?” “Kill her? Naw. She’d be useful for other things.” He raised an arm. “When my arm goes down, so do you, friend.” “And then so do you,” Sari said, her voice louder than I thought it would be. I turned around and saw her standing on the river bank, aiming her bow at Ola. She still hadn’t had time to get her top back on. “And I’m one hell of a better shot than either of those two bozos is.” Ola smiled. “Ooh, ooh, ooh. You are a fine piece of meat, sugar tits. Where were you hidin’ when I caught up to your boyfriend here?” She tightened her draw. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t drop you now?” I kept my gaze on Ola. He didn’t stop smiling. “Yeah, there’s a helluva reason, baby.” His smile widened, and I knew damn well why. “Sari! Down!” I shouted. She let herself fall into the stream as arrows came from behind her. Without their original target to hit, the arrows continued their trajectory into the bowmen that Ola had beside himself. Sari was beside me now, her bow drawn again. I had to admit, she looked pretty good soaking wet. Ola simply laughed. “Oh, that’s good, babe. Tell me, does havin’ the milk jugs hangin’ free there help with your aim or no?” Sari leaned closer to me. “Please tell me I can kill him now.” “Just a minute,” I whispered. Louder, I asked, “So, do you still have the advantage?” “How would I have lost it? Or are you forgettin’ my men on that side with the bows pointed at you?” I shook my head. “I didn’t forget them, no.” I tilted my head to Cameron. “What’cha got in your bag of tricks?” I whispered. She simply nodded. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the two bowmen turning around and aiming their bows downward at the ground. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but it seemed she made them believe that the stream was behind where they were standing, so they adjusted accordingly. I would have preferred she kill them or at least knock them out, but that might have been asking too much of a twelve year old girl. But they weren’t the only ones affected. The other two men beside Ola were looking around as if they were blind. One of them drew a knife and swiped randomly at the air. Ola was furious, but unaffected by Cameron’s tricks. He drew his sword and jumped into the stream. “I’ll gut ya, ya little shits!” My own sword had somehow gotten in my hand. I looked over at Cameron, who nodded. The girl was about as good as her old man was at moving things. I pulled the scabbard off and handed it to Sari, who took Cameron’s hand and pulled her away from what was about to happen. “I’mma kill you, and then take the girlies for myself,” Ola said, a vicious smile on his face. “And then I’ll take ‘em back to my place and let the rest of my boys have ‘em, too!” I lunged at him. Our swords clanged against one another as he parried my attack. I kicked him away, then swung at his head. He ducked below the swing and attempted something similar on me, aimed at my stomach. I blocked his attack and rammed my shoulder into him. I made another swing, drawing blood from his sword arm, but not taking him out of the fight. He made a hard upward swing and caught my chin with the tip of his sword. It wasn’t a large cut, but enough to sting. He brought his sword back down, moving closer to me. I brought my blade up and blocked him, then I took the cheap shot and brought my knee up into his crotch. My momentum knocked him down, into the water. He managed to land on a sandbar big enough to keep his head from going under. He took a blind swipe at me, but I parried his blow. I knocked the sword out of his hand and brought my own to his neck. “You’re going to leave my sisters alone, asshole, and I’m gonna make damn sure of it.” I pulled my sword away from his neck, pointed it downward and brought it down into his crotch. He cried it in pain, his voice going high-pitched. The men that Cameron had blinded were looking around, trying to figure out where their boss was, while the bowmen loosed arrow after arrow into the ground in front of them, likely assuming that they were hitting or missing me. I walked over to Cameron and Sari. Sari looked understanding, and nodded. Cameron looked frightened. “I didn’t want to do it,” I told her. She nodded. “I know, it just… It surprised me, is all.” I helped them both onto the riverbank where our stuff was. “Let’s get going before those four realize what’s happened.” The sun had finally dipped below the horizon. The shadows almost looked as though they were watching us.

Chapter Nine - A Notice of Further Problems “No, your luggage is safe, sir, don't worry,” Irvine said, though the man didn’t look as if he believed it. “Whatever incident it is you’re talking about, I wasn’t here.” The man rolled his eyes. “I know that. Your boy was here. And those three kids that the Imperial guards were after.” Irvine nodded. “I heard about that, yeah. Riley?” He looked over at me. I set down the book I was trying to read (and mildly succeeding) and walked up to the counter. “Yeah?” “This man says he left some luggage here the other day, do you know anything about it?” I scratched at my chin. “Um… Kenny was here that day, not me. I was at the pharmacy.” “See, sir? My daughter doesn’t know where your luggage is. If you’ll just tell me what room you stayed in, we can go look for your luggage. Is that alright with you?” “Fine,” the man said, an angered tone to his voice, “but I know that bag has been damaged, I’m sure.” Irvine looked at me. “Riley, you stay here, Mr. Kaleo and I will be right back.” I nodded, then walked back over to the chair I was sitting in before. I was getting somewhat better at reading now, which was comforting. Out of ten words on the page, I could actually recognize eight of them. With any luck, I’d be out of children’s books in a few days. I went to pick up the book, but Mithra had suddenly appeared on top of it, taking a nap. I sighed and just sat there, waiting for Irvine to get back. The inn had been pretty quiet the entire night, with only that one man coming in. It had mostly just been Irvine and I talking. I could see why Kenny was so close to him. For once, I actually felt like I had a father. I reached over and scratched Mithra behind the ears. He started purring, almost leading me to think he was an actual cat, and not the whatever he had taken the form of. I was lucky nobody had asked me about him. I wouldn’t have any answer for them. I could only hope that the issue would continue to not come up. I stood and walked over to the desk and found some papers. Based on the massive amount of rectangles and numbers, I figured it was the guest log. I tried spelling out Kaleo’s name in my mind, but I didn’t get far. I wasn’t even sure if it started with a ‘C’ or a ‘K’, so I wasn’t going to find it on the paper. I set the guest log back down. “I’m sorry you had such a problem here the other day, sir, but as you can see, your luggage is fine,” Irvine said as they came back down the stairs. Mr. Kaleo was holding the luggage he said he’d lost, which didn't look like the other bags he’d left. “I hope this settles things.” “I’m sure this is good service around here, but if this were the capital, you’d be lucky if we called you a third rate establishment.” Irvine smiled. “I’ve been in worse places than this in the capital, don’t throw my livelihood to the Wolrens just yet. Should you ever find yourself in Endawa again, your next stay is on the house.” Kaleo nodded. “Thank you, sir. Have a good evening.” “Thank you.” When Kaleo had left, Irvine walked over to me and pointed at Mithra. “Does he always do that?” I shook my head. “Just when I wanna read.” “How's that goin’?” “Okay.” “Good.” He grabbed the guest log and handed it to me. “K-a-l-e-o. What room is he listed in?” Now that I knew how it was spelled, I found his name easily. “Room 2B?” He nodded. “And yet he took me to 3C. The room someone named Jaide was listed in.” I didn’t recognize the name. “What’s that mean?” “It means Mr. Kaleo works for the Imperial Guard.” I counted the keys for the fourth time. Irvine was whistling something he’d told me the name of that I’d already forgotten. It had gotten relatively boring after Mr. Kaleo left, and it didn't seem as though either of us had much left to talk about. I set about counting the keys a fifth time. I came up with thirty-six the first time, and thirty-five all the others, which just meant I counted a key twice the first time. Either that, or I counted the master key in my pocket the first time. I wasn’t sure if it would work on the basement door. Sounded like something I could do to pass some time. I would read, but Mithra was still sleeping on my book. Irvine looked like he was about to fall asleep. I couldn’t blame him. He was still whistling, but the song was slowing down. I wanted to say something, but I didn’t have anything too say. Thankfully, he broke the silence for me. “How much do ya know about your family?” I looked over at him. “Nothing. My earliest memories are of another dragon hiding me in the forest, then I never saw them again.” “So, did you ever live with anyone before?” I nodded. “A girl named Blodwyn and her family. They offered to keep me safe, but I left.” “They sound like good people.” “They were, yeah.” “And what do you know about him?” I knew he meant the white dragon. It was the only thing he could mean. “Just that he hates humans and he’s caused more harm to the dragon species than can ever be repaired.” I hugged my legs to my chest. “I saw him once. That’s it.” “And you survived?” “He tried, but I managed to get away. I saved a little boy in the process.” “How long ago was that?” I shook my head. “I dunno. The boy was about the same age as me.” I brushed my hair behind my ear. “After I got the boy to safety, I found a secluded forest and promptly fell unconscious. I don’t know what happened to the boy, but I was found the next day by some hunters.” Irvine nodded, like he’d either been there or seen the same scene a thousand times. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had, thanks to all the damage the white dragon had caused. It was more surprising that I was the first dragon he and Sharena had taken in. “Sharena told me how you came to meet Kenny. Where did you come from originally?” I shook my head. “I don’t know. West, I know. I don’t really know any town names.” He nodded again. “Okay, kiddo, I don’t think we’re gonna have anymore business today. What’s say we head home?” “Yeah, that’s fine.” He patted me on the shoulder. “But first, we’re gonna head out to the forest for a little bit.” I didn’t know what he was getting at, but I accepted it. “Okay.” Irvine had drawn a bow from somewhere that I hadn’t noticed. I imagined it had to be that pack he always had with him, probably had some sort of magic enchantment on it from Sharena. If she could make the house both in the woods and town at the same time, she could probably make a bag that could hold anything. Now that I thought of it, I was kinda hoping that’d be the first spell she’d teach me. It actually sounded like a fun idea. He put a hand out in front of me, to stop me. Then he drew back the bow and loosed the arrow. I couldn’t even see what he was aiming at, thanks to the thick trees all around us. I heard a yelp, though, then heard something fall to the ground. Irvine lowered his bow and motioned for me to follow him. The creature on the ground with the arrow stuck in its neck looked awful, and not just because Irvine hadn’t outright killed it, but because it just looked… Ugly. It wasn’t graceful or beautiful like a deer, but very, very disgusting, like a human mixed with a lizard creature. A disturbing thought that I could look like that if my human and dragon forms merged in some way crossed my mind. I knelt down beside the creature and reached out to touch it, but Irvine grabbed my hand. “Don’t,” he said as he let go of my hand. I looked back at the creature, then at Irvine. “What is it?” “A bradt. It’s not something you’re likely to see more than once, so take a good look. Kenny’s never even seen one. Hell, this is only my third.” “But… What is it?” He gave me an amused look. “Well, basically, a lizard man. Rumor from up the magical circles is that they were created by some… Odd… Wizard who wanted to create mantis people at first, but couldn’t find any mantises in his castle, so he used iguanas.” If the look on my face wasn’t confusion, I’d be amazed. “That sounds ridiculous.” “No kiddin’. According to Sharena, very few of the magic users she knows actually believe that. Some sort of evolutionary mistake, or something like that.” I stood up. “Okay. Is this what we came out here for?” He shook his head. “Not exactly.” He knelt down by the bradt and made me kneel back down again. “Smell that?” Now that he mentioned it, I did smell something now. I smelled… To be honest, I couldn’t actually describe it. It smelled like meat and potatoes? That wasn’t really what a dead body smelled like, was it? I took another whiff and that only made me smell fruit and veggies. There was no way dead bodies smelled like that. “Um, what is that?” I asked. “Good question. Tell me.” I leaned closer and sniffed again. “Apples.” “Ooh, that’s a new one. What else?” He sounded like he was trying to teach me something. “Um… Watermelon.” “You’re making that one up.” I shook my head. “No, that’s what I smell. Or, well, smelled anyway. I smell… Um… I don’t know what they’re called. Those little birds that people have on farms that just make noise, then they’re killed or lay eggs?” “That’d be chicken. Everything tastes like chicken.” He stood up. “Anything else?” “The smell keeps changing. Why?” “Is the smell ever anything that you wouldn’t eat?” I shook my head. “I thought so.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. “You wanted to taste it, didn’t ya?” He wasn’t wrong. Everything the body had smelled like was delicious to me, and I did want to take a bite and find out if it actually tasted like that. “How’d you know?” “It’s called Dragon’s Lust.” “It’s called what now?” “Dragon’s Lust. You know that some species get a kind of bloodlust where the very scent of blood attracts them, right?” “Yeah, but it’s mostly only the semi-intelligent species.” I brushed my hair behind my ear. “We learned that in class today.” He patted me on the shoulder. “Good. Dragons get a very unique kind of bloodlust. The scent of blood triggers a response in your brain that makes you believe that what you’re smelling is something you’ve enjoyed eating before. And it’s not restricted to meat, I’ve met vegetarian dragons who smell lettuce scented blood. That one’s a little weird, but there are stranger things out there.” I looked down at the bradt’s body and realized that the blood was starting to smell stronger. “So… Is this gonna happen every time I smell blood?” He shook his head. “It’s a dragon puberty thing. Once you’ve reached adulthood, it fades. It’s your body’s natural way of making sure you get enough nutrients during puberty.” “Why didn’t I know about this until now?” He shrugged. “Could have been because you stayed away from things. You probably only ate creatures you came across already dead, didn’t you?” “Yeah.” “I thought so. We’ll have to keep you away from hunting for a little while.” With a high-pitched squeal of noise, the bradt finally died. I looked back down at the corpse and the scent was weaker. “There’s nothing you can do to… I dunno... Stop me from smelling tasty, delicious stuff when I smell blood? And does this only happen with living blood?” He shook his head. “Nothing we can do, no. Sharena could maybe give you a potion that gives you a cold all the time, stuff up your nose, but some of the smell would still get through. As for whether or not the blood has to be living, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about paper cuts sending you into a blood frenzy.” “You’re sure?” I had to admit, I was worried now. Especially now that I thought about the fact that human females have menstrual cycles. The idea that I’d be smelling… Anything from my own bodily functions (well, aside from the things I should be smelling from certain bodily functions) disturbed me to no end. “I’m not gonna be… Um…” Irvine’s face turned slightly red. “That’s a discussion I’ll have to leave to Sharena. No offense, or anything, just… Y’know…” He rubbed at the back of his head. “Really a conversation a girl should have with her mom.” Riley… The sound was coming from everywhere all at once. I looked around at the featureless void around me and tried to pinpoint the source of the sound. I couldn’t see anything distinct anywhere, save a solitary speck that looked like it was miles away from. As it was the only thing that looked different from the featureless void, I made my way toward the speck. Riley… That sound again. It wasn’t coming from the speck at all. Was it trying to lead me away from the speck? Or was it the proof that I needed to go tothe speck? I didn’t know, and it was annoying me. I kept on my singular path toward the speck because I had nothing better to do. I walked for hours, for days, for what was likely only about five minutes, but it felt significantly longer. Huh. Apparently reading books was starting to make me develop a flair for the dramatic. Hopefully that wouldn’t become too much of a problem in the future. The speck finally came close, and I could see that it was a small wooden table and a pair of chairs. There was nothing on the table, and no one sitting in the chairs. I pulled the chair closest to me away from the table, but I didn’t sit down. How had I gotten here? What was I doing here? The last thing I remembered was -  “Going to sleep,” a voice said. I looked up from the chair and saw that boy who was being chased by the Imperial Escorts the other day. “You went to sleep.” “What the hell is going on here?” I asked, backing away from him. He shook his head. “Your dream, not mine.” He chuckled. “Not that you’re not pretty, or anything.” That was a little annoying. “So, why am I dreaming about you?” He shrugged. “I dunno. Something about me really stuck with you.” “You jumped through my mom’s storefront window, what about you would have stuck?” “You’re askin’ yourself, cutie pie.” He was starting to piss me off. “Whatever. I’m dreaming. Just go away and let me wake up.” He grabbed me by the arm. “Hold on there, we’re here for a reason. Don’t you wanna know what the reason is?” I pulled away from him. “Yeah, but seeing as this is a dream, I doubt the reason’s gonna be here.” I put the chair back where I’d found it. “Don’t you know anything about dreams?” “I do. Hell, I was on a beach that caused dreams.” “That doesn’t even make sense.” “Yeah, I know.” I once again pulled the chair out and sat down in it this time. I needed to make up my mind about this. “Okay, assuming we could find out the reason, how would we go about it?” “I dunno. This is your dream, not mine.” I rolled my eyes. “What? Why the hell would you even suggest trying?” He sat down in the chair across from me. “I’m not suggesting it. You are. This is your dream, Riley, you are the one creating this. I’m here because you thought of me.” He propped his feet up on the table and leaned the chair back. “The only thing you know about me was that night, so you’re creating this personality to fill in. I’m probably not even like this in real life.” He was suddenly chewing bubble gum, which sounded like a pretty damn good idea right now. “I’m probably not even wearing these clothes anymore. Assuming I’m even still alive.” “So, none of this means anything?” He shook his head. “Nope. Well, you’re thinking of me for some reason, but I dunno what it is.” I got up from the chair. “Great. I’m in a whacked out dream for nothing.” “Not nothing, but very little.” A new sound exploded around us, something like a bell ringing but a thousand times louder than even the largest bell I’d seen. It rang six times, like a clock chime. When it finally stopped, the boy stood up. “Time for me to go. See ya later, Riley.” I bolted from my chair. “Where are you going?” He didn't stop. Was he taller than before? “I’m goin’ home. You should probably wake up now.” “How?” He smiled. “You wait. Haven't ya ever had a dream before, dragon girl?” I opened my eyes to see sunlight coming through the break in the curtains. I sat up and reached back to untie my hair. I couldn't remember what Sharena had called the loopy thing, a band, or something. I just knew that it kept my hair taken care of when I was asleep. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and wiggled my toes on the floor. Mithra was sleeping at the edge of the bed, though he’d covered himself up with the blanket. I still wasn’t used to having a blanket, so except for that corner, the bed looked slept on, instead of slept in. I stood up and walked over to my dresser. I was semi-grateful for having to wear a uniform to school. I had all of three shirts, two pairs of trousers and four sets of underwear. The uniform at least gave me a few extra pieces of clothing, even though I was still uncomfortable wearing a skirt. Hopefully that would change. Kenny was already dressed and at the kitchen table eating breakfast when I came out of my room. Sharena and Irvine were nowhere to be found, likely in their bedroom doing what married adults do when they're together after a long absence. I sat down across from Kenny and noticed that Mithra had somehow gotten out here before me and was sitting around waiting for cereal milk like a domesticated cat. How he worked was still a complete mystery to me. I didn’t pour myself cereal, however. I wasn't hungry. “What’sa matter?” Kenny asked with a full mouth. “Weird dream, that's all.” He finished his cereal and set the bowl on the floor for Mithra, who took to it as if he’d never had a meal in his life. Then again, he was only a couple days old. I stood and walked over to the front windows. The streets were relatively quiet, it seemed. Only one or two Imperial Escorts out there. No, three. No again, four. Now five. The number was growing with every passing second. They weren’t looking at the house, in particular, but they weren’t really looking anywhere else, either. “What’s going on out there?” I asked. Kenny was beside me in a second, glancing out the window. He looked worried, almost afraid. He left after a moment and returned almost immediately with Irvine and Sharena. Irvine looked angered, Sharena looked concerned. “I can’t say I’m surprised,” Irvine said. “Why?” Kenny and I both asked. “Kaleo. He must have reported back to his superiors and they have the town on watch.” “But those people the Escorts were going after the other day are gone,” Kenny said. “There’s only one other reason they’re here, dear,” Sharena said to Irvine, her voice quiet. Irvine and Sharena both looked straight at me. There was a knock on the door about twenty minutes after the Escorts started collecting in the streets. The Imperial Captain was taller than Irvine, clad entirely in armor save for his head, but he carried his helmet under his arm. He was dark skinned, much more than I was (Sharena said I was more tan than dark). His face was covered in scars, and his hair cropped close to his scalp. He had the beginnings of a beard, but I could tell he never let it get any further than that. He carried a broadsword on his back. He walked into the house and set his helmet on the kitchen table, sending Mithra running. Despite being a magical creature, he sure did act more cat-like than he probably thought he did. The helmet would have covered the Captain’s head, but not his face, with only a single piece down the center that would stop at his nose. That was a likely explanation for all the scars on his face. His sword had some sort of writing scrawled across the sheath, writing that looked far more ancient than anything I’d been learning. “What’s it say on his sword?” I whispered to Sharena. “It’s the ancient tongue. The language of the True Mage’s people, those that helped create civilization. Very few examples of it remain.” She put her arm around me. “It’s the language the first magic was created with.” The Captain sat down at the kitchen table, across from Irvine, who was leaning against the counter. Sharena, Kenny and I just stayed in the living room, all of us sitting on the couch. “It has been far too long, Lord Endawa,” the Captain said. “You’ve gotten older.” Irvine shrugged. “No more so than yourself, Captain Bertrand. When did the promotion happen?” The Captain smiled. It looked weird, considering all the scars. Made me look at the one on my hand. Hopefully none of this talk turned into We heard of a dragon, got stabbed in the hand. Your daughter looks to have a similar scar on her hand… That would just be disheartening. I liked having a family again. “Not two weeks ago,” the Captain said, “a group of vagrants murdered my predecessor in Kepton. I killed most of them, but a few got away. A changer, a Tribesgirl and at least one other. The changer was caught here just the other day, the Tribesgirl injured when we lured them out of hiding and the last is in the wind.” “Is that what brings you here? Looking for the last of the vagrants?” The Captain shook his head. “No. Reports of a dragon a few days ago, before the attack that got us the changer and injured the Tribesgirl. I came to see if we could find this dragon and I thought no one better than Lord Irvine Endawa himself could lead our search.” He picked up his helmet and stared into it. “I heard you dealt with a dragon not long ago, near the border to Seles.” Irvine nodded. “I did. She put up a fight, but no one will ever fear her again.” The Captain glanced at me. “And is that where you picked up your adopted child?” Irvine nodded again. “On the trip there, yes. I sent her under protection of Sharena’s spells. She lost her family to the white dragon.” The Captain stood. “Far too long has that monster slaughtered our families and destroyed our homes. It’s time you got back into the fight, Irvine. We could use your sword and your skill.” Irvine shook his head. “I can’t, Bertrand. I dealt with the dragon near the border because she was close, but the white dragon is a hunt that would claim our lives, and I have a family to protect.” “And if the white dragon were to come here, to Endawa, what would you do?” Without hesitation, Irvine said, “I’d kill him.” I gulped, hopefully not loudly. The white dragon was the reason dragons were hunted, were hated. If he were gone, would humankind attempt to welcome us back again? Or would their victory over that terror lead them to a swifter attempt to kill all of us? And then I asked myself if I really counted as a dragon anymore. Mithra only came when I became human, so my magical capabilities were tied to my human form, but I hadn’t been born this way. I was still a dragon, even if I looked like a human. Then I asked myself if I really wanted to be a dragon again. The question had no easy answer. The Captain walked over to me and knelt down. “I am sorry for your loss, young Lady. May you find a new life among your new family.” Lady? Then again, he’d called Irvine Lord and the town was named after his family. Maybe we were the equivalent to royalty in this part of the world. “Thank you, Captain,” I said. He walked back over to the table and retrieved his helmet. “I must take my leave now. By now, my men will have conducted a thorough search and since they haven’t come to retrieve me, the dragon must be long since left. We’ll be gone from your town within the day, you needn’t worry about an occupation of any sort.” He looked over at Kenny, Sharena and I again. “It appears I’ve kept your children from their schooling. My apologies. I’ll have them escorted to the school and my men will explain what has happened.” Irvine walked over to the Captain and shook his armored hand. “Thank you, Bertrand. If you find this dragon you’re looking for, please take it easy on them. From what I heard, Kenny and the dragon became somewhat friendly. Not all of them are monsters.” The Captain nodded. “I remember my own childhood experiences, my friend. Near as I can remember, you took quite the shine to a female dragon when we were in school.” Irvine laughed. “That was a different time.” “Indeed. May good fortune find you, Irvine Endawa.” “And may it travel with you, Bertrand Sanstone.”

Interlude - The Dragon Hunter Irvine felt sweat on his forehead. He saw his prey twenty yards ahead, gnawing on a downed tree. He reached behind him and drew his sword. It would be difficult to be quiet, to hid his footsteps, but he didn’t feel threatened anyway, he just knew that he might need to defend himself. He slowly made his way toward the animal, and was amazed to discover that he actually went unnoticed. The dragon looked up from the tree and then surprise crossed its one eye. “Who are you, human?” It picked up the tree. “How did you sneak up on me?” Irvine placed his sword in the ground and sat down on another downed tree. “Hunting dragons is my specialty.” “A hunter.” It slammed the tree down on the ground in front of Irvine, splinters washed his face. “Are you related to the one who took my eye, softflesh?” Irvine shook his head. “No, I’m not. I don’t harm dragons unless the need arises, and the need only arises if the dragon chooses it to.” The dragon snorted. “Right. That’s what the last human said to me. He’s currently somewhere along my large intestine, and should be coming out soon.” “I’m not here to play games, dragon.” Irvine stood and put his hand on the hilt of his sword. “You’ve heard of Irvine Endawa, correct?” The dragon moved closer to him. “Don’t try to tell me that’s you. Five dragon slayers have tried to feed me that line of shit, and none of them have lived through our encounters.” Irvine rolled up his sleeve and displayed the one piece of proof he had. A branding, in the shape of a dragon’s tooth. The brand had been placed on his shoulder seventeen years before, by the man he’d once called father, and still glowed as if it had been recently burned into his flesh. “You know this mark, dragon? Every member of the Endawa family has this on them somewhere.” The dragon snorted again. “Your’s is not the first shoulder I’ve seen that brand. If you’re truly a member of the Endawa Clan, then you know of the pact that your family made with Harun.” He nodded. “Of my blood, yours shall flow. Of my life, yours shall know. Of my being, yours shall understand. Of my death, yours shall grant.” It was a chant he’d recited many times in his youth. “My mother taught me that when I was a child.” “Not your father?” “My father failed his bloodline.” The dragon pulled back a little. “I knew your father. He was a better man than you know.” “A better man, perhaps, but not a father.” The dragon lifted its head. “Not for me to determine.” Irvine drove the topic back to the original subject. “You know my name, you know my legend. My wife and I have hidden many of your kind, and will continue to do so no matter your choice. Would you like to stay alive until human and dragon kind can come to peace once again?” “Peace, Endawa?” The dragon moved closer to him again. “Should peace ever return to our kinds, it wouldn’t be from your hands.” Irvine sat back down. “I’m not here to make peace, I’m here to prepare for it.” He took the sword from the ground. “If you’d please, I’d prefer an answer.” The dragon snorted once more. “And how would this work?” “I have a potion, it’ll disguise you as a human, one hundred percent.” “Hide as a softflesh?” The dragon snorted out a laugh. “Why would I do that?” “Temporary life as a human, death as a dragon. You choose.” The dragon growled. “It’s not much of a choice.” “I’ve done this for many of your kind.” Irvine pulled a vial from his pocket. “Take this, and no one will know the difference.” The dragon took the vial and popped the cork. “And after I take this?” “I have clothes that should fit your new form, and I have a contact in the nearby town who’ll help you find a place to stay.” “And how does this work?” “Just drink it. You’ll fall unconscious, and wake up a human being.” The dragon growled. “Fine.” It chugged the potion down, almost in one chug. Irvine was surprised, seeing as the dragon had seemed against the idea. He watched the dragon contort, grab its neck, its chest. The dragon shrank, the scales becoming skin, the spikes on the dragon’s back sliding under the skin toward the head, where hair grew. Irvine was quite surprised. He had assumed the dragon to be male, but the naked human on the ground was clearly female. Luckily, Sharena had packed clothes for either gender. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, she began to move, groaning. He walked over to the dragon and helped her to her feet. “You make a pretty attractive woman,” he said. “More than a few of my own kind told me that.” “No offense, but how can you tell the genders between dragons?” “It’s not something humans would be able to notice.” She put a hand to the claw marks covering where her left eye would have been. “What about this?” “I can’t do anything about that. You’ll have to buy an eye patch.” She ran a hand through her silver hair. “So when will this potion wear off?” “It won’t. You’ll be a human until you’re given the reversal potion, unless you choose to stay this way.” She laughed. “Right. I hope your peace plan happens soon.” Irvine laughed as well. “From what my wife tells me, my daughter doesn’t seem to mind being human.” He handed her the clothes. “So, do you have a name?” She nodded. “Nynette. It was the last thing my mother gave me before she died.” “How?” “Childbirth. I was her second and last child.” Irvine took a drink of whiskey and then sat his cup back down. Behind him were two fishermen fighting over a large cod they’d found together. He sighed. A war not forty miles from the border of this quaint little country, and here were two men fighting over a fish. Of course, they had no stake in the war, their nation wasn’t being threatened by the conflict, though Irvine had no doubt that it would be drawn in at some point. Beside him, Nynette also drank. She chugged down her fourth cup as if it was nothing. At least she can hold her alcohol. He drank slower, taking his time. He was only on his first cup, and had no intentions of ordering a second. He looked at the letter he’d found in his bag. Riley’s been doing fine the past couple days, even after all that ruckus caused by those two that the Guards were after, though I could tell she was a little concerned that everyone was after her. She and Kineas are getting along extremely well, but I never expected anything else. I’m hoping you come home soon, to meet her. She’d probably be happy to meet a ‘dragon slayer’ who prefers not to kill dragons. He smiled. He could only assume that Kenny named his sister Riley. Irvine remembered his nephew, and missed him greatly. He’d been the one to train the boy, after all. He doubted Riley the dragon was anything like her adopted cousin, but he knew that Kenny had needed someone to take that place. Irvine slipped the letter back into his bag. Going back home sounded like a great idea. He could get some fishing done, run the inn like he’d done long before he’d become a dragon slayer. He could meet his daughter. “You were staring at that for awhile,” Nynette said. “Letter from my wife.” “She wrote you a letter before you left?” He smiled. “She’s a sorceress. She sticks mostly to potions, but she’s good with spells. One of them is mail delivery.” “Sounds plenty useless to me.” “I’m sure it does,” he said, taking another sip of his drink. She took another drink. “You mentioned a daughter that used to be a dragon. Who is she?” “Her name’s Riley, my son gave her the name.” She just nodded. Irvine chuckled. “You seem very interested.” “I don’t exactly have anyone else to talk to.” She ordered another drink. “So, what do you know about your daughter?” “About as much as I’ve told you.” “No, I mean her family. There aren’t that many dragon lineages around these parts anymore.” “That I don’t know.” She was handed her next drink. “Sad fact is that she’s likely related to him.” “The white dragon?” She nodded. “Probably not directly. We had a few cousins, but I’m his only sibling.” “You’re the white dragon’s sister?” She nodded, then jerked a thumb toward her missing eye. “He’s the one who did this to me. We were only children, but he was already a monster.” She took another drink. “Humans are a minor annoyance to me, but he hates your kind. Has for years.” Irvine sipped at his drink. “Were there any hints?” She shook her head. “Until one day, he was a well-adjusted kid. He used to love your kind, and then something in him changed. He and I were playing when the humans found us, and then all I saw was blood. Our father disowned him, we left him that day. It was a year later when he took my eye, and he’d already started to kill a few humans here or there.” “You don’t know what caused the change?” “No.” She took a gulp. “I just know that my brother is gone and the white dragon took his place.” Irvine paid the landlord enough rent for three months, and then the landlord glared at Nynette for a moment before walking away. “What was his problem?” Nynette asked. “You’re the sixth person whose rent I’ve paid in the last three months. All women.” “All dragons?” He shook his head. “No.” She smiled. “Cheating on your wife, eh?” He chuckled. “No. I love Sharena, but her sisters need to learn how to keep work.” He opened the door to the small house and walked inside, Nynette followed him. The house wasn’t much to look at, just a small couch, a coffee table and a lamp in the living room, a very basic kitchen. He couldn’t see the bedroom, though odds were good it was nothing but a plain bed and a bedside table. “I hope this is good enough for you.” She glared at him. “It’s a step up from being on the run and you know that.” “Yeah. This place isn’t great for work, so you’ll probably have to take the train to Ohan. The station’s probably about a ten minute walk from here.” “Those aren’t exactly free.” He pulled a small satchel from his bag. “This ain’t my first rodeo, sweetie. Sharena and I always provide dragons plenty of money to sustain themselves for a little while.” She took the satchel and let out a small laugh. “Of course. So is that how this goes, now? You and I part ways and you come back if your little peace plan goes well?” He reached back into his bag and pulled out a small rock. “If you need to contact me, just place this near a window. Sharena’s placed a spell on it, it’ll emit a light that I’ll be able to see anywhere in the sky, but as far as anyone else is concerned, it’s just a rock by the window.” She took the rock from his hand. “That wife of yours has spells for everything, doesn’t she?” “A lot of things, yeah. It helps.” She nodded. “Well, don’t let the door hit you on the way out and…” She put her arms around Irvine, in a hug that he didn’t expect a dragon-turned-human to be capable of. “Don’t be a stranger, Irvine Endawa.” Irvine spotted the tracks in the forest easily. He drew his knife and slowed his pace. Whatever it was, it was close. He stopped to take a look at the tracks, but he couldn’t recognize them. The animal was close, though, as the tracks were as fresh as could be. He wondered if he was seeing the animal without realizing it. He closed his eyes and listened. It was something he’d learned from a Lanan monk long ago, and he’d always stuck to it. He calmed his heartbeat, and then he could hear everything. He heard breathing somewhere, somewhere close. He turned toward the direction that the breathing was coming from, then opened his eyes. Seeing the animal without realizing it? If course he was. “Why are you hiding there?” he asked. The animal narrowed its eyes. “Can you speak?” The tree in front of him moved, bending over. It sprouted four legs and then the ‘tree’ began to shrink. Finally, the animal took its true form, a four-legged, fox-like being. It shook, as if shaking water off its body, then it once again shifted shape, into a humanoid being. The animal that stood before me looked similar to a Wolren. “I can in this form,” it said. Irvine slipped his knife back into the sheath. “Why only this form?” “It’s the only one that has human vocal cords.” “You never answered my first question.” It reached up and touched its eye. “The scarred one that was with you. Where did she go?” “That’s none of your concern.” “It is.” Irvine reached for his sword now. “I don’t think so.” It shifted its hand into a blade. “You defend her?” “She’s not an enemy.” “She’s the sister of the white dragon.” “I know.” He drew his sword, readied himself for a fight. “And she’s no threat to you.” He slowed his breathing, slowed his heart rate, calmed his senses. “She’s under my protection now.” It bared its teeth. “Your protection? Why do you defend her?” “She’s done nothing to you.” It repeated, “ Why do you defend her?” “Why do you want her dead?” It looked at Irvine as if he’d just said something ridiculous. Its hand shifted from blade back to the Wolren hand that it had been. “I don’t want her dead. I promised her father many decades ago that I would defend her.” Irvine relaxed his stance. “What?” “Her father saved my life, and I promised him I would defend his children the way he defended me. The white dragon wants her dead, and I need to be by her side.” “And if I don’t believe you?” Its eyes didn’t leave Irvine. “I owe him my life, though I could not give it to him.” It knelt in front of him. “Please, take me to the scarred one, so that I may fulfill my bond.” Irvine sheathed his sword. “I know your kind, Changer, I know exactly where to plunge my sword into you to take you out. One false move, and you’ll be dead before you even know what’s happened to you.” It nodded. “I understand.” Irvine led the Changer to Paum, ready at any moment to draw his blade and behead it if necessary. The trip was silent, save the occasional noises either of them made. The tension between them was almost visible, though that was likely just Irvine’s nerves playing tricks on him. He walked up to Nynette’s door and knocked. “Just a minute!” he heard from the other side of the door. Just a moment later, the one-eyed woman opened the door and a look of shock crossed her face. “Tyrehl, you’re…” “It’s taken me three days to find you, milady.” Irvine simply stood there, surprised. It was almost as if a pair of lovers were seeing one another for the first time in decades. “He claims he was your guardian,” Irvine said. She laughed. “Guardian? I saved his ass more times than he could count.” With a smirk, she added, “Of course, I never did teach him to count higher than one hand.” She reached out and threw her arms around the one known as Tyrehl. “You need to come inside.” Irvine scratched at an itch on his left arm. “You didn’t mention him at all.” “I thought he was dead. We were being chased, and he stayed behind to keep them away from me.” Irvine was suddenly interested. “Chased by who?” “I don’t know. Someone who saw me as I was flying past. Of course, they were on the bad side,” she pointed to her patch-covered eye, “and I didn’t see them.” She jerked a thumb back at the door. “Now, inside, both of you.” Irvine looked at Tyrehl. “And you’re sure no one followed you?” “I left none alive.” And yet you look like you hardly took a scratch, he thought. Something felt off about the Changer, though he said nothing to Nynette. “How many were there?” “At least five.” “I counted seven,” Nynette said. Irvine glanced at her, then back at the Changer. “I don’t remember. There were no less than five.” Irvine turned to Nynette. “You saw seven?” She nodded. “Though, two of them were Mimics.” “Mimics? There were Mimics after you?” He was suddenly less fearful of the Changer and more for the potential Mimics that were nearby. “You didn’t mention that before.” “No, because I assumed I killed them. That’s the only reason I remembered them.” Irvine drew his sword. “Mimics don’t die easily. You’re sure you killed them?” She was standing now. “You’re on edge, so no.” She looked over at Tyrehl. “You up for a fight?” The Changer nodded, then stood and morphed into his true form once again. He laid down on the floor, much like a loyal dog, to which Irvine could only roll his eyes. He kept a hand on the hilt of his sword and moved close to the windows. The townspeople were milling about, much as they always did. Delgrad was a typically quiet town, though they had town-wide parties every Friday evening. Irvine had been to many of them, and this one looked no different, but it felt significantly so. Clouds had rolled in. His feeling from moments ago was only confirmed. There, a house on the right. Something on the wall shifted, moved. It stepped away from the wall, though it retained the image that it had copied to hide. Mimics were similar to Changers, but only in that they had similar survival mechanisms. Where Changers could take the shape of living beings, or other objects large enough to hide themselves, Mimics would flatten themselves against a surface and change their color and texture to match that surface. They couldn’t take the form of anything living, and to kill one was difficult. Irvine had never killed one in his life, though he’d seen one die before. He had a scar on his chest from a Mimic. “Tyrehl,” he said, not taking his eyes off the Mimic in front of the house across the street. The Changer bolted out the door, copying the mannerisms of the fox he resembled. The Mimic backed itself against the wall of the house again, it pretended that it was nothing, though that wouldn’t be difficult, as no one was paying any attention, despite the multiple people outside. Tyrehl’s barking started to attract attention. People looked at the fox making noise at the inconspicuous wall. Someone who lived in the house walked out and tried to shoo the Changer away. Irvine took his opportunity. He walked out and grabbed Tyrehl, picked the Changer up. “I’m sorry,” he said to the woman, “he doesn’t usually do this to strangers.” The woman shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” He could see the Mimic glaring at him. In one swift motion, he set Tyrehl down, drew his sword and cut the Mimic, drawing bright yellow blood. “You don’t belong here,” he said as he grabbed the Mimic by the neck. “What is that?!” the woman screeched. “Go get your town guard.” She didn’t even acknowledge him, she simply ran. Tyrehl remained in his fox form, though Irvine assumed that was because there were people around. Changers weren’t common around these parts, so he understood Tyrehl’s desire to keep himself a secret. Irvine focused his attention on the Mimic. “What are you doing here?” The Mimic didn’t speak the common tongue, and Irvine didn’t know the Mimic language. He held the Mimic against the wall, waiting for the guardsmen to arrive. He needed to pass this Mimic off to them so that he could figure out where the other one was. There were screams from somewhere. Irvine turned his head in the direction of the sounds but he couldn’t see anything with the house in the way. Others began to scramble, likely heading toward whatever distraction that would cause. He whispered to Tyrehl, “Go find out what that is.” The fox nodded, then ran off. It was just Irvine and the Mimic now. He wasn’t letting the thing go if his life depended on it. The guardsmen had to be close, if the woman managed to get to them. Even if she hadn’t, the screams would lead them to the townspeople, who would draw their attention to Irvine and the Mimic. Something hit him in the stomach. Irvine doubled over, losing his grip on the Mimic. That was when he saw the second Mimic. It wasn’t a Mimic. The second was a Changer, just like Tyrehl, and it had been sitting in wait, disguising itself as a chair. Now it assumed its true form, that of a humanoid female. “Thanks for showing us where the scarred one is, Endawa. My master will be quite proud of you.” Irvine was still holding his sword, why hadn’t the idea of attacking this bitch occurred to him yet? He thrust his sword outward, a sweeping motion that caught the Mimic in the ‘chest’ and came within an inch of the Changer’s face. He hadn’t realized that the Changer was so short, probably about a foot and a half shorter than he was. Finally, the town guard arrived, lances at the ready. Irvine was ready to cheer. “Cease hostilities!” the lead guardsman shouted. Irvine returned his sword to its sheath but he didn’t take his hand away from it. He kept a watchful eye on the Changer and the Mimic. “Irvine Endawa?” the guardsman asked. “Yeah?” “These are the Mimics your friend mentioned?” Friend? Almost as if on cue, Nynette walked out from behind the guardsmen, a look of sheer pride on her face. Never thought I’d see a dragon going to the guard to get help, but there’s a first time for everything. Irvine turned his gaze back to the Changer and saw the look on her face become one of pure hatred. “This one is a Changer, from the Keyers.” The guardsman nodded. “We have special cells for Mimics, but I’m sure a regular one will suffice for a Changer.” “Don’t underestimate her.” Once again, as if following some grand plan laid out by the words people spoke, the Changer leapt forward, toward Nynette. Irvine responded in less than a second, drawing his sword and bisecting the creature along the waist. Both pieces of her landed separately, the top half still struggling to move. She crawled toward Nynette, less than a foot away from her. Her motion was stopped when the guardsman impaled her head with his lance, driving it through her brain. Behind Irvine, the Mimic spoke in the common tongue, “Well, this was a more eventful week than I signed on for.” Irvine glared at it, with no doubt a shocked expression on his face. “What?” the Mimic asked. Irvine sat next to Nynette on the couch to her home. The guard captain picked his helmet up off the coffee table and held it under his arm. “The Mimic explained that it was simply hired for the job by the Changer, didn’t know why and didn’t care. It’s more than willing to do the time for public disturbance.” The captain started for the door. “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s compliant criminals. Takes the fun out of the job.” “Sorry for all of that, Captain.” “No need to apologize Sir Endawa, everything was handled and no citizens were harmed.” The captain was about the leave the room when another guardsman walked in, carrying Tyrehl as if the Changer were a lost puppy. “Right, ma’am?” he addressed Nynette. “Is this your fox?” She nodded. “I’m so sorry for any trouble he caused. He’s not used to new people.” “No problem, ma’am, but there’s a leash law here.” The captain scratched at his neck. “And if it’s not too much trouble, please go see Old Man Domnall and get him checked for fleas.” Nynette laughed, and Irvine suppressed a chuckle but not his smile. The guard set Tyrehl down and the Changer jumped onto the couch and sat down between Nynette and Irvine. “I’m sorry this trouble followed you here from wherever you moved from. Your brother doesn’t sound like the nicest person.” “He’s not, but thank you.” “Glad to have you as part of the community, ma’am.” He nodded at Irvine. “Thank you for your assistance, Sir Endawa.” The captain and his men left, and Irvine closed the door behind them. It only took a few minutes for Tyrehl to change into his Wolren form again. “I don’t have fleas.” Irvine nodded. “Probably the good captain’s cat. I had to get a rabies shot the last time I was here.” Nynette laughed. “So, what’s next for you?” He shrugged. “There’s more dragons out there who need help. The more I can keep alive, hopefully the closer our species can get to one another when the peace finally comes.” She stood from the couch. “You know it can’t just be solved with a magic wand, right? Adapting to being a human isn’t exactly easy, no matter how much I make it look like it is.” “I’ve been told that by a few of you. Some adapt easier than others.” “Like your daughter?” “From what I’m told.” She walked over to him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. “Maybe it’s time you actually met your daughter. A teenage dragon is often pretty emotional, and could use support from a nice dad like you.” He smiled. “Sharena’s been after me to come home for months. I should know better than to argue with two women.” “Good, now get your ass home and be a father to your kids. Just don’t forget to drop by and introduce them to their Aunt Nynette.” “Aunt Nynette?” “I plan on telling anyone who asks that I’m your cousin.” “Wouldn’t that make you a cousin to them?” “Cousin, aunt, either way.” Irvine let out a sigh. “Yeah. You know how to get in touch with me, do it when you need to.” She nodded, then pushed him out the door. He couldn’t help but laugh. Having an honorary sister - or cousin or whatever the hell they decided their relationship was - wasn’t so bad. If Kenny could do it with Riley, then he supposed he could with Nynette. He reached into his pack and withdrew his writing tablet and pen. He wrote only a few lines, simply telling Sharena that he was on his way home after having something of a little adventure. He sealed it in the envelope she’d enchanted before he left, and then a few moments later he received a response. The kids will be happy to hear that. Irvine Endawa smiled and slipped the letter into the pocket on his pack where he kept the rest of Sharena’s letters. The road home had never felt so clear before in his life.

Chapter Three - The Human Riley? Kenny’s voice asked me from somewhere. Great, was I having some weird out of body experience? What happened last? Oh, yeah, I should be waking up as a human now. I felt light-headed, so either I was ridiculously drunk or my head really did weigh less. Considering how blurry my vision was, I was leaning toward the former. I reached for something to help me up, and found a hand reaching out to me. It felt weird, so I was willing to accept that something had happened to me. It wasn’t until I saw my own hand that I realized something had happened to me. It wasn’t my scaley hand that grabbed whoever was helping me up, it was a very human hand that I was looking at. So it worked? I tried to say. I heard the words, but they didn’t sound like my voice. If I were thinking clearly, I’d probably realize that my voice really wouldn’t sound the same, considering I’d just changed from dragon to human. “Oh, it worked, honey,” Sharena said. “Are your senses coming back?” “Uh-huh,” I said, with a minor groan. “Good. I have to tell you something important, though.” “What?” “You’re not exactly male anymore.” Well, that explained a few things that weren’t common for human boys, like the feel of my hair partway down my back or the lack of something swinging between my legs. “Is there a mirror around here?” “Before that, take these,” she was holding a bundle of clothes out to me. Suddenly, I felt slightly embarrassed. I was a human girl now, and there was a human boy my age in the same room with me. He was getting to see a naked girl, he was probably enjoying the experience. I looked over at Kenny, and realized he was looking away from me. Either he realized the awkward situation, or he didn’t like girls. I took the clothes and looked around. “Is there somewhere I can change?” “Of course there is.” She pointed to a door that I hadn’t noticed before, but this woman was a magic user, so there might not have been a door there earlier. I thanked her, then walked into the room she’d pointed at. It was a plain bedroom, with a very basic bed, dresser and mirror. I took a deep breath and walked over to the mirror and looked at the new me for the first time. The human girl I saw in the mirror was darker skinned than Kenny was, and about an inch or two shorter than him. I’d been six feet tall before, but now I had to be about five foot seven. I didn’t often look at human girls, so I couldn’t really tell if my breasts were too large or too small. They felt large to me, but they were also new to me. I brought one hand to my nipple and lightly touched it. It felt really weird. I pulled my hand away quickly, because it felt too weird. This whole thing felt too weird. Maybe I should have just taken my chances in my normal form. I turned away from the mirror and looked at the bundle of clothes that Sharena had given me. I pulled out the underwear first and held the article in my hand. It felt… Weird. Soft. I’d never worn underwear, but I’d seen enough humans (well, not too many) taking off their clothes to swim that I knew how to put on their clothes. I sat down on the bed and slid the underwear up my legs. My legs were long, it felt weird. Weird described this whole experience. I stood back up and pulled the waistband over my hips. I looked in the mirror again and the image still looked odd. I found something to cover my breasts and it looked confusing to me. How the hell was I gonna put this thing on? There was a knock on the door. “How’re you doing, honey?” Sharena asked. Should I ask her for help? Did I really even need to wear this? “I’m... “ The door opened and I was suddenly joined by Sharena. “I kinda figured this is where you’d get stuck.” I blushed. “What… Um… What even is this?” She smiled. “It’s a bra, sweetheart, and you’re gonna want it in the long run.” She took it from me and told me to hold my arms straight in front of me. She put one arm through one strap and one arm through the other and then pulled it onto my chest. To say it felt weird would be both an understatement and a broken record at this point, but that’s exactly how it felt. “Okay, now reach behind and I’ll guide your hands so that you can hook it by yourself.” I felt her hands take mine and then I was grabbing the two ends and hooking them together. “There we go, now we’re all taken care of, and the excitable teenage boy in the other room won’t be getting a nose bleed every two minutes.” I looked in the mirror again and the girl in front of me had an uneasy look on her face. I couldn’t even begin to describe how odd this all felt. “Thanks,” I said. My voice sounded distant, like I wasn’t really in my own body, and to an extent that was true. “Sorry about this, by the way.” “Huh?” What was she apologizing for? “The potion I gave you was an accident. I grabbed the female potion by mistake.” “There’s different potions for different genders?” “Well, you can’t use the same potion for different genders, silly.” “Is there some reason you can’t give me the male potion now?” “If I were to give you the male potion now, it would cancel out the female potion and return you to dragon form, then neither potion would work on you again.” “That seems… Odd.” She sat down on the bed in front of me. “Magic is a very picky thing, especially potions. Things need to be exact, and that means that the ingredients in one potion can counteract the ingredients of another, even if those ingredients are similar or even the same.” Was she telling me the truth? I couldn’t tell. It really shouldn’t matter to me, either, since my choices were hide as a human and live or take my chances as a dragon and likely die. Not good odds. At least I looked like any average human girl. Sharena placed a hand on the rest of the clothes. “The rest of the clothes are a simple pair of pants and a shirt. When you’re all dressed, see me about some shoes. I think I’ve got a pair of boots that you should be able to wear.” “Thanks,” I said, trying to manage a smile. “No worries, sweetheart.” She stood up and grabbed my hand. “If it weren’t for Kineas, I’d probably just leave you in the forest and naked.” “Really?” She shook her head. “No. I just like to let Kineas think that I’d do that.” “He seems to like you.” She smiled. “Well, he should. He’s my step-son.” If it wasn’t for the mirror, I’d have never seen my confused look for the first time. It looked funny, actually. “If you’re the wife of the town’s greatest dragon slayer, why do you live in the woods?” “That’s a trade secret, young lady, and if you’re a good girl, I’ll let you know one of these days.” There was my confused look again. “Oh, c’mon, it’s just a little mom humor.” “Why were you so willing to help me if your husband is a dragon slayer?” She traced the scar on my hand. It looked smaller now that I was human. “Get your clothes on first, okay? If you’re going to be my adopted daughter, I’m going to have to let you in on the family secret.” She smiled again, then walked out of the room and left me alone. I sighed. Family secret? I was just a dragon in hiding who had to pretend to be a member of the family, why would I really need to know the family secret? I reached for the clothes and pulled the pants on first. Wearing underwear alone was strange, but feeling fabric all over my legs was just… It felt even weirder. I ran my hands up my now clothed legs and shivered a little. How was I ever going to get used to wearing clothes? I pulled the shirt over my head next. The front of the shirt was open a little bit, showing the tops of my breasts and the… Area in-between. I’m sure girls had a word for it, but I didn’t know it. I took another look at the human girl in the mirror and saw how awkward and unsure of herself she looked. I took a deep breath and left the bedroom. Sharena and Kenny were both sitting on a couch that I hadn’t noticed before. Clearly these trade secrets of Sharena’s were all over the house. In fact, the place looked more like a house and less like what I assumed a gay bar would look like. “Riley, please sit down over here,” Sharena patted a chair in front of the couch. I walked over to it and sat down. Yet another awkward feeling in a day full of awkward. Sitting on rocks felt normal to me, but soft, comfy chairs was nothing but different. “First thing, here,” she handed me a pair of boots, just like she said she would. “Do you need any help getting them on?” I shook my head. “No. I’ve seen humans do this before.” “That’s good.” She crossed one leg over the other and placed her hands in her lap. “Now, it’s time to let you in on the family secret.” “Why?” “Riley, you’re a member of this family. Even if you weren’t in hiding, just being a friend of Kineas would make you a member of this family.” “Then how is this still a secret?” She laughed. “Kineas doesn’t have as many friends as he lets on.” Kenny rolled his eyes. “You just had to say it, didn’t you?” “As I was saying, you’re a member of this family now. Kineas’s father, Irvine, is a dragon slayer.” “I know that part already,” I said. She gave me a somewhat amused/annoyed look. “I wasn’t finished, young lady.” I could tell she was enjoying that. “Irvine knows that there are dangerous dragons and not-so-dangerous dragons. Ever since before Irvine and I were married, he’s brought the not-so-dangerous dragons to me, and we’ve helped them survive in the world.” “You run a dragon underground railroad?” She nodded. “Yes. Most dragons harbor no ill will towards humans, so Irvine and I set up the D.U.R. so that these dragons can - “ I cut her off. “Did you just abbreviate that as D.U.R.?” “If you’re going to tell the “dur” joke, I’d save it. Kineas thought it up years ago.” I looked down at my feet. “Okay. You can go on.” “As I was saying, Irvine and I set up the dragon underground railroad so that we could help the dragons that aren’t dangerous.” “How do you know?” “What do you mean?” “How do you know when a dragon isn’t dangerous to humans?” She sighed. “It’s not easy. Not many of them are like you.” “Like me?” “Riley, I can read you. I pointed to the bedroom over there and you went in there instantly. I could tell from the moment I saw your face that you’ve lived in a house before, correct?” I nodded. “Yeah.” “How old were you?” “About four…” Thirteen Years Ago… “Mommy! Mommy!” the girl shouted. I tried getting up and moving, but I couldn’t. I was too weak. The girl poked at me with a stick. I sort of made a noise, but I could barely hear it, so odds were good the girl couldn’t really hear it, either. “Mommy! Itsa doggy!” I would have corrected her, but understanding human and speaking human were two very different things. An older woman, probably in her forties, came over to the girl and I. I was fairly certain this was the Mommy the girl had called over. “Blodwyn!” she said, with a very… Stern sounding voice. “That’s not a doggy, baby girl, that’s a dragon!” The girl - Blodwyn - looked up at her mother with wide eyes, then back to me. “Really? Can we keep it?” “Baby girl, please, don’t touch it, okay? It looks hurt.” The woman reached down and picked me up. I nuzzled up against her and enjoyed the comfort of not having to move on my own for now. The woman carried me into her house, where Blodwyn hopped up on a… A… A thing for people to sit on. Her mother set me down on something flat and wooden in front of the girl. I looked over at Blodwyn, who looked concerned. I tried to smile, but I couldn’t. The woman touched me on the side where something had hit me. I didn’t know what the man had been using on me, but the thing that hit me had been thin and long, with a sharp point at the end. The pain shot through me again, causing me to groan. The woman clamped her hand over my mouth, which I tried to push away, but I couldn’t. I was too weak to do anything to stop her. “It’s okay,” she said, “I’m not going to hurt you.” I wanted to tell her what a good job she was doing. My side was killing me more now than it had been when I landed behind her house. “Can you talk?” Blodwyn giggled. “It’s a dragon, Mommy! Dragons can’t talk!” If only I could talk. I’d make that girl eat her words. Her mother smiled and squeezed her hand. “That’s not true, sweetie. Can you stay here with our little guest while I get the first aid box?” The girl nodded. “I will, Mommy.” I watched the woman leave the room and then looked over at the girl, who was smiling widely at me. “You’re cute,” she said, “I hope you stay here and live with Mommy and Daddy and me!” I rolled over and sighed. I tried to go to sleep, but it just wasn’t working. “Do you have a mommy like I do?” Blodwyn asked. I turned back to her and shook my head. “Do you have a daddy?” I shook my head again. “You don’t have a mommy or a daddy? That’s so sad…” I saw tears building up in her eyes. I tried to slide myself across to her, but it was difficult to move. She reached out to me and helped me along, and I curled up in her lap. It was comfortable. I needed it. By the time the girl’s mother returned, I was asleep. Present Day “Blodwyn and her family pretty much raised me.” I looked down at my feet. “I left them when I was about seven, and I haven’t seen them since.” Sharena was still watching me with very studious eyes, while Kenny looked like he was about to fall asleep. Great. I wish I’d known this story would bore him. Sharena smacked him on the arm, rousing him out of his near-sleep experience. I giggled lightly, not even loud enough for me to hear. “Did anyone aside from Blodwyn’s family know about you?” she asked. I shook my head. “No. I was the family secret then. It wasn’t unusual for me to be sleeping on the couch, and then woken up and asked to move into the basement closet.” “You let them do that to you?” Kenny asked. “Actually, they let me do that. I didn’t really want to be out in the open.” “You mean, you wanted to hide?” I nodded. “Yeah. Especially after the white dragon showed up. It was either hide, or die.” Sharena was still examining me, almost like she was… Testing me. What was she thinking about me? Why was she watching me so closely? It was starting to creep me out. My natural response was to hug my knees to my chest, which I’ve seen human girls do before. Sharena turned to Kenny. “Take Riley into town, okay? Show her around.” I said, “I can’t.” She and Kenny both turned toward me. “They heard my name. Isn’t it gonna be kinda suspicious if a girl named Riley shows up the same day as the dragon named Riley?” Kenny turned to Sharena and said, “She’s got a point.” She rubbed at her chin. “Yeah.” “So what do we do?” I asked. Sharena sighed. “For now, you stay in the house. I’ll bring you some books to read - “ Kenny cut her off. “Um… She doesn’t know how to read.” She sighed again. “You never learned how to read?” I rolled my eyes. “I was a dragon. Kinda hard to hold a book, even though I was small for my age.” “Fine, I’ll bring you a radio. Kineas will help you learn to read. You’ll need that for school when I get you enrolled in a few days.” “Why do I have to go to school?” She smiled. “No step-daughter of mine is going to stay at home while her brother goes to school.” She squeezed my shoulder as she passed by. “Besides, you’re seventeen years old, there’s plenty of people your age to meet at school.” I heard myself gulp. “In other news, the white dragon was recently sighted at a train depot ten miles north of Endawa this afternoon. Casualty numbers are unknown, but we’re told they number low for a white dragon sighting.” I kept looking at the book, but the words weren’t exactly turning into something I could read. I sighed. School. I had to learn in less than a week what real humans got seventeen years to learn. Even the comic books that Kenny brought in weren’t helping. Pictures didn’t help me understand words. “The casualties came mostly from a passenger train returning from the war, as the depot was understaffed. We’re told that the trains stopped at that depot because of commotion in the cargo train, and the Imperial Guard believes that the white dragon was going after something in that train.” The bed felt too soft. It’d been years since I last slept on a bed, but it still felt too soft. Or, was I too soft? I still had scales the last time I slept on a bed. I sighed. This whole thing was getting… Irritating. “That was Imperial News at Five. A few stories they didn’t touch on, I noticed, were the heist in Kepton last week. One of the thieves, a Jaide Farson, was arrested, but he’s made mention of a partner that he’s not going to give up. What’s being done about this partner? Are the Imperial Guard going to hunt this guy down? Or am I gonna havta take out my dagger and take this punk out myself?” There was a knock on my door. I flipped the radio’s power switch to off. “Come in,” I said. My voice was still strange to me, but I was getting used to it. Kenny walked in with some kind of board game. “I thought you might need a break from your reading practice.” I set the book down on my night stand. “If you can call this practice. I’m still not getting anything.” “Don’t feel bad about it. Some people have trouble learning how to read.” “That’s not making me feel better. I have to fit in at your school, and I bet most of your classmates know how to read, don’t they?” He sighed. “Yeah, they do.” “How’s it gonna look if your sister doesn’t know how to read?” “They’re gonna know you’re adopted, so that shouldn’t be a problem.” “Is it common that adopted kids don’t know how to read?” He set the game down on my bed and pulled the top of the box off. “Let’s just change this conversation and get to the point where you relax, okay?” He pulled out the board and set it in front of me. “Now, the goal of the game is to buy properties with money and try to bankrupt the other player, okay?” “That sounds like it needs reading.” “It does, but I can read the cards for you.” “You’re not gonna cheat, are you?” “Of course not. Believe me, I have no reason to cheat.” “I’d never know, y’know.” He smiled. “I don’t feel the need to cheat when I’m playing against my sister.” “I have this one question, though. Why do you call Sharena by her name if she’s your step-mom?” “She and my dad didn’t get married until a couple years ago, and my birth mom is still alive, in town.” “Why don’t you live with her?” He shrugged. “She’s not… When my dad started hunting and helping dragons, she got jealous of all the time he and Sharena spent together. Sharena’s been my dad’s best friend since they were kids, and dad knew Sharena used magic, so he knew exactly who to go to the first time he found a harmless dragon.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Mom left him, told him never to look at her again, and just threw her wedding ring at him.” “That’s just cruel.” “Yeah. Dad and I moved in with Sharena a couple weeks later, and they got married a few years after that.” “I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “My mom clearly wasn’t in it for family. Dad loved her. He mainly married Sharena so that she could be my legal guardian in case something happened to him.” “So, your dad doesn’t love Sharena?” “I didn’t say that, he just loved my mom more than she loved him.” I felt sorry for him. Here, I didn’t have any parents, and I felt sorry for him because his parents had such a complicated relationship. It was starting to remind me of Blodwyn and her family. Ten Years Ago… “He’s not a pet!” Gwyneth shouted. Blodwyn was sitting on the couch beside me, petting me. I wouldn’t mind if they did treat me like a pet, honestly. “Don’t treat him like one!” Byrn shook his head. “He’s a dragon! He’s not a person! He basically is a pet, all he does is play with Blodwyn and sleep!” Gwyneth looked irritated. “What else do you expect him to do? Don’t you know what people would do if they found out he was here?” I lifted my head a little. “What would they do to you and your parents if they found me?” I asked Blodwyn. She shook her head. “I dunno. But Mom makes it sound bad.” I laid my head back down on the couch, like a sad dog. Or, at least what I thought was a dog. I’d never seen one, but Blodwyn described them to me once. Her parents were doing nothing but yelling at one another, and it was making me feel horrible, because they were arguing about me. Blodwyn patted me on the head, then went to the bathroom. I slipped off of the couch, walked to the door and sighed. I didn’t want them arguing about me, and I didn’t want the family hurt because of me. I loved Blodwyn and her family, but I needed to be gone for them. I opened the door, walked outside, and never looked back.

Chapter Six - The Beach Water. All I saw. All I heard. All I smelled. All I felt. All I tasted. It filled my mouth, my nostrils, my ears. If not for the fact that I knew I still had a mouth, nostrils and ears, I would have sworn I’d died and been reincarnated as water. I surfaced and spat out some water, then tried to orient myself to swim. The current was almost stronger here than it had been when I’d jumped off the cliff. I looked around and tried to find Sari, but she wasn’t anywhere near me. I tried to swim again, but it was difficult. It was like the water was… Guiding me. I stopped trying to swim and concentrated solely on keeping my head above water, and it was almost as if the current slowed. No, it wasn’t my imagination, the current had slowed. I was able to wade through the water now, and made my way toward what looked like the beach. It was deserted, but I needed land. I made it to the beach, crawled out of the water and collapsed. Every part of me ached. I stared up at the sun above me, and watched as it arched across the sky. The moon replaced it, then there was someone standing over me. “Sari!” I coughed out, my mouth drier than it should have been, considering I’d crawled out of the ocean. I grabbed at her, and then realized it wasn’t Sari at all, it was a completely different girl, somewhat taller, with scruffy green hair. “What are you sorry about?” the girl asked. I let go of her and backed away. “No,” I said, feeling like sand was falling out of my mouth. “Sari is my friend, we jumped into the ocean to get away from people trying to kill us. Is she around here?” The girl shook her head. “I haven’t seen her.” “Who are… Who are you?” She shook her head again. “I don’t really have a name. I live here, I grew up here.” “Here?” I looked around at the beach. It seemed to go on as far as the eye could see. “There’s nothing here.” She nodded. “I know. It gets pretty lonely here. I don’t get to talk to anybody.” She rubbed at her arm. “How long are you gonna stay here?” “I don’t know. I don’t see any way to go. And Sari might wash up here, like I did. I don’t want to leave her.” “You like her?” Suddenly, I felt slightly embarrassed. “Not… Not in the romantic sense, if ya get what I mean.” “Do you hate her?” “What? No. What? She’s my friend. She’s looking to kill the white dragon, and I want to do the same.” “What’s the white dragon?” “You’ve never heard of the white dragon?” She shook her head. “I’ve lived here my whole life, surviving on salt water and dead fish.” I sighed. This wasn’t gonna get me anywhere. A sheltered life didn’t even begin to explain this girl. I sat down on the beach and looked out at the ocean. “So you’ve never met anyone who mentioned the white dragon?” She shook her head again. “No. I haven’t seen anybody in a few years. Nobody comes to the beach anymore.” “How do you stand it?” She sat down beside me and rested her head on my shoulder. It felt weird, but not entirely unpleasant. “I always knew somebody would show up again. So I’ve just kept waiting.” She put her arm around my waist. “I’m glad I was right.” I had gone at least seven miles along the beach, and it didn’t seem to end. Sari was nowhere to be found, but I had so much more of the beach to travel, I could only hope I found her before she decided to leave without me. The beach seemed unnatural, like there was someone beside me at all times, despite the fact that the girl had fallen asleep a little while ago. I was starting to get weak. I fell forward, then rolled over onto my back. The night sky was clear enough to see most of the constellations. It looked peaceful, quiet. I heard the ocean crashing into the beach, and I almost wanted to fall asleep. I felt my eyelids slowly closing, and relief began to wash over me. I forced myself to open my eyes. I couldn’t sleep. Had to find Sari. I threw her into the water while she was barely conscious, if she died, it’d be on me. I got back to my feet and continued on my path toward the opposite end of the beach. The place had to end somewhere. I continued to walk, and walk, and walk. For hours, I walked, and still I found nothing. No sign of anyone or anything, not even a shack somewhere. The only things on the beach were me and the girl who claimed she lived here. I turned around and made my way back to where I’d come from. Maybe if the beach didn’t end one direction, it would end the other. “Where are you going?” the girl asked. When had she come up behind me? I’d never heard or seen her. I turned and saw she didn’t look happy, but actually looked concerned. “Weren’t you at least gonna say goodbye before you left?” I shook my head. “I’m not leaving. I’m looking for my friend, she should have washed up here by now.” “Oh, you mean that Sari girl you were talking about? I know where she is.” “You do? But before you said - “ She cut me off. “That was before. She washed up while you were sleeping before.” She giggled. “You don’t expect me to just spend time around you, do you?” I sighed. It was no use asking her anything else, she’d just give me more vague answers. “Is she okay?” The girl nodded. “She’s a little weak from all her wounds and can’t get up, but otherwise, she’s okay.” Sari was groaning a little when the girl led me to her, obviously in some serious pain. At some point in time, the girl had set up a tent, with some small cot that looked like it had just been bought somewhere. “Why’d ya havta drop me like that?” she asked, then coughed. “Swimming doesn’t come easy to me when I'm in pure pain, y’know.” “Actually, I didn’t drop you.” I sat down beside her. The other girl was busy picking up seashells on the beach. “How you doing?” “I’m sore,” it was an obvious lie, but I was glad that she could at least pretend to be okay, “but that’s it. You?” “I’ve had a splitting headache since I washed up, but that’s about it.” I sat down beside her. “Sorry about what happened in that town.” She shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Cres. So, where we go now?” “I’m not sure. We need to rest up, first, especially you. After that, maybe that girl can give us directions to the next town, or something.” Sari sat up, winced, and then laid back down again. The current must have screwed her up worse than I thought. “Does she seem kinda odd to you?” “She grew up here, she said. Doesn’t even have a name.” “Huh? Yeah she does, her name’s Kalena.” “She told me she didn’t have a name.” Sari shrugged. “Well, she grew a name sometime between when you washed up and when I did.” She coughed a little. “It’s not like I named her, or anything. Maybe she heard it somewhere before we showed up and decided she liked it.” I rubbed at my chin. The girl had had plenty of time to tell me she had a name now, and she still hadn’t. Something was just weird about her. I stood up and left the tent to find Kalena, wherever she was. She was sitting at the edge of the beach, her legs in the water and her arms keeping her from falling back. The sun was starting to set on the horizon, and the water looked an almost mind-entrancing shade of orange. I walked over to her and sat down beside her, but I couldn’t tell if she even noticed me. Her eyes were closed, and she sounded like she was humming. “Kalena?” I asked. She didn’t respond, which made me wonder if she even heard me in the first place. “Kalena?” I repeated, just a little louder. “Shh.” She raised her index finger. “Can you hear it?” “What?” “The water.” “It’s just water, it’s not a living creature.” She looked at me as if she’d just been told the sun will never shine again. “How can you say that? Water grants life, Cres. If it weren’t for water, none of us would be here.” “Yeah, I get that, but my point is that the only sound it makes is that of ocean hitting the - “ Why it hadn’t hit me sooner, I didn’t know. “I never told you my name.” “Huh?” “You just called me Cres, but I never told you that was my name. And Sari only said my name after you were out of the tent.” Kalena looked nervous, frightened even. She stood up and backed away from me. “I… I’m sorry…” She turned and ran, faster than she should have been able to on the beach. I stood and watched as she retreated into the horizon, then sighed. This was getting weirder than I wanted it to be. I turned back toward the sunset and saw that the sun had been completely replaced by a moon far larger than it should have appeared. That was when it hit me that it had been nightfall when Kalena told me Sari was here, and the sun was beginning to rise when we’d gotten to the tent. Whatever was going on here, Kalena was the center of it. “So what do you think is going on?” Sari asked as I checked the bandage on her leg. Kalena may have been a little strange, but at least she knew how to bandage a wound. “I’ve met magic users with potions that create illusions, y’know.” I finished my inspection. “I imagine you stole said potions from said magic users?” “No. That was how they got away from me without losing a single coin.” I coughed out a laugh. “Right.” I stood up and walked over to the edge of the tent. “You didn’t tell her my name, did you?” Sari shook her head. “No, I washed up, she brought me to this tent, wrapped my leg, told me her name and then said she was gonna go get someone. I didn’t know it’d be you.” “I’ve never heard of an actual mind reader before, though I’ve heard stories. Maybe that’s what she is.” “Be careful, if she is. We’re partners, y’know, so I don’t want you getting hurt or anything.” I nodded. “Yeah, right.” I wandered the length of the beach, hoping to find Kalena somewhere nearby. Just as I’d noticed before, there seemed to be no end to it, and that made me consider the possibility that this was all an illusion even more. Miles upon miles upon miles of beach, as far as the eye could see, and I didn’t think I saw anywhere near this much beach before I passed out in the water. Was Kalena doing this on purpose, or was something else going on? I kept my blade ready, on the off chance that I’d have to fight someone or something. I didn’t want to hurt or scare Kalena, but if this wasn’t her doing and something worse was hiding somewhere, I needed to be on my guard. I watched the sun pass again, just another day or night or whenever it really was. Had the time truly passed at all while I was here? It felt like I’d been here for days, but at the same time, I didn’t feel like I’d experienced full days here. I heard something, I couldn’t quite tell what it was. I stopped and looked around, then listened for a moment. Crying? Was I hearing crying? “Kalena?” I called. If she was the one crying, then I could get answers. My hand drifted to the hilt of my sword. “Kalena, I need to talk to you.” “Go away!” she shouted from wherever she was. I still couldn’t see her. “Please, I need to know what’s going on here. How did you know my name?” “I said leave!” “Can we leave? Where even are we, Kalena?” “This isn’t want I wanted…” she said, her angered tone replaced by depression. “I just wanted…” I knelt down and closed my eyes. Maybe if she thought I wasn’t looking, she’d show herself. “What did you want?” Something gripped my neck. I opened my eyes and saw Kalena, her eyes bloodshot and full of hate. Her hands were around my neck, but that wasn’t what it felt like, it felt like sand was grabbing me. I struggled to grab my sword, but something blocked me, something that felt like more sand. I struggled to take my eyes off her face, but I had to see what was stopping me from pulling out my sword. There was nothing there! I felt the sand, but there was nothing but air. My vision was starting to double, and it was getting hard to breathe. I grabbed Kalena’s arms and tried to pull her off of me. Even her skin felt like sand, and I kept losing my grip on her. My eyes started to cloud over a little bit, everything blurred into pure white. I had no concept of waking up, suddenly my eyes were open and I was sitting up. I just added it among the many weird things that were happening on this stupid beach and took in my surroundings. I was sitting in a cave that looked out on the beach, probably a quarter mile above it. I stood up and walked to the edge and looked down on the beach, but I recognized no landmarks. There was a sound behind me, a fire. I turned around and saw Sari and Kalena, Sari asleep and Kalena just sitting there, looking depressed. Both of them were wrapped up in blankets, but Kalena was reaching out to the small campfire she had going. Sari looked like she’d been brought there and set down, then covered with the blanket. I drew my blade and cautiously walked toward them. Kalena’s eyes flicked toward me, then returned to looking at the fire. “You’re not really holding that,” she said, a sombre tone to her voice. “What?” “You and Sari both already figured out that none of this is real, it’s not like it’s hard to figure out.” I lifted the sword and looked at it in my hands. It felt real, it looked real, but according to her, I wasn’t holding it at all. That couldn’t be right, even if none of this was real. “Your mind fills those details in,” she said, and that cemented my belief that she was a mind reader. “You know what holding your sword feels like, so your mind tells your hand that you feel your sword.” “What am I actually holding?” She stood up and drew the blanket tight around her. “Your dick, for all I care, it doesn’t really matter.” “What are you talking about?” She sighed. “Why are the cute ones so dumb? I’m not real, this cave isn’t real, the beach isn’t real.” “So I’m hallucinating?” She shook her head. “No. You’re experiencing this, but it’s not real. Same with Sari. You’re both laying on the real beach, completely unconscious, just like you have been for the last few hours.” “Hours? That’s all this has been?” “Time passes differently in your head than it does in my world.” “And what is your world? Why is it nothing but a beach?” “My world is all I know. I wasn’t lying when I said I’d never left the beach. I am the beach.” Kalena slept against the cave wall. It was the first time I’d seen her sleep in the days - hours - that I’d been there. After dropping her bombshell, she’d sat down next to Sari and went right to sleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts - which I guess was all that this place really was anyway. I held my hand out toward the fire. I felt warmth, real warmth. Could some mystical beach cause that? And if it could, how would we leave? Everything looked and felt real, so how would I know whether or not I’d left this weird beach world? I stood up and walked over to the entrance to the cave. There were some natural steps leading from the cave to the beach, which made it easier to go back there. I wandered the sandy shore for some time, or no time, depending on which perspective I was thinking of at any given time. This place was weirder than it had any reason to be. I found a rock on the ground, the first one I’d ever seen on the beach. I picked it up, felt its weight. It was only the size of a small fist, but it weighed significantly more. I turned it over in my hands, then positioned myself to throw it, but then I felt sand grip my hand. “Don’t,” Kalena said, taking the rock from my hand and playing with it, almost as if it had no weight at all to her. Then again, considering she was supposedly the whole beach, that shouldn’t surprise me. Everything about this place surprised me, though. “Throw this out there, and I’ll never remember you.” “What are you talking about?” She touched my forehead. “You keep all your memories here.” She touched the rock. “I keep all of mine here.” “That’s the only rock I’ve seen since I’ve been here.” “That’s because I can choose what I want to keep and what I want to remain vague.” She waved her hand and the sand shot upward, taking the shape of an abnormally large sand castle, complete with giant yellow flag sticking out of the top of each tower. “Somebody used to live in one of these. I don’t know who, and if I did, the odds are good they haven’t been here recently.” “They used to live in a sand castle?” I asked. She scowled at me. “No, stupidhead. They used to live in a real castle, and that’s my point.” She waved her hand and the castle disintegrated, every grain of sand dropping to the ground in an instant. She waved her hand again after touching the rock, and the sand once again raised upward, this time in the form of my house. Unlike the sand castle, the house wasn’t just some poor construct that looked like it was made of sand. If I hadn’t seen it created myself, I’d think somebody transplanted my house to the beach. “If I didn’t have this rock, your house would just be sand in the shape of a house, like that castle was.” I walked up to the house and touched it, felt it under my hand. “It feels real…” Kalena walked up to me and put her own hand on the house. “Because you remember how it feels. It feels real to me, too, but only because youremember how it feels.” She held up the rock again. “You mean all of my memories are in that rock?” “Every last one. From the day you were born to the day the white dragon destroyed your home to just a few days ago when you met that girl.” Suddenly, Kalena morphed, into the spitting image of the girl from the drugstore. “Something in your mind connected her to another memory, but I can’t tell which one or why.” “How do you do all this?” She changed back to her ‘normal’ form, or at least the form that I was used to. “Near as I can remember, I was born at least seven centuries ago, from the memories of a young girl named Kalena.” “So that name didn’t come from nowhere?” She shook her head. “No, it can just take me awhile to remember it. She died here, on the beach, when her father beat her to death. As her body deteriorated over time, her soul sank deeper and deeper into the sand, and made me.” She sat down against the wall of my house. “All I remember is the pain, the horror that Kalena felt. I don’t remember her mother, or any bright parts of her life, and every time I try, it just makes the pain hurt more.” I held out my hand for the rock, and she gave it to me. “Why is mine the only one here?” “Because of your sister. Your memories of Circi are so pleasant, and so pure. They’re the happiest things you hold on to.” I knelt down beside her. “And you want memories like that, too.” “I do. It would make this place a little more bearable.” She slipped her hand through the sand. “There haven’t been people here in over a hundred years, all because of the reputation the beach… that I’ve garnered. If I remember you and Sari, then I won’t be alone anymore.” I finally sat down. “Kalena, the only way you can have happy memories is if you try and make them yourself.” She shook her head. “It’s not that easy for me. The only way I can meet people is by knocking them out and invading their minds. I can’t leave the beach when I am the beach.” “You can’t make a physical form outside in the real world?” “No. I’ve tried. Do you know how fast people run from a girl made of sand who looks like a long dead person?” She let out a dry, sad laugh. “Can you imagine how many memories would be here if people stumbled upon me the way you guys did?” I leaned my head back against the house. “I understand, but at the same time, they’re just memories of people’s memories.” She nodded. “I know. But when that’s all I can have, I’m not gonna complain.” I had nothing to say to that. She was right. “I’m sorry,” was about the only words that my mouth could form. “It’s not your fault.” She took the rock from me again. “When you guys are in here, in here,” she pointed at her head, “that helps me feel more like me instead of just the lonely girl on the beach.” She hugged the rock to her chest. “You two and all the people you know are my friends.” She looked at me. “And long after you die out there, you’ll be alive in here.” “That’s kinda creepy.” She giggled. “I said that to be creepy.” I laughed now. She reminded me of Circi in a way. Maybe it was intentional, maybe she was using my memories of Circi to make me feel better. Either way, I didn’t care. I felt better, that was all that mattered. “Your wounds should be healed by now,” Kalena said, helping Sari to her feet. “One of the people who happened upon the beach a couple centuries ago was a healer, and he passed his touch onto me when he died, so I’ve been healing you since you washed up.” “Wow, that’s nice,” Sari said, with a slight sarcastic twinge to her voice, “I don’t suppose you put some gold in my bag, too?” “When you wake up, go twenty paces straight ahead of the way you’re facing. Some pirates left that there long before I was born, and never came back to claim it.” I patted her on the shoulder. “Thanks, Kalena. I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a little weird.” She smiled at me. “I’m sorry for leading you on as long as I did. It’s been so long since I collected any memories that I forgot how long it took to do it.” She held out a piece of paper. “Here, take this. When you wake up, it’ll be in your bag.” “What is it?” “A letter, from me. I don’t want you to read it yet.” “Why not?” “Wait until a moment when you feel really down, and really defeated. If you guys are going up against that big dragon I saw in your memories, I bet you’ll feel that way at least once. No offense.” “None taken,” Sari said, “we know it’s practically a suicide mission, but we’re still gonna kill that piece of shit.” “I hope you do. I’ve seen what it did to Cres’s family, and it was horrible. And I saw what it did to yours, too.” Sari looked slightly nervous. “Um… What else did you see?” “I saw everything, but don’t worry. Cres has things he’s hiding from you, too.” I wasn’t too sure I liked that Kalena knew our entire life stories, but she wasn’t lying. There were things I didn’t want to tell Sari, and the idea that there were things Sari didn’t want to tell me wasn’t a surprise. Sari hugged Kalena, which surprised her as much as it did me. “You’ve got friends, Kalena, don’t worry. We’ll always be your friends.” “Um… Thanks, Sari. That means more to me than you realize.” “Just don’t forget us, y’know?” “Never.” I slipped the paper in my pocket and pulled Sari back. “Okay, Kalena, we’re ready to go.” She nodded. “Don’t miss me too much, because I won’t have a reason to miss you. Hopefully, I’ll see you both again some day.” “If we survive our mission, this’ll be our first stop,” I said, smiling at her. “I’m gonna havta admit, it’ll be tough for me to realize that you’re the real you guys when that happens.” Sari took Kalena’s hand. “I’m gonna do something now.” She touched Kalena’s arm at the joint, then traced down her arm and made a small circle in the palm of her hand, then capped it off with a poke. “That’s a sign of sisterhood in the Plains Tribe. You’ll know it’s the real us when I do this to you again, because your memories of us would know that’s the only reason I’ll have to do it.” “Okay, I’ll remember that.” “We’ll be back, Kalena,” I said, “I know we will.” She smiled. “Okay, guys, you ready?” “I am,” Sari said. “Me too.” “Then as soon as I’m done talking, you’re going to wake up in the real world - “ My eyes shot open, and I sat straight up in less than a second. Sari was already up, away from me a little ways, digging into the sand. “Hey! There is treasure here!” I coughed out a slightly sand-filled laugh. I must have ended up with sand in my mouth at some point. “I think she’d know if there was treasure here.” “I know, I’m just sayin’, is all.” I stood and brushed sand off of me. It almost seemed as if the sand shifted when it hit the beach, like Kalena was accepting part of herself back. In a way, I guess that was true. I picked up my sword and walked past Sari, pulling her to her feet. She was almost like a kid in a candy store, counting all the gold she’d stuffed in her bag. I whispered, “Thank you, Kalena,” just before we left the beach. And I just barely heard, “Thank you,” as a response.

Chapter Five - The Next Day I swept up some glass and dumped it into the waste basket that Sharena had brought over to me. The glass replacement workers were busy putting in the new window. I sighed. Me a couple days ago, those guys yesterday, what would happen next? The only good thing about this whole thing was that nobody seemed to care about ‘that dragon that Kineas was hiding’ anymore. Nobody was really paying any attention to me, anyway, but at least some people might not connect ‘Riley the dragon’ to ‘Riley the teenage girl’ now. Those Royal Escorts (as Kenny had called them) had left with their prisoner shortly after they lost the other guy. I was just happy that they didn’t ask me any questions. I wouldn’t even be able to answer the questions I’d heard them ask Sharena. For whatever reason, they seemed to believe that Sharena might know who the three suspects were. “Riley,” Sharena called from the checkout counter. I propped my broom up against the wall by the front door and picked up the waste basket. I wanted to dump it into the trash can out back. “How’s your reading coming?” “It’s been two days.” “And?” I grabbed a pill bottle from the shelf closest to me. “I can read hydro, and the rest is gibberish.” “Has Kineas taught you how to spell your name yet?” I nodded. “I’m doing pretty good with the alphabet, yeah.” “Good. There’s a man out back with a shipment of medicine, can you go sign for it?” I nodded again. “Yeah.” “You’re doing pretty good after two days.” I smiled. “Thanks.” I walked to the back door and reached into my pocket for the keys. The short one was the house key, the long one was the prescription cabinet key, the medium one was the back door key. I was grateful Sharena only gave me three keys to deal with. I set the waste basket down beside me and noticed - almost stupidly - that there actually was a ladder to the roof. I guess if I’d known that the night before, things would have happened differently with that one guy. I sighed. He looked so familiar. I couldn’t figure out where I recognized him from. I shook my head and tried to focus on something else. I needed to sign for some medicine. That was all I needed to focus on. I unlocked and opened the door, and Kenny was standing there, talking to the guy who had brought in the medicine. Kenny looked like he was having a great time talking. “Oh, here she is,” he said, turning his attention from the medicine guy to me. “Ortzi, here’s my sister, Riley.” “Your mom adopt her, or something?” Ortzi asked. He looked a little older than Kenny, though somewhat thinner. He was taller than Kenny, most definitely. “Nice to meet you,” he said to me, slightly bowing. Sharena had told me that some men bow to women, whether they’re royalty or not. I hadn’t met any yet, save for this guy. “Nice to meet you, too,” I said, trying my best not to sound surprised or anything. “I’m supposed to sign something?” He shook his head. “Kenny took care of that. Don’t worry.” He picked up a box sitting on the ground beside him and passed it over to me. “Don’t drop it, it’s kinda heavy.” “I can tell,” I said, after nearly dropping the box. “What’s in here, anyway?” “Lots and lots of breast enhancement cream.” I wanted to ask why anyone would want to have bigger breasts, but something told me this was a human culture thing that I’d just have to learn as time went by. Another question I wanted to ask is why a pharmacy would carry breast enhancement cream, but we had so many different kinds of potato chips that it was easy to understand somebody wanting it. I wondered if there was breast reduction cream, because that would help me in every way. “Where are you from, Riley?” Ortzi asked. “Oh, uh… Eberson. It’s out in the neutral territories. Kenny’s dad was there, dragon hunting, and he adopted me and put me on a train here. I was gonna get kicked out on my own a couple days later, because the orphanage doesn’t keep most people past their seventeenth birthday.” That was starting to become second nature, and I’d only told three people before Ortzi. “How long ago was that?” “I got into town a couple days ago.” “Huh. Cool. How do you like it?” I smiled. “It’s nice having a family, even if it’s an adopted one.” Kenny walked over to the door and opened it for me. “Sharena’s probably waiting to stock that stuff. Tell her I’ll be back inside in a few minutes.” It almost felt like he was trying to force me away from him and Ortzi. “Um, okay. Nice to meet you, Ortzi,” I said, smiling a little. I walked back inside and set the box down by the door to the store floor, where Sharena had made a square out of tape for me to know where the ‘stock check area’ was. She was being extremely patient with me, considering she was used to Kenny helping her out, and he knew where everything was. I walked out onto the store floor and saw that the store was empty. No customers, no Sharena, not even the guys replacing the window up front. I sat down at the chair beside the door to the back room and grabbed the one of the books that I was using to practice reading. They were children's’ books, but I didn’t mind. If I didn’t start somewhere, I’d never know how to read. I was getting to the point where I could read about half of the words on the page, and the pictures sort of helped me figure out the rest. “Excuse me,” a voice said from in front of me. They surprised me, whoever they were, and I nearly dropped my book. I set the book down and saw a man who looked vaguely familiar. “I’m here to pick up my prescription.” It took me a second, but it was his voice I recognized. This was the man who had stabbed me in the hand the other day. I made sure my scarred hand wasn’t visible to him, for fear that he might connect me to, well, me. “Hello, sir,” I said, hoping my nervousness didn’t shine through. “Um… There’s a slight problem there.” “What’s that, is my prescription not in?” “That’s kinda the problem. I don’t know. I’m new here, and I only just started learning how to read.” “And Sharena put you in charge of watching over the pharmacy? Is Kineas here?” “He was out back, talking to a friend.” “Well. We’re in a bit of a bind young, um… I never got your name.” “Riley.” “That’s an interesting name for a girl. Pretty name. Kineas has a cousin by that name, are you her?” “No, Kenny’s cousin was a boy, and he died. I’m his sister, his - our - dad just adopted me last week, and I just got here a couple days ago.” “Hrm,” he mumbled. “Well, I’ll check back later today to see if Sharena’s back in. Thanks, Riley.” I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding in. I couldn’t tell if he was suspicious of me or not, but I was glad he was gone. I nearly collapsed back into my chair and felt the relief wash over me. I had to get used to him, though, otherwise he might figure me out later, if he hadn’t yet. I was about to grab my book again, but I nearly fell out of my chair when Kenny said, “I don’t think Ortzi believed you.” He looked down at me and asked, “What?” “Don’t just sneak up on me like that!” He chuckled. “Sorry. I didn’t know it was possible to sneak up on a dragon.” “For one, I’m not a dragon at the moment, I’m no different from any other human. Two, you’re not supposed to say that out loud. And three, dragons get snuck up on all the time, or at least I did.” He nodded. “Oh. Why are you so jumpy right now, anyway?” “You remember the guy who stabbed me in the hand?” “Torkel?” “His name is Torkel?” “From what Sharena tells me, he was mocked when he was younger.” “Well, he was here to pick up a prescription.” “It’s not due in until tomorrow.” “He seemed to think it was due today.” “Huh. Sharena told him last week it’d be in tomorrow.” “You’re not putting me at ease.” “Whaddya mean?” “I couldn’t tell if he recognized me or not.” “You mean if he somehow connected the awkward and cute five foot seven girl to the roughly seven foot tall dragon that he stabbed in the hand?” When he said it, it sounded stupid that I’d even be nervous about the guy recognizing me, but I still couldn’t help it. “Did he see your scar?” I shook my head. “I kept my hand under the counter.” “Even so, Sharena’s potion made it look old, so even if he does connect you to you, he’s gonna havta come up with some reason to justify that scar looking like it does.” “It’s already common enough that people think dragons heal faster than humans, so I don’t think it’d be too much of a stretch for him.” Kenny hopped over the counter and walked over to the door. “I don’t think you’re in any trouble. When Dad gets back, he’ll back your story, and then everybody will believe it, it’s that simple.” “You say that like you expect him any day.” “I do, actually. Dad pops in randomly, runs the inn for a couple days, then hands it right back to me.” He flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED and locked the door. “Now, c’mon, let’s get home.” I was confused. “Doesn’t the sign say we’re open from eight to six?” “You mean you still can’t read it?” I shook my head. “No, I mean, why are we closing early?” “Oh, because it’s dinner time and Sharena wants us back home.” I sighed. Being a human was still gonna take getting used to. “Nobody thinks Sharena’s weird for living in the woods?” I asked, trying to ignore the creature that was doing its best to annoy me. It was… Odd. About the size of a house cat, with a similar face, but instead of fur, it was covered in feathers. “Oh, yeah, I forgot that we haven’t told you that yet.” The feather cat was rubbing up against my leg. “What?” “Technically, we don’t live in the woods.” “Then why are walking home in the woods?” That cat was desperately trying to make me pick it up. “I like the walk. You mean you’ve never noticed that there’s a house just down the road from Dad’s inn?” “Not really.” “That’s the house.” “We walk home in the woods when we live a block and a half away from the pharmacy?” “I told you, I like the walk.” It looked as if he noticed the cat-thing following me. “What is that and why does it seem to like you so much?” “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like this before.” I knelt down and the cat stopped rubbing up against me, and instead just looked up at me. I reached out to pat it on the head, but it swatted my hand away. I tried again, slower, and this time it let me touch it before putting its paw on my arm. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” And to my surprise, it said, “I know.” I fell backwards, landing roughly on a pile of sticks. “Did you just talk?!” I screamed. It glared at me. “That’s a cheeky thing for a dragon to say.” Fear gripped me. “You know what I am?!” It nodded. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t be much use to you if I didn’t.” “What… What are you?” “I suggest we continue this conversation elsewhere.” It licked its paw for a second. “It’s dirty out here.” I raised an eyebrow. “You can’t even tell me what you are?” “I’ll tell you when we’re inside.” I looked up at Kenny, who shrugged. “It wants to go inside, I guess we go inside.” I sighed. “Fine. We’ll go inside.” “You two are a little late,” Sharena said, pulling an apron off. She looked like she’d just finished cooking something, so despite my concern over the feather cat that I was carrying into the house, I was a ready for food. Sharena was a very good cook. “You didn’t get lost on your way home, did you?” “No, Riley just found a talking cat,” Kenny answered. She looked at the cat in my arms and looked about as confused as I felt about it. “That’s… Do you even know what you’re holding onto there?” I asked, “You mean, other than a feathered cat that talks?” “A creature like this hasn’t been seen - Did you say ‘talks’?” The cat answered for me. “She did.” “You’re not actually the creature that you look like, are you?” It shook its head. “No. I’m one of the conduits.” “Riley, set it down.” I did as I was asked and set it on the counter. It sat there, cleaning itself like a cat would do. “Who are you here for?” It stopped cleaning itself for a moment to look over its shoulder at me, then turned back to Sharena. “Your daughter.” I pointed at myself, like an idiot. “Me?” “She’s powerful, even more so than most.” I repeated, “Me?” Sharena ignored me. “You’re aware that she’s a dragon, correct? Dragons are on the lowest end of the magic spectrum.” I asked, “Didn’t you tell me I had a lot of mana in me?” Again, I was ignored. “There’s something special about her,” the cat said, “hence why I was sent to this plane of existence.” “Do you have a name?” Sharena asked. It shook its head. “No. Name me if you wish.” She looked over at me. “Riley, since he’s your conduit, do you want to name him?” I practically shouted. “Why isn’t anybody paying attention to me?!” Everyone - the cat included - was looking at me like I was nuts. Kenny looked like he was about to burst into laughter, and I really couldn’t blame him. “Now, when I got here, you - “ I pointed at Sharena, “ - told me that everybody has mana, but not everybody has enough for it to matter. You explicitly told me that I had a lot of mana. Now it’s like only certain people have mana at all, and that it’s even rarer to find a dragon that has mana.” I paused to take a short breath, then once again shouted, “Explain this stuff to me! This time, Kenny did burst into laughter. Sharena sat down on the couch, and I sat down beside her. The cat jumped up on my lap and curled up. It felt weird, but I’d never had another animal sit in my lap when I was a dragon. “I understand your confusion,” she said, starting the conversation, “yes, everyone on the planet has mana, and yes it’s mostly related to whether or not your body houses enough mana that makes you a true magic user. The difference is that most of the magic users out there aren’t mages. A mage can conjure the dead, summon forth mythical beasts and everything a simple sorceress like me can’t do. I deal mostly with potions and common spells, like making the house seem like it’s in the forest rather than a block and a half away from Irvine’s inn.” I asked, “How come nobody mentioned that to me earlier?” “You never asked, sweetie.” She put on a warm smile. “Dragons are similar to sorcerers and sorceresses, and even before the white dragon appeared, there weren’t too many who actually practiced magic. It’s a little difficult for some dragons to mix potions, y’know, and so they mainly stick to common spells.” She pointed to the cat. “He is the difference between sorcerer and mage. And only one dragon has had a conduit, an ancient dragon that was rumored not to have any descendants. Since the ability to become a mage is passed on from one generation to the next, then that would mean you are a descendant of that dragon.” “Okay, so I’m descendant of the only mage dragon, and I’m powerful enough in magic that I can do… What, exactly?” “Pretty much anything,” the cat answered. “And I’m the proof of that.” I turned back to Sharena. “So, why does a mage need a conduit?” She patted the cat on the head. “A conduit is your connection to pure mana. Mana that common people have access to is filtered through the world’s conduit, and intentionally made weaker.” “The world has a conduit?” “The world is a living being as well, Riley. Mana is what keeps it together and what gives life to all of its beings. That’s why everyone and everything has mana within it. Pure mana, on the other hand, can kill someone who tries to access it without a conduit.” “So, there are ways?” “Dangerous ways. Deadly ways. To tap into pure mana without a conduit, you’d need to use a spell that few have ever been able to find, let alone wield appropriately.” I looked down at the cat. “If you hadn’t shown up, how would I have known I could tap into pure mana?” It licked at its paw. “Perhaps you would have destroyed a city, or a country. The world’s conduit creates beings like me when it feels a creature capable of pure mana manipulation has been born.” “I’m seventeen. So, shouldn’t you have shown up seventeen years ago?” “Humans need to come of age before their conduit is born. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same with dragons.” It curled up again. “But so few dragons have been capable of mage power, so I don’t know.” “The question,” Sharena said as she stood up, “is this: Is Riley capable of dragon level power or human level power?” “Is there a difference?” I asked. “That dragon that you’re potentially a descendant of? Rumors exist that it shaped the continents. If your mana is decided by your being a dragon, there might not be a limit to what you can do.” I gulped. Loudly. I laid on my bed, the cat sleeping by my head. He was a quiet sleeper, unlike Kenny, who I often heard snoring through the walls. I sighed. So, I was a mage, or, I could be a mage. And a very powerful one, too. That concerned me. What if I couldn’t control my own magical power? What if I ended up hurting the people I cared about? “Who do you care about?” the cat asked. I looked over at him, and he looked as if he hadn’t been sleeping beside me. “What?” “I’m asking the question. Who do you care about? Until a few days ago, you were a dragon that flew place to place and hadn’t even seen your first adoptive family for years.” “Sharena and Kenny are my family now, so I care about them.” “Why?” “Whaddya mean why? Kenny gave me shelter when I needed to sleep, and Sharena’s hiding me and treating me like her daughter, why wouldn’t I care about them?” “If it wasn’t for Kenny, you wouldn’t have been found the other day.” “If it wasn’t for Kenny, I’d have died the other day. I would have flown until I couldn’t fly anymore, and I would have fallen unconscious - not to mention out of the sky - and some people would have killed me.” I sat up. “I’m just in hiding, I’m not dead. I don’t care if I have to be a human to survive, I’m happy I’m alive and because of that, I care about Kenny and Sharena.” I leaned closer to him. “Is it really that hard to understand?” He just sat there, staring at me, then said, “Mithra.” “What?” He nodded toward the comic book that was sitting on the night stand. “That character there. According to the cover, his name is Mithra. I like it.” I sighed. “I still don’t have reading one hundred percent down, y’know?” “You can’t read?” “I’m getting better, every few words is okay.” I laid back down. “Wait a second.” I turned to look at him again. “You knew I was a dragon but ya didn’t know I couldn’t read?” “Just because I know everything about you doesn’t mean I know everything about you.”

Chapter One - The Dragon I’d been flying for hours, longer than I should have been. I needed to find a place to sleep, or else I’d land somewhere on accident and somebody would find me. Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere… There! A large field, with a small lake. It was at least seven miles away from a town, and didn’t look too important. Hopefully, I could get some sleep there. My eyelids were already trying to forcibly close themselves on me, so I really needed to sleep. That lake would come in handy when I woke up, too. I was always thirsty after sleeping. I made my landing and curled up a good fifty feet from the lake. I tucked my tail underneath me. If I didn’t, it had a habit of twitching while I slept. The sun was just starting to creep over the mountains when I closed my eyes. It couldn’t have been twenty minutes later when I heard something nearby. I opened my eyes and saw a boy in the lake. The boy was too busy washing himself in the lake to notice me, it seemed. I couldn’t exactly blame him. I was lying down, sleeping when he arrived. It must have been the cool splash of water that he made when he decided to dive in that woke me up. I didn’t move, though, I simply laid there, and watched him. The innocence of youth… Not something his kind afforded mine. The boy climbed back out of the lake, ready to jump again. Something moved. Oh, crap… It was my tail. I must have moved in my sleep. Sometimes, my tail has a mind of its own, especially when I’m trying to sleep. My tail hit the ground, shaking the ground and sending the boy face-first into the water. He surfaced a moment later and looked around. He noticed me for the first time, and crawled out of the lake. Would he run? It would be kind of funny if he did, seeing as he was naked. Humans hated being seen naked when they weren’t making babies. The boy walked over to me and realized for the first time just what it was he was looking at. If he’d never seen a dragon before, I could understand his surprise at finding me near a lake in the middle of a field, but this was a common place to find us resting. Maybe he’d just never seen a dragon up close. That was common, too. I’d only ever seen a few humans up close, so the feeling was almost mutual. I flared my nostrils a little, singed the grass near my face. The boy jumped back just a little bit, but his curiosity must have gotten the better of him, because he didn’t run. Instead, he leaned a little closer to me, studied me. I fully opened my eyes, which startled him again, then lifted my head up. My neck was long for my age, something I’m sure my parents would mention, if they were still alive. “You’re being pretty rude,” I said, lowering my head again to look him in the eyes. It didn’t come out the way I expected it to. Clearly, I was still too tired to sound as annoyed as I felt. “I was sleeping.” “I didn’t even see you there, until you opened your eyes.” I chuckled. “Don’t know much about dragons, do you?” “Only what I’ve read in my dad’s journals.” “What’s that?” “Pretty much boils down to dragons are dangerous.” I wasn’t that surprised. It was the reason my kind were hunted, after all. “I look dangerous to you?” “You just burned grass.” “That’s what I do when I snore.” I moved my head closer to him. “Wanna see what happens when I’m tired of humans asking me questions?” “So, are you dangerous?” I shook my head. “Not to you. I don’t wanna make an enemy out of humans.” The boy sat down in front of me. How did such soft skin deal with such hard ground underneath it? I had scales, and the dirt and grass around me still made it feel like I was sitting on a thousand tiny rocks. “You’re not like the dragons my dad told me about.” I laid my head back down. “There aren’t any dragons like the ones your dad has told you about.” Leave. Leave. Leave. “Why are you staying here if you think I’m dangerous?” “You said you’re not.” “It’s what I said, yes, but you’d be an idiot if you just assumed I was telling the truth.” The boy stood up. “I can tell you’re too weak to stand, let alone kill me.” “I know,” I growled, “I was sleeping.” I closed my eyes and pretended to get back to sleep. Hopefully it worked. It didn’t. “Why are you sleeping here? The whole town uses this lake.” That opened my eyes. I stood and looked around. There wasn’t anybody else in sight, thankfully. I knelt down and looked him in the eyes again. “What do you mean the whole town?” “Well, mostly just the kids. We like to swim here.” “Nude?” “I like to skinny dip.” “When will they be here?” “I don’t know, it’s early. Some of my classmates might be here later.” I leaned closer to him. “Do you any place I could go to get some sleep? I’m still exhausted, I was flying for almost an entire day.” He smiled. “I do, actually.” I wasn’t pleased at all with his ‘hiding place’. The boy instructed me to fly to the northeast, then come back south. When I arrived where he told me to go, I discovered a small town by the ocean, an ocean I hadn’t known was nearby. I could have found a nice, peaceful cave to sleep in. In fact, a cave was exactly what I did find. A cave by the ocean, with a tunnel that led to a building, looked like the shed to a house. A few minutes after I got there, the boy walked inside and quickly shut the door, then did the same to a door that covered the tunnel I’d just come through. “You can sleep here,” the boy said, sitting down on a pile of farm equipment. “My dad hasn’t been home in a few months, we haven’t heard from him in awhile. I’m about the only one that uses the shed.” “Why?” “Well…” He sighed. “My dad hunts dragons.” I snorted out a laugh. “I should’ve guessed. So why do you want to help me sleep?” He shrugged. “I’m interested in dragons. Dad hunts you, I’d like to study you.” I curled up on the floor. “We’re not that interesting. We fly, we eat, we sleep, we crap. Other than the flying part, you humans do the same thing.” “That’s not all you do. I couldn’t see you when you were sleeping in the field, and you’re pretty hard to miss.” “That’s something humans don’t know about us. We’re like… How do I put this? We’re like chameleons, in a way. We can camouflage ourselves when we sleep, but only when we sleep.” “Why would dragons need to camouflage themselves?” I closed my eyes. “Because we want to sleep. And speaking of, you’re supposed to be letting me sleep, remember?” “Yeah, sorry. I’ll be back in a little while to open the back door for you. Just don’t make a whole lot of noise, okay?” I yawned. “I’m too tired to… Make…” I couldn’t even finish my sentence before I was out like a light. Why did I smell fire? I opened my eyes and saw the ground near my face was now burning. I quickly blew on it in an attempt to put it out, then stamped on it with my left hand. It hurt, but it didn’t take long to put it out that way. Yet another involuntary thing with me, one that had gotten me caught many times. I wasn’t lying when I’d told the boy that I burned things when I snored. There was a rattling at the door to the tunnel. I lifted my head and watched the door. Did any of the boy’s friends know about the tunnel? Was his father, the dragon hunter, finally coming home? Crap. I couldn’t deal with that. He’d probably killed older, more experienced dragons than me. The door to the tunnel opened, and the boy came in, carrying a fishing pole and two buckets. He quickly shut the door to the tunnel and set one of the buckets down in front of me. “Here, I thought you might be hungry.” I looked in the bucket and saw three fish. Three small, wriggling, very puny fish. “Thanks,” I said. It was, sadly, a bigger meal than I’d had in days. “You got a stick?” I asked. He walked over to the corner and pulled what looked to be a simple metal rod out. “Will this work?” I grabbed it and shoved one of the fish onto the end, pulled it toward the center, then did the same with the other two. “Got one for you?” I asked. He pulled another rod and did the same to his fish as I’d done with mine, except that he only had two fish. I took his from him, and handed him mine. “You’re the one that caught them, you get more.” I coughed up a little fire on each rod and cooked the fish, something I did every time I caught fish. We ate in silence. I ate slowly. I was hungry, but I knew it’d be awhile before I got another meal like this, so I took my time. The boy ate just as slowly, for whatever reason he was doing so. Maybe he didn’t get too many meals, either. No, he was too well built to be underfed. Maybe he just wanted to share a meal with me, I dunno. I set my rod down and laid back down. “Thank you,” I repeated. “I haven’t eaten so much in awhile.” “Why not? You’re… Y’know, huge.” I glared at him. “Thank you for that most helpful comment.” He laughed. “You talk like a girl.” “I’ve been told that.” “Are you… Gay?” I glared at him again. “That’s not a question to ask when we’ve barely known each other a few hours.” “So you are?” “If you’re asking if I’ve been with female dragons, the answer is no. I haven’t been with male dragons, either.” “Oh.” “I don’t know many more of my kind. Most of us are dead.” “I know. I’ve read my dad’s letters and journals.” “Let’s not talk about that.” I stretched a little bit. “What’s your name, anyway?” “Kineas. My parents call me Kenny.” He moved a little, but not a lot. “What’s your name?” I shook my head. “I don’t have a name. My parents were slaughtered before they could name me.” “How old were you?” “Less than an hour.” “Oh, sorry.” “No, it’s okay. You didn’t have any reason to know. You might not have been born by then.” “How long ago was it? I’m eighteen.” “Oh. In that case, you would have been a year old.” “You’re only seventeen? I thought you’d be smaller at that age.” “I am small for my age. I’ve seen a few dragons that are younger than me, but bigger.” “So,” Kenny said, “what kind of name do you want?” “Huh?” “You need a name, after all. What would you want to be called?” I shrugged. “I dunno. I hadn’t put much thought into it.” “How about a simple name?” “How about you name me? You’re the closest thing I can call a friend, so go ahead and find a name for me.” He stood up and reached into a drawer over on the west side of the room, then walked back over to me with a notebook and a pencil. “I’ll make a list, and you pick which one you want, okay?” If I had human skin, I’d be turning what humans called ‘red-faced’. “I don’t know how to read.” “Oh. Yeah, that does make sense. Sorry.” “Not your fault.” “Okay, an easier way to do this… I have a c…” “What?” “I said have again. My cousin died six months ago, he was on the front lines of the war with the Seles Plains tribe.” “Sorry.” “No. I just haven’t been able to accept it yet. Riley was like a brother to me. My dad’s not home a lot, my mom doesn’t really care too much about what I do as long as I’m not getting myself into trouble, and Riley actually paid attention to me, actually talked to me.” I could tell this was painful to him. I’d never known anyone that I had that much of a connection to. I envied him for it, all the while being sorry that his cousin had died. Hell, the person I knew the longest was Kenny. “So, do you mind the name Riley?” he asked. “Are you trying to replace your cousin with me?” He shook his head. “Not really, but it’s not a bad name, right?” “No, it’s fine. If you want to name me Riley, that’s fine.” He smiled. “Cool. Now, if you don’t mind me treating you like a dog, I’ll go get you a collar, okay?” I lifted my head and glared at him. “You’re joking, right?” “Of course I’m joking. Jeez, you act a lot like a girl.” “Sorry.” “It’s okay.” He walked over to the door. “I’m gonna head home for now. My mom is probably wondering why I’m still fishing. I’ll be back later if you’re still here, okay?” “Okay. I’m still a little tired, so I’ll probably stay. Nobody’s gonna bother me, will they?” Kenny shook his head. “Nope. This shed is pretty much ignored, since a lot of people here respect my dad. He’s the only one besides me that uses it.” “Okay. Thanks, Kenny.” He nodded. “Yep. See ya later.” I laid my head back down and closed my eyes. The last thing I heard before I drifted off to sleep was the sounds of children playing in the town  Riley! Riley! C’mon, wake up, we’ve gotta go! Was Kenny actually talking, or was I dreaming? I couldn’t tell right away. I tried to open my eyes, but it was difficult. Why did I feel sleepier than I had earlier? I was struggling to open my eyes, and that had never happened before. What was going on? Wake up, Riley! There it was again, like the sound of a distant train horn, you think you hear it but you’re not quite sure until it happens again. Kenny was calling out to me. Why did he sound like he was so far away? The shed wasn’t that big. I kept trying to open my eyes, but I just couldn’t. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say someone was holding my eyelids shut. “Get away from him!” Things were clearing up. I could actually tell that Kenny was close by. I still couldn’t open my eyes. What the hell? I tried to lift my left arm, but it felt numb. Everything about me felt numb, right now. I tried to push past it, to get up anyway. I managed to make it to my feet, but I was shaking, and I fell back down quickly. “He’s not going to kill anyone!” Kenny shouted. I managed to open my eyes and saw a shape in front of me, standing there with their arms spread out. I imagined that was Kenny, trying to protect me from someone or something. I couldn’t hear or see anyone else, though, why? “Just leave him alone! He’ll leave!” Finally I heard someone else: “Out of our way, Kineas, or else!” Another shape stepped into view, someone taller than Kenny. “What would your father think if he saw you keeping this beast as a pet?” “I’m not a pet,” I said, though my speech was slurred. Had I been drugged? Did the people of this town have something that could drug a dragon? What the hell was I gonna do? I tried to shake it off, to get myself back to at least fifty percent, but it was difficult. “Let me leave, and I won’t hurt any of you…” I was gonna fall down, I was gonna fall down, I was gonna fall down… I could practically feel the floor already. The other shape pushed past Kenny and pointed something at my face. I couldn’t tell what it was, but I didn’t really care, either. This guy wanted to kill me, and I didn’t want to die. I tried to build up some fire in my throat, but I was too weak, whatever they’d used on me was too damned good. “Your kind killed my son, scaleface,” the man said, “don’t think I’ll let you just walk out of here.” He knelt down in front of me and did something that I couldn’t quite see thanks to the glaze over my eyes. “I’m gonna carve ya, stick your head on my mantle and your wings over the empty bed that used to be my son’s. But not until after you’ve felt real pain.” I bared my teeth. “You’d kill me for something I didn’t do? By your own logic, I should kill you for the harm your species has done to mine, softflesh.” I felt something now. There was something in my hand. It was obviously a dagger or a knife, but the drugs were still disorienting me, so it felt more like a spear. I went to pull it out, but the man in front of me twisted it, and it hurt. I screeched, a sound that would normally hurt a human’s ears, but these people were clearly driven to see me dead. It looked like Kenny covered his ears, though. The fire was building in my throat. I reached out for Kenny and pulled him to the ground, then spat as much fire as I could possibly muster at the dark shadow group ahead of me. It was about then that my eyes started to focus, and I swatted away the guy that had stuck his knife in my hand. I pulled the knife out and dug it into the floor beside him. “I told you to let me leave, and you’re gonna do just that, understand?” I turned around and made my way through the tunnel to the ocean. I dipped my hand in the water and let it soothe me. It stung like a bitch. I couldn’t stay there, though, and needed to leave. The only problem being that I could barely keep my focus on anything to fly, I didn’t know how to swim, and if I tried to walk away, I’d likely be hunted down and killed within a couple hours. In no uncertain terms, I was screwed. I heard a noise and turned back toward the cave. It was Kenny, roughed up but otherwise unharmed, and I might have done that to him when I pushed him down. “You probably shouldn’t be here,” I said. My speech was starting to get back to normal. I still sounded somewhat drugged, though. “They’ll probably wanna kill you for harboring me.” He shrugged. “I surprised you don’t wanna kill me.” “You didn’t do anything to me. I don’t see the point in hurting people that don’t deserve it.” I laid down. I knew I didn’t really have the time to, but I needed to. I kept my hand in the water, it was helping. I’d heard stories from what few other dragons I’d met that water had special properties to us. Whether or not that was true, I didn’t really care at the moment. It was at least psychologically helpful. “I know some place you can go, if you can manage to fly,” Kenny said as he sat down beside me. “They won’t come after me?” “I told them not to. Told them my dad wouldn’t harbor a dragon, but if one asked to leave, he’d let it.” “Is that true?” He shrugged. “I dunno. I hope so.” “Me too.” I turned to him. “So, where can I go?” My hand still hurt like a sonuvabitch, but I managed to keep moving. Kenny had led me up a series of short paths to a forest on the outskirts of the town. There wasn’t a lot of space between the trees, but I kept following Kenny to wherever it was he was leading me. I distinctly remembered Kenny saying I’d have to fly somewhere. “I thought you said we’d have to fly.” “I forgot about her summer home, sorry.” “Summer home?” “Yeeeeeaaah, she’s kinda weird.” “Why am I almost afraid of this?” “No, no, she’s cool. She has a lot of fun using potions.” “Potions? She’s a magic user?” He shrugged. “I dunno, I’ve never seen her use any actual magic, just potions.” “And you’re sure she’s safe?” He smiled. “C’mon, Riley, it’ll be fine.” “I still don’t even know what’s going to happen here, y’know.” We continued through the forest, where I knocked down more trees that I was too big to fit between. Finally, we found ourselves at the doorstep of a small cottage that looked like it would barely fit Kenny, let alone anybody else. Kenny knocked on the door, and the whole time we waited, I looked around the forest, hoping not to find some of Kenny’s neighbors following us. My hand was still sore, and since running required I be on all fours, that made running away from anyone practically impossible. This forest was so dense, I’d never be able to fly out. The door to the cottage opened and a thirty-something woman appeared in the doorway. “Kineas, Kineas, Kineas… What have you done this time?” Kenny was pretty obviously flustered seeing this woman. I had to admit, for a human, she wasn’t all that bad to look at. “Can we come in, Sharena?” Kenny jerked a thumb at me. “He needs a place to hide for the night while his hand heals up.” The woman - Sharena - moved out of the way. “Please, I’ve always enjoyed entertaining the company of dragons.” Kenny walked in first, then I poked my head inside. On the outside, the place barely looked big enough to be an outhouse, but on the inside, it was more than twice the size of Kenny’s shed. “What’s going on here?” Sharena smiled. “Trade secrets, sweetheart. Just come on in, okay? I promise you’ll fit through the door.” I sighed. I don’t know why she thought I’d fit, because I was clearly bigger than the door. I moved a little bit of me in, and then I was suddenly in the middle of the room and Sharena was closing the door behind me. She walked over to what looked like a small drink bar and poured a drink into a glass. “So, Kineas, what can I do for you today?” she asked. “How’d you do that?” I asked, interrupting Kenny from answering her question. “A simple spell, even Kineas could do it, if he just tried.” “So you are a magic user?” She took a drink of whatever she had in the glass. “Everyone on this planet is a magic user, even dragons like yourself, it’s just that only a few people have the ability to cultivate enough mana to use the bigger spells.” She walked over to me and held her hand against my forehead. “You’ve got quite a bit of mana in you, Riley.” “Sharena,” Kenny said, walking up to us, “wait a sec, how did you know Riley’s name?” She was still smiling. “I can read your friend’s life through his mana, I can see his pain, his fear, his fury, his sorrow and his joy. You’ve had a relatively difficult life, Riley, even for a dragon. You were only hours old when your mother died, is that correct?” I nodded. “It was eight years before you met another of your kind, and the one you met was the white dragon.” I nodded again. “The white dragon?” Kenny asked. “Your father doesn’t speak of him in his journals, Kineas, something I asked him to do. There’s only so much a young boy can learn about dragons before he starts to hate them, all because of the white dragon’s actions.” “Every dragon knows who the white dragon is,” I said, “he’s a monster, born from pure hate.” Sharena continued: “If the white dragon wasn’t around, humans and dragons would be able to live in harmony. He was the first of your kind to draw human blood, correct?” “Only after he decided to kill my parents.” I took a deep breath. I was getting too angry. “How’d you meet him?” Kenny asked. “I was bathing in a lake near a small town. I don’t remember the town’s name anymore, and the town’s not there anymore. He tore it to shreds, burned it so far into the ground that the grass can’t even grow anymore.” I looked over at Kenny, who looked horrified. Sharena was right, thanks to this very story about the white dragon, he’ll probably start to hate us. Hopefully not me, though. “I don’t know how many people survived, maybe just me, a boy my age and his sister, and the white dragon.” Sharena nodded. “I remember that day. I was there. So was Kineas’s father. We were hunting the white dragon, and we just barely managed to make it out of there alive.” She walked back over to her drink bar. “I don’t have anything to outright heal your hand, there’ll always be a scar, but I can make it look and feel years old.” She took two bottles from under the bar. “And I have something else for you, as well.” “What?” I asked. “Obviously, you’re going to stir up quite a bit of racket anywhere you go by virtue of just being a dragon. If you drink this,” she held up a bottle of orange liquid, “you’ll be hidden. By all accounts, you’ll be a normal teenage human. You’ll be able to move freely.” “For how long?” “As long as you choose. Should you decide to acquaint yourself with the finer points of potion making, you could make yourself a reversal potion quite easily within a week with simple things from your local pharmacy. Just, for the love of all things sacred, don’t forget the drain cleaner, it’s one of the most important things, and too many would-be potion makers decide to skip it, it causes their basements to explode.” That was just… Yeah, I was confused. “Is this gonna hurt?” I asked. “You’ll fall asleep within seconds, and when you wake up, you’ll be a new human.” “And the other one?” She held up the bottle with light blue liquid. “This is the one that will heal your hand. I suggest you take it first, since it’ll take effect immediately.” I took the bottle from her hand and gulped it down instantly. It tasted funny, but I didn’t feel anything. “Nothing’s happen - “ I was cut off by a sharp pain in my hand. It hurt about as much as the knife blade, and it was concentrated right on that spot. I screamed, loudly, and nearly fell onto my side. It was sheer pain, and it wasn’t stopping. And then it did. It didn’t hurt anymore, and it really did look and feel as though I’d gotten the wound years ago. “You didn’t say it’d hurt,” I said, wiping away the pain sweat I’d worked up. “Sorry, sweetie. You’ve got a pretty low pain threshold for a dragon, Riley.” “I’ve noticed.” I wiped more sweat from my brow and then looked at the orange potion she had in the second bottle. “I’ll be indistinguishable from any other human?” “No one will be able to tell the difference.” “Not even if I step on a scale? I weigh a lot, y’know.” She smiled again. “This is magic, sweetheart, it can do much more than people think. You step on a scale, you’ll weigh no more than the average teenage human.” I took a deep breath. “So, what am I gonna look like?” “We’ll have to wait and see.” “This scares me, y’know.” “You’re one step closer to human already, Riley, just take the next one.” I took another deep breath. Take the plunge, take the plunge, take the plunge… I took the bottle with the orange potion and poured it into my mouth. After one quick gulp, I set the bottle down on the table beside me, and then I was on the floor with my eyes glazed over, and I was out like a light.

Chapter Thirteen - Bright Lights, Big City Peresten was bustling when we finally arrived there. I’d never been in a big city before. I’d been around them, seen them from the air, but this was my first time seeing all the buildings from a position significantly lower than a cloud. I stared in awe at some of them, wondering how they’d been built. There were hundreds of people around us, from adults to children to everything in between. I couldn’t believe how many people could fit inside a city. I had to keep from bumping into so many of them, the city was so packed. It made me curious if every big city was this crowded. If so, then hiding in places like this actually wouldn’t be hard. “C’mon,” Kenny said. I had a brief second where I didn’t recognize him, but it didn’t last long. He’d shaved his head and pasted on a fake beard that Irvine had given him for, apparently, just such an occasion. What that meant was a mystery to me, but whatever. I just took it relatively in stride. I’d done almost the same thing, I guess. I’d cut my hair short, almost boylike. I slipped gloves on over my hands to cover up my scar, but the gloves didn’t have fingers and they ended halfway up my arms. I wasn’t sure it would be enough of a difference to fool anybody, but it was all I had. I carried my bag slung over one shoulder as Kenny and pushed our way past the throng of people. He said he knew where we were going, but it seemed like we needed to stop and pick a new direction every few minutes. I didn’t honestly know if this was his plan or just if he was lost. Maybe he was doing this to make us harder to track, though with this many people, I didn’t think it would be that easy to find us. I heard something overhead. I looked up and nearly pissed myself as a dragon with some kind of harness on flew over us, to the stunned silence of exactly nobody. Kenny didn’t even stop to marvel at it, and I would have assumed his natural dragon curiosity would have kicked in despite the situation. I was actually very surprised. “What the hell?” I asked. “What?” “Did you see that?” “See what?” “That dragon that just flew over us.” He gave me a puzzled look for a second, then seemed to realize what I what I was talking about. “Oh, yeah. Those dragons.” He shook his head. “I didn’t, no. I’ll tell you later.” “Um, why not now?” He squeezed my hand. “I’ve got reasons.” I didn’t know if I even wanted to know what those reasons were. It sounded frightening, whatever it was. Maybe I didn’t want to know. I continued to follow him past a crowd of people who were all kneeling in front of a large building with four pointed tower structures surrounding it. I couldn’t see any doors or windows to the building or the towers, and the whole thing looked to be made of some kind of black metal. Whatever the hell it was, those people almost seemed to be praying to it. I considered asking Kenny, but decided against it. I just locked it away to ask later. Eventually, we made our way into an alley behind a large brick building that looked to be at least fifty to a hundred years old. Kenny pulled me around to a door that didn’t look like anything special, just a bland red door, with a closed slot at eye level for someone over six feet tall. A single light bulb illuminated the area, though it was unnecessary, since the sun was directly overhead. Kenny knocked on the door and then waited. I would have asked him why, but instead just waited alongside him. Finally, the slot slid open and a pair of yellow snake-like eyes stared out at us. “Who’ssss assssking?” a voice slurred. “It’s Kenny, Corbran, I need to see your boss.” “Kenny. Nicsssssse haircut.” Kenny rolled his eyes. “Open up, man, c’mon.” “Who’sssssssss the girl?” “My sister.” I saw the yellow eyes widen, and then return to being those creepy, reptilian slits. “You didn’t have a ssssssssssisssssssster the lassssssst time you were here.” “Not important, I need to see your boss.” “The bosssssssss will decssssssssssside what’sssssssssss important. I’ll go sssssssssee if he wantssssssss to ssssssssssee you.” The slot slid shut and then the only sounds were those of the people in the city milling about. I wanted to ask Kenny a thousand questions - What’s going on here? and Who are these people? chief among them - but I held my tongue and waited for the answers to come, just as he waited for word that we could see ‘the boss’, whoever the hell that was. At around… I don’t honestly know how long after the reptile person left to get their boss that somebody came back to the door. The door swung outward, and there stood a man who had to be almost twice the size of Captain Bertrand. How this guy supported his muscles was beyond me. He was dressed in a pair of tan trousers, a sleeveless shirt and a short brimmed hat. His face was clean shaven, save for a large and bushy mustache that curled downward at the edges. “Come,” was all he said, in a voice so very deep. I followed behind Kenny who followed behind the huge guy. We were led through the cramped hallways of the building, into different rooms, down different hallways, and then finally into a room that looked very much like the lobby at Irvine’s hotel back home. Home. I was there for a week, and already it was home to me. I felt a tear stream down my cheek, so I reached up and wiped it away. Kenny sat down on one of the couches in the room. I was very transfixed on a vase in the corner that was about as tall as I was, and probably large enough that I could fit inside it. But its size was not the important thing to me; that would be the images painted on it. Obviously, there were dragons, but alongside them were creatures of the sort whose form Mithra took, as well as other beings that I could barely comprehend. The whole picture depicted some sort of battle, or maybe the aftermath of one, I couldn’t really tell. What surprised me most about it was the size of the creatures like Mithra. Mithra was small, even for a cat, but these creatures were at least the size of horses, and some of them were almost dragon sized. Whatever their species was, I wonder what caused their extinction. And then I wondered what happened to Mithra. Hopefully, he was still alive, and made it away from all those Escorts. I needed my conduit, after all. Plus, death was just not something I liked. Except for food. I preferred my food dead. My ponderance on the facets of dead food was interrupted by that reptile guy entering the room. I saw now that he was a snake-like creature, though he did have arms. Four arms, actually, each with two fingers and a thumb. He had no legs, and his head was almost gravity-defyingly large. He wore a shirt with palm trees printed on it, which he left unbuttoned. “The bossssssss wantsssssss to know why he ssssssssssshould ssssssssssee you, Kineassssssssss.” Kenny didn’t stand. “I have my reasons.” The snake guy reached behind his back and pulled a dagger from somewhere. “No bullssssssssssshit, Kineassssss. You know the bossssssssssss doesssssssssn’t take walk-insssssssss.” I stepped between Kenny and the snake guy, for some reason. I didn’t have any weapons and didn’t know any spells, so I was kinda winging it. Regardless, I said, “Put the knife away, now!” Snake Guy laughed; a disgusting thing that I never wanted to hear again. “Look at the sssssssssssisssssssssster here. Ssssssssssssspunky. The bosssssssssssss likessssssssss sssssssssspunk.” A new voice entered the conversation: “Settle down, Corbran.” The man who the voice belonged to looked to be about Irvine’s age, with shoulder length graying hair and a closely trimmed beard. He was dressed in a way that almost looked regal, with a blue and gold robe that extended to the floor, and a matching pair of slippers. He even carried himself as if he were a king, with his arms folded behind his back and his eyes never truly meeting anyone else’s. Then I realized it was because he was blind. I learned this because he bumped into a table and quickly readjusted himself. He was clearly confident on his feet, but still made some mistakes. That beefy guy who opened the door quickly came to the man’s aid, likely to make sure his boss was okay. The guy cleared his throat. “As I was saying, there’s no need for conflict here.” He ‘looked’ at Kenny. “Kineas, so good to see you again.” I actually flinched when he said that. It was almost like he was making a joke of his own disability. “What brings you to my humble sanctuary?” Kenny finally stood up. “Riley and I need fake papers.” He turned his head toward me. “I take it this young lady is Riley?” At first I nodded, but then I remembered he couldn’t see that, so I answered, “Yes, sir.” He smirked. “No need for such formalities, my dear.” He returned his dead-eyed gaze to Kenny. “You’re on the run from someone. Someone with influence.” Kenny nodded. “Yeah, Imperial Escort named Bertrand Sanstone, one of my dad’s old friends.” The boss sat down on the couch opposite the one Kenny had been sitting on, crossing his legs. “I know him. He’s been a bane to my organization for many years now.” He turned to me again. “And why is the Empire’s premiere dragon killer hunting you?” Kenny answered, “That’s - ” The boss cut him off. “I was talking to Miss Riley.” I gulped. “He’s…” I looked at Kenny, who just shrugged. “If you think I’m not aware of your father’s dragon hiding business, you’re wrong. Are you a dragon, Riley?” Kenny shrugged again, then nodded. “Yeah, I’m a dragon,” I answered. The boss smirked again. “I knew as soon as you arrived. Just as I knew that the two of you would be coming here. The papers you requested were drawn up before you even set foot in Peresten.” Kenny looked slack-jawed. “You’re kidding…” The boss shook his head. “I don’t kid, Kineas. One doesn’t get where I am unless he can anticipate desires before the one who requests it even knows what they’re after.” He snapped his fingers and the beefy guy disappeared down the hallway. “Orrus is getting them for you now, but I suggest you rest here for the night. The Empire’s scouts were no doubt on your trail in spite of how cleverly,” there was a bit of a mocking hesitation there, “you’ve disguised yourselves.” “You mean we did this for nothing because they still know who we are?” I asked. “Of course not,” the boss answered, “and I’ve already taken the steps necessary to help the trail grow colder. Various people in my employ, all matching both your pre- and post-disguise descriptions, have been sent out. Rumors have been spread and false information disseminated to the point where you could be as far east as the Imperial Capital or as far west as the Plains Tribe.” My next question was, “Wouldn’t they be surprised we’d traveled so far so fast?” “Of course not. The Empire’s agents aren’t particularly concerned with how you are somewhere, only that you’re there, and that will get them on the trail.” “Is that how you hide in such a populated city?” His smirk was a full-on grin now. “I don’t hide, Miss Riley. The Empire knows who I am, where I am and what I do, but none of it can be traced back to me.” He spread his arms across the back of the couch. “And because they can’t pin me with anything real, they don’t try. They assume I’ll slip at some point, never knowing that I’m always five steps ahead.” “That’s why we’re safe here?” Kenny asked. “Exactly,” the boss answered, “the Empire will never look for you in the one place they know you’d never go, right under their nose.” He turned to Snake Guy. “Have their rooms set up, put them next to Gwen’s. Make sure they get some food at dinnertime.” Snake Guy bowed. “Of coursssssssssssssse, Bosssssssssssssssss.” He turned back to us. “I hope you’ll enjoy dinner. Sea bass, I think we’re having tonight. I spare no expense when I entertain guests.” The rooms we were put in was actually one room with a half wall between two beds, with windows that looked out on the alley where we’d come into the building. The rooms were quite nicely furnished, too. The beds were fit for royalty, there were a pair of bookcases on either side with so many different kinds of books that I’d actually be in heaven if I could read better, and elaborate chandeliers hung from the ceiling. If only the walls weren’t purple, I’d almost want to stay if at all possible. Kenny laid down on one of the beds, and I sat down on the other. Something about this whole situation seemed… weird. It almost seemed too easy, as well. The boss,whatever the hell his name was, just kinda handed us everything we needed. Something bad was gonna happen, I was sure. “Do you trust these guys?” I asked. I sat down on the half wall. He nodded. “I do. They’ve helped me out before.” “But, what about all the stuff they already knew about us? And now they know I’m a dragon, which means they could sell us out to the Empire.” He sat up. “The boss has helped me escape the Empire before, he’d never sell me out to them.” “What happened?” “I’ll tell you some other time, because it’s not important. What is important is that he’d never sell us out.” He laid back again. “And he’s got a cute daughter, if you’re into girls.” I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I don’t know what I’m into.” “You’ll figure it out.” “What about you? I bet you’d like to sneak over to her room right now, right?” He chuckled. “Uh, no. I’m, um…” He cleared his throat. “Girls aren’t really my thing, if you catch my drift.” I felt my eyes widen. “No way, really?” He blushed. “Yeah, I’m gay.” He shook his head and put on a more serious face. “But that’s not really important. Least of all to you. You should be worried about what you’re attracted to. Especially since we’re on the run.” I laid flat on my back and stared at the ceiling. “Yeah, maybe.” I hadn’t really put any thought into it. Would my sexual preferences be different now? What even were they in the first place? I’d been traveling so much trying to avoid dying that I’d never really stopped to consider any sort of romantic relationship with any being. Maybe I didn’t actually have a preference. I sighed and decided it wasn’t time to care about that sort of thing. Instead, I needed to worry about what was going to happen to us in the near future, about how we would get to Sandhog Ridge without being caught, and about what would happen when we eventually got to Sandhog Ridge. Would Irvine and Sharena even be there? They hadn’t sent us any word via those magic letters since we escaped Endawa, so for all I knew, they’d been captured, though I assumed their captors would try and contact us pretending to be them. I sighed again. I had too much to worry about. I needed to deal with one thing at a time, and Sandhog Ridge was still a while away. The first priority was… something. Something I wasn’t sure of yet. But when the time came, I’d be ready for it. I hoped. On the subject of the time being ready, I asked, “You gonna tell me about that dragon from before?” Kenny grunted something that sounded like Huh? then said, “Oh, yeah.” He sat up, and I could just barely see him over the half wall. “That dragon… it wasn’t alive anymore, in a manner of speaking.” I raised an eyebrow. “What?” “It was captured by dragon hunters and a magic user cast a spell that… destroyed its mind. It’s essentially brain dead, and the Empire uses brain dead dragons kinda as airships.” I didn’t understand how that worked. Airships were kept aloft with magic, at least that’s what Sharena’s magic lessons taught me. Dragons didn’t need magic to stay in the air, so why would Kenny compare the two? Then he answered my silent question. “The Empire uses them as slaves for a means of transport between nations.” Dragons as glorified air carriages? Just so that the Empire could get rich off of travelers? Jesus Christ, the idea of that was disgusting, and I’d think that even if I hadn’t been born a dragon. How the hell did these people sleep at night?! I couldn’t think of that for now. I needed some sleep, in fact, and thinking about dragons being used as mindless transport slaves would keep me awake all night and likely send me into a bloodthirsty rage. Hopefully I could sleep. The evening eventually passed with little other than some snoring from Kenny. I merely rolled over and blocked it out, which wasn’t difficult. After that, we were awoken by one of the boss’s goons. Some clothes were laid out for the both of us, which almost unnerved me, until I remembered that the boss apparently knew every damn thing, which obviously must have included what size clothes we wore. Kenny’s outfit was a simple pair of tan pants, a white shirt, a black vest and boots, and a bandolier that he wore from his right shoulder to his left hip. My clothes were… a little on the revealing side. A black skirt that made my school skirt look conservative and a light brown backless top that showed off a bit too much cleavage. Thankfully, the shoes were flat and the top covered all the way down to my hands, so my scar was covered up completely. “I feel like a freak,” I said. Kenny adjusted his bandolier. “He’s got us dressed like this on purpose.” “Whaddya mean?” “He doesn’t hand people clothes on accident. There’s a reason for this.” “So, we’re about to do something we don’t particularly want to, aren’t we?” “Basically.” The boss’s voice entered the conversation. “You’re smart kids,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “There is something I need you to take care of for me.” He walked into the room and sat down on the bed I’d slept in. “There’s a very influential event happening tonight, and I need representatives.” “A pair of teenagers?” I asked. “You won’t be the only two. You’ll be partnered with a couple of my best associates, and they’ll do most of the work.” He ‘looked’ at Kenny. “Kineas, you’ll go with Gwen, and she’ll meet with Miss Riley at the appropriate time.” My turn. “Riley, you’ll be partnered with Kallun, and he’ll then take Kineas for the final meeting.” “Why are we going with the opposite partners?” Kenny asked. “I have my reasons, ones you’ll come to understand soon.” He cracked his knuckles. “You’ll be doing little other than mingling, and providing a bit of security. Kallun and Gwen will be doing the negotiation work.” Kenny folded his arms across his chest. “Lemme guess, we do this and you’ll give us anything we need?” The boss smiled. “Of course. Anything within reason.” “You’re blackmailing us,” I said. His smile widened. “Perish the thought, Miss Riley. I was going to help you and Kineas regardless. This merely… sweetens the pot, so to speak.” Kenny didn’t look pleased at all. “Fine. What exactly are we doing and where?” The “event” that the boss was talking about was a school dance. There were other teenagers, very few adults, and the occasional little brother or sister that was forced to tag along for whatever reason. I couldn’t count the number of us all crowded into one place, but it was easily a larger number than the whole of the school back in Endawa. There wasn’t even a whole lot of room between people. Kallun held out his hand, likely expecting me to take it. I wasn’t exactly used to this sort of thing, so I just did as I felt was right. Kallun was a nice guy, almost too often apologizing for what he thought were untoward advances. He was about as tall as Kenny, handsome in a rugged way. Puberty must have hit him really early, because he had five o’clock shadow that almost looked sprayed on. He was dressed in a short sleeved black tunic and white trousers, almost like he was trying to stand out, rather than blend in. I hadn’t gotten a look at Gwen, whoever she was, nor had I even seen Kenny since we left the boss’s hideout. He had to wait for Gwen elsewhere, while Kallun and I were ready to go immediately. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary since we arrived, so what the boss was worried about, I had no idea. “How much longer until you guys meet whoever it is you’re meeting with?” I asked. I made sure to speak quiet enough that most everybody else couldn’t hear me. Difficult, but not impossible. “We’ve gotta meet with Gwen and Ke -- you’re brother, first.” “His name is Kenny, y’know.” He laughed, nervously. “Yeah, I do know that. I’m just… Yeah, let’s just find a good spot and wait.” I giggled. He was anxious around this whole thing, I could tell. Maybe it was his first job. Hell, it was mine, and I felt absurdly anxious. Of course, that was because of many, many factors. The “good spot” was close to the punch bowl, which was exactly where Kenny had told me most people would be hanging out during a big school party. Why Kallun thought that was the best spot, I didn’t know or care, I just wanted this to be over with. “So, how long have you known Kenny?” Kallun asked, randomly. He’d been getting some punch, I hadn’t noticed him leaving the bowl yet. “A couple weeks,” I said, as I took the cup he was holding out for me. “He saved me from being killed by a bunch of assholes.” “He’s good like that,” he said, with a hint of… something in his voice. Was it appreciation or was it something more? It was a strange sound or tone to his words. I just nodded. “Yeah. So, what’s it like, anyway? Being a teenage gangster?” He laughed. “I’m really not. My dad is, and the boss needed a teenager to do this. You, Kenny, the boss’s daughter… I’m not doing much, really. Most of everything was settled ahead of time.” “So what are we doing, then?” “Sealing the deal,” answered a new voice, a female voice. I spotted Kenny first, then the girl he was walking with, who could only be Gwen. She was dressed in a way that I could only describe as slutty, with a low cut, strapless dress that only really covered from just above her nipples to about mid-thigh, leggings that were only just darker than her skin tone and a pair of shoes that made her six inches taller. Her hair was styled in ring-like curls down to her mid back and her makeup was quite heavily laid on. “You must be Riley,” she said. “And you’re Gwen?” She smiled. “Don’t let the look fool you. I hate dresses and makeup makes me feel disgusting. This ugly styling is only sticking around long enough to finish up my dad’s business dealings. After that, it’s back to pants and sweaters.” I chuckled. “Is that why you’re kinda overselling it?” She patted me on the shoulder. “Trust me, when it’s necessary, flaunting is the only way to go. I just hate that it’s almost always necessary.” I had to admit, two minutes into meeting her, I kinda liked Gwen. She was friendly, personable, and seemed to know I felt uncomfortable in the clothes I was being ordered to wear. If we’d met elsewhere, I wondered if we’d actually be able to strike up any kind of friendship. I also couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something familiar about her. I couldn’t tell what it was, but hopefully it wouldn’t nag at me during this “business dealing”. Kenny put his arm around Kallun’s shoulder. “So, now that we’re all together and ready to get this crap started, what do we do?” Gwen pointed to a door off to one side. “You two will meet a man in that room there, he’ll identify himself as Harpoon, from what Dad told me.” “Harpoon?” “Dad says these small time, big ego guys love their silly code names.” She looked at me. “Same with ours, she’ll go by Chalice.” “Where are we going?” I asked. She pointed to another door, same side of the room. “There.” She cracked her knuckles. “Now let’s get on with this.” I just nodded. I followed Gwen into the room, which turned out to be a locker room. I could only imagine the room Kallun and Kenny were using for their meeting was also a locker room. The room was almost completely covered in shadow, except for one small portion of it, which was lit up so bright it was almost blinding. Gwen led the way into the room and sat down on a bench in front of some lockers. She crossed one leg over the other and waited in some way that slightly resembled patiently, but also looked incredibly bored. I merely stood beside her and tried to be patient. Finally, a pair of older women walked into the room, followed by one about Irvine and Sharena’s age. She carried a satchel. They weren’t dressed in any kind of formal attire that I recognized, though I’d only actually been wearing clothes for two weeks, so my knowledge was limited. Then I noticed the pointy ears. I had to stifle a gasp, as I was seeing something very few really did, and fewer still lived to tell about it. Elves. These women were elves. The oldest one spoke. “Good evening Gwyneth, it’s been some time. How’s your father?” Her accent was just barely noticeable, but it was there. Wait, Gwyneth? That was Blodwyn’s mom’s name. That was a weird coincidence. “He’s fine, at least when he’s not drunk. Sometimes he doesn’t realize what he’s doing until he’s finished.” Whatever the hell that meant sent a shiver through me. The woman looked at me. “And you’ve brought a mage, I see. Insurance?” How the hell did she know that? I didn’t advertise myself or anything, so how could anyone know that? Oh, duh, elves. Me stupid. Gwen smirked. “Oh, Riley’s less an insurance policy and more a bodyguard.” “And how talented is she at magicks?” Her eyes never left me. Gwen didn’t answer, so I took my cue. “I know a few spells,” I lied. The woman nodded. “Well, I’m sure.” She Sat down on a bench across the lit part of the room from Gwen. “Spells are aren’t my game, girl. I’m a purveyor of potions, and the recipes for said potions.” She opened her satchel. “And I believe it’s these recipes your father is paying for; correct, Gwyneth?” Gwen nodded. “You’re right.” She then leaned forward. “Now, quit the foreplay and let’s get to the main event.” The elf woman smiled again, and for some reason, it unsettled me.

Chapter Seventeen - Neela The hatch we entered through led right to the cargo hold. It wasn’t a large hold, no larger than the average classroom back at school, but it was full. Boxes, bags, metal containers of some sort. Kenny, Kallun and I had trouble getting around in there, but we thankfully made it about all of a second or two of travel. I felt like a sardine in that room. Outside the cargo hold was a small corridor, pretty much just a “here to there” type of room that led to a staircase going up. Kallun went ahead, then waved us forward. That camouflage thing was coming in handy, honestly. I wondered how Bryn could let him go so easily to help us, but he probably knew that Kallun had a crush on Kenny and wanted them to spend some time together. I wondered if he did the same for Gwen. The next corridor was a longer one, and it looked like it extended the length of the ship. There were closed hatches and open hatchways the whole way from where we came out to the end of it, but there was no activity. Once more, Kallun scoped out the immediate area and then motioned for us to follow him into a room just a few doors away from where we’d been. After we were inside, I shut the door behind us and locked it. The room we holed up in was nothing special, barely a sleeping quarters, but the furnishings were there. I sat down on the floor, against the wall. Kenny and Kallun both sat in front of me, looks of readiness and confusion on their faces. Kallun was the first to ask, “Now what?” I leaned forward, trying to keep my voice down. “That thing with all the feathers and the cat head that attacked those Escorts, that was my conduit, Mithra.” “That thing was a conduit? You’re a mage?” “Did nobody tell you that earlier?” “Not that I remember.” “Yeah, I’m a mage, and Mithra’s my conduit, and the Empire captured him before we escaped Endawa.” Kenny asked, “Why would they bring him here?” He pulled a map from his bag. “We’re here,” he pointed to the clearing we’d found the airship, “the capital’s here,” he pointed to the large golden tower drawn on the map, “and home is here,” he pointed to Endawa. If one were to trace a straight line from the capital to where the airship had landed, they’d find Endawa in the middle. “Maybe the airship was coming from the capital to here and they stopped at Endawa on the way?” Kallun suggested. Kenny shook his head. “That would mean they somehow kept Mithra hostage in town for days before they got here. There weren’t any airships anywhere near town when we left.” I asked, “Does it really matter?” He nodded. “Yeah, it does. Riley, this could be a trap. How do we know Bertrand didn’t expect us to come this way? The boss said they knew roughly what direction we were going.” He wasn’t wrong. I didn’t want to believe it, but he really wasn’t wrong. “Then we take this carefully,” I said, “we go slowly, we keep an eye out.” Kallun nodded. “I’ll take point. I can scout ahead without anybody seeing me.” “And we’ll make sure none of the guards see us. C’mon, it’ll be just like that book you read in class about the guy in the tuxedo who sneaks around and fights bad guys with cats.” Kenny looked like he wanted to throw himself off the airship. “Riley, look, I know you’re not used to this kind of thing what with having been a dragon for the first seventeen years of your life, but this is not a book! We’re not fighting bad guys with cats, we’re fighting actual bad guys with swords and spears!” I grabbed him by the shoulder. “We’ll be fine. We have each other.” I reached around him and pulled out the sword Irvine had given us. “And you have this.” He blinked twice. “This is a game to you, isn’t it? This is no different to dodgeball at school for you.” I shrugged. “Well, except that the dodgeballs are swords that could kill me and we’re trying to stay out of everybody’s way and not just avoid the balls. No, actually, this is nothing like dodgeball and it’s not a game, but I need to rescue my conduit, okay?” Kallun turned to Kenny. “I’m with your sister on this one.” Kenny sighed. “Dad and Sharena are waiting for us in Sandhog Ridge and we’re in a goddamn airship on its way to the capital saving a cat.” Kallun’s skin changed to mimic the room around him, which looked weird, but I was a dragon in a human suit, so I really couldn’t say anything. “Hey,” he said, “it’ll be fun.” “None of this is fun.” I said, “Nope, but we’re here now.” Kallun went ahead of us, checking every room. Kenny and I waited until he came back to get us before we left, and even then we took each step like we were about to be found oud. Whatever this corridor was, it didn’t seem to be used by anyone. None of the rooms were occupied, and no one ever showed up as we made our way quietly to the next staircase at the opposite end from the first one. This, finally, was where signs of life actually seemed to be. Once we got halfway up the stairs, Kallun stopped us and I could see why. There was closed hatch there, but the hatch had a small round porthole so that anyone could look in or out. On the other side of the hatch from us was a guard, without a helmet, his back turned. The odds were good he’d hear us if we moved any further up the stairs, or he could turn and see us as we passed by heading up to the next level above him. Kallun camouflaged himself again and moved up to the hatch. He lightly tapped on the door, which caused the guard to turn around. Kenny and I were just out of sight of him, hiding on the half level underneath him. Kallun ducked just out of the way as the guard opened the hatch and walked into the stairway. Getting a good look at the man, he didn’t seem to be that old. From what little I knew about the Imperial Army, people couldn’t enter service until they were eighteen, and they weren’t even out of basic training for a good year. This guy didn’t look like he was much older than me or Kenny, almost like he’d been pulled out of school, given armor and told to stand in front of a doorway. I almost wondered if that was exactly what happened. “Guard,” a female voice said. I risked a peek just as the guard turned around and saw Lady Cecilia standing there, another man I could barely see behind her. “What are you doing?” she asked. He snapped to attention. “Lady Cecilia, I… I heard a noise.” Neither of them moved, so I assumed Cecilia was staring him down. Eventually, she said, “Move out of our way, shut the door behind us and return to your post.” He nodded. “Yes, Lady Cecilia.” Once she and the guy behind her were inside the stairway, the guy laughed. “Wow, Lady Cecilia, you nearly petrified the poor kid.” “Rawley, I swear to god if you don’t start taking this seriously, I’ll throw you overboard.” Kenny whispered to Kallun, “Who are they?” Kallun answered, “Dragonslayers Guild. I don’t know the woman, but the guy is Lieutenant Rawley, one of the best.” Up the stairs, I heard Rawley saying, “You make me such promises, Lady Cecilia.” “I’m serious,” she replied, “and stop acting like I’m going to take you back.” I’m not gonna lie, the idea that these two people, specifically the one that damn near annihilated my conduit in one on one combat, having a relationship was more than a little weird. I mean, they were people, so them having those kinds of feelings wasn’t impossible, it just felt like it was. “Let’s follow them,” Kallun whispered. “What? Why?” Kenny asked. “He’s right,” I said, “she seems to be in charge, maybe they could lead us to Mithra.” “What makes you think they’ll lead us anywhere near him?” “It’s a feeling.” He shook his head. “This is not the right time for feminine intuition.” “Do you have a better idea?” He sighed. “You have a point, but maybe we should split up instead.” “What?” Kallun asked. Kenny turned to him. “Those women they picked up, they were slaves. We shouldn’t just make this about Mithra, we should get them too.” I knew he was right about that. Rescuing them was the right thing to do, alongside rescuing Mithra. I wasn’t sure how we’d separate the group, though. “Three of us, two objectives… who goes where?” I asked. “Kallun can get the slaves,” he said as he put his hand on Kallun’s shoulder. “He can get in, get out. The slaves can then provide us a little distraction, because the Escorts will do their best to get them back under control, that’ll give us all the opportunity we need to find Mithra.” “You wanna use them as bait?” Kallun asked. Kenny shook his head. “Not bait, a distraction. We’ll make sure they all make it and make it home, but with them on the loose, the Escorts will be too busy to keep guard on anything else.” I didn’t know how I felt about that. Just rescuing them sounded like the best thing in the world, but using them to get Mithra didn’t seem right. “Are you sure?” I asked. He turned back to me. “We’ve gotta do something. Mithra will be under heavy guard, and we only have a few weapons.” He pointed to my confiscated axe. “Not to mention you’re not really a master at that thing.” I held it up. “It’s an axe, you swing it.” He gently pushed it down. “Still, we need to be damned careful, and a distraction will help us.” He turned back to Kallun. “Can you do it?” Kallun shrugged. “I can search for where they are. But they’ll sure to be under guard, too.” Kenny reached into his bag and pulled out a small dagger. “Take this, use it on the guards.” “Are you saying I just kill them?” “No, nonononono, I’m saying… just… like...“ Kallun smiled. “I’m joking, babe, I know how to take people out of commission without killing them. The boss doesn’t rely on me for this kind of thing just because I’m a chameleon.” “Did you just call me babe?” That question was answered when Kallun reached over and planted a light kiss on Kenny’s lips. I think I felt my face turn the brightest shade of red. After that, he camouflaged himself and made his way up the stairs quietly to the next level. Kenny looked at me with absolute surprise on his face. I just shrugged and said, “What? I told you he was into you.” Kenny and I carefully stayed behind Cecilia and Rawley, but luckily we didn’t seem to be headed for the heavily populated part of the airship. I saw a couple guards, but Kenny kept an eye on them and we didn’t run into anyone. I honestly didn’t understand why there weren’t more soldiers on board. Kallun had said this was the Dragonslayers Guild, did that mean they didn’t need a full complement of soldiers? Either way, I wanted to get in, get Mithra, and take these guys down a peg. Maybe if a dragon slew them, they’d learn that we weren’t just something to hunt and kill. Granted, I was a human at the moment, but still. I wanted to kick their asses, plain and simple. As we made our way through the ship behind the two will-they-won’t-they knights, I felt something… odd. Something was there, something was talking to me. I didn’t know how I recognized whatever I was feeling as talking, but I did. It was weird. Was this a mage thing? Was it just because I was close to Mithra again? That could make sense, but I didn’t think that was it. I needed to find out where that was coming from. Kenny was just down the corridor from me, peeking out around a corner and watching Cecilia and Rawley. I didn’t want to ditch him, it was a shitty thing to do, but I needed to find out what that feeling was and why it was calling out to me. If I was lucky, it would lead me to Mithra. If not, maybe it would lead me to something useful anyway. I slipped into a different corridor. This one was short, with only two rooms opposite one another. I looked inside one room and saw it was a simple sleeping quarters. A desk, a cot, a closet. There was a book on the desk that had a naked girl on the front of it, which I just ignored. Must have been Rawley’s quarters, based on how he kept trying to flirt with Cecilia. I opened some drawers on the desk and couldn’t find anything useful except for a nice looking knife. I grabbed it and slipped it onto my belt. Next I went across the corridor to the other quarters, obviously Cecilia’s. The two rooms were laid out exactly the same, but there was nothing in the room to suggest anything about the woman staying in it. The bed was neatly prepared, the closet had nothing in it and the desk looked very unused. I felt that thing again. It was stronger here, in this room. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from specifically in the room, but I knew it was in the room. I had a sense that coming in here was something I’d been meant to do. I looked in the closet again, but nothing was there. I opened the desk drawers and found exactly what I found in the closet. Cecilia didn’t even leave weapons in her quarters like Rawley did. Under the pillow on the bed I found a necklace. It was a simple blue gem on a chain, but there was something familiar about it, as if I’d held this very necklace before. As if I’d worn the necklace before. What was it? Where had it come from? The Dream! I’d worn it in the dream! It meant nothing to me at the time. I was wearing an entire outfit I’d never worn before in my life (what with the limited experience with clothing), something like a long white dress and matching gloves, but I’d worn that blue gem in the dream. A gift from Cres… No, not from Cres. I didn’t know him well enough (or really even at all) for him to have given me any gifts. What the hell was it with that dream? After all this self-reflection on a dream I desperately wanted to forget, I realized that the feeling of something talking to me had completely vanished. It was too strong a coincidence to say it wasn’t the necklace that had been talking to me. It must have some sort of magic power to it, or something. Just another thing I’d need to ask Sharena about when we caught back up to her, obviously. Suddenly a hand clamped itself around my mouth. Before I had a chance to really panic, Kenny walked around in front of me, holding a finger to his mouth in a shush gesture. “What the hell?” he whispered. After answering him through his hand for a second, he finally removed it and I said, “This thing started talking to me,” and held up the necklace. “A necklace talked to you?” I shrugged. “It’s probably a mage thing.” He rolled his eyes. “Whatever, just, c’mon.” For whatever reason, I slipped the necklace on. “I’m coming, I’m coming.” We traced his steps back to where he’d realized I wasn’t behind him, which was just outside what looked like a conference room or something. It took me a minute to realize it was actually the officers’ mess hall, assuming what I’d been able to read in those pirate comics was right. There were three people in the room: Rawley, Cecilia and a cook bringing them food. They didn’t appear to be saying anything to one another, and the cook slipped away just a moment later. After leaving two extra plates. The reason for the two extra plates was revealed just a second after I spotted the plates as two people, both women, walked down a flight of stairs at the end of the corridor. We just managed to duck out of the way before they saw us. I couldn’t tell who they were because they were wearing hoods, but one of the had a sword and the other a bow. Both were dressed… weirdly for people on an airship, I supposed. The one with the sword, walking in front, was wearing a corset that greatly emphasized her breasts and a skirt short enough that every inch of her legs were visible, except what was covered up by the high heeled boots she wore. Her arms were bare, save a pair of gloves. The one with the bow was a bit more covered up, though she still felt the need to leave her shirt open enough to expose her cleavage and while she wore shorts they were still short, the only thing covering her legs where thigh high boots without a heel. Thinking back to Rawley’s quarters, I couldn’t help but wonder if they weren’t dressed that way just to catch him off guard. They both entered the officer’s mess and sat down across from Rawley and Cecilia. From where Kenny and I were, across the corridor in a small storage room, we could see and hear everything. “It’s been a long time, ladies,” Rawley said, trying to turn up the charm to eleven. The one with the sword pulled her hood off and I resisted the urge to yell out to her. Merissa had some scarring on her face, but it was definitely her. God, hadn’t I gotten enough of her recently? “Skip the flirting, I don’t have relationships with humans,” she spat at him. “You two should be happy enough I’m even here.” Cecilia slipped a piece of steak into her mouth. “From what I’ve heard, you are the lucky ones. The dragon girl nearly killed you.” Merissa motioned to the archer. “Neela wasn’t there, so I was the only one nearly killed. Still, the girl’s power wasn’t that strong.” “She tore down a building,” Rawley said through a mouth full of ham pulled straight off the bone. “I’d call that pretty strong.” “Unimportant. What is important is that you need us for something.” “Yes,” Cecilia confirmed, “specifically for dealing with the conduit.” “You have the dragon’s conduit here?” “We do. It’s locked up just a few rooms away, and being very uncooperative. It killed one man and nearly killed two others. I managed to subdue it, but there’s no guarantee that will last.” Merissa leaned forward and rubbed at her chin. “This is why you wanted Neela.” Cecilia nodded. “Her power is renowned throughout the region.” Merissa turned to the other elf, who still hadn’t removed her hood. “You can do it, can’t you?” Neela looked at Rawley first, then Cecilia, then Merissa. I couldn’t really see her face, but there seemed to be some sort of uncertainty in what I could see. She looked down at her hands, then back up at Merissa. “I think so,” she said, the voice of a girl not much older than me. I saw a look of anger briefly flash across Merissa’s face, but I don’t think Rawley or Cecilia did. Neela did, though, as she turned away just after that and lowered her head as if she were about to be punished in front of everyone. What the hell was the deal there? Merissa looked back to the two Dragonslayers. “It’ll be done, as promised. The conduit will spill everything it knows about the girl and then it’ll spill so much more.” Cecilia nodded. “Good. We’ll have it ready for you in about an hour. You need to break it before we arrive at Myzacile, otherwise the mind rapers in the Emperor’s Palace will take over.” She smirked. “And I don’t think the local law in Peresten will be at all sorry that you two will end up being destroyed along with it.” Merissa’s brief anger appeared again, but just as quickly disappeared. “You should know that conduits are quite resistant to the mind rapers. If an elf can’t do it, they can’t do it.” Rawley laughed, spitting out some of his food onto Neela. “Please, that’s half the fun.” He wiped his mouth but didn’t even consider helping the elf girl in front of him. “The stronger the fight, the more satisfying the victory.” “Quiet,” Cecilia said to him, not even turning away from the elves. “Conduits may be resistant, but elves aren’t.” Merissa stood. “I trust quarters have been prepared for us,” she stated, not even suggesting it was a question. “Of course. Two rooms, one deck down, you’ll have a guard on you at all times.” Merissa shook her head. “No. One room. For my sister’s benefit.” Rawley burped. “Whatever. Just means we only need to spare one guard.” He waved them off. “Head downstairs, knock on the door, the guard there will lead you to where you’re going. We’ll give you a call in, oh, say an hour and a half.” “Of course,” Merissa hissed, the contempt barely even trying to hide this time. She turned to Neela, “Come, Neela.” The two elves walked out of the mess hall and just a few minutes later, Cecilia and Rawley stepped out and went the opposite direction. After another few minutes, Kenny and I were alone again. “Isn’t that the elf you and Gwyneth were dealing with back in Peresten?” he asked me. “Yeah. Did you get the idea she didn’t really care too much about her sister?” “Whaddya mean?” He must not have seen what I saw, then. “Forget about it. Just, we need to get to Mithra before they do.” He nodded. “Yeah, and I’ve got an idea.” I blinked twice. “What?” He took out another dagger (where was he getting those?) and popped open a crate. “I saw this while they were talking, we’re in a room full of their armor.” He pulled out a chestplate and slipped it on over his shirt. “If we just suit up, we can go anywhere on the ship and nobody’ll notice.” I asked, "Don't you think they know exactly how many soldiers are on board?" "Rawley and Cecilia, maybe, but they probably don't actually know every soldier. And even if they do see us, they won’t have had time to do a headcount of everybody because there are bound to be people assigned to areas they’re not interested in going to.” I sighed. “Alright, so we pretend to be soldiers. Then what?” “We can get to Mithra and sneak him to a lifeboat or something before we find a way to land the ship.” That seemed like a good, simple plan that didn’t have a whole lot of chance at failing. Naturally, I figured we were going to get caught. After all, the school thing was just go in, sign some papers, leave. I ended up destroying a damn building and hurting people instead, just because of those damned elf bitches. Actually, that made me think of something... “You go find Mithra,” I said, “I’ll meet up with you, but I need to go find out why the Empire needs those elves.” He looked confused. “Why? If we get him off of here before they get a chance to do anything to him, what does it matter that they’re on board when we get out of here?” “Because, whatever it is Merissa seems to think that girl can do, it seemed like she didn’t want to do.” I reached into the crate and started putting on the armor that fit best. There must have been soldiers my size in the Imperial Escorts or something. “Maybe if I talk to her, I can convince her not to do it.” Kenny sighed. “I’m probably not gonna be able to stop you, am I?” I finished adjusting the armor, then slipped on a helmet and said, “Nope.” He patted me on the shoulder. “Just be careful.” I nodded. “Right. Don’t fuck up.” “Don’t fuck up.” I was a tiny bit worried that carrying around an axe would draw some attention, but I saw at least a couple soldiers carrying one, and no one in general batted an eye in my direction. Maybe Kenny’s little scheme would work out perfectly after all. That was probably an invitation for fate to screw us over big time, though. Dammit, I needed to calm my thoughts. That alone wasn’t difficult. Three guys tried to hit on me as I made my way through the ship to the room the elves were being stashed. Baby, it’s just you and me on this airship, and it’s a looooong way to Myzacile and Are you a member of the Guild because you’re slaying my heart and dragon me right into you, honey were probably the funniest pick-up lines. I couldn’t even remember what the other guy said. There was one guard standing in front of the door to the elves’ room. The woman looked like she’d rather be anywhere but standing in front of the door to a room with two elves in it. Hopefully it wouldn’t be hard to convince her to leave. I stepped in front of her and saluted. “I’m here to replace you,” I said in my most authoritative sounding voice. She rolled her eyes and slipped her helmet on. “Good. I’m tired of being around these disgusting pointy ears. I hope the Captain lets us kill them when we reach Myzacile.” She lightly punched me on the arm. “And drop the fake confidence act, kid. The guys on this boat just look at you like meat in a can.” I nervously chuckled. Not on purpose, that was completely just me doing that because my little ruse just worked perfectly. After she was gone, I sighed and stood in front of the door, which I realized wasn’t even a door but a doorway. The elves didn’t even get a shred of privacy, it seemed. “You’ve been quiet since we got here,” Merissa said. I had to realize for a second she was talking to Neela and not me. “Did you sleep well while I was away?” I shifted my stance so that I could look inside the room out of the corner of my eye. I didn’t think they could see me doing it. Neela was sitting on the bed, completely naked. She wasn’t really looking at Merissa, but she seemed to be waiting for something. “I did,” she finally answered. “You didn’t tell me you’d be dealing with a mage while you were there.” Merissa dropped her corset top. “Please, I didn’t know. And even if I had, what would you have done?” Neela almost looked as though she were about to be slapped in the face. Instead, Merissa sat down on the bed beside her and started… caressing Neela’s thigh? What the hell? “I don’t know, but… I could have been there for you.” She started to reach for Merissa’s face. “Mended your face.” Merissa grabbed her sister’s hand and started suckling on her fingers. “My face is none of your concern, dear sister. Better to show the scars the dragon girl gave me as a reminder, so as to keep the wound fresh.” She reached out and gently pulled Neela’s face to hers. “One day, we’ll find her again and I’ll let you do everything you want to her.” Neela looked nervous, concerned. “I don’t know what I want. You say she attacked you, but when I look through your memories, she doesn’t appear to be doing anything correctly. She clearly didn’t know what she was doing.” Her eyes lowered. “And if you hadn’t been attempting to betray the syndicate, nothing would have gone wrong.” Merissa reached out and grabbed Neela’s breast. She squeezed so hard I almost felt it. “Hold your tongue, sister! I don’t need to remind you that my actions were for your benefit.” Through gritted teeth, Neela said, “I didn’t want that. I was fine where we were.” Merissa finally let go of her sister’s chest and stood up. “So you believe. You would have wanted death had we stayed there any longer.” She reached into a trunk and retrieved a tunic with an open chest. How she managed to keep herself from flopping out of it was beyond me. “We’ll speak of this again later. I’m going to see the conduit for myself, and then I’ll allow them to send for you.” “I wish we didn’t need this,” Neela said as she hugged her knees to her chest. “I wish you didn’t need to be what you are.” Merissa leaned over and kissed her sister on the lips. Once they broke away, she said, “Never worry, dear Neela, we’ll come out on top when all this is over.” For a second as Merissa passed by me, I thought she recognized me, but the moment was fleeting and in all honesty she never even looked at me. I breathed a sigh of relief when she was gone. “You don’t need to worry about her, she didn’t recognize you,” Neela said. “What?” I almost yelped. “You’re the dragon girl,” she answered. She was in the middle of putting on some clothes. “The mage.” I looked around and made sure none of the soldiers were looking in my direction, then stepped into the room. “How do you know that?” “Merissa and I were speaking in elvish the entire time and you could understand us. No one knows elvish anymore, but that necklace you’re wearing only works when it’s in the possession of a mage, and the odds that you’re just a random mage on a ship that’s also carrying a conduit are slim.” She pointed to my helmet. “You can take that off. I want to see your face.” I sighed, then pulled off my helmet. “You didn’t tell your sister, did you?” She shook her head. “Our link only goes one way.” She sat back down on the bed. “It didn’t used to be that way, and I still don’t know if she realizes it isn’t.” “Your link?” She nodded. “Our love.” “Your… you mean like a kind of sisterly bond sort of thing?” She shook her head. “No, our actual love for one another. You should know, it’s common for mages to form a link to the one they love.” I think I was almost starting to understand. “I don’t really have anybody like that. And, honestly, I’m still not sure I get it or that I want to.” She nodded. “I understand. It’s not something most understand. Merissa doesn’t seem to anymore, either. More than I care to admit, I see her looking at men like she used to look at me.” “Let’s just…” I wanted that discussion to end quickly. “Let’s just move onto how you knew it was me now.” She shrugged. “It was obvious. I’ve been able to feel your presence since I came onto the airship, and I saw you watching us talking to Lady Cecilia. I didn’t tell Merissa because it doesn’t matter that she knows.” “And does that mean you’re going to stop us from rescuing Mithra?” She giggled, then stopped herself. “I’m sorry. I haven’t laughed like that in a long time, but your conduit’s name is cute.” She started to blush. “It’s been a long time since I had anything to laugh for.” She quickly composed herself. “I’m not going to harm him, I never was. My power is too strong, to devastating. I merely told Merissa that I could do it, but to break into your conduit’s mind on this ship would destroy us all.” Okay, that was unsettling. “Destroy… as in, like, kill us?” She nodded. “The amount of magic necessary to keep us in the air mixed with what my power does and the conduit’s own natural power would overload the engines as well as all of our bodies. The only thing left of this ship,” she pointed to my necklace, “would be that necklace.” I audibly gulped. “So… what are you going to do?” She shrugged again. “It’s nothing to worry about now. The answer will come to me at the appropriate time, as it always does.” I breathed a sigh of relief. That was good. I didn’t havta worry about my conduit dying. I still didn’t know what to think about Neela, but at least she seemed like a decent person. I was still confused about her and Merissa’s… relationship, their link and all sorts of other things. More importantly, I still didn’t know what was going to happen. “Look, Neela,” I started as I sat down beside her and took her hand, “you seem like such a different person from your sister, why don’t you leave her and find a better life?” She shook her head. “That’s not possible. Though now only one way, our link is still too strong. If I’m away from her for too long, it’s not merely physical pain, but a draining. Elves are immortal, but when we bond to someone, especially as Merissa and I have, that bond is our life. The only way to change that is sever the bond at both ends or form another bond.” “You mean, if you’re not in the same place for too long, you actually start to die?” She nodded. “Not just that, but everything that makes me who I am fades. All that will be left is an empty shell, soulless. I’ve seen it happen to countless others, and I worry every time Merissa leaves that it’ll happen to me. This last time was the worst, because I felt every bit of her pain when you destroyed that room.” She touched her face in the exact same spot where Merissa’s scar was. “I healed mine, but she won’t let me heal hers.” She touched her stomach. “And there are other things that I wasn’t even capable of healing.” That was almost unsettling. Had I caused more damage to Merissa than I thought I had? “I know you love her, but you know she doesn’t love you as much as she used to.” I gently squeezed her hand. “Would you consider leaving with my brother and I once we free my conduit?” She looked into my eyes, then down at my hand. “As much as that seems like the more reasonable choice, it’s not the right one.” She touched her chest. “I will leave Merissa when the time is right. When I do, I’ll seek you out. I already know you to be a friend, a kind person.” I smiled. “Thank you. I guess I can’t ask for anything else.” She nodded, then tapped at my helmet. “Put it back on. Someone’s coming.” I quickly slipped the helmet back on and stood up just as Rawley and an Imperial Escort walked into the room. “Alright,” he said, “Lady Cecilia wants the, er, guest now.” He turned to me. “You wanna take her to where the conduit’s locked up?” I nodded. “Yes, sir. Um… where is that, again?” He sighed. “I swear to god… one deck up, the brig. We have door markers for a reason, kid, remember to read them every once in awhile.” I chuckled nervously. “Yeah, uh, sir.”

Interlude - Priestess of the Water Baren was so thirsty he couldn’t think right. He hadn’t had anything to drink in a little over a day, hadn’t even seen another person in twice that, and he had no idea where it was he was going. The forest around him was all he’d known for close to four days, and even then, there were few animals nearby, save a lone comy that apparently didn’t even consider him a snack. Apparently his fate was to die in that forest. He stopped by a tree and tried to catch his breath. He’d been running, that much he remembered, running as fast as he could to find something to drink. Even the morning dew didn’t seem to collect on any of the trees or the ground. He didn’t understand anything around there. He simply kept moving, praying that he’d come upon something to drink or something to eat that wasn’t bark. He looked up at the sky. The clouds were blocking the sun, but they didn’t seem to bring any rain. He needed rain. He needed any kind of liquid. He’d even drink his own piss at this point, but he seemed incapable of doing even that. He was starting to wonder if this forest was simply a sort of purgatory for him in some way. He couldn’t think of that. He couldn’t run, either. He was too tired, too hungry, too thirsty. He knew he had nothing else to do in his life, so wandering through the forest trying to find something to drink was probably the best thing he could do right now. He needed something to take his mind off of the idea of dying alone in an empty forest. For the first time since entering the forest, Baren smelled something. He couldn’t tell what it was, but it was nearby and it was the first new experience he’d had since coming upon that Comy. He broke into a run again, making for the source of the smell. He tripped over a log, but got up with a speed he didn’t realize he still had in him. The smell… It was almost intoxicating. He had to find the source. Baren fell to his knees as he saw the lake ahead of him. It was likely a trick of his eyes, but he believed it went on forever, more like an ocean than a lake, but he could see a waterfall in the distance, glistening brightly in a sunset he hadn’t seen in days. A rainbow peeked out from beyond the waterfall, and a trio of birds made soared past to complete the scene. It was the most beautiful thing he’d seen in his life. He dipped his hands into the water and scooped up as much water as he possible could and brought it to his lips. It could have been his days of dehydration, but he didn’t think he’d tasted anything so good any day prior to this. He splashed some of it on his face and felt the sweat of his run washing away. He wondered what culture’s god had allowed him this chance. Something moved. Baren looked up from the lake and watched something stand up from under the water. It was pure water, but shaped vaguely like a man wearing a cloak or a cape. The figure stood there, glaring at him with eyes that didn’t exist. The figure began to move, slowly, silently, across the water without making even the slightest hint of a wave or a wake or a ripple. Baren didn’t know what to do. He had no sword, he had no dagger, no weapon of any kind. And even if he did, this figure was made of water, he would have no way of hurting it regardless, all he’d be able to do is slash or swipe against a creature without real form. As if to test his own theory, he picked up a rock and threw it as hard as he could at the figure. The rock did not reach the figure. He should have known that his weakened state would affect his throwing arm. The figure passed by the spot where the rock hit the water and simply kept on. It reached the edge of the lake and it finally grew a pair of arms. Using these arms, it pulled itself out of the lake, and suddenly Baren could see legs that it hadn’t had before. The figure was still pure water, but it looked more human than ever. ”Leave this place,” a voice said. Baren couldn’t see who was making it, unless it was coming from the water figure. He didn’t see a mouth on it, much as he still didn’t see any eyes. He was already backing away from it, one eye on the figure and one eye on the ground under his feet. He was ready to break into a run. He’d gotten what he needed, he could find another way out of the forest, he didn’t need to keep to the lake, so all he had to do was turn around and break into a run. It couldn’t take him more than a day to get through the forest now, certainly. But the figure stopped. Baren stopped as well. The figure didn’t take its “eyes” off him, but it didn’t move. He took a step toward it, but still it didn’t move. Is it… Is it going to keep standing there? he questioned. He wanted to test it, but at the same time, he wanted as far away from it as possible. He looked behind him to make sure the path was clear, then gave one last glance at the water creature. The creature remained exactly where it was, doing exactly what it was doing. It didn’t even look capable of moving anymore. Why is it staring? Every part of him that wanted the answer was countered by the parts of him that wanted to escape. The parts that wanted to escape won. Baren broke into a run. He didn’t stop running until he was positive he was nowhere near the lake, and then he came to a halt and dropped to the ground. His breathing was erratic, his chest was killing him and his nerves were shot. He tried to calm his breathing, but nothing seemed to help. He was glad to be away from that creature, but the look on its “face” was still burned into his memory. He sat up and used a downed tree to help himself to his feet. His heart rate was slowing, but it was still higher than he wanted it to be. His nerves… That thing… He needed to be out of the forest, and he needed it sooner than later. Baren couldn’t believe his eyes. The cabin before him looked as though it had been recently constructed, and yet had overgrowth surrounding it. The windows showed no hint of weather damage, nor did the wood look at all rotted. He walked up to it, touched it, and rejoiced in the fact that it wasn’t some illusion brought on by everything that had happened in the last hour. He opened the door and stepped inside. To the left was a small kitchen, a window looking out at the forest. To the right was a similarly smaller bedroom, no windows and only a single lamp. The bed looked lived in, the sink had only a few dirty dishes, and the small closet directly ahead was left open. There was no bathroom to be found in the cabin, so how the owner relieved themselves or took a bath, he had no idea. He opened the pantry and found a loaf of bread and some peanut spread. Clearly whoever owned the cabin wasn’t averse to traveling into town. Perhaps he would remain there until they returned and would then ask them the way out of the forest. Just the prospect of human companionship for a moment was enough to give him hope. Of course, he had no idea if the owner was human. It could be a Changer, for all he knew. He’d seen one once, in a village called Paum. Crazy day, that had been, though all he’d been doing was passing through town. He hoped it wasn’t a Changer that lived there. He wasn’t all too keen on their tongue, and would have no idea if the Changer spoke his. Baren ate his sandwich slowly, almost carefully. His thoughts drifted to the idea that the cabin owner might not be too happy that he was in their home, eating their food. He would, of course, pay them for the food he’d taken, but that may not satisfy them. If he was lucky, the owner would be of a friendly sort. He looked outside the window and saw that the sun had finished its journey past the horizon, leaving a clear night’s sky overhead. What little light there was had gone completely, replaced only by the darkness that was a forest at night. Though he was now nervous about the owner of the cabin, he was very certain he’d rather take an angry humanoid than whatever he would face in the forest at night. Baren did not touch the bed. He didn’t even attempt to get any sleep. He simply huddled in the corner of the kitchen and waited. For the first few hours, he had begun to think that maybe no one truly lived in the cabin, but the unexpired food and the recently used dishes told him he was wrong about that. He instead assumed the owner was a hunter, or at least someone who spent most of their time away from home. The bed, at least, seemed to agree with him. Lived in, but not for the past day or so. If he was lucky, maybe the owner wouldn't show up all through the night. He could simply rest and return to his trek in the morning, hopefully never to see that creature from the lake again. His hopes were shattered when the door opened and a figure stood there, a flashlight in hand. “You’re not from around here,” the person said. A woman, he could tell, likely young. He was proven right when she turned on the lamp. Younger than he, but not by much. “Get out.” Baren nodded. “I will. I just needed a place to sleep for a little bit. I’ve been up for days, barely eaten, and some… Spirit or something drove me away from the lake nearby.” Her cheeks twitched somewhat. “I’ve heard of the lake creature, but I’ve never seen it.” She sighed. “You can rest here for the night, but be gone by midday.” “Thank you,” he said. He went to stand, but the woman waved him off. “Just stay there.” She walked into the closet across from the front door, out of his sight. He figured she must need to get changed. The tunic she’d been wearing looked baggy on her, almost as if she'd found them on a larger person, probably a man. A moment later, she returned, dressed in evening clothes that accentuated… Just how plain she was. Thin, short, large glasses. She was the epitome of a librarian, Baren realized. How had a woman such as this survived in the wilderness? He put the thought out of his mind. He needed to rest, to gather his strength back after days of nothing but movement. He huddled in the corner again and closed his eyes as the woman turned off her lamp. Wake up, a voice said, somewhere, though Baren couldn't place where. He struggled to open his eyes, likely a result of the days he spent without sleep. Wake up, now, the voice said again. I mean it, get up. Then he was kicked in the stomach. His eyes shot open, his hands went to his gut and his mouth came open in a cough that hurt him almost as much as the kick had. He looked up and saw the woman standing over him, her glasses almost reflective. She was still wearing the evening gown she’d worn to bed, and in her hand was a coffee cup. “I said wake up,” she spat at him. Almost literally, too, he swore he felt saliva hit his face. She walked over to her bed and sat down. “It’s almost midday, I think I asked you to be gone by then.” Baren stood, his gut still in an enormous amount of pain. “Did ya need to kick me?” She shook her head. “No, but nothing else was working. Dreaming something interesting?” He shook his head. “I rarely dream. I’d just spent days running through the woods, that's all. More exhausted than I’d ever been before.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Why?” He glared at her. “What’s it matter to you?” She pointed at him with her cup. “I let you stay for the evening, and I see you ate a little of my food, you owe me an explanation.” He sighed. “Fine.” He leaned against the kitchen counter. “I murdered a royal for the Empire.” She didn’t move, didn't show any sort of emotion. “Murder.” He nodded. “I didn't call it that before now. Not before this kill. I’m generally hired by people like that. Royals, businessmen, city governments. I’ve killed countless people over my life, even a dragon or two. But this one was different. Most of those I kill are killers, or else they're corrupt or hideous in some other way. “But this wasn't any of those. The Emperor of Dorenden hired me for my services, as he had a thousand times before, but he didn't tell me who my target was until the day of the kill. I arrived in a small village on the border between the nations, one of the few neutral zones before you get into the Seles Plains. The Emperor's messenger crow met me at the inn, I took the message and I memorized the target. “Tribe Lord Haisu. Twelve years old, his father hadn't even begun to groom him as a successor yet. He wasn’t even with his father at the time, he was visiting villages and decided to visit the neutral areas. How the Emperor even knew Haisu would be there, I didn’t know, but I looked at the payment, I let that decide for me.” She said, “And then you killed him.” It wasn't a question. Baren shook his head. “No. That happened, but I hadn't planned on it. I wrote to the Emperor that if he wanted a child to die, it wouldn’t be my hands that took that life. I was about to leave the village when the boy died. His guard had recognized me, knew I was a mercenary, and attacked me. “I defended myself. I killed one of them with a knife, another with his partner’s sword. The third was where the accident occurred. I took the dead guard’s sword again and threw it, but the guard was quick. He deflected the sword with his own and the pointy end landed in the carriage the boy was riding in. “It landed in the boy’s face. I killed the remaining guards and left the village as soon as possible. More guards had arrived at some point, began to chase me. I made it to this forest, and I just kept running. That was five days ago. The guards kept chasing me for a day, maybe two. I ran out of food on the first day, water as well.” “And then you found the lake.” Again, a statement rather than a question. Baren nodded. “And that creature. You said you'd heard of it?” She took a sip of coffee. “Yes. It's been a myth for centuries, that there's an order of priestesses nearby who protect the lake, believing it to be the last holy site that hasn't been tainted by modern religion. I don’t go by the lake, myself. There's a small river nearby that I use for water, since the local water company won't service me out here.” She stood and took her cup to the sink. “Which reminds me, I need to go get some water for my dishes. Used the last of what I had stored for my coffee this morning.” Baren took a step toward her. “Let me help.” “As a way of clearing your conscience for what you did?” She laughed. “A good deed toward a woman won't absolve you, y’know.” He nodded. “More as payment for the food I ate. When I get out of here, I’ll find a way to get absolution, somehow.” She sighed. She looked him up and down and nodded her head. “I suppose you can help. But then you be on your way, understand?” Baren filled a pair of buckets and set them on the ground by the river’s edge. The woman then picked them up and took them back to her cabin, poured them into the pair of barrels she had in the back yard. He had to admit that it didn’t seem to be a system that would work, but she swore by it. Maybe if he decided to move to a cabin in the woods, he’d give it a try. But he tossed that thought aside and realized neither he nor the woman had introduced themselves. He supposed there was a good reason for that. He’d told her his story. If she were to come into contact with Tribesmen, knowing his name could lead them to him. And then what need did he have to know her name? He’d never see her again after she got all the water she needed. No point in even bothering to ask, really. He pulled himself out of the river and dried his upper body off with the towel she’d provided him. He looked around to see if she was on her way, but he was alone. It was a good fifteen minute walk between the cabin and the river, leaving him by himself for a half an hour at a time. There was a sound to his left. Baren turned to find the source of the sound and his blood froze in his body. He didn't want to believe it, but it was right in front of him, glaring at him with those eyes that didn’t exist. The water creature was standing in the river. It couldn’t be, it simply couldn't. The woman had said she stayed away from the lake, which suggested to him that the lake and the river weren't connected. How had the creature manifested itself there? Then he realized exactly how. He cursed that he had no weapons. The woman lived in this forest and somehow hadn't come across the creature or someone who’d seen it? There was only one way that could be true. “Show yourself!” he shouted. “You’re one of the priestesses, aren’t you?” The creature stepped out of the river and took slow steps toward him. When it reached him, the woman finally came into view. Her clothing now made her resemble a witch or a sorceress, with a long dark dress open from neck to belly button, creating a healthy amount of cleavage but still mostly covering her. Her hair was loose, flowing. He realized it resembled waves on water now, something he hadn't seen before. If not for the large, almost reflective glasses, he wouldn't have recognized her in any way. The creature put its “hand” around his neck. “That didn't take you long, Baren,” she said. He should have been surprised that she knew his name, but he wasn’t. “Yes, I am the Priestess. And once you told me everything, I decided I couldn't let you leave.” “Why wait until now?” he growled. “You’ve had plenty of time since I told you. You could have just let me go and ambushed me.” She shook her head. “I needed you near water. I considered taking you to the lake myself, but this was better, less hassle.” “So get it over with.” She laughed. “Oh, Baren, you misunderstand. You’re not going to die here.” “Then what are you going to do to me?” She walked over to him and ran her hand through her water creature. “This was once a man, Baren. A man like you. A murderer who sought penance for what he’d done, but unlike you, he sought it here, among the lake.” She touched Baren now, on the left shoulder. He lost feeling there, but not down the rest of his arm. He knew why when he looked. His left shoulder was now sporting a small puddle, no bigger than a fingerprint at first, but it began to spread. As it spread, he lost feeling to each centimeter it reached. She continued: “He killed his wife in a drunken rage, crushed her skull with a hammer. He came to the lake because it washes away all sin. He wasn’t wrong, he just didn’t know our methods.” Baren lost feeling in his entire left arm now. He felt the loss crawling across his chest now. He asked, “Did he find out this way?” She shook her head. “I converted him in his sleep. He murdered his wife, you murdered a child indirectly. A killer who causes collateral damage is worse to me.” Baren growled again. “You’re no less a monster than I am.” She tsked. “On the contrary, dear, I serve a higher power than you’ll ever know. Everything I do is exactly what I was put on this Earth to do.” She gripped his chin. “You’ll make a good servant to the water, Baren.” He reached out and grabbed her by the neck, his right arm still halfway capable of being used. “Undo this!” She shook her head. “No. This is your penance, Baren, your punishment.” She knocked his hand away, completely transforming it into water. “For a thousand generations has my sisterhood defended the lake, but we haven’t done so alone. We take in broken souls, those who have committed heinous acts, and we turn them into Agath.” Baren saw the look in her eyes. Almost amorous. She continued: “There have been a thousand Agath. A thousand broken souls.” she stroked the creature’s chin. The water crawling down Baren’s body reached his waist. “And they’ve been put to better use as guardians of the lake than they ever were human. They don’t hurt innocents, they only harm those who deserve pain.” The water had completely overtaken his body, only his head remained. Baren was glimpsing his final moments, he knew. He watched her closely, hoping to find something he could use, perhaps to reverse what was happening… But he saw nothing. He was about to die, clearly. He made peace with that, he always knew that was the end of his journey. He just didn’t want to die by becoming some bastard creation of a water witch. He attempted to exert control over his body, but nothing happened. Or, well, he couldn'tfeel anything moving. She smiled that disgusting smile. “It’s been a pleasure knowing you, Baren. You weren’t overly evil, unlike some of the monsters that have happened upon the lake. Perhaps as your mind devolves into the single minded desire to protect the lake, I’ll tell you about some of them. The sisterhood has extensive records on all of them.” With what he assumed was the last of his free will, Baren said, “There’s nothing I ever want you to tell me, witch.” She sighed, then patted his cheek. “We could have been friends, perhaps even lovers if not for your lifestyle. You could have enjoyed me, had me all to yourself.” She let out a seductive growl. “You would have been quite the catch, quite the treat. We would have good together.” Baren’s true final words were full of as much venom as he could muster as the water passed his mouth. “You disgust me.” She nodded. “Lucky for the both of us, you’ll be gone in just about…” She looked up at him and saw that he was completely overtaken by her wet touch. An Agath stood before her now, not a man. “Right about now, it seems.” She smiled. “Thank you for being so cooperative, Baren. We really could have been something special if you hadn’t killed that child.” Another man entered the forest that afternoon. He was tall, light-skinned, wearing a long shirt. His nose was like the beak of a hawk and his eyes were dark and small. Upon his head was a large dressing, made of feathers and leaves. He was not muscular, in fact he looked rather bony. His long shirt was open at the chest, revealing a tattoo that still wasn’t completely visible. He arrived at the priestess’ cabin and knocked on the door with the head of the longstaff he carried. The priestess opened the door and then led him to the lake. “You’ll be happy to know, Chieftain Ravncla, that the man responsible for your son's death is no longer among the living,” the priestess said as she knelt by the water. She plunged her hand into the lake and created a swirl. Ravncla nodded. “He is now one of your Agaths.” “The proper plural is simply Agath.” His lip curled. “I do not care for such things. Your form of sorcery is an abomination to me.” He spoke an enchantment, and the swirl she had created grew into the shape of a man, into an Agath. The creature looked forward, but not at anything in particular. “This one looks even more soulless than the guard I sent you that had failed to protect my son.” She stepped onto the water and caressed the Agath. “Though Baren was a heartless sort, I’d not call him soulless.” Ravncla glared at the creature. “Does he remember anything?” She shook her head. “Not anymore. Agath become mindless within moments of their transformation. Baren fought bravely, but in the end, no one is incapable of being changed.” “No one,” he echoed. “None but a powerful sort.” He pointed his longstaff at the priestess. “And that number includes me, priestess. Your sorcery will not entrap me as it did this fool, and my power eclipses you own.” She sent the Agath away and bowed to him. “Of course, Chieftain. I remember my road here.” He nodded. “I would hate to think I lost my daughter to a fool sisterhood to be betrayed by her.” Ravncla turned and left the forest as soundlessly as he entered. And his daughter, the priestess, silently cursed her father for his contempt of her beliefs.

Chapter Fifteen - Making New “Friends” The elf woman looked over some papers. Gwen looked bored, the other two elves didn't even seem that interested and I swore if this lasted any longer than it was that I'd die an old woman before the night was over. If this was how most business deals for the boss went, I honestly understood how he managed to go under the radar for so long, since this was just coma inducing. I almost hoped Kenny and I could stick around to see any other business deals. But I put that thought out of my head. I just had to sit there and wait it out, that was all. Who knew, maybe this would all be over soon. We'd only been sitting here for… oh, shit, five minutes? That didn't seem right, but the clock on the wall was against me there. Crap. I yawned, probably a bit louder than I meant to, but I couldn't help myself. The two non-boss-lady elves both looked at me with annoyed looks in their eyes. I just offered a weak smile and giggled a little. They looked away from me and left the immediately vicinity. It was weird, but I figured they were just extras, there for their boss anyway. I could probably wander off and let Gwen and the elf to their business. I sat down finally and rested my feet. I would be happy when Kenny and I could be on our way. We were losing time doing this crap. I saw a weird light coming from the direction the other elves disappeared to. I looked over at Gwen and the old woman, who didn't react to it at all. Of course, Gwen had her back to the wall closest to it, so she couldn't see anything. The elf woman, though, should have seen everything. She was positioned where the room the others had wandered off to was in full view. I stood up and walked toward the hallway in question. The old elf glared at me, then grabbed my arm and held me back. “Leaving so soon?” “Let her go,” Gwen said, “she's not really needed here, is she?” “I don't want her leaving. Don't trust her.” “What the hell did I do to you?” I asked. “I don't much trust mages,” she answered with a sneer, “too much chance of them messing with my business.” “Trust me, I'm harmless. What about your posse back there?” I gestured toward the light. “Nothing untoward there. Merely a spell of warding.” “Really?” Gwen asked. “Warding what?” The elf glared at her. "Our arrangement was no questions." "Our arrangement was no questions about the deal. This isn't about the deal, so answer the question." “And why should I do that? I’ve done nothing wrong and you’ve broken the terms.” “So, casting spells I don’t know about isn’t breaking the terms of the deal? Being ridiculously secretive about these spells isn’t breaking the terms of the deal? Sorry, Merissa, that’s just not gonna take.” So, the elf’s name was Merissa. I’d been wondering that for awhile now. Merissa gathered her briefcase and shut it, loudly. "Our deal is off, Gwyneth. Give your father my regards and ask him to send someone who will play by the rules next time." I got in her way before she could walk out. "Hold on," I said, trying to sound stern, "answer the question. What do you need to ward off?" She raised her hand and suddenly I was taller than her. Except, I really wasn't. I was hovering about three feet in the air, presumably because of some levitation spell she was using. A quick glance in her direction showed me that Gwen was also a victim of the elf's magic. Funny, I thought she preferred potions… I tried to concentrate and think of one of the dispel phrases that Sharena taught me. We hadn't really covered being hoisted in the air by elf magic, but I hoped that all the dispels were relatively universal, otherwise I had to pray that something would knock the elf on her ass and break her concentration. Unfortunately, I didn't seem to be doing anything. She was still fully capable of holding me still even while talking. The elf bitch tsked. "It's a shame the two of you couldn't play along and just let this happen. It really is your fault that you're going to die painfully instead of quick qnd painlessly." Gwen was struggling more than I was if the strain in her words was any indication. "So this was all bullshit?" I asked, "Do you gain anything from killing us in a high school locker room? Honestly?" "Really, I'd hoped I wouldn't need to do this," Merissa said, her voice conveying a mocking tone, "you see, Gwyneth, I set this whole thing up to trap your father, preferably by taking over your body by replacing your soul with mine. Shame it didn't work out the easy way, where you never found out." Jesus, this sounded like one of the supervillain monologues Kenny would read in his comics. Oh, shit, Kenny and the other guy were probably in the boys locker room with more evil elves, were they in this exact situation? Were they in a potentially worse situation? I couldn't think about that. Getting out of this hold and smacking this elf bitch upside the head were my two primary concerns at the moment. Maybe if Mithra were still here, he could spring into action, claw her in the face and break her focus. I could only be so lucky… I whispered some spell under my breath, words I couldn't really remember perfectly. Something like… nibrus... nibrusima... something I could barely pronounce even when I heard it spoken aloud. Almost immediately, a swirl of energy surrounded me, bathing the room in a sort of purple/yellow mixture of color that would've looked pretty if I wasn't in the middle of it. Through the swirl, I caught a glimpse of Merissa looking angry, probably because I was breaking her little binding spell. I saw her mouthing something I couldn't hear for some reason, probably the spell screwing me up or something. I couldn't hear Gwen either, and I knew she'd been shouting just a second ago. I just had to wait out the spell… But I didn't get that chance. Not a second later, I realized that the elf wasn't angry, she was terrified. Something was obviously wrong, something… Something that had to do with my spell. I could feel it now, an intense heat that was radiating outward from the swirl of energy all around me. I tried my damnedest to cancel the spell out, using the method Sharena taught me of saying the spell backwards three times, but all it seemed to be doing was intensifying the energy. Obviously, that's what I got for not even being able to say it correctly in the first place. I created this mess by screwing up what Sharena had told me was a simple spell. I suddenly started to hear a strange noise, something like a hundred cicadas coalescing directly under my feet. I looked down and saw what appeared to be a hole being drilled into the floor beneath me. It took me no time to realize the spell was causing it, destroying the ground beneath my feet. In a matter of seconds, there was a six foot hole where the floor should have been. I tried to say the spell backwards again, only managing to get half of it out before some jolt shot through me, burning a mark along my arm and up to my shoulder. The pain almost made me forget what was happening, but thankfully there was a big purple and yellow swirl that was shooting out lightning to remind me. Unfortunately, it was also surrounding me and dodging it was a pain all on its own. I just needed to concentrate on the words, that was all… Another spell came to mind, one I could actually pronounce this time. Sharena told me only to use it in an extreme situation, like if I was dying, and I felt this was one of those situations. I wasted no time and shouted, "Pabrinohs!" Sharena told me it meant release in the ancient tongue, which didn't sound like it should be a bad thing, but she also told me that most words in the ancient tongue were open to interpretation as to what they meant. I discovered immediately why it was a last resort type of spell as the energy I'd started to build up around me literally released outward, knocking everyone in the room on their ass and leaving massive scorch marks on the walls. Then the walls started to crack. "Idiot!" Merissa shouted. "Only a novice mage would use that kind of energy absorption spell!" Gwen was suddenly beside me, helping me to my feet. She responded, "And only a novice businesswoman would try to screw my dad over, Merissa. You should count yourself lucky you weren't killed in this little light show." The elf smiled. "On that subject…" She raised her hand, then opened her mouth to say something, but she was promptly hit in the head by someone behind her. Standing there, disheveled clothes and blood covering half his face, was Kenny. He was holding a brick in one hand, a briefcase in the other and Kallun was standing behind him with a sword drawn. Through heavy breaths, Kenny said, "Let's get outta here before the city guard shows up." Gwen smirked. "Your brother's smart." Gwen's father paced his office in a way I was almost certain would lead to him running into his desk. Somehow, he managed to avoid it every time I thought he was going to hit the edge. He wasn’t happy, not one bit. Of course, considering the deal he’d worked hard to secure went to complete shit, a high school had been nearly demolished (luckily with no deaths, though at least seven were injured, not including the elves) and he was now probably going to have to go to war with the elves. Kenny and Kallun sat on a small couch together, for whatever reason looking over one another's wounds. They told me what happened as we made our way back, which was sadly more eventful than what Gwen and I dealt with. One of their elves drew a sword almost instantly, and assaulted Kenny, while Kallun apparently had enough fighting skill to hold off two elves at once. Presumably, that's why the elves with us started doing that warding spell, to keep us distracted and either kill or incapacitate us. I didn't really care, honestly. Gwen explained everything to her dad as soon as we got back, and I could almost see the rage building inside him. He had been sitting down, but as soon as he heard the story, he started the pacing. He hadn't said a word, and I sorta wished he would before we all were executed for screwing up his business deal. Finally, he sat back down and took a deep breath. "This isn't ideal." He 'looked' over at Gwen. "Merissa should've known better. I established those terms long ago." He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small red book. When he opened it, naturally all I saw was Braille. "We need to contain this. Corbran can do the dirty work, but damage control is in full effect. Kallun, I'm sending you with Kineas and Riley.” That… seemed odd. “Wouldn’t that just draw more attention to us?” I asked. He shook his head. “Groups of three or four aren’t uncommon in these parts. And Kallun is an expert keeping himself out of danger.” I glanced over at Kallun, who was sheepishly smiling. Sure didn't seem like it was only his dad who worked for this group. Not that it really mattered, though. It still seemed like three was a crowd if Kenny and I were gonna sneak out of here with him in tow. But I could tell the matter was settled, so far as the boss was concerned. He was sending Kallun with us, and that was, I guess, the final word. I could live with it, I supposed, though I still wasn't sure why we needed him along. Maybe the boss thought we needed extra protection from those elves. Maybe he just wanted Kallun out of his hair for awhile. Maybe he wanted someone to keep an eye on us. Regardless, Kallun didn't seem like a bad guy. Kenny sure seemed to like him, at least. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, the three of us. He could keep an eye out while Kenny trained me in sword fighting, probably. That would help a lot. I guess a third person in our group would be a good thing, after all. The boss motioned for one of his bodyguards to come over to him. He whispered something, then made another motion that probably meant the bodyguard needed to go do what he was told. "Sandhog Ridge is a little over four days travel from here, and the Empire has set up guard posts throughout the region. You'll need someone with knowledge of the local forests. Kallun's a decent gofer, good at getting in and out quickly and without notice." He smiled. "I doubt he'll be extraneous." There was a knock on the door. One of the bodyguards opened it, and in slithered Corbran, carrying a folder. "Bossssssssssss," the snake said, an urgency to his voice. "We've got ssssssssssssssssome kind of problem." "What kind of problem?" "It'sssssssssssss the elvesssssssss. Sssssssssssssseemssssss we've got ssssssssssome trouble from them going to the Imperial Guard." That seemed odd. Elves going to the Imperial Guard for help? They weren't exactly the most beloved creatures out there. Most of the time, they were treated like second class citizens at best and worse than criminals at worst. The idea that they'd actually try to get legal help was almost unsettling. I put the thought out of my head for the time being. Whatever it would end up meaning, it would be dealt with as we got to it. We just needed to get out of Peresten and back on track for Sandhog Ridge. Hopefully, Irvine and Sharena were there, safe and waiting for us. Hopefully. I was so happy to be wearing something other than that fancy get up! My outfit was a simple pair of shorts and sleeveless vest combination along with a pair of boots and those gloves I'd worn before. I felt so much more like normal that I almost cheered. Hilarious that 'normal' was this now, as opposed to my old dragon self. I wondered if I'd still even recognize my dragon form anymore, even though it had barely been three weeks. That life already seemed so long ago, like a distant memory. Maybe that was me acclimating to my situation, or maybe everything had been so crazy that the last three weeks had been nothing but one bonkers experience after the other. I didn't really know, and now wasn't really the time to think about it. I stuffed a bag full of some clothes that Gwen gave me as a parting gift. It was nice to have some options, since I otherwise had maybe two outfits I'd grabbed from home. I figured getting new clothes would be a quick first stop in whatever towns we came to. Probably not a smart move, all things considered, so taking a few more with me would likely be safer. I was about to tie my bag closed when I saw a yellow glow in the bottom of it. I reached into the bag and pulled out an envelope with a family crest on the front of it. It took me a second to remember that it was the letter Sharena gave me before we left town. I opened the envelope (it wasn't sealed), and pulled the letter out. I unfolded the paper and tried my best to read it. I couldn't quite get every word, but I was getting to the point where sentences weren't just garbled crap on a sheet of paper. Riley, I hope you're doing well. We haven't quite made it to our destination yet, though we expect to within the week. We’ve stopped by smaller towns, but we haven’t… I tried my best, but some of the words were still a little tough for me. I skipped ahead about half a paragraph. ...and that’s when Irvine unfortunately got into a small fight. He’s fine! Don’t worry about him, he knows what he’s doing. We haven’t decided where we'll meet up, yet, and we won't tell you in the letter. I’ll write Kineas after I’m finished writing to you. Please, keep up your reading, so that you can read more of these. You’ll be great at it eventually, sweetie, just do your best. Keep safe, keep moving, keep studying. But always, keep us in mind. Sharena I smiled. She was right that I’d be doing better at reading, at least. I wasn’t entirely certain what I was supposed to study, though. Sharena had never given me any magic books to study, so unless she just meant reading, I was pretty much out of luck. Maybe the boss had some books somewhere I could ask about. Getting one would likely require some sort of favor that probably revolved around something mob related. I wasn’t sure I was ready for any more little side adventures after the elves. I folded up the page and returned it to the envelope. I’d tell Kenny what I wanted to say to them so that they knew I was alright. Eventually, I’d have enough writing skill to do it myself, but for now, Kenny was the intermediary. I was lucky to have him as an adoptive brother, really. I finished packing up the rest of my gear and slung my bag over my shoulder. Kenny and Kallun would be waiting, probably by the door or something. I needed to get a move on. I walked out of the room I was provided and ran smack into Gwen, though I didn't recognize her at first. Her hair was no longer a mess of curls, but shaved off on one side of her head and combed over straight. She had on a dark blue tank top and a very short skirt. I assumed this was her average look, and it did suit her. "You guys on the way out?" she asked. I nodded. "Yeah. Sandhog Ridge or bust." "I'd love to go with you, but my dad's would never let me get in that kind of danger." I coughed out a laugh. "But dealing with those elves was fine?" She leaned against the wall. "Fine, no; but Daddy doesn't like it when I leave town." "That's weird. Then again, my dad would probably rather I be at home, too." On the one hand, Irvine wasn't my actual father. On the other hand, it felt good to call him that. Made me feel like I was part of a real family. She nodded. "That's how dads are. Mine got like this after bandits killed my mom and blinded him." Oh, damn. "Oh." I probably should have said something better. She shrugged. "Yeah. It wasn't a happy time. But that's why my name is Gwyneth now. To remember the happier times when she was around." That caught my attention. Gwyneth was her mother’s name. "You changed your name to honor your mom?" She nodded. "It's what we do in my part of the world. Not really the Empire, not really the Plains Tribe, so we have our own little culture. We take the names of those who die prematurely. We use that as a sign that we’re moving on.” She brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Not that I think my dad ever moved on, though.” “So, your old name… what was it?" "It was Blodwyn. Why?" I nearly dropped my bag. At first, I didn’t want it to be my Blodwyn, the girl who took me in when I was little. There were too many people in the world, the name was too common, I ran through dozens of justifications in a split second, trying to make certain that this giant coincidence hadn’t actually happened. Unfortunately, despite making sense, they didn’t feel true. I’d had that nagging sense about her this entire time. That sense that I knew Gwen despite never having actually met her. I assumed it had just been her natural personality, that she just made people feel comfortable even when they’d never met her. It was something we’d learned about in school on I think my third day there. I can’t even remember what class. I think it was something to do with some former emperor, or something. I was standing there staring at the first person I’d ever made real contact with. “What is it?” she asked. I wasn’t even sure what to say. The whole thing was almost too crazy to really say anything. The words refused to form in my mind, like there was some sort of wall holding them back. I wanted to tell her everything, but I also didn't want to drop this huge thing on her just before I left and probably never got to see her again. Instead, I simply asked, "Can I see your dad?" Gwen's dad - Byrn - was sitting behind his desk, reading some papers that had been set in front of him. He 'looked' down at the papers, as if he still had his sight. He didn't react as if he knew I was in the room, and maybe he didn't. I couldn't tell. Dealing with a blind guy was really difficult. Finally, the silence was broken and my question was answered when he asked, "How can I help you, Riley?" I took a deep breath and asked, "Did you know I was the dragon your family took in over ten years ago?" He stopped 'reading' and 'looked' up at me. Or, well, in my general direction, anyway. "I didn't." He smirked. "Ironic twist in the narrative, one might say." "So, you knew I was a dragon, but not that I was that dragon." He shook his head. "Truth be told, until you admitted to it, I didn't know you were even a dragon. I knew Kineas' father helped dragons, and I knew you were on the run for something. When I asked you if you were a dragon, it was a legitimate question. I did think of you - as I knew you - but I didn’t truly connect you and the dragon my daughter loved so many years ago.” I sat down in the chair across from him. “I can’t believe we’d meet up again like… like this.” He smirked. “Fate is a mage's weapon, so the saying goes. Rumors have spread for centuries that the connections a mage will make in their lives will always draw them back to those they knew, no matter how tenuous the connection. Gwyneth… Blodwyn always missed you, didn't stop talking about you until the day her mother died. You were her first friend, Riley, and she’s never forgotten that.” I felt a tear slide down my cheek. Great. I was gonna cry. "I never thought I'd ever see either of you again." He smiled faintly. "I wish I could return that feeling. You should tell Gwyneth. She'll be pleased to realize the friend she made during this whole debacle was really her oldest friend all along." I wiped away the tears. "Yeah. I… don't have a whole lot of time, but I can't just leave without letting her know." He nodded. "Good." He leaned back in his chair. "Don't take this the wrong way, my dear, but hopefully we don't cross one another's path for a great deal of time. Bertrand Sanstone is after you, and I'd rather he not be anywhere near my daughter." I gulped. "Yeah, I… I get that." He shook his head. "You don't. The Dragonslayer Guild is… not a pleasant group. Dragons aren't their only targets." I gulped again. "I understand, sir." He smiled again; that same faint smile from before. "You can call me Byrn, Riley. You're still family to me." I felt myself smile. "Thank you," I said. I stood up and left Byrn's office. I needed to find Gwen, since this would probably be the last I'd see of her for awhile. I had no idea how she'd react. Her dad took it better than I thought he would. If what he'd said was true, it sounded like she'd be really happy. It didn't take me long to track her down. She was busy talking to some guy I was fairly certain was just talking as an excuse to undress her with his eyes. She didn't seem to mind it, though, and I honestly couldn't blame her. He was kinda nice to look at, too. Maybe they were actually dating, or something. I had no way of knowing. She glanced in my direction, then seemed to realize I was walking up to her. "Riley! I thought you'd be gone by now. I saw Kallun and your brother disappear into some room a minute ago." Whatever the hell they were doing seemed weird, but that was them. "Yeah, I was… talking to your dad." "I know. Was it about whatever spooked you?" I nodded. "Yeah, I just… um… Can he leave?" She turned to look at the guy, who shrugged. "Hey, Lacan, go wait in my room, okay?" He made a weird noise and walked away. She was staring at his ass the whole time. "He's not much to look at but you wouldn't believe what he can do with his hands." "He looks fine to me," I said, sounding a bit more surprised than I thought I should. I inwardly sighed and got back to the reason I'd tracked her down in the first place. "I'm gonna tell you something that seems crazy, but I want you to know it's absolutely true: I'm the dragon that used to live with you." She blinked a second or two and didn’t really seem to understand what I’d said. I saw flashes of recognition and resistance with the idea that she was actually seeing that little dragon boy grown into a teenage human girl. The belief and disbelief played out in a series of complex facial expressions I could barely describe. After eventually finding her words, she almost looked like she was ready to laugh. "You're right, it does sound crazy. But… I think I know it's true. My dad has this quote he likes to throw around whenever something weird or coincidental happens involving a mage. Fate is a mage’s weapon, he says.” I leaned against the wall. “He said that when I talked to him about it.” She shrugged. “I don’t really know what it means. He says the infamous mage Agni said it about a thousand years ago, or something. I’ve read about her; most people think she’s a monster.” I’d never even heard the name, but I also hadn’t really been reading much or for very long. It was possible she was in one of those books Sharena gave me, if she was that important. I’d make an effort to find out about her once we were camped outside of Peresten. Maybe reading up on some ancient mage would help me get a handle on my power. I was brought back to reality by Gwen asking, "So, how have you been? I haven't seen you in so long, I was sure I'd never see you again, much less as a human." I rubbed at the back of my neck. "Yeah, it was… I spent a lot of time out on my own. I'd fly from place to place and never really stick around for long. Kenny and his family are the first people I lived with since you and yours." "You seem happy around them. Around Kenny, at least. Got a little step sister crush on him?" I blushed, probably pure red. "Um… no!” She laughed. “Take it easy, I’m just playing. I assume you do have your eyes on a particularly attractive boy, though, am I right?” I shook my head. “No, not really. I haven’t had the chance to really think about that kind of thing.” I could feel the embarrassment drifting away a little. Still, the conversation was a little too personal for my tastes. “What… um… what’s gone on with you guys since I left?” “Too much to get into,” she said, gesturing with a wave. “You don’t exactly have a whole lot of time, and it’d probably take a good day or two for me to explain it all.” It was over ten years worth of stuff, so she probably wasn’t wrong. “Yeah, you’ve got a point.” I really should have been going. Kenny and Kallun were probably waiting for me, having a good laugh at how long I was taking. “I hope to see you again soon, Gwen.” To my complete and utter shock, she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. “You can call me Blodwyn.” I felt a faint smile cross my lips. ”Riley, c’mon. It’s time,” Cres said. I knew he was right. I knew. But I didn't want to do this at all. I wanted the world to just stop and let us keep going the same as we always had until everything ended. “I know,” I said, through tears, “I’m just… Cres, you know what’s gonna happen.” He shook his head. “That’s not the point. If we don’t…” He took my hand. “If we don’t do this, everything is at stake. We can’t let that happen.” “I know. I really do, I get it, but I don’t… I don’t wanna lose you.” He cupped my face and wiped away my tears. “You never will.” I knew his words were for himself as much as for me. He had such confidence that I just didn't. I'd always put on a tougher exterior than I really had, but he'd always seen the real me. And it was that confidence that led to him pushing his lips into mine. One final kiss. It lasted minutes. It lasted for days, weeks, years, centuries. Time froze completely, all while we stood there making out like children. I wanted nothing more than to stay there, kissing him, for the rest of eternity. If only the world was just us… I broke off the kiss and looked up into his eyes. "I guess if that's our last kiss, at least it was a perfect one." He chuckled. "Don't think of it as the last, think of it as our first." I clutched his hand tightly. "I will. Alright, Cres, let's get this started." He hadn't noticed. He hadn't seen me mouthing the spell after the kiss. He'd never really been able to spot me doing that, which I thought was both sweet and sad at the same time. We both prided ourselves on knowing everything about one another, but that was one secret I could still keep from him. "I'll see you again soon, Riley," he said as he kissed my hand. He was soon enveloped by a blinding white light, brighter than I'd ever seen... I woke up and threw the blanket off of me almost like I was afraid it was a snake or something. Kallun was sitting on the other side of the fire from me, eating a cob of corn that I didn’t even know we had. Kenny was slightly ahead, checking around our little camp site. I felt sweat almost pouring off of me. What the hell was that? Why would I be dreaming about Cres when I’d only met him once and only even knew his name because of another dream? It was… weird. No, it was disturbing. I honestly didn’t even know what it was, but it was definitely disturbing. “Hey, you okay?” Kallun asked. I wiped the sweat from my brow and sighed. “Just a weird dream, that’s all.” He stood up, walked around the fire and plopped down on the log beside me. “I’m serious, are you okay?” I nodded. “Yeah.” “What was it about?” “What?” “Your dream.” I should have known that. “Oh. It was… weird. I was talking to this guy I don’t really even know, acting like I was in love with him and we were about to do something magical.” He smirked. “Ooh, something magical huh?” I smacked him lightly on the arm. “That’s not what I’m talking about.” He pulled back a little and gestured a “surrender”. “Hey, hey, I’ve had those kinds of dreams, too.” “Dreams where you and some boy you barely met one day are kissing?” “All the time.” I raised an eyebrow. “Are… are you gay?” He stopped biting into his corn cob. “You didn’t know?” I shook my head. “Holy crap, really?” “Really.” “You know Kenny is, right?” I shook my head again. I guess that explained some things. “Holy crap, how did that go over your head? He’s your brother!” “I’m adopted.” “Still!” “I’m also a dragon.” “I know, but… still!” “I’ve also only been human for like three weeks. I’m not even sure what I’m attracted to, I haven’t really paid any attention to what Kenny’s got the hots for.” Kallun started to laugh. “Wow… that’s just… damn...” I grabbed the blanket and covered myself up again. It had gotten surprisingly chilly in spite of the fire. “That explains why you two have been so… close the last couple days.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t say we’ve been close. Neither of us have really made a move on each other.” He took another chomp of the corn cob. “Is it weird now?” I shook my head. “No. Who Kenny loves is up to him.” “But, I mean, are you…” “What?” “Do you have a problem with gay people?” I turned red. “Uh, no. It’s not my choice or anything.” He smiled. “Do you think I have a chance with Kenny?” I felt a smile of my own coming on. Apparently playing matchmaker for my brother was something I may have to contend with. “You won’t know until you try.” He laughed. “Y’know, I haven’t known you for that long, but I kinda feel like you’re a good friend already.” “Same.” Right on cue, Kenny walked through the branches and sat down on the log that Kallun had been sitting on earlier. “What are you guys talking about?” he asked. Kallun answered, “Just guys, that’s all.” The next morning, I still couldn’t get that dream out of my mind. As we walked through the forest on our way to Sandhog Ridge. I pulled out one of those books Sharena gave me and tried to see if there was anything I could read that might explain it to me. I found some spells, but those were written in a language I couldn’t read even if I was better at it. I made a mental note to look into those again later. The closest I got to finding something that could be what I was looking for was a book on magical history. The first thing in the book was a list of famous mages, and I saw that most of them were women, or even young girls. There were men on the list, but that number was small compared to the number of women. I didn’t know if that meant women just made better mages, or maybe it meant that women simply did more worthy of recognition. Either way, it was something to keep note of. The first name on the list was a man, however. Tomas Endawa. Looked like magic was kind of long running in the family. Made me feel a little proud, even though I was adopted. Maybe I could live up to the reputation, whatever it was. I traced my finger across the names on the list, finally coming to one that was a simple, single word. Agni. That was the name of the mage Blodwyn had mentioned. The one her dad liked to quote. I saw that her information was on page 194, so I quickly flipped through the book to get to that page. The problem was that there was only one thing on the page, and that was a picture. Agni had exactly zero information, in any language whatsoever. The fact that the picture looked kind of like me disturbed the hell out of me, though. “Kenny,” I said as I caught up to him. At some point, I must have fallen back behind the boys. “Did Sharena ever mention her to you?” I asked, pointing to the picture. He looked at the picture, then at me. “That’s weird.” “What? That she looks like me?” “Yeah. Maybe you’re a descendent of her, though.” “You’re not forgetting your little sister is really a dragon, right?” He glared at me. “Obviously not. But humans and dragons can reproduce together. Didn’t Dad tell you that when he gave you the sword?” “Yeah, he did, but still.” “Either way, would that be any real surprise? Sharena says you’re a powerful mage, all I really know about Agni was that she was a powerful mage. Maybe it runs in your real family like it does in ours.” He could be right, so I just left that alone and got back to looking for anything about weird dreams like I’d had. Two of them involving Cres didn’t seem like it was mere coincidence. Especially since I’d met him for all of two minutes in real life. I flipped through the book and looked for anything at all relating to dreams. I could read just enough to notice the word dreams at least, so it wasn’t outrageously difficult. The difficult thing was that there was nothing about dreams anywhere in the book. I had hoped at the very least that some other mage might have come across this weird thing before. I shut the book and slipped it back in my bag. All I’d learned was that some mage I’d only heard of yesterday somehow looked like me. A great big nothing, all in all. Maybe when we got to Sandhog Ridge and I could actually talk to Sharena, I’d get some answers. I’d ask about the dreams, I’d ask about my uncanny resemblance to Agni, I’d ask a lot. I looked up and saw through a break in the treetops as an airship flew overhead. That seemed odd. Kenny told me that Peresten was the closest airship port on this side of the Empire. According to the map, the only town in sight was Sandhog Ridge, and that was still three days away. “What the hell are they doing here?” I asked. Kallun was the first to realize what I was talking about. “No…” “What?” Kenny and I both asked. “We’ve gotta turn back.” “What?” I repeated. “The only reason to see an airship out here is the Dragonslayers Guild.” “The Dragonslayers Guild?” Kenny asked. Kallun nodded. “That guy that’s hunting, Bertrand, he’s the commander of a special unit in the Imperial army, the Dragonslayer’s Guild. They’re so special they have their own airships, the only unit that does.” “Why would they be out here when they don’t know where we are?” He shook his head. “Killing dragons isn’t all they do. They round up slaves, too.” I asked, “Slaves? The Empire kidnaps people and uses them as slaves?” “The Empire isn’t exactly made up of nothing but nice people, they don’t just use slaves, they sell them, too.” Holy shit. Killing dragons or destroying their minds, taking and selling slaves. The Empire was a damned nightmare. “Why would they be bringing slaves out here?” “They’re not,” Kenny answered. He had gone ahead a bit and found a spot to hide while he watched them. “They’re picking them up.” Kallun and I caught up with him, both of us crouching behind a fallen tree, just like he was. The airship was just landing in the clearing as we got there. There were already seven Imperial Escorts on the ground, one of them holding a chain that was tied to four women. When the airship landed, a large boarding ramp extended from a cargo door in the back. Out stepped a woman in dark blue armor, wearing a horned helmet and carrying a sword on her hip with a lance strapped to her back. “Bring them!” she shouted, her voice carrying an accent I’d never heard before. One of the Escorts stepped up to her. “Lady Cecilia, there are reports that the Endawa children were last seen in Peresten.” Kenny cursed under his breath. I could just barely hear it, but couldn’t make out what he’d said. Lady Cecilia didn’t seem impressed, however. “Lord Bertrand has that well in hand. We’re merely here for the slaves.” “Lady Cecilia!” someone inside the airship shouted. The shout was followed quickly by a yell of pure pain. Lady Cecilia turned around and drew her sword with one hand and grabbed her lance with the other. “Stand fast!” she ordered. The other Escorts drew their weapons as well. And out of the airship burst Mithra, still in his humanoid form that he’d been in when he’d defended me back at school. He had an axe in one hand, and blood streaking down his other arm. He buried the axe in an Escort that had taken position on the boarding ramp, then kicked the man off and took a swing at Lady Cecilia. Lady Cecilia, however, was ready for him, blocking using her lance and taking a wide swing with her sword. She just managed to clip his stomach, drawing even more blood. “You were warned, creature.” “As were you, witch! The fate of this world lies in my mage, and I will not let you stop me from reuniting with her!” Lady Cecilia used her lance to pull the axe out of Mithra’s hand. It flew through the air, landing in the fallen tree we were hiding behind. I yelped a little, but clamped my hands over my mouth. I was pretty sure nobody but Kenny and Kallun heard me. Lady Cecilia then dropped to a crouch, swept her leg across and knocked Mithra onto his back. She then crawled on top of him and put her sword to his neck. “We’ve gotta help him!” I half-whispered. Kenny shook his head. “And give you up to them? They’re the ones we’re trying to keep away from!” Lady Cecilia let out some form of growl, then said, “I’m sure you’ll like the next round of torture we have in store for you.” She stood up, but kept her sword pointed at his neck. “Take it back inside and strap it to the table. If there aren’t two of you on him at all times, I’ll kill you all myself.” I turned to Kallun. “The boss said you get can get in and out of places without being noticed, right?” He nodded. “Well, yeah, but just me, not all three of us.” “How do you do it, exactly?” He turned red. “I’m…” He glanced at Kenny. “Corbran’s a snakekin, I’m… kind of a chameleonkin.” “You’re a what?” Kenny asked. “It doesn’t run in my family too strongly, but I’m about one-twelvth chameleon.” “Can you get on the airship by yourself?” He shrugged. “Probably. So long as there aren’t any of them looking too close to see me.” Kenny turned to me. “What are you thinking?” I watched as two of the Escorts picked up Mithra and dragged him on-board. I needed to help him. I looked up at Kenny. “Kallun gets on board and opens one of those side hatches that’s close to the ground,” I pointed to the closest one, “and we hoof it to make sure we get on in time.” He looked concerned, for good reason, really. “You realize we’ll be on an enemy airship, with them all around us?” I nodded. “And we’ll hide until we get to wherever it is the ship is going. After that, we get Mithra and we hightail it the hell out of there.” I turned to Kallun and asked, “Are you rea--” My question was answered by the very fact that Kallun wasn’t there. I reached out and touched the air where he’d been, but there was nothing. I turned back to where the airship was and saw something that seemed to be shimmering on the ground a little. It was then that I realized it was Kallun, crawling as fast as possible toward the airship boarding ramp. Even when he reached it and stood up, I couldn’t see him. "Holy shit, he's fast," Kenny expressed. "And he's into you," I added. "C'mon, let's go." I stood up, grabbed the axe and ran for the nearest hatch. "Yeah," I barely heard him say as I bolted. "Wait, what?!"

Chapter Eighteen - Hasty Departure The route we took to the northwest borough was very simple, just straight up the river. Of course, the part that wasn’t simple was that we had to wait until the rower got out of the boat for something and then we stole his boat. Cameron thought it was hilarious, Sari kept smirking the entire time and Artus… did Artus things. Which mostly meant sleeping. Every now and again, he’d raise his head and growl at somebody we passed by. I couldn’t tell if they knew we had stolen the boat or if they just wanted to stop and stare at the oddly colored, slightly large wolf. I spent the entire trip looking out at the parts of the city we passed. I saw houses, markets, people who were happy and full of life. I wondered if any of them knew the Empire routinely hired thugs to kill people or kidnapped slaves from another nation. Hell, I wondered just how much they knew about what went on outside the city walls. It wasn’t an outrageously harsh world out there, as I’d managed to make it on my own for so long, but these people probably hadn’t even seen any of that. I stood up as we came to a stop at a small dock. Another rower was standing there, looking outright pissed. Just before he started to say something, Artus growled at him, stopping him from doing anything. Instead, he simply stood off to the side and let us on our way. Sari leaned over and whispered to Cameron, “Have I ever told you I like your conduit now?” Artus, being Artus, answered for himself. “I am not here for you to like, maggot.” “Calm down,” I said, “we’re here to get to wherever the hell Sari’s taking us, let’s just get there.” “Where are we goin’?” Cameron asked. “Erik’s place is just a little further,” Sari answered, “we’ll be there before dark.” I looked up and saw that the sun had already disappeared behind the taller buildings, but everything still looked bright enough. “Is there even a dark in this place?” I asked. She gave me a smirk over her shoulder. “Just keep following me.” I sighed and did as she said. Not like there was a whole lot of choice. She knew Myzacile, I didn’t. Hell, I was still amazed by the place, drawn in by the beauty of the Imperial Palace, which looked even more impressive from down here on street level than it had from a distance. No doubt the point, to make people feel inadequate and docile in the presence of such a monument to royalty and power. I wasn’t entirely certain it wasn’t working on me. I felt almost naked without my sword, just like I had back at Fork. Everything felt like danger, even though all I saw were children playing and their parents watching them. None of the people around me seemed even slightly intimidating, but that didn’t stop me from feeling as though the entire city was against us. Granted, it kind of was, but even the citizens didn’t know that. As we moved into the northwest borough, the streets became more cramped, more crowded. There were fewer kids and more adults, as well as a number of Imperial soldiers. Everyone was mixing well, no one seemed out of the ordinary or hostile, except maybe us. But nobody gave us any sideways glances or dirty looks. A few kids asked to pet Artus, and the conduit barely managed to contain his rage and act like a normal dog. Honestly, that was more than a little funny. As we passed by a coffee shop, I saw someone looking at me. For the briefest of seconds, I could have sworn I was looking at Riley. I almost wanted to stop and talk to the girl, but the second passed and I realized that she looked nothing like Riley, being a bit paler with light red hair. I didn’t know why I’d imagined that. I almost wondered if Riley, wherever the hell she was in the world, was having the same problem. Most likely, she wasn’t. Kalena had been the one to tell me I held her in some sort of regard, maybe whatever influence her beach had had on me was still there and I was just hallucinating. It probably wasn’t her intention, maybe I’d just gotten some sand in my ear and none of the shit I’d done since then had knocked it loose. I really didn’t know. “What’s up?” Sari asked. I shook my head. “Nothing. Just… I thought I saw someone.” “Oooh, got the hots for some girl out there? You may wanna go to the southwest borough, I’ve heard the girls over there are much easier than most.” I smacked her shoulder. “Shut it. How long until we get to your friend’s place?” She stopped at a house that looked absolutely ordinary and uninteresting. There were two steps leading to the front door and a single lantern just to the side of it. “Just a second or two,” she said, a hint of amusement in her voice. I glared at her. “Well then, why don’t you knock on the door?” Right away, the door was thrown open and standing in the doorway was a young dark skinned kid, no older than seven or eight. He broke into a run and nearly bowled me over as he sprinted past. For a second, I wondered if that kid was the Erik that Sari had mentioned, but instead I was answered when an older woman, obviously the boy’s mother, stepped into the doorway after him. “Sarika,” the woman said, and a smile crossed her face. “It’s been awhile.” Sari walked up to the woman and hugged her tightly. “I’m so happy to see you again!” she exclaimed, almost more emotion than I’d ever heard Sari use. “Where’s Erik? I need to see her.” The woman rolled her eyes. “You know her. Whenever she can work late, she does. I’d be worried about her if I didn’t know her as well as I did.” Cameron blinked. “I’m confused.” Sari sighed, realizing I suppose that she hadn’t introduced us to the woman yet. “Sorry.” She stepped aside. “This is Erik’s wife, Bella.” Bella led us inside and had us wait in the living room. It was neatly furnished, a single couch and two armchairs, a fireplace, a coffee table and two end tables. I looked at the pictures on the fireplace mantle, pictures of a happy wedding. Bella in a white dress, the woman I assumed was Erik in a black dress, the kid we’d seen before a couple years younger in a tuxedo that looked too big on him. There were other pictures as well, of the family at various stages. Erik and Bella looked like an incredibly loving couple. It reminded me of my parents. I could still remember the pictures we had on our walls. Of me, of Circi, of Mom and Dad holding either of us when we were newborns. Made me wish those days were still around. Bella walked back into the room with a plate of cups filled with tea. “I hope you’re happy with it plain, Sarika, I didn’t have time to make your favorite.” She handed one to each of us, then set a bowl down in front of Artus, who happily lapped it up. “Erik should be home in a little while.” Sari took a drink. “It’s fine, Bella, we can wait. Anton sure has gotten bigger. How old is he now? Eight?” Bella shook her head. “Nine. Just turned nine, last fall.” “God, I can remember when he tiny.” “He’s tiny now,” I said as I finished off my cup. Sari was glaring at me, but Bella had a bemused smile on her face. “Just like his father, really,” the older woman said, “except he never grew out of his scrawny phase like Anton will.” Cameron gulped down some tea. “Um… who’s the father?” the girl asked. Bella patted her on the knee. “Just some dumbass I regretted hooking up with every day for nine months, until my beautiful baby was born.” She took a sip of tea. “Erik forgave me after that, too. Wonderful woman, my Erik.” “So what exactly does Erik do?” I asked. “She’s an Imperial Escort,” Sari answered. I nearly spit out some tea. “What?!” She started laughing, almost dropping her own cup. “It’s nothing to be worried about, honest. Erik and I have been friends for years, and she’s helped me out of tight spots way worse than… well, okay, yeah, the Empire wanting me dead just for being a Plains Tribe chieftain really is kind of the worst thing that’s happened to me.” “No worse than when you tried to send the Emperor a cake made of rocks,” Bella said. “That was just an April Fools joke.” “Get back to the part where your friend is an Imperial Escort and how this is going to help,” I said. “I am. It’ll help because she has my travel pass.” She set her cup down on the coffee table and walked over to the window. “It’s a special pass that gets us access to pretty much the entire city, including the airship depot. When we get that from her, we can get us our ride to Peresten and then it’ll only be a short trip to Endawa so you can meet up with your girlfriend.” “Riley isn’t my girlfriend.” “I didn’t even know she had a name, but fine.” “Wha er ya talkin’ about?” Cameron asked. “Some girl that a magical beach told us Cres liked. We met her for all of a minute while we were running from Escorts back in Endawa.” I should have known she’d remember that. Granted, I couldn’t even remember if Sari was there when Kalena pointed that out to me, but for all I knew, she could have mentioned it separately or something. Either way, it didn’t matter. “That’s not the only reason we’re heading out that way,” I said. More for Bella than for Cameron, because Cameron already knew what we were doing. “We’re on the hunt for the white dragon.” Bella caught onto that. “The white dragon? You’re hunting that monster?” Sari nodded. “He’s killed enough people and ruined enough lives that we decided it was time he suffered for it. That was the direction he was going, last we heard.” Bella took a long drink, then set her cup down. “You’ll be too late. It was just on the news this morning: The white dragon has moved onto the Plains Nation.” Sari looked confused. “Okay? Why are we too late?” “Endawa was one of his last few stops. After that, Sandhog Ridge and some of the smaller border towns. People think he’s tracking someone or something, but no one knows for sure. At least, that was what they said on the radio. I turned it off just before Anton heard any of it. I didn’t want him to worry that his mother would be shipped off to fight that beast.” For a long time, there was silence. I wanted to rush out to our carriage and just ride on to Endawa alone. I hadn’t even been there a day, but the town didn’t seem like it deserved to be wiped out by the white dragon. And if it had killed everyone, was that why I was dreaming about Riley? Was it because she was already dead? Finally, I spoke, “Your son will never need to worry about that.” I stepped closer to her. “We’re going to find the white dragon and we’re going to end it. And we’re going to save the Plains Tribe slaves,” I added, for Sari’s benefit. That was our more immediate concern, really. Not that I knew how we were gonna do either, but still. Bella sighed. “Optimism is a wonderful thing, truly. I don’t have to tell you how horribly foolish it is to believe a bunch of kids are going to save the world.” Sari sat down and took her hand. “Trust me, we know how stupid we sound, but we’re going to do it.” She motioned to Cameron. “We’ve got a mage on our side, and once I can get back home and unite the Tribes, we’ll have an army.” “An army still outnumbered by the Empire,” a new voice said. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a woman in full Escort armor standing in the doorway. Her hair was almost orange compared to the dark brown I’d seen in the wedding photos, but it was unmistakable that this was Erik. “But really, an army is an army, so you would have a chance.” “Erik!” Sari exclaimed as she burst from the couch and hugged the armored woman. “It’s been awhile!” Erik smiled. “It has, kiddo.” I reached out to shake hands. “I’m Cres.” “So I’ve heard.” I pulled my hand away. “I’m sure…” “Don’t take it the wrong way, boy. I’m not going to turn you in, even though orders say otherwise. Sarika’s like a daughter to me, and that means you and the mage girl are safe.” She walked over to the couch and sat down beside her wife. “Now, how exactly do you plan on starting this crusade to slay the white dragon and reunite the Plains Nation?” Cameron asked, “I thought we already got started?” Sari reassured her, “We did, Cami, don’t worry.” She walked over to Erik and held out her hand. “I need my pass.” “Alright.” That seemed to take her by surprise. “Wow, really? That easy?” “It’s your pass, kid.” “I know, but I still sort of expected some resistance.” “Nope.” “Well then, okay. Um… are you sure you’re okay with us using it to get on board an airship and free the Plains Tribe slaves?” Erik closed her eyes and took her wife’s hand. “When I joined the Escorts, things were different. It was a much calmer time, before the white dragon came along and started causing the problems it has.” She sighed. “The slaves were never supposed to happen. When we were first told of them, I nearly left the Army right then and there.” She opened her eyes again and looked at Bella. “It was this beautifully intelligent woman who said I should try to do some good from within rather than abandoning my oath as an officer of the Imperial Escorts.” She turned back to Sari. “Now it’s time for someone to do some good from without.” Sari whistled. “Well, I guess that means you trust me to do the right thing.” I grabbed her by the shoulder. “She’s trusting us to do the right thing.” Erik laughed. “If I’m honest, I trust him a little more than you, kiddo.” Sair sighed. “I guess that makes sense.” Erik led us through the streets to the airship depot close to where she lived. There were five airships all parked in the depot, ready to lift off, or so it seemed. I couldn’t really tell, as the few times I’d seen an airship up close I’d merely seen them up close and hadn’t been inside one. I couldn’t actually tell if there were passengers on any of those airships. I nearly reached for where my sword would be when a dragon landed close to the depot. After realizing I didn’t have my sword (something I seemed to like forgetting), I also saw that the dragon had what appeared to be a passenger cart on its back. It was a big enough dragon that I figured at least twenty people could ride on it. “Yet another disgusting thing we do,” Erik said, “enslaving dragons to serve as glorified transports.” Cameron asked, “Aren’t dragons dangerous anyway?” Erik shook her head. “Not all of them. An old acquaintance of mine named Irvine spends his time helping those that aren’t.” She smiled faintly. “One of my former lovers, a woman named Briana, is a dragon hiding in human form. I don’t see her much anymore, but she’s got a family of her own now.” “Can dragons and humans… um…” Sari covered Cameron’s ears before Erik could ask. “She’s still not old enough for that kind of stuff,” Sari said. “Let’s just focus on how we’re going to do what we’re about to do.” I asked, “What are we about to do?” Erik held up a hand to signal us to stop. She then made us huddle close together. “You want to free some slaves, your job is simple: The airship Pride & Joy is being loaded up right now for dignitaries from a number of various small cities after this morning's white dragon attack. The Emperor is calling people here to assure them that everything is well in hand. I’ve managed to get two of you on as Escorts.” Sari and I looked at each other, then both asked, “Two of us?” Erik nodded. “Yes. You,” she pointed at me, “and the mage.” Sari looked an odd mixture of confused and enraged. “And what am I going as?” Erik smirked. “You wanna get your slaves ready to escape, High Chieftain? What better way than to be in the room with them?” Cameron started to laugh, and I couldn’t deny that I wanted to as well. Sari’s mixed look changed into one that was nothing but rage, but she kept quiet. Erik just looked amused. “How, uh, how are we gonna pass Cameron off as an Escort?” I asked. “The Empire’s not above child soldiers,” Erik answered, “and there are plenty of them in the Escorts. I’ve had to train more than a few.” “But I dunno how ta fight,” Cameron said. Erik shook her head. “It’s no big deal. There’s not going to be any fighting on this trip, it’s just to pick up some people already willing to come along anyway. The slaves are just there to entice the dignitaries into agreeing to certain things the Emperor wouldn’t be able to get done otherwise and the Escorts are just to keep everything in order.” She motioned for us to keep moving. “Time to get on with this.” Despite how bulky it looked, Escort armor didn’t seem to weight really anything. Erik had mentioned that it was forged in some sort of magic potion, so I assumed that was how it worked. It made me wonder how tough it actually was. No doubt the potion was meant to keep the armor strong but light so that Escorts had the best of both worlds. Luckily, Erik was able to get our weapons from the guard station at the entrance gate, so I had my sword back. Cameron walked into the room in her armor, looking very out of place. “How come I gotta… why we gotta wear this crap?” she asked. I smirked. “We won’t be wearin’ it long. We’ll get in there, save the slaves, take control of the airship and get on the way to the Plains Tribe where we can get our army against the white dragon.” She didn’t seem reassured, and to be quite honest, I didn’t exactly feel that way myself. This whole thing seemed to be getting bigger and bigger by the day when all it started out as was killing the white dragon. Now we were infiltrating airships in disguises and rescuing slaves to help later build an army and reunite a nation that seemed to prefer being split. Hell, things weren’t just getting bigger, but weirder. But it was what we needed to do. Killing the white dragon meant we needed an army, getting an army meant reuniting the Plains Tribes, reuniting the Plains Tribes meant freeing their people. That I thought this would remain the simple task of following that monster and killing it was probably the most naive thing I’d ever believed. I’d stop and chide myself for it if not for how much we still had ahead of us. “At least you guys are wearing armor,” Sari said as she walked into the room, wearing… well, barely anything. A bikini would cover up more than what she had on, which was a thin strip across her chest and a g-string. Her hair was loose, flowing almost to her waist. I don’t think I’d ever noticed her hair was that damned long. Maybe she kept it tied specially or something. “And you don’t need to be in a room with a horny diplomat.” Erik walked in and patted her on the shoulder. “At least you’ll be hijacking the airship before too long.” “Not the point.” “It could be worse,” I said, “they could want male prostitutes.” “I would honestly be more amused if they did.” Sari sighed. “Let’s get this show on the road, I guess.” Erik nodded. “Agreed. I’ll escort the three of you onto the airship, your…” she looked at Artus, who was sitting there just staring ahead at everything, “dog? Will be crated in the cargo hold. Once you’re on board and in the air, the rest will be up to you. I’ll be down here in Myzacile, having dinner with my wife and son, and you’ll be accomplishing your objective before nightfall tomorrow.” “Sounds like a plan,” I said. She nodded again. “The Empire needs this, someone to make the Emperor see the error of his ways and strive to better everything. It only pains me that it’s taken so long for it to happen.” “The Empire and the Plains Tribe,” Sari clarified. “Yes.” “Well, we’re ready,” I said, “let’s get going.” “I literally just said that,” Sari pouted. We followed Erik through the depot to the Pride & Joy, where several more Escorts were busy ferrying the slaves inside. Nobody seemed to notice us or care that we were there, which was the point. Presumably, Erik had managed to add us to the troop compliment, most likely under assumed names. I looked up at a walkway overlooking the boarding area. Two men stood there, watching everything. One of them I recognized as Emperor. He looked significantly older than he truly was, being somewhere around his late thirties but looking more like his early seventies. I assumed it had something to do with ruling an Empire, but… there was something else that just seemed unnaturally wrong about how he looked. Other than his age, he was dressed much as he always was in the newspapers, wearing a long yellow robe over top of a dark gray coat and pants. I saw a sword on his hip and he clutched at a cane he was using for support. The other man wore a white suit and appeared to be in his late forties. His hair was dark brown, though a streak of silver ran through it on one side, just above his ear. He didn’t carry any weapons, but I could see a ring on his right hand that had some sort of gem in it. I couldn’t tell what it was from this distance, and the only reason I even noticed it was because he kept playing with it. Everything added up to a man who looked very comfortable with everything around him, more so than even the Emperor. I honestly couldn’t tell which one of them unsettled me more. “Who’s that?” I asked Erik as I gestured to the man in white. “The only name anyone knows is Garland. He’s the Emperor’s mage, some say his right hand. All anybody can agree on is that he puts everybody on edge just being there.” That didn’t surprise me. “Why are they here?” “They like to do that, usually picking one ship each day to watch over. Some say it’s a good omen, others say it just causes bad luck.” She nudged me with her elbow. “You better hope it’s the former.” I smirked. “I don’t trust omens.” The four of us (sans Artus, who was already crated up and being loaded into the cargo hold) finally made it to the entry ramp. Cameron and I were instructed by the ranking officer to head for the sleeping quarters while Erik took Sari to where the rest of the slaves were kept. I breathed a slight sigh of relief. This part had gone off without a hitch, at least. The hard part was next. One of the Escorts bumped into Cameron, who had been standing next to me. "Watch it, ya portly buggah!" she almost shrieked. He turned around and glared at her through the helmet eyeholes. "Um… sorry?" I grabbed her and patted her on the shoulder to keep her calm. "Sorry, sir. My sister's just…" He knelt down and… growled? When he spoke, I knew exactly what was going on. "She is giving herself away to the enemy!" Artus said, quiet enough that Cameron and I were the only ones who could hear him. Cameron's eyes lit up. "Artus! Where'd ya come from?" I asked, "Where'd you get that armor?" He stood straight. "Need-to-know basis, soldier. Just know that we will execute this mission successfully, and we will make it to the Plains Nation." I blinked for a second, then asked, "Okay, but, really, where'd you get it and how does it fit you?" In response, he burped. After clearing his throat, he said, "Tight around the crotch." All I could do was stare. Somewhere else in the room, someone shouted, "You're excused!"

Chapter Eleven - Time to Run School was relatively quiet. Maybe it was the Imperial Escorts all over town, maybe it was just a quiet… Whatever day of the week it was. I had to figure out how calendars worked at some point, if for no other reason than because reading the same word four times a month may help me read other words. I sat at my desk in… Art? Yeah, art. I was drawing, after all. Drawing the girl across the table from me, in fact. It didn't look anything like her, and instead looked like a pig wearing a bonnet. Clearly, I must have been having a crappy day. She didn’t look happy with how my picture came out, either. When the bell rang, I grabbed the drawing and tore it up in front of her. “You're much too pretty for me to turn that in,” I said, sounding nervous as all hell. “I just can’t draw.” “Riley!” the teacher shouted, then smacked a ruler against the chalkboard. “You just destroyed priceless art! Explain yourself!” I blushed. “It was… Uh… Well, just not good, sir.” He smacked the chalkboard again. “No more! Art is art! It is beautiful no matter how terrible!” I sighed. I was fairly certain the girl I turned into a pig nose didn’t feel that way. She probably would have puked on me of I’d turned that in. I gathered everything into my backpack and followed everybody else out of the room. The hallway was crowded but quiet. Nobody was talking. It was creepy as hell, but I kept up with it, to avoid looking out of place. If this was what the school was like whenever Imperial Escorts were around, I’d almost consider skipping the next few days. Though, Sharena probably wouldn’t let me. My next class was something involving reading that Kenny wasn’t enrolled in, probably because he could read and I couldn’t. I imagined it would be something like me and a bunch of other kids who couldn’t read sitting around trying to help each other read. Maybe it would be fun, or maybe it would go way in the opposite direction. Maybe, maybe, maybe. I found the classroom and saw a grand total of four other kids. The room itself didn’t look any different from any other, there were about two dozen desks, a chalkboard at one end and a big teacher desk at the other, windows along one wall with a view of the forest outside. The one surprise was a soldier standing by the chalkboard. The soldier was watching me the entire time I walked into the room and took a seat close to the other four kids already seated. The teacher didn’t look all that pleased that the soldier was in the room, but she walked from her desk to the chalkboard. I tried to put the soldier out of my mind, but that was difficult. “Alright, students,” the teacher started, obvious unease in her voice. Something was wrong. “You’re all here because you have difficulty with reading. At the end of the day, you should all be one step closer to reading just as anyone else does.” The soldier was still focused on me, for whatever reason. I hadn’t done anything to arouse suspicion, so what was his deal? Maybe I needed to ask. Maybe I just needed to focus on my work. Whatever I needed to do, it took all I had to ignore the soldier. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t move any part of him that wasn’t his eyes. He’d be creepy to me even if I wasn’t paranoid as hell. Maybe it was the paranoia that made me think that. Aaaand now I was second-guessing my own paranoia. I was clearly messed up in the head in more ways than I was comfortable to admit. The teacher droned on and on about the difficulties of being taught to read as a young adult when you were never taught as a child. I paid a little less attention than I should have, because I was still worried about that soldier. I couldn’t just ignore him, like I wanted to, because he never took his eyes off of me. It was getting to the point where I needed to ask what he was doing there. I raised my hand -- -- and then the soldier sprung into action! He jumped from where he’d been standing, his sword drawn. In seconds, he had knocked my desk over, pushed me to the floor and pressed his sword against my neck. Everybody else backed away from me, though whether they were scared of me or the soldier was a question all its own that had no clear answer yet. “Good work, Declan,” a voice said. Despite the sword to my throat, I managed to look and see Captain Bertrand standing there, his helmet under his arm and that weird smile on his scarred face. He was staring down at me, and the way his eyes shined, I assumed he wanted to kill me. “This class is now indefinitely dismissed.” The teacher asked, “Good sir, what are you doing?!” “This creature is not human.” Not human? Funny, I kinda looked and felt like one. Granted, I wasn’t always, but that wasn’t the point. Well, it sorta was. This, however, was not the time to think about this sort of thing. “But Riley is - “ Bertrand cut her off. “This creature is not human. It is a dragon in disguise. Now, take your students and leave this place. We shall deal with the creature.” “Look,” I said, “I’m not a dragon, so lemme go!” Sword Soldier pulled his sword away and socked me in the jaw. “Quiet, beast!” Bertrand grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to my feet, then shoved me into a seat. I saw the rest of the class scurry out of the classroom. They looked scared for their lives, and I really, really felt scared for mine. Bertrand set his helmet down on the desk in front of me. For the first time, I saw numerous marks on the helmet, numbering more than twenty. “Do you see this, dragon?” I leaned forward. “I am not a dragon!” I said, sternly. He ignored me. “There are twenty-nine tallies on this helmet, each representing a dragon I personally killed. These do not include those my men killed in my presence.” I growled, which likely didn’t help my case. “I’m not a dragon!” “I’ve known you were a dragon since I visited Irvine’s home this morning. A concerned citizen named Torkel sent word out a day or so ago. A girl with a suspiciously similar wound to a dragon he’d injured not long before.” I knew I shoulda been more distrusting about that guy… Bertrand continued: “Irvine doesn’t know I’ve been aware of his scheme to save your disgusting species since the beginning. Several of these marks,” he tapped his helmet, “came from those he’s helped. And you, dear monster, will be the next.” I scowled at him. “No, I won’t.” His disgusting smile came back. “Is that right, little monster?” From out of nowhere, Mithra’s voice said, “It is.” A sword came down close to Bertrand’s helmet, prompting the asshole to pick it up. Standing behind him was Mithra, or at least a being I assumed was Mithra. Its head was very cat-like, but it was about as heavily muscled as Bertrand, completely covered in feathers and wearing a pair of leather trousers and boots. In its hands was a large broadsword, almost comically so. Bertrand pulled his helmet on and drew his sword. It was about that moment I realized the other soldiers were dead, lying in pools of blood so thick you’d think the blood was poured on them. Damn, Mithra was quiet when he killed people. Now I was more than a little concerned about him being my conduit. But, honestly, I just wanted to be the hell away from Bertrand, as well. “And what exactly are you, creature?” Bertrand asked, just before he swung his sword high. Mithra just barely managed to block the attack. “What I am is unimportant, who I’m protecting is the matter at hand, and you are trying to kill my mage.” “A mage? This monster is one of the magic-born? Impossible! Dragons cannot be mages!” Mithra lunged, and Bertrand dodged. “No, human, you’re wrong. There have been others.” Bertrand’s eyes burned white hot. “Lies!” Mithra blocked every strike Bertrand attempted, though I could tell it was winding him. After another protracted swing/block exchange, they finally locked swords, neither ready to break. “Riley! Run!” he shouted, through a strained voice. I didn’t need to be told twice. I burst from the seat and bolted as fast as I could. Lucky me, those races Kenny and I took were starting to turn me into a pretty good runner. I took quick turns through halls of the school - the eerily quiet halls. The entire building had been emptied somehow, as if this entire school day had been some sort of act. Had Bertrand set this trap up for me before he ever set foot in the house this morning? Oh, crap, what happened to Kenny? I hurried outside, into what was now a torrential downpour. I didn’t think it had been raining before school, or even during class. Come to think of it, I didn’t remember a single cloud in the sky before, and nobody mentioned rain in the forecast during breakfast. Either Bertrand had a magic user, Sharena was doing this or I was somehow the cause. Honestly, none of the answers sounded appealing. “Riley!” Kenny’s voice called out to me. I looked around, but couldn’t quite see him. “Kenny!” I shouted back. “Okay, I’m right behind you, stop yelling.” I spun around and saw him standing there, completely drenched. So was I, actually. “What happened in there?” “That Bertrand guy knows,” I didn’t say what, but I assumed that Kenny would know what I was talking about, “he tried to gut me with his sword. Mithra saved me.” “How did your cat save you?” I should have known that would be his next question. “Look, it doesn’t matter, we need to be home right now.” “Yeah, no kidding.” He grabbed me by the shoulder. “Hey, I’m sorry this didn’t work out.” “It will, if I have anything to say about it. I’m not losing another family.” “That sonuvabitch!!” Irvine shouted as soon as I told him the whole story. I swear, I thought he was going to tear the dinner table apart. He turned to Sharena. “You’re sure you’ve got a good spell on the house?” She nodded. “Of course. The only way they’ll find us is if Bertrand has a magic user as powerful as I am.” She folded her arms under her breasts. “Are you really so surprised by this?” I raised my hand like an idiot. “Um, I am.” Sharena patted me on the shoulder. “It’s okay, sweetie.” Irvine shouted. “It’s not okay! He’s murdered dragons we’ve helped, Sharena!” “And if you think I don’t understand that, you’re wrong. Right now, we need to focus on our daughter, keeping her safe and getting her on a path that Bertrand can’t follow.” It actually felt really good to be called somebody’s daughter. It made me feel like I was a part of a real family. I smiled, in spite of the situation. Kenny did, too. “I know that,” Irvine said with a grunt. “It doesn't stop me from being a little angered that a man I served with tried to kill my daughter. I wouldn’t go around trying to kill his daughter!” Kenny asked, “So, what happens now?” Sharena answered, “We’ll have to send the two of you away.” I looked up. “Kenny, too? Wouldn’t he be in danger around me?” “We’re all leaving, separately,” Irvine answered. “Sharena and I together, and you two. We don’t have much choice and it gives them two trails to follow. They won’t know which is which, so we’ll have a degree of safety.” I sighed. “I’m so, so sorry about this.” Irvine shook his head. “We made the decision to help you, Riley. We took you in because it was right, and that doesn’t change just because some monster wants you dead.” And now I was crying. Great. “Thank you…” He smiled at me. “Now, pack yourself a bag, everybody. The Endawa family is leaving the village for an indefinite amount of time.” I didn’t have much to pack. What few clothes I had, some books I was almost able to read, and a small bag that Sharena told me never to let out of my sight unless I had no choice. I pretty much decided to sleep with the damn thing cradled in my arms. It was the only way to be sure. All in all, my pack was small and I could sling it over my shoulder. Kenny had a little more than I did, but his bag looked smaller. He must have packed things better, or maybe I just packed things worse, one or the other. Truthfully, it didn’t really matter, since neither bag was heavy. Irvine opened up a hidden cabinet in the floor of the living room. He then flipped a light switch and illuminated a stairway that led to a cave. He motioned for Kenny to stay back, but for me to follow, so I did. The stairway went down a good long way, and finally ended what had to be a good three stories underground. Laid out before us was more cave, completely covered in shadow. “Wow,” I said, in a tiny voice. “No kidding,” Irvine responded with a laugh. “My dad first showed me this place just a few weeks before he died, told me all about the secret the Endawa family has kept since we founded the village.” He walked to the edge of the shadow and reached for something. Almost instantly, a number of torches lit themselves, the fire coming from seemingly nowhere at all. I was more than a little amused by the over-actiness of it all, until I saw what the darkness had been hiding. A giant mural on the cave wall, of a man and a dragon, each with a hand on a sword. In front of the mural was a pedestal, and on that pedestal was that same sword, pristinely shining in the firelight. More images lined the walls to the left and right of the mural, each telling the history that led to the moment depicted. Human history on the left, dragon history on the right. “Wow…” I repeated, my voice even tinier. “If you’d been raised by your birth parents, you’d have learned about the history the Endawa family has with dragons. Well, dragons don’t tell the truth about that history, and neither do humans.” He picked up the sword. “This sword was forged by the first dragon and the patriarch of the Endawa clan together, not long before their first child was born.” I turned away from the mural and gave him what I assume was my most confused look. A dragon and a human had loved one another? A dragon and a human could reproduce? That was both surprising and a mental image I wasn’t sure I needed. “Y’see, Riley, this sword has a magic bond with our family. It was forged by two mages at a time when mages weren’t yet scarce. There Endawas for generations who could use it to its full potential as both sword and magic rod. Once mages began to thin and Endawas with pure dragons’ blood in their veins began to diminish through years of just humans in our family, those who could wield it dropped to pretty much zero. My parents were the last ones, and my mother used it to defend me when I was young. My father died holding it, and then I picked it up to what I thought was avenge his death. “But in my hands, it was nothing but a sword. In the hands of a normal man born to a dragon parent, it’s a tool of both attack and defense, as it was for my father. In the hands of a dragon-born mage, it’s the most powerful magic instrument this world has ever seen.” He held the sword out, with enough room for me to grab the hilt. “And it’s yours now.” I didn’t take it. “But, I’m just a dragon you adopted.” “You’re a mage and a member of the Endawa family. I told you, the bond between us and this sword is magic, it makes no exceptions as to howthe wielder comes to be a part of the family. Hell, if they were still alive and were mages, your real parents could use it because Sharena, Kenny and I inducted you into our family.” I still didn’t take it. This whole thing sounded like a burden I didn’t think I wanted to bear. “I don’t…” was all I got out. “Trust me, kiddo, I know. When Sharena and I were kids, I nearly got us both killed because of this thing. Just know you don’t need to use the sword, just carry it, maybe pass it down to your children some day. You're not carrying a weapon, sweetheart, this is our family’s legacy.” Yeaaaaaaah, no pressure there. Nervously, I took the sword from him and held it in my hands. It wasn’t as heavy as it looked, but it was still heavier than I expected. He smiled down at me. “First steps, kiddo. They should always be suitably grand to inspire people, and yet small enough that you don’t scare the piss out of yourself.” For no good reason, that made me smile. I wondered if my biological father would have been this kind to me. If not, at least I had the best foster father I could imagine. The ground around us shook, the fires dimmed. I could tell Irvine and I had the same thought: Bertrand had found the house in spite of Sharena’s spell. Irvine looked down at me. “Bonding moment over, kiddo, time to haul ass!” We both ran up to the house, and Kenny shut the door to the cave after us. He took one look at the sword I was holding and I swore his eyes were gonna bulge out of his head. I wondered if he knew about the sword or not, but now wasn’t the time to ask. The barrier that Sharena had cast hiding the house (through some complex process that actually moved it somehow while keeping it where it was, don’t ask) had left the inside covered in a dark blue glow that had completely vanished. Now, there was a bright orange glow, one that I knew all too well. Bertrand’s soldiers had set fire to the outside of the house. “Well, that escalated quickly,” Irvine said. He turned to Sharena. “You give them their letters?” She nodded. “Yes.” It took me a second to remember what they were talking about, but it was the magic letters they gave Kenny and me. Letters to keep us in touch with one another regardless of distance. It’d help me read, at least. “Good,” Irvine said. He then turned to Kenny. “You two need to meet us at Sandhog Ridge, a small town near the border with between the Empire and the Plains Tribe. Now, remember this part, both of you: If you read a letter that tells you to meet elsewhere, don’t. And never send us anything that could tell us where you are.” Kenny looked surprised. “But… What if….” Irvine shook his head. “No. If either you two or us get captured, neither of us can know.” He put his hand on Kenny’s shoulder. “You’re in charge, Ken. You protect your sister, protect yourself, don’t let those fuckers get you.” Kenny audibly gulped. It was probably hard for him to leave his parents, having been with them his whole life. This would be a really difficult time for him. He nodded furiously, then said, “I know, Dad. You can count on me.” Irvine smirked. “Good. You remind me of when I was your age.” He walked over to the kitchen and retrieved something from a drawer, then handed it to Kenny. “Here’s your map, try not to get lost. Stick close to main roads, but don’t stay on the roads.” “We won’t.” Sharena then said, “Riley.” I turned to her. “Yeah?” “Keep practicing. Your magic will be the difference between life and death for you, sweetheart.” I nodded. “I just wish you coulda taught me some spells before this happened.” She smiled, a faint thing. “I do, too. But don’t worry, you’ll learn.” Irvine said, “Use the boards between the shed and the house to sneak out that way, we’ll distract them.” Kenny responded, “Yeah, we’ll head down the cave and sneak out on the water.” “Just stay on our shore,” Sharena warned, “don’t go near the Vesperia side.” “Why?” I asked. “The place is supposedly haunted,” Irvine answered. “Don’t worry about it, though, you’ll have plenty of ways to escape that don’t include Vesperia.” A haunted beach sounded like a nice little side adventure, though. Maybe later. Kenny led me into his bedroom, where he pried open some boards and made a hole big enough for us to crawl through. I went in first, he slipped the bags through, then came in after. We were in the shed where the two of us had had our first real conversation not long before the townspeople found out there was a dragon in town. It felt like irony that this should be where we escaped this place. We kept the cave dark as we made our way through, down to the small strip of beach that I wasn’t sure I noticed the day I came here. Granted, I was tired that day. It may have been there the whole time, I may have even landed there, I couldn’t remember. A lot had happened in a week.  Kenny stopped just outside the cave. He motioned for me to stop, then hurried back inside. I was about to ask what was going on when a torch fell onto the beach from above. I assumed whoever had dropped it thought they saw someone and wanted to confirm their suspicions. I heard muffled voices, from above the cave. The soldiers were right at the edge of the cliff behind the house. I heard another sound, this one much closer and louder. It didn’t take me long to realize the source, as another light appeared at the edge of the cage, growing brighter every second. I pushed Kenny out of the cave, surprising him, but I could tell he quickly saw exactly why I’d done it. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along as he led us due west. I heard the sound of swords being drawn before we lost sight of any soldiers. I looked in the direction of every noise I heard. Everything sounded like somebody snapping a twig with their feet, and I was certain I heard every twig being snapped. I clutched the sword that Irvine gave me, ready to draw it and… And what? I had never used a sword in my life. Hell, I’d only ever used a knife to cut up the pork chops Sharena made for dinner the other night, I had exactly zero combat experience as a human. Hell, I barely had any as a dragon. Irvine gave the wrong one of us the sword. Kenny was standing at the edge of the little clearing we’d turned into a camp, keeping a close eye on our surroundings. “Hey, Kenny,” I said, trying to draw his attention. “Shh,” he whispered, “there’s something out there.” I lowered my voice. “Yeah, that’s why I need to give you this sword.” He turned to me. “But, Dad gave you that.” “And I’m probably the worst person to hold it, so you take it.” He walked over to me and reached out for the sword, then pulled away. “No. I can’t.” “Why?” He sat down on the ground in front of me. “Because I know why Dad gave it to you. He doesn’t know, but I’ve been in his secret cave, and I’ve seen the mural. I know that Grandpa’s sword is magic, and I’m like Dad, not great at anything but basic spells that anybody can use.” “So…” “Am I jealous you can use the sword and I can’t? Yeah. But, Dad gave it to you because you can use it. I can’t take it.” “Not even until I’ve gotten sword training and won’t be stabbing myself with it?” He glared at me, like I’d just said the stupidest thing ever. “Fine, if it makes you comfortable.” He took the sword and clipped it to his belt. “But, the second you can swing a sword in confidence, you get it back.” I smiled. “I promise I’ll take it back right that very second, regardless of what we’re doing.” He reached over and ruffled my hair a little. It was a silly thing, but I could tell it was done with love. Kenny pulled a map out of his bag and spread it out on a log in front of us. He pointed to a dot that was circled. There were few words on the map, only rivers and country borders. I could actually read some of them, like Vesperia on the country to the north. “That’s Sandhog Ridge,” he said, “we’re probably two weeks away at best unless we can find some transport that doesn’t use roads and knows ways around the Empire’s most prominent hotspots.” I looked over the map. “Okay, that would help if I knew where we are on this map.” He traced a line over the map from Sandhog Ridge to a spot just by the largest water source. “Here. We’re not too far from a city called Peresten. It’s not a great place, but it’s changed a lot since Dad and Sharena were kids.” “Should we go there? Wouldn’t there be a lot of Imperial Escorts in a city?” He nodded. “Luckily, we’ll be able to move around relatively easily. The place is packed, and the Escorts are paid off by the local crime families.” “Crime families? Like, mobsters?” “Exactly like mobsters.” He looked over his shoulder, as if he expected somebody to be watching him. “Don’t tell Dad or Sharena, but I kinda know a few.” I was wide-eyed. “You know mobsters?” “Hey, I’ve got a life outside home that Dad and Sharena would never believe.” He smirked, proud of himself. “We’ll head there and see if we can’t find some people to help us get some extra supplies.” After a second, he added, “And fake IDs.” “I don’t exactly have a real ID.” “Good point, but you can’t exactly go around as Riley Endawa anymore. Hopefully, these guys can get us stuff to get past the Escorts. We’ll also havta change our appearances.” “Uh, what?” He reached out and lightly pulled some of my hair. “This, for example. Cut your hair, and it’ll confuse the picture they’ve got of you.” Ugh… I was just starting to get to like having long hair. “Fine, I’ll cut my hair. What are you gonna do?” He shrugged. “I dunno, but I’ll think of something. We’ve got a little over a day before we get to Peresten, so there’s plenty of time.” He folded up the map and slid it back into his pack. “We’ll get through this, don’t worry.” The half-smirk on his face told me he wasn’t really as sure of himself as he wanted me to believe, but I smirked back, if for nothing else, to give him some extra confidence. Hopefully, though, he was right.

Serena awoke feeling something pressing against her lips. It was a feeling of something soft, gentle, calming. It felt like she was in the clouds, floating, embraced by a pair of soft invisible arms. It was a very nice feeling. It made her feel safe, warm, comfortable as if she was back in her mother's womb.   She welcomed the nourishing liquid that curled behind her lips. Sweet and thick like deluxe chocolate fondue. It flowed, snaked around her tongue, bathing it in a joyful embrace. Running down her throat, into her stomach.   As the essence was consumed, she moaned softly in pleasure. Her heart screamed in joy as it finally received its nourishment. Euphoria washes over her, as her body completely devoid of energy becomes alive again.   The snaking feeling around her tongue continued, releasing even more of the delicious nourishing nectar into her throat. Its fulfilling essence became the waves that swept her consciousness over and over until she wasn't sure that she was dreaming or if it was the reality. She heard a moan, a voice that wasn't hers and she came to the realization...   What the hell?   Serena opened her eyes, and in front of her face, kissing her so passionately was Iina's face. She had her eyes closed while making easily misunderstood moaning sounds as she ate Serena's lips. Their tongues in full contact with each other all the way from the very tip down to under the tongue, which Serena had always thought sacred.   As Serena recognized her position, she pushed Iina away by her larger than average breasts, separating their lips and tongues as she screamed, "Iyaaaa!!!"   Iina who flew backward in the air from the force of the push could only make a quiet protest. When she fell, her body rolled around on the rocky ground, aggravating her internal injuries. Every time the stray rocks punched into her body, she could only complain with "Ow" and accepted the punishment on her abused body. When her rolling body finally stopped against a large rock, she was already too tired and in too much pain to care.   "Y - you - pervert! So you've been having impure thoughts about me all along!"   "Wro... ng... I..."   "Taking advantage of me when I fainted. You lowlife! How dare you, not even Marc has kissed me yet. But for my first kiss to be with a girl. Uuuu, I'm sorry, I can't get married anymore."   "No... he... lp..."   "Hmph, fine. I'm not petty. I'll help you this time. But if you do this again, I'll ignore you even if you beg for help, alright?"   Iina could only keep silent. Her broken body could no longer speak. Her condition might've been better than before the healing spell that Serena performed, but she was still suffering from internal bleeding.   Meanwhile, Serena was thinking. Although she said she would help, how would she help? The only healing spell she knew pushed her MP to zero. Although she had recovered a little, courtesy of Iina's misunderstood attempt, it was nowhere near the amount suitable for that healing spell to work. So she had to abandon the idea of healing her by herself. In other words, the only way she would be able to help Iina would be to get her medical help elsewhere.   "Alright, you little molester. I'm going to bring you back to the village. It's going to be rough. So don't blame me, okay?" Serena said while she lifted Iina's bloody body.   "Spirits of air. Surround our body. Lighten our body like a leaf in the wind. Materialise: Feather Light."   The spirits of air spun around their bodies, covering it in a thick layer heavy breeze. Both their long, brown hair flew all over their faces, blown around by the air surrounding their bodies.   Serena cursed as she couldn't see what was in front of her. "This was never a problem in the game", she muttered in a low voice.   Nevertheless, she held tight to Iina. Tight enough to prevent her from falling, but not tight enough to crush her damaged body. Carrying Iina's barely conscious body, Serena stepped close to the western edge of the mesa.   Serena peeked down at the ground, and she hated that it made her have goosebumps. She wondered if she could actually do this and suddenly felt a sinking fear rising up in the pit of her stomach. If possible, she wanted to back out.   Serena looked at Iina in her arms, being held in a princess carry that all girls, even her wish to experience at least once. She watched Iina's face, distorted as she tried to hold back the waves of pain in her body. Serena strengthened her resolve.   "You may be a molester but you're my first friend in this world," Serena said as she turned around, her back to the edge.   "Hold tight, molester. Things are gonna get rough!!!" Serena warned she put one foot before the other, then she followed suit with her other foot.   A second later, Serena was running at the speed of an Olympic champion. At that speed, she crossed the mesa in only nine seconds. At that speed, she placed her right foot on the very last inch of the mesa. At that speed, she pushed her right foot against the edge of the mesa, propelling her into the air.   If Iina was conscious, she would've screamed loud enough to wake the dead.   "Hoowah!" Serena cried to settle her nerves as they flew in the sky.   Instead of feeling fear, Serena felt great exhilaration. The feeling of wind violently slapping against her face was refreshing. Closing her eyes, she couldn't help but smile as she remembered a very similar feeling.   It was a memory from years ago, of the time when she was still a child and Marc was still a high school student. He used to take her riding on his cheap bike whenever he came to play. She remembered sitting in front with his arms on either side of her body. She remembered the wind against her face and how she always laughed when Marc complained about her long hair tickling his nose.   I wonder how he's doing. It's been over a week since I came here. Is he eating well? Has he found a job yet? He always makes me worry.   Now that I think about it, what about mom and dad? Am I missing over there? Or maybe this is a really vivid dream and I actually haven't even left my house. But if I'm really missing, I wonder what they'll do. I wish I can leave them a message or something.   I wonder if I can send a message or something. Maybe I can activate it like the HP and MP bar. Hm, worth a try, but first...   Serena prepared herself for landing. Due to the effect of Feather Light, her body became so light that her single jump was able to carry her in the air for almost a mile. However, everything that went up must come down. So she prepared herself for a soft landing, a little hop, a short run and off she went again, to the sky. Unfortunately, the effect was incomparable to her first jump since she started at a much lower elevation this time.   Must be quick, she said to herself, there must be someone in the village who can heal Iina's wounds.     In another continent, hundreds of miles away from Serena's location was a mountain peak named Esra's Tomb. For underneath this mountain, laid an ancient power, a being once called Esra the Primordial King. For he was believed to be born when the world was still a hell of flames and magma. He alone, out of hundred others survived the Age of Inferno into the Age of Gods, where he reigned supreme amongst the younger gods.   Countless gods had fallen under his gigantic fists, his figure was so huge that it seemed like it could reach the twin moons, Arica and Sarisa. Countless armies had fallen under the rampage of his minions, the marble giants. It was once said that had Esra chosen to conquer the world, he could have, for none in this world would be able to stand on their own against him.   In AGO, he was known as Esra the Primordial King or Emperor Esra the Douchebag That Destroys Cities. Against all odds, he was ranked as number 1 on the chart of most powerful gods, despite facing off against RMT scums like Aelrea and Ukhlar many times. Where they cheated with real money, he won with pure skills. His title of Emperor Esra was well deserved. He was also the first player to be transported to this world, much earlier than Serena, even much earlier than Ukhlar.   As the shockwave of unfamiliar divine presence reached every corner of the world, this ancient power stirred. Where there were once hollow caves inside a granite mountain, now two orbs of light appeared. It glowed inside the marble cavity, emitting blue light with the occasional thunder streaking through, appearing out of nowhere and disappearing in the same way.   It raised its head, so massive that it dwarfed the mountain peaks. So huge that even the tiniest of movements caused an avalanche from the snowy mountaintop. A single shake of his limbs uprooted trees ancient as the lands itself. Had there been any mortal on that mountain, they would have certainly perished.   "Master, you are awake at last!" a marble giant larger than the others appeared. His arms held high in a gesture that could only be seen as excitement.   "Uuu, Una, huh? You're still alive." Esra spoke, his eyes gazing at this marble giant that has the basic shape of a humanoid creature, except it was 10 metres tall.   "Master, what a mean thing to say to your first champion..." The marble giant by the name of Una said with a tone of sadness, despite his face or the lack of it showing any change in expression.   "Wait, you look a little different. Have you gained weight?"   "I was Dua when you were last awake, master. I became Una about 60 years ago."   "What happened to the previous Una?"   "He fell into a deep swamp and sank, master. When we couldn't sense him anymore, I became Una."   "Well, good thing you're here anyway. Do you know anything about the new divine power in the continent east of here?"   "I didn't notice anything, master. But do not worry, we marble giants have reach everywhere in the world. We will certainly find out what you need to know."   "Good, wake me up when you know something," the huge granite mountain yawned before the light in its eyes dimmed and disappeared again.   "Master, don't go back to sleep!!!"     A crystal ball shined brightly before exploding, showering the room with hundreds of small, sharp shards. It startled the rooms occupants, a large khalissian man lying naked on the bed and a winged woman kneeling above him. The winged woman looked back at the crystal ball on the table in surprise, her own magic wavered under the shockwave released by the exploding crystal ball. As the woman's magic faltered, the khalissian man under her slowly regained control of his senses and awareness, at the same time losing the look of lust in his eyes.   "Foul spawn of Ukhlar!" The man cried as he pushed her away and reached for his sword on the floor.   He was stopped when the woman extended her arms to grab his wrist. She literally extended her arms from six feet away, preventing the man from grabbing his sword. It was not a special skill of her race, but her own transformation spell that she had used regularly over the years for various purposes.   "Now that's not nice. The correct term is blood maiden, you know. I mean look at me. Do I resemble something like a foul spawn?" she said as she blew him a kiss with a wink.   "I must've been blind! To not see the foul abomination that disgraced my goddess. This oversight, I shall offer Mother Ikhlis your head!"   "You could've just quietly accepted your death, you know. At least you won't feel too much pain. I was even willing to let you die in pleasure for all your 'services' thus far," the winged woman said with a grin while licking her lips.   "Great Mother Ikhlis, with great love, by fire I shall purge, by light I shall cast the demon back to the hell that spawned them. Grant me-"   His words were cut short when the woman buried her elongated nails into his chest. He was surprised to see her right before him when she was on the opposite side of the room only a moment before. He briefly wondered if it was a spell or an illusion, but he realized it wouldn't matter anymore.   "You can't seriously believe I will allow you to cast Greater Banish, do you?"   "Mon-ster," he said with great difficulty. With his heart already pierced by the venom within the bloody maiden's nails, he knew his life would only last seconds. "One day, jus... tice... will -"   "So annoying. Can't you just die quietly? This is why I hate chatty men." She said as she closed her hands penetrated deeper around the man's heart, before crushing it in her grip.   As the man's soul left for the underworld, the winged woman licked her bloody fingers and thought aloud, "So, my lord's prophecy has come true. She is revived at last. Guess it's time for me to visit my pets again."   She made a lopsided grin as her eyes turning into slits before blinking away, having no care for the corpse and the mess she had left behind.   Ai-chan Sorry, Ai-chan has been busy with my day job and can't release sooner. Anyhow, here it is. Maybe the next chapter will be released later this week.   Do you want Ai-chan to release faster? If you wish to support Ai-chan and encourage Ai-chan to write faster, please visit here: https://www.patreon.com/shiinaai . Please understand that this is completely voluntary. Ai-chan will still post some chapters as Ai-chan can, but without the motivation and responsibility of money, Ai-chan can't break away from other stuff to focus on writing. Even $2 is cool. Won't you help?

"Umm, how do I use the magic skillet again?" Serena asked as she held a skillet that would've looked no different from a normal skillet if not for the rune-like carvings on its side.   "Just like how you use any magic equipment. Just pour magic power into it," Iina explained.   "Like this?" Serena closed her eyes and saw in her mind's eye a mist-like thing moving from her arms toward the skillet. She felt the same jolt of electricity moving from her heart, down to her arms, to her hands, before it disappeared into the skillet. Her magic power successfully entered the skillet and activated the runes on the side.   The result was a flamethrowing magic skillet.   "Stop! Stop! Are you trying to burn the house?" Iina yelled as she quickly covered the skillet in a blanket, which also caught fire.   It took them ten minutes to stop the flames. Another five minutes to clear the smoke and almost an hour listening to Grandpa Luus's scolding. In the end, instead of cooking fried chicken, Iina banned Serena from the kitchen and had Serena help Grandpa Luus fix the parts of the house damaged by the fire instead. Thankfully, the villagers living nearby lent their hands. Being a rich girl, Serena had absolutely no idea how to fix a house.     "We're off, Grandpa," Iina yelled as she stepped out.   "Ah," Grandpa Luus answered from inside the forge attached to the house.   Serena picked up her school backpack, originally filled with books and stationery, now empty save for a few bottles of water and provisions. Other than her school uniform, her backpack was her only possession in this world. She had a credit card and cash in her purse, but she simply knew both had only as much value as a dashboard ornament here.   She recalled the conversation last night when Grandpa Luus returned her backpack.   "That's very good leatherwork. Did you make it yourself?" Grandpa Luus asked as he handed Serena the backpack.   Serena was about to say yes, as telling him that she bought it at a designer store would bring up more questions. But then she recalled that the mycras weren't known for leatherworking. The mycras were the people of the forge, Serena never allocated any points to leatherworking. So she answered in the only way that made sense.   "It was my father's. He bought it from a grass bunny by the name of Armani."   In AGO, 'grass bunnies' or just 'bunnies' were minions of Doubt, the Rabbit of Murder. Unlike their name, the grass bunnies were omnivorous, eating both vegetables and meat equally. They were a little shorter than a human, standing at only 5 feet tall at the most from their feet to the top of their heads if their tall rabbit ears were to be ignored. Unlike real rabbits, they didn't have the large front teeth, their teeth were no different from human teeth. In fact, aside from the nose and ears, they looked just like a normal human. One of Doubt's pencil sketches even made them look like cosplaying human.   Ability-wise, they could jump the highest among humanoid races. They were ranked second behind the necattans when it came to surviving a fall from great heights. They were also very agile in battle, making them the only human-sized race that could fight the marble giants as equals.   The grass bunnies were also the best when it came to leather products. Their best leather armour had as much protection as mass-produced steel plate mail while remaining light and not restricting movement. Serena thought it was the best cover for the bag.   "But the grass bunnies are all dead," Grandpa Luus said.   Of course, that cover would be useless if they were all extinct.   "Umm, no, father said he bought it from the grass bunnies. It must be true!" Sorry daddy, let me use your name just this once.   Serena could feel her daddy raising a thumbs up while saying, "It's fine. It's fine."   "Hm, I see. He must have found remnant communities of them somewhere. I'm sorry that I make you remember your father. I was just curious," Grandpa Luus said as he patted Serena's head, "Why don't you show the bag to Uuki? I think she'd give you something for your time, just don't forget to tell her not to take it apart."   Serena couldn't remember who Uuki was, but she guessed she was probably a tanner or leatherworker. Not that she cared either way. She would let nobody touch the only useful thing she had left.   "But isn't this great?" Iina jumped in, "This bag seems more durable than our baskets, then wouldn't this mean it can carry more stuff?"   What are you getting at?   "How about you go gather materials with me tomorrow, Serena?"   "Gather materials? You mean for crafting?"   "Yes."   "But I don't know anything about gathering materials."   "You didn't learn that from your parents?"   They taught me other things. My parents taught me ethics, house cleaning, accounting, riding a bike and cooking. Gathering minerals was not part of my education.   "Don't worry, Serena. Just do what Iina do. You'll learn in no time."   "You're not coming with us, grandpa?"   "I would've, at first. But with Serena there, there won't be much need for me to be there too. Anyway, I've been wanting to start work on that runed plough. Hopefully, I'll finish in time for our trip to Delena."   "If that's the case, then it's okay. I'll teach Serena everything she needs to know."   Serena just stayed quiet. After all, she had been freeloading in this house for a week. She thought it was about time she earned her keep. She wasn't raised to be a slacker. She wasn't Alice, after all.   It was afternoon when they finally arrived at the gathering place. It wasn't really far with their mycran stats, only dangerous and tiring. Several times, Serena lost her footing and if not for the rope attached to Iina's waist, she would've fallen two hundred feet to her death. Their destination was the peak of a mesa, where rare herbs and mineral could be collected for those who dare to tempt the treacherous path.   Unlike the rest of the valley, this region was often rocked with minor earthquakes. Most the time, it could easily be predicted beforehand but sometimes earthquakes happen without warning. For those on the ground, it was merely at the level of uncomfortable shaking, but for those scaling the rocky cliff side, those uncomfortable shaking could easily dislodge them from the rock they were hanging on to. This was why it was considered a very hard location to gather from.   Which made Serena wonder why Iina chose this place for her first time.   "Alright! We're done here. Let's go down," Iina said as she picked up her basket, almost completely filled with ores of all kind.   Serena wanted to question how so many different ores could be found at the same place but decided not to. After all, this was the game world of AGO. Serena had never gone this far south but she knew from experience that common sense could rarely be applied to the landscape of AGO. The players as gods could modify the landscape at will if they were willing to spend all those faiths that could be better used for winning the game.   At least this mesa wasn't as common sense-defying as The Magical Milk Fountain of Titty Mountain. Delicious Creamer was such a pervert. If it was any other game, he would've been banned for age-inappropriate content.   Serena picked up her own backpack, also filled to bursting with ores of all kind. She hefted the pickaxe she used just before, thinking again how light something that looked so heavy felt in her hands. Thank goodness for Strength 7, she thought. Before either of them could grab the rope and descend, Serena heard the sound of flapping wings.   "Thunder crows!" Iina cried when she saw two human-sized crows flying towards them fast from the south.   Serena had heard of thunder crows, but never actually seen them outside of the pictures that Whimmer the Thunder Goddess posted in the forum. Supposedly they were born with a great affinity to air magic and inability to perform any other kind of magic. In exchange for these, they get increased physical and magical talents and immunity to air magics besides their natural ability to fly.   "Gather the rocks, Serena. Just pelt them with it!" Iina said as she gathers fist-sized ores from the ground.   "Will this work on them?" Serena asked while picking up rocks around her.   "Who knows? We don't have any better weapon!"   Serena however, had a better idea. Or so she thought. It was worth a try anyway.   "Spirits of wood, spirits of air," Serena chanted. She didn't know if it would work since much of her power as Aelrea from the game never activated. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw two coloured lights, one green and one yellow appeared before her eyes.   In AGO, to perform magic, one must first call the spirits. This defines the elements in play. Only once it is done that the main aria can be chanted.   "Gather wind in my hands," Serena chanted as wind started gathering between her palms, "Bring sharp wood into the wind," Serena continued as wood chips as sharp as knives formed inside the raging wind between her palms, "Materialize, Sickle Winds!"   Serena threw the ball of wind towards the two thunder crows. The wind expanded into a tornado, engulfing both thunder crows in its strong, debilitating flow. However, the wind did nothing to the thunder crows, only the wood managed to wound them, but the damage was minimal.   "What is this? It tickles!" The thunder crows laughed. It actually sounded more like cawing in Serena's ears.   "As expected. I can't defeat them with wind magics, even with the addition of wood element," Serena muttered.   In general, wood element magics are most effective for recovery instead of dealing damage. The reason she used wood element with wind element was that both elements were the most effective crowd control magic in AGO. Metal element, which deals the most physical damage has a very low affinity with wind element.   "Spirits of fire!" Serena chanted with her forefinger pointed at the two thunder crows. A red orb of light appeared in front of Serena as she finished calling the element.   "Gather fire at my finger. Release in a burst. Materialize, Flame Spout!" A fountain of fire burst forth from her forefinger, burning the first thunder crow, making it fall from the sky. The second one managed to avoid the burst of flames. Serena thought he must have already guessed the type of magic she would cast.   This was the reason why most players chose not to practice battle magics. While in theory, any player could use any magic unless they chose perks that stripped them of such ability, in practice nobody would use magic in battle unless it was a lazy, easy fight where you were just having fun bullying a much weaker opponent. In a real battle between two evenly matched players, by the time a player finished casting one magic, the other would've already delivered about a dozen blows. The magic system was simply that troublesome.   There was an exception, however. Fleeting Coffeepot the Goddess Who Weaved Magic aka the self-proclaimed Mistress of Magic was the only one who fought completely using magic. There was a good reason for that. Fleeting Coffeepot cheated. Unlike Serena and Ukhlar, she didn't cheat using cash items. Fleeting Coffeepot hacked the server. She programmed the keywords that allowed her to use shortened chants of programmed magic spells.   Unfortunately for the rest of the players, nobody knew what the keywords were. The developers tried, again and again, to ban her and patch the game, but she kept coming back and hacked the server again after the game was patched. By the time the final five players were announced, the issue called Fleeting Coffeepot Problem was still not solved.   The other thunder crow glared at Serena and shouted, "Glory of Whimmer!"   The first lightning struck very close to Serena. She could feel her hair rose from the electric charge in the air. Then the second lightning came down. Then the third, and the fourth. Before she could count, almost a dozen lightning had struck the mountaintop.   All Serena could think of while barely avoiding the lightning strikes was protecting Iina. "Spirits of gold, spirits of earth. Gather under her feet. Materialize, Lightning Ward!"   Right after Serena cast the spell, a feeling of fatigue washed over her body. It made her unable to avoid the next lightning strike, with no physical strength to avoid it, she was hit from above by one lightning strike. Then another lightning strike hit her and she was barely able to push herself away to avoid the third strike, which hit the ground where she was a second ago.   [HP and MP bars activated] appeared in her vision before disappearing. It was replaced with two blue and red bars in the upper right corner of her vision.   What the hell?!!! Get out of my sight! You're blocking my view. Disappear! Turn off!   The red HP bar and blue MP bar disappeared.   Thank you! she said in her mind as she avoided the last lightning strike.   "Damn, that was Mass Lightning. How could he just cast it with such a short chant?" Serena wondered aloud while hiding behind a large boulder. Her whole body was charred and much of her school uniform was burned. There was not much left of her clothes to cover herself, but it was a life and death situation. Being covered or not, she had a greater worry than shame.   "HP and MP bar appear," she said as the red and blue bars appeared in her vision again.   "That two lightning strikes took out more than half of my life. And what's this? I have only 4000 HP maximum and 800 MP maximum? Am I even less than a level 1 hero unit?" Serena wanted to cry.   In AGO as Aelrea, Serena had a maximum of 296,000 HP and 250,000 MP. Even Spearmaster Garda, her spear specialist hero unit had 7,000 HP when he was level 1. By the time Garda reached level 12, he had 92,000 HP. In comparison, Sword Brave Lasrios started at 5000 HP and 700 MP. When Lasrios was sent to kill Theocracy of Lyrica's Uranus Who Sings In the Rear, he was level 25 and had 145,000 HP and 180,000 MP. When she thought of how any of her own hero units could kill her, she felt depressed.   But then, she realized something important. The thunder crow had not moved from his position. Usually, after an attack, most opponents would follow up with a distraction attack or even a killing blow. This would make her earlier absent-mindedness absolutely dangerous and could've taken her life.   Serena moved out of the thunder crow's field of vision. While his wings still flapped keeping him hovering above the ground, he made no move signifying that he noticed her movements. Serena subconsciously tilted her head, wondering what was happening. At first, she thought he was casting another spell, but that didn't feel right. Even if one was interrupted during casting, it wouldn't make them catatonic like this.   "Magic backlash!" Serena suddenly remembered a condition suffered in the early days of AGO. Before it was discovered that magic was extremely inefficient in one-on-one battles, everyone was racing to create their own top tier magic spells. Among the most common top tier spells back then were pentacle spells, spells that used five different elements and had the power to protect or destroy countries. They were very complicated spells that could very easily fizzle with just the tiniest mistake. Even after the caster spent 3-5 minutes getting everything right, just one operator wrong could cause the spell to fail. The only way it could be used in a one-on-one fight would be if the opponent allowed it to be cast.   Serena too had cast one of those pentacle spells before, but not in battle. She named it Great Hostility Barrier and she cast it on Hammerdale, the capital of Aelrea's mycran dominion. It greatly weakened enemy minions and restricted the powers of hostile gods to a minor extent. Serena recalled how she became stuck in that one position for the whole day and ended up filing a bug report. The developer's reply was a link to a forum thread where the developers already explained it was the result of using magic beyond the player character's abilities. Obviously, Serena didn't read the thread before she sent the bug report.   Armed with this knowledge, Serena cast a spell, "Spirits of fire. Gather fire at my finger. Release in a burst. Materialize, Flame Spout!" The burst of flame shot out from her forefinger and charred the still airborne thunder crow. He fell to his death in the valley below. The spell consumed twenty of her total MP. Now she knew for sure that she was in AGO.   She looked around for Iina, feeling elation at knowing she could use this fantastic power called magic. When her eyes fell on Iina though, she froze. During the mass, lightning strikes one of lightning had struck a tree and the whole tree had fallen on Iina's body. Serena couldn't know. She was too busy avoiding the lightning strikes aimed at her.   Serena quickly ran to Iina's side. Using mycran strength, she tried to push the tree off her body, but the tree was too big and too heavy to push off. Serena tried to find something as leverage, but there was nothing suitable. With time running out and no other option, Serena had to use magic.   "Spirits of metal. Empower my body with strength. Materialize, Strength Boost!" Serena felt power overflowed in her body. With this new strength, she grabbed one of the branches of the tree and pulled it up before throwing the whole tree away.   It was one of the boost spells Serena as Aelrea was very familiar with. But as Aelrea, this boost allowed Aelrea to crush a castle. She couldn't hope for something similar as Serena.   "Iina! Iina, can you hear me?" Serena asked while feeling Iina's wounds.   Her worry increased as she felt the blood on Iina's chest. Her worry turned to fear when she felt Iina's cracked ribcage. When her eyes reached the gaping hole in her lower belly, her fear turned to despair. Even in the modern world, this was not the kind of wound that could be handled lightly. Even a skilled surgeon would not dare give assurance of a successful operation.   As Aelrea, Serena never had to cast healing magic. She was a blacksmith goddess, a crafter. She was never one who carried the ideals of holiness. If minions were lost, she'd just create temporary automatons to bolster her army while waiting for the population to increase. After all, they were just pixels, data that she couldn't care less about. Even when there was any need to instantly heal her hero units, she simply bought a potion off the premium shop. But at this moment, she didn't have a healing potion or the convenience of a debit card and premium shop.   "Spirits of Light. Gather around this body, nourish the growth, heal the wounds. Materialize, Healing Light!"   Nothing happened.   Serena cursed. Her previous spells worked, so she had hoped that this would work too. While she had never cast this spell before, she knew the incantation. It was the one healing spell that would definitely work in healing damage of this magnitude. She forgot that 'light element' was a divine element in AGO. As she was only a mycra, spirits of light would not obey her call.   Serena wracked her brain trying to find a spell of healing. She could create her own healing spell, but she didn't how healing spells work in the first place. So she could only rely on spells already created by the other players.   "Spirits of wood," she called, as a green orb appeared before her. "Umm, empower this body with vitality. Materialize, Healing... Boost?"   The spell exploded between Serena's hands. The impact hit Iina's body, causing her to cough out the blood that had pooled in her lungs. Serena could do nothing to make things right. She had learned first aid before, but there was nothing she could do to fix damage this bad.   All she could do was try to recall the few times she visited AGO's forums. Her mind kept scrolling through the memories of the posts in the forum until she finally found it. A healing spell weaved into a song, composed by a Theocracy of Lyrica member, Helari the Eternal Melody. The song was actually pretty long, consisting of several healing spells that not only cured the body but also cured curses, poison and warded the body against damage from both physical and magic as well as curses. Serena only chose the section containing the healing spell.   "Spirits of water. Listen to my voice. Whispers to the flowing river. To heal and recover. In waves and torrents. Materialize, Healing Water!" Serena shouted the final word before drowsiness overtook her and she fell unconscious on the ground.   Despite the caster no longer conscious to give the spell direction, a large droplet of water formed above Iina's body, floating in the air. It fell on Iina's body, soaking Iina's body, covered in blood with the healing water that washed away the blood. With every pulse of water, more of her wounds closed. Her bones mended itself, the large hole in her stomach shrunk until it finally disappeared as if there was nothing there in the first place. However, that was only on the surface, the internal wounds were not completely healed.   It was because Serena did not have enough magic power for this spell. This spell was not meant for a mortal, like Serena. It was meant to be cast by a god, like Aelrea. Or at least a hero unit, like Lasrios. For someone with 800 MP like Serena, this spell was too much for her body. In AGO, losing all your HP meant death, and losing all of your MP meant passing out. Either way, you would have lost the battle.   Iina woke up first. By the time she woke up, night had already fallen. She recalled Serena's battle, up until the tree fell on top of her. She thought she should've been dead. She certainly felt the weight of the tree trunk and the pain of the branch punching through her guts, yet, there was not even a wound. She tried to get up too quickly, resulting in her coughing up blood. It was obvious she was still bleeding internally.   Iina fell back on the ground. She was still coughing blood, but it was not as bad as when she tried to get up. As she fell, her left hand touched something. She slowly turned her head to her left and saw Serena lying unconscious beside her. She didn't know how, but she could tell that she owed Serena her life.   "Serena..." Iina said slowly, trying not to exert herself. There was no response.   "Serena..." she repeated, still without a response.   With her hands, she dragged and pushed her body so that she could touch Serena's face.   "Serena..." she slapped Serena's face lightly, trying to wake her up. Serena made no move.   "Don't die on me, Serena. Your talent, don't let it end here," Iina said while slapping Serena's face a little harder.   Iina knew Serena was still alive from her warmth and breathing. But she thought they did not have the leisure of resting here. If two thunder crows could appear, two more could appear at any time. If any more thunder crows appeared here now, they'd be as good as dead.   Realizing that simply slapping Serena's face didn't work and she was far too injured do anything more vigorous, she tried to wake Serena up by supplying Serena with magic power. The moment her magic power reached Serena's heart, it was rejected so strongly that the blast threw both of them apart.   Iina coughed blood again as she fell on her front. She knew what had just happened. It was magic withdrawal. She herself had experienced it before when she was much younger. Back then, Grandpa Luus simply put her in bed so that she could recover. It took her a week to wake up. They didn't have that luxury here.   When magic withdrawal happened, the person's heart, the core that contained a person's magic formed a protective barrier that nullified all magic. It was so that nothing could disturb the recovery of that person. In a way, this made the person who experienced magic withdrawal immune to certain types of magic. Iina's attempt just now was one such magic. It identified Iina's magic as foreign substance and rejected it.   Iina didn't know, but this more or less reflected the gameplay of AGO. While characters that ran out of HP received the status of 'dead' and would need to be revived through faith, characters that ran out of MP received the status of 'knocked out' and would need to rest for a time depending on how bad their magic withdrawal was. Knocked out characters did not need to be revived but would be unusable until the negative mana value or negative MP recovered enough to reach at least 1. Later patches removed the possibility of extreme negative MP and simply applied a set amount of 'rest days' depending on the type of spell used that caused the condition and setting the limit to negative 100 MP.   Iina dragged herself to Serena's prone body with her arms. Now that she knew what happened, she knew what to do. She heard of this method from a peddler during one of her trade visits to the central cities. If Serena's locked heart could not accept foreign magic, she would have to trick it into thinking it was Serena's own magic.   And so she pressed her lips against Serena's and gave her a deep kiss.   Ai-chan Psst! You! Yes, you! Do you want Ai-chan to release faster? If you wish to support Ai-chan and encourage Ai-chan to write faster, please visit here: https://www.patreon.com/shiinaai . Please understand that this is completely voluntary. Ai-chan will still post some chapters as Ai-chan can, but without the motivation and responsibility of money, Ai-chan can't break away from other stuff to focus on writing. Even $2 is cool. Won't you help?

"Is there a healer in the village? A healer! Anyone know a healer?!" Serena yelled the moment she ran past the boundary of Clear River Hamlet. "Please, is there a healer?" Serena yelled again. "Serena!" one of the young girls from a nearby house called, Serena felt like she had seen the girl before, but couldn't remember when and her mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of Iina. It was because while Serena was running at her top speed, Iina's body became increasingly cold. Iina's once laboured breathing had become so shallow that Serena could barely hear it. Even checking for her pulse returned a very weak one. Serena had little choice but to slow down her running, as she was afraid that the jostling had further weakened Iina and caused her more damage, but she knew she had little time left. "Go to the village chief's house. He can help," the same girl said once she had gotten Serena's attention. Serena quickly ran to the village chief's place while minding herself so that she didn't give additional damage to Iina's fragile body. She momentarily thought, "Ah, I forgot to thank her," but decided she would say it another time. At this moment, Iina was in critical condition and required her utmost attention and care. "Village chief! Village chief!" Serena yelled before she even arrived at the village chief's home. She had come here once when she first arrived in the village as Grandpa Luus introduced her to the village chief. However, this was the first time she had come here by herself and she hoped that he was home. "Serena, what's wrong?" Serena breathed a sigh of relief seeing the village chief's face. "Please, we were attacked by Thunder Crows while mining for ores. Iina was injured. Please help!" Serena pleaded as she stood in front of the open door. The old village chief whose name Serena kept forgetting told her to put Iina on the straw mat in the common room. Serena quickly did so, but it was clear that Iina's condition had already turned even worse. There was no colour in her face anymore and Serena feared that she might've been too late. "She's still alive, but barely. I don't see any wound or sign of a lightning strike. How was she injured?" the village chief asked after a short examination. Serena tried to recall the events as best as she could, but there were gaps in her memory, such as when she fell unconscious after casting the healing magic, "I don't think she was hit with lightning strike, but during the fighting, she was pinned under a tree and her stomach was gouged by a falling branch. I tried casting healing magic, but it only closed the wound. I think she still has internal bleeding." "If she is bleeding inside, then we need to drain the blood between her organs before we can do anything more," the village chief said as he opened a drawer at the side of the common room while asking his wife to bring in a bucket of hot water, healing poultice, and a small bundle of clean cloths. "Umm, is there anything I can do?" Serena asked as she stood at Iina's foot. "That healing magic that you mentioned earlier. Can you do it again?" the village chief asked. "I'm sorry, I can't," Serena answered with much regret. After all that running, Serena was left with only 28 MP. It was only enough to cast one Fire Spout or to create a bucket of clean water. It was not enough for anything else, not that Serena knew any spell that could help in this situation. Aelrea was the goddess of craftsmanship, after all. There was no need for Serena to remember or use any healing magic in the game. Serena regretted that kind of thinking now. The village chief's wife stood up and guided Serena outside, telling her, "Then there is nothing you can help with." To the villagers who stood outside the village chief's home wanting to know what happened, she said, "Everyone, please, let us all pray to our goddess, the great Aelrea of The Divine Arms to grant her blessings so that Iina may live to see another day." As soon as she finished her words, some of those present took out a pendant from inside their clothes. Some were wooden carvings, some were cast iron items but they all had the same basic shape. A hammer, Aelrea's symbol, though some appeared to be more stylized than others. Those without one simply clasped their hands together and closed their eyes. Serena too prayed to Aelrea, despite her previous faith in her human form. As a mycra, she was a creation of Aelrea, and it only made sense to pray to Aelrea, even if Aelrea was her own creation. "Aelrea, if you truly exist, then please answer my prayers. If we are not the same person, then please save Iina with your powers. But if you and I are the same person, then please give me a way to save Iina." Serena lost herself in her prayers. Over and over, she repeated the same prayer, hoping for Aelrea to save Iina or provide her a way to save Iina herself. In the end, she heard the 'ping' that she understood as a system message. She opened her eyes and saw the notification saying [Spatial Inventory Activated]. Huh? Spatial inventory? What is that? There was no such thing in AGO. Serena pondered over the notification before saying, "Inventory." A window appeared to her left, showing a number of items neatly organized in what appeared to be two-dimensional square lockers. Serena knew what this was. It was the personal inventory that was provided for every unit. In AGO, there was no backpack implemented. So every hero unit had its own equipment screen with an inventory pack consisting of 6x12 individual squares. Each square could hold one item stacked up to 99. It was nowhere near the level of her Treasure Vault back in her floating fortress 8th Heaven, but even this was better than nothing. Serena understood now why it was called Spacial Inventory. It was because it was a pocket universe accessible only by the person themselves and was separate from other methods of carrying items. She took a look at her inventory screen, hoping against hope that there was a healing potion in there somewhere, but was not surprised that she could not find any. It was because Aelrea herself rarely fought a battle personally and thus had no use for healing potions. Whenever Aelrea was injured enough, she would just return to 8th Heaven to either be healed slowly or imbibe one of the premium potions stacked in her Treasure Vault. Whenever Aelrea moved personally, it was for gathering materials for crafting. And so her spatial inventory was full of crafting materials. Wait, I can use this! Serena thought as her eyes caught sight of certain items in her inventory. The First Anvil. Made of Niana's Tear, an ore that fell from the sky in the backstory of AGO and the rare Rib of Milomarus, a limited item supposedly from the rib bones of a dead old god during the War of Molten Earth, also from the backstory of AGO. Serena had to pay a lot of real-world money to get these two items. It was a sum that gave her father no choice but to deliver the first real scolding in years for wasting money. Its effect is giving anything crafted the minimum grade of B and allows the creation of high-grade items even without high-grade catalysts. The Hammer of Enchanting. It was actually a failed hammer that Serena crafted with mithril and premium jewel. She actually wanted to craft Hammer of the Forge Lord, a weapon of vast power that could smash mountains, an SS-class weapon which also had the effect of increasing the value of any crafted item by 1. She intended to give it to Guardian of the Forge Meristes. Unfortunately, she missed the timings in the smithing process several times and it became a junk item. She intended to craft another Hammer of the Forge Lord, but unfortunately, Ukhlar's invasion happened. Despite it being called a junk item, it was still a better hammer than the one that Granpa Luus and Iina had been using. As the Hammer of Enchanting, it allows Serena to enchant the item with a special effect, depending on her crafting mastery and the materials used. Since Serena didn't have a Blessed Hammer, this was the most she could hope for. The Heart of the Rainbow Lizard. It was a large carrion lizard that lived in the Swamp of Sorrows at the edge of Selion's Magic Forest. It wasn't really a tough monster, but it was dangerous because its tongue contained dangerous toxins, so toxic that it could kill the lizard itself. However, the lizard had another property, which was high regeneration that allowed it to negate the damage of the toxin while healing itself from any injury in short order. Aelrea rarely hunted them herself, but since it was at the edge of her pantheon-member Selion's forest, she often bought it off Selion. Selion spawn-camped them so much that if AGO was the real world, the rainbow lizards would've reached near extinction. Spawn-camping is considered a really dastardly way of getting materials by putting a bunch of soldiers near where mobs would appear and then killing them the moment they spawned. Serena recalled that their heart was a key ingredient in high-level recovery medicines. Azureum ore. In AGO, it was a common ore. It was pretty useless as weapons due to its softness, but it had a special ability of being very accommodating to enchants. Even when Aelrea wanted to make SS class divine weapons, she used large quantities of melted azureum ore in her alloy of antinium, auricalcum and maginium. Mithril was useless for forging divine weapons as its properties made it impossible to bond with other metals except for iron, which wasn't used in high-grade crafting. For her purpose, she needed the magical capabilities of The First Anvil, the enchanting bonus from Hammer of Enchanting, the regeneration buff from Heart of the Rainbow Lizard and the enchanting-friendliness of azureum ores. As Aelrea, she had forged one before and she did it often, as she granted one to each of her hero units. Just like in the game, she was going to craft the Amulet of Regeneration. Serena was going to make her first magical artifact in this new world. Although she was briefly delighted at the sight of her Premium Wyverns and Premium Flame Dragon, she decided not to use them. After all, neither of them could cast healing spells. What she needed was a way to save Iina, not weapons to raid a village. She quickly asked those in attendance if there was a nearby forge she could borrow. There was a murmur of confusion at first, before a man offered the forge in his home which was only a short walk away. Guided by the man, Serena quickly went to the forge and found the place satisfactory for her purpose. In front of the man's wide open eyes, she pulled out The First Anvil, the Hammer of Enchanting, five still-bloody Hearts of the Rainbow Lizards, two large blue azureum ores twice bigger than her fist and a pile of coal. She pulled it nonchalantly from thin air, not realizing that the man behind her had never seen such a thing and could not comprehend what he was seeing. "Alright! Just wait, Iina, you'll be as good as new soon," Serena said to herself as she tied up her sleeves and filled the coal tray. Serena then chanted, "Spirits of fire. Listen to my words. Bring forth sustainable fire. Feed upon these coals. Materialize: Flames of the Forge." Right after her chanting completed, her barely recovered MP plunged to almost 10 again, specifically, it was reduced by 19 MP to 12 MP. Despite her small MP recovery, if she had taken a bit longer casting the magic, she wouldn't have had enough magic to cast the spell. Thankfully, it was only the Tier 1 Flames of the Forge. She believed she could probably cast the Tier 8 Forgefire at full MP, but she had no need for such a high-level spell in this instance. Of course, she didn't realize that the older man who lent her his forge was looking slack-jawed at her back. For Serena, it wasn't weird for a mycra to be able to use Tier 1 arcane spells as she did set them to have Arcane 1 proficiency. However, much had changed since Serena played as Aelrea. In this village at least, nobody could use the magic their ancestors wielded so readily. Not a single one. As more of the villages gathered and stood watching behind Serena, she worked the bellows of the smelter in order to melt the azureum ores in an attempt to reduce it to its liquid metal. At the same time, she threw an iron blank into the forge, powered by the Tier 1 persistent fire spell, Flames of the Forge. Realizing that there won't be enough hand for her to melt the azureum ore while striking the metal at the same time, Serena decided to employ another magic, one she rarely used in the latter days of AGO but was of great help in the early days. "Spirits of wind. I call upon the rough autumn winds. By my will, blow life into this vessel. Materialize: Strong Winds of Autumn!" Serena chanted as instead of bellows, wind came in from all around the workshop, gathering into the air holes of the smelter at the bottom before coming out again at the top of the smelter, continuously throwing embers to the air. "Ohhhhh!!!" the crowd gave their appreciation. "The peanut gallery is too noisy," Serena commented under her breath. Regardless, she gave it no attention, as for now, Iina was her priority. With that thought in mind, she pulled out the iron blank with a tong, carried the red hot iron to The First Anvil and started hammering. Tiny sparks flew with each hammering, as she first elongated one point of the blank before widening it, making a very thin sheet of iron. Serena wanted to create a steel amulet, but she was afraid she would run out of strength before she finished. After all, she did run miles away at top speed with assistance from magic. Even if her body could still somehow hold on, she would need the assistance of body strengthening and strength boost, neither of which she had enough magic power for. Serena kept hammering, feeling elated in its ease. Despite never having held a smithing hammer before as Serena, right now she felt as if she had been doing it all her life. She instinctively knew where and when to strike the iron, when to flip it over, and when to put it back into the forge for reheating. It was as if all the knowledge and skills simply flew into her body as she went along. Serena assumed it must've been Aelrea's skills that she had been using, as Aelrea had forged thousands of artifacts and failed tens of thousands more. Or it could just be the mycra's innate skill with metalworking, Crafting Skill Level 7. She recalled the ridicule in the forum back when she posted the mycra's racial stats. She was called crazy, a noob and they told her it would make her race so unbalanced she would lose the game within a week. They tried to prove it by attacking Hammerdale one after another. However, the mycras were a race of crafters. Their single purpose was to craft something. Due to that, the attackers eventually had to retreat one after another. They lost to the mycra's ability to craft everything, including the landscape itself. They lost to the mycra's motto of 'Craft The World'. Where other gods used their faith to transform landscapes, Serena used the mycras to craft natural traps and golems to defeat her enemies. The very land itself became Serena's ally. Serena recalled laughing alone in her room every time her enemies fell into the traps laid for them and died without even reaching Hammerdale. And now, instead of relying on the mycras, Serena decided to rely on herself. Her and her skills, whether as Aelrea or a mycra, she would save Iina. This was the way that Aelrea showed her. Only through crafting would she save Iina. She managed to make two similar sheets of iron about the size of three fingers put together. It was still attached on one corner to the blanks and with it, she sent both sheets back into the forge. Then she grabbed the five hearts of the Rainbow Lizards in both hands. She looked at the magic power in the corner of her vision and was satisfied with its amount, believing it to be enough for the spell she wanted to cast. With blood flowing through the spaces between her fingers, she chanted a spell. "Spirits of Water. Abide by my command. Release the water from this vessel. Spirits of Air..." She could see her magic power reducing at double the rate with the calling of the second element. This is called a line spell, a spell that uses two separate incantations for two different elements. With every element chanted separately, the amount of magic drain doubles. For a triangle spell where three separate incantations of three different elements are used, the magic drain doubles again, causing more than four times the magic drain. "Come into this vessel. Let hot winds dry it to dust. Materialize: Drain Swamp!" The effect was immediate. The five hearts of the lizard, previously fat and continuously pumping out blood had now become small, hard and blackened. Without even washing her hands, Serena placed the five dried hearts on the anvil and struck it again and again with her hammer until it turned into fine specks of dust. Then she brought the two sheets of iron and struck it against the heart dusts on the anvil. She repeated it until there was no more of the dust left on the anvil before sending it back into the forge. Once the iron became red hot again, she folded the iron sheets over and over, making the heart dust one with the iron. She would've continued striking the iron, if not for a sudden ringing in her head. It was as if an alarm went off and she knew what it was for. She turned to the smelter, pulled off the exit and watched as melted slag flowed out of the smelter. She could see some of the blue melted azureum flowing out together with the slag, but there was nothing she could do about that. The man who loaned her his forge used it for reducing steel. He had no specialized facility for producing the more delicate metals. Once the slag had stopped flowing out of the exit hole, she closed it again. While azureum had lower melting point than iron, it still required a bit more time to completely melt. She knew that this meant she should move on to the next procedure. She took a chisel and started carving out one of the iron sheets with runes of power. While the rainbow lizards themselves were good enough for crafting regeneration talismans, Iina's body was in very bad shape. Therefore, Serena decided to carve the runes for 'healing' and 'constitution' to augment the healing power of the talisman. This was not a problem for her, as all mycras, or at least the mycras from AGO knew of runecrafting from birth. Once she finished carving the runes, she turned back toward the smelter. Grabbing an earthen cup from her inventory, she placed it under the exit hole of the smelter before opening the gate. The melted azureum flowed smoothly out on the guide before collecting inside the cup. Serena quickly grabbed the cup with her hand before pouring its contents into the runes carved into the iron sheet. It was a slow process. The pouring had to be done carefully and precisely. The melted azureum must not spill out of the carved depressions or it would create completely different effects from one intended. Serena had never done it before, but she knew exactly how to do it, likely owing to the divine crafting skill that Aelrea had. Or perhaps it was mycra's innate crafting skill, but judging from how impressed the peanut gallery was, she doubted it. Once she was confident that she did not make any mistake, she left the iron sheet with the cooling azure to cool slowly on the anvil. While shutting down the smelter, she looks into her slowly replenishing mana count. The final spell would require quite a significant amount of mana and worse, she didn't know how long it would take to achieve the desired result. If it took too long and she didn't have enough mana, the whole thing could become useless junk. However, she knew she couldn't wait for too long. Who knew how long Iina had before she would succumb to her injuries. Therefore, she decided to gamble it all. She grabbed both the pieces of metal, one with azureum and one without as she chanted, "Spirits of Metal. Behold the structure of this metal. Connect these two pieces by the azureum metal. Merge these two pieces into one. Materialize, Alchemical Meld." The two pieces of iron sheets floated up from her hands. It spun around each other in the air, a flow of mana linking them to each other. It slowly came closer as the two pieces aligned and more chains of mana shot out and bound the two pieces with each other. It spun faster, with more chains of mana coming out to bind these two pieces, but it had stopped coming closer to each other. It was now only spinning in the air, releasing a buzzing sound and blinding light, but did nothing else. For awhile there, Serena feared she had failed. She feared it had become a junk item as it could not meld into each other. But she still had some mana and there was no spell rejection, so the spell couldn't have failed. With no idea what else to do, she raised her two hands up, the palms facing the two pieces of iron. She said, "By my wish, become one, Runed Amulet of Regeneration!" And as if abiding by her will, the chains of mana shined brightly and pulled the two pieces together, combining with a blinding flash. While even Serena had to close her eyes, she knew that she had succeeded. The proof had just fallen into her hands. Without even looking, she knew it was the Runed Amulet of Regeneration. She no longer felt so helpless. She now knew that she was Aelrea, Aelrea said so herself when she gave her back some of the skills from the game. With this power, she could save Iina for sure. With these thoughts in mind, she took off towards the village chief's home without a moment to lose. The amulet grasped tightly, she said, "Wait for me, Iina. I'm coming."   Ai-chan Thank you for reading, everyone! Do you want Ai-chan to release faster? If you wish to support Ai-chan and encourage Ai-chan to write faster, please visit here: https://www.patreon.com/shiinaai . Please understand that this is completely voluntary. Ai-chan will still post some chapters as Ai-chan can, but without the motivation and responsibility of money, Ai-chan can't break away from other stuff to focus on writing. Even $2 is cool. Won't you help?

"We're home~" Iina announced as she put her basket on the floor beside the door.   "Welcome back, Iina and Grandpa Luus. Did you get anything good today?" Serena asked while sweeping the dirt floor.   "Un, we got lots of iron ingots, rubies, and diamond fragments. We got a good deal on the ruby, but iron was a bit more expensive than usual," Iina answered, looking a bit depressed.   "Are they all for crafting?" Serena asked while looking at the ingots and gem fragments in the basket.   "Yes, but there isn't much profit in making amulets and accessories these days."   "That's because everyone's making the same things nowadays. Too much supply and not enough people buying them. To make matters worse, the khalis merchant only comes once a month and only brings two wagons."   Serena knew of the khalis, of course. Back in the game, the khalis were the minions of Ikhlis the Mother Goddess, 3rd in ranking. Ikhlis herself was weak and offered no challenge one on one. The only problem fighting her one on one was due to the fact that she had an annoying unique ability to spawn strong but short-lived khalis minions every five seconds. So it was never truly one on one.   What made Ikhlis truly formidable though was her minions, the khalis. It was often said that Ikhlis showered all her love towards her minions. One can even call them the chosen of god, their god, at least. The khalis, also called Children of Ikhlis, looked no different from a normal human. However, that was the only similarity.   The khalis were stronger, more athletic and more capable than a normal human side by side. They could also learn and cast any magic available to Ikhlis. Even divine magic was possible for the khalis. They were the kind of race that had only advantages and not even a single weakness. In fighting Ikhlis, the fighter must finish the battle quickly as khalis as a race has a telepathic link to Ikhlis. The moment they sensed Ikhlis in danger, whole cities would leave everything behind and attempted to save Ikhlis.   Serena remembered the only time she fought Ikhlis. She remembered the notifications popping up one after another as her whole region map started being filled with hostile khalis from all directions. Within minutes, her whole region map was almost completely filled by hostile khalis. As the red dots representing hostile units approached within ten miles of her battleground, she fled the scene and had to sacrifice the mycras who went to battle with her. Serena still had shivers every time she recalled that battle.   "Then why not make something else?" Serena asked.   "Something else? Such as what?" Grandpa Luus asked.   Serena thought it was strange that they hadn't thought about it. They were mycras after all. Crafting was their forte, it was in their blood. Mycras had no value other than their crafting skills. They had Strength 7 out of the maximum 20, but strength alone couldn't win battles. The only reason that Serena's mycra army could stand toe to toe with the other races was their high quality, personalized equipment.   "Why not forge weapons, shields or armour? The mycras are a race of magic crafters and blacksmiths after all."   Both Grandpa Luus and Iina laughed aloud hearing her words. Grandpa Luus smacked his own legs as he laughed while Iina covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. It finally stopped laughing when Grandpa Luus coughed his lungs out, prompting Iina to bring him a tankard of drinking water.   "It's not that we don't want to make weapons, shields or armours. We're just not allowed to," Iina answered while rubbing Grandpa Luus's back.   "Why not?"   "It's the law. Only the central towns are allowed to craft equipment of war. The fringe hamlets are only allowed to craft farm equipment and trinkets. We are also not allowed to hold weapons unless we are part of the border guards and we are not allowed to bring our weapons home even when we are one of the guards."   "Not knowing this simple fact proves you're not from around here, Serena," Grandpa Luus chuckled.   "But why does the law forbid you from doing that?" Serena asked.   "It's been like that since the Kafri Revolution. The revolutionists, they call themselves the Unifiers these days, took over the central valley and made unreasonable demands. The rest of us who didn't want to comply with their demands left the central cities and settled at the outskirts of the valley."   "What were their demands?"   "Renounce Aelrea and unite under the flag of the United Mycran Kingdom."   "Excuse me?"   Renounce me? I created you ungrateful bastards. You're removing your creator now? Oh, this makes me rage.   Serena could feel blood rushing to her head. If this was a western cartoon, she would be blowing steam out of her ears. They were her creation, yet, they pushed her away. Serena felt like punishing them with the 8th Heaven's main cannon like she had done to her enemies many times in the past. When she recalled 8th Heaven though, she started cooling down. She took a few deep breaths as her anger calmed down.   She did play as Aelrea in AGO. She did create the mycra as Aelrea's minions. However, that was in AGO. When she arrived here, to this world in the game, she wasn't Aelrea. She was just Serena, a normal sixteen years old school girl. It was entirely possible that there was another Aelrea in this world, the real Aelrea, instead of the Aelrea that she created as her avatar.   Grandpa Luus took another gulp from his tankard. "So that's how the numerous hamlets came to be. But after that, the central cities came to our hamlets with armies and demanded us to surrender all our weapons and forbade us from making weapons or other tools of war."   "And that's how we're reduced to making accessories and trinkets. But what can we do? We can't fight them," Iina shrugged.   "Didn't anyone resist when they took away your weapons and made that unreasonable demand?"   "Of course, my father fought them and they defeated him handily. It didn't even take more than five blows. My mother said they were too powerful. Their strength was unmatched, their speed was faster than the eye could see and their reflex was as good as a mountain lion. My father and the other residents were no match for them. We never fought them since."   "But Aelrea did create the mycra to be strong so that the mycra can hammer rare metals with ease. How could your father lose in less than five blows?"   "You forgot, Serena. Ever since Aelrea was slain, we as a race lost much of our power. That was why we had to run away from our homeland in the north. Even the great hero Lasrios could only fight at half his power as he fought to protect our race on our exodus through the plains, the rivers, the mountains, and the great swamp. But these soldiers, my mother told me they fought as if they still had the blessings of Aelrea, no, they were probably stronger than mycras with Aelrea's blessing."   "What makes you think that?"   Without saying anything, the old man Luus got to his feet. He walked up to the door, but when he couldn't hear either of them getting up, he gestured for Serena to follow him. They walked a fair distance up the mountain behind the cottage.   Serena noticed that she had not run out of breath even once. If this was the world outside the game, she would've been wheezing by now. At her father's insistence, Serena enrolled at a nearby kendo dojo where she learned shinai and naginata techniques, so she was slightly more fit than most schoolgirls. That, however, didn't give her the stamina and strength of a mountain climber. She deduced it must be the mycra's racial perk, Strength 7, fulfilling it's purpose because just like her, Grandpa Luus also climbed the mountain with ease.   "This is where my father breathed his last breath," Grandpa Luus suddenly stopped while pointing at the ground.   "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Serena said, empathizing with his loss.   "That's not what I brought you here for, Serena."   "Then?"   "Look behind you. That was the one blow that killed my father."   Serena turned around. Her eyes went wide at the evidence before her. It was a hole, a large, deep hole. A hole with walls so smooth all the way throughout, so deep that she could see the sky on the other side of the mountain.   Forget the mycras, even the marble giants would find it hard to do this in one blow.   Announcement Psst! You! Yes, you! Do you want Ai-chan to release faster? If you wish to support Ai-chan and encourage Ai-chan to write faster, please visit here: https://www.patreon.com/shiinaai . Please understand that this is completely voluntary. Ai-chan will still post some chapters as Ai-chan can, but without the motivation and responsibility of money, Ai-chan can't break away from other stuff to focus on writing. Even $2 is cool. Won't you help?

Serena stepped closer to the miles-long tunnel that cut cleanly through the mountains. The inside of the tunnel looked very dark and menacing as light from the other side of the tunnel could barely penetrate through the twenty feet-wide circular tunnel. But from time to time one could see a tiny fleck of light, far in the distance.   "This hole connects to the other side of the mountain range," Grandpa Luus explained without being asked.   "What's on the other side of this mountain?"   "The central valley, where all our first cities are. Before this hole was made, contact with the central cities could only be made through the gorge several miles from here. This mountain used to isolate us from the unifiers - that was what they called themselves after succeeding in their revolution. They call themselves the royalists now."   "So you use it as a shortcut?"   "No, we don't use it. They use it from time to time, but we don't," Granpa Luus said as he sat down on a jutting rock. His face was dark as Serena imagined him reliving the images of his father's death.   "Why not? Wouldn't it be convenient?"   "It is a symbol of our defeat, a monument of our failed resistance. Many among us wished to forget that battle ever happened. Some others refused to use it because they feared they would lose their hatred the moment they started thinking "it's useful". So we chose to ignore it."   "I see," Serena said while touching the smooth wall of the tunnel.   "Careful, Serena. Some monsters made their lair inside the tunnel from time to time."   Serena pulled her hands back in haste.   "Now that you know about our situation, I'm sure you understand why we can't oppose them," Grandpa Luus sighed before he continued, "We are a broken people, Serena."   Grandpa Luus got up to stand on his tired feet and started climbing down the mountain, leaving Serena to ponder his words. They climbed down the mountain in silence until they reached Clear Water Hamlet. Before they entered the house, Serena stopped him at the door.   "When you said we are a broken people, did you mean the Kafri Revolution?"   "No..." Grandpa Luus continued walking and opened the front door while saying 'we're home' to Iina who replied with a 'welcome home' while she prepared the ingredients for dinner. He then sat at the table before taking off his shoes and massaging his feet.   Serena, unable to remain patient, asked, "Then what do you mean?"   Grandpa Luus looked at Serena's face while still massaging his feet. Then he said, "We were broken long ago, Serena. Long before we reached the Valley of Snakes. Before we reached this place, we were a wretched people. We begged, we stole, we killed and we sold ourselves for a loaf of bread. Only when we arrived here did we manage to farm, mine and craft magical items that sustained our lives. You as a lost hammer should know more than I do since you've spent all your early years out there, in a world where mycras are treated as no better than stray dogs."   Serena could only nod. After all, she wasn't really a mycra, let alone a 'lost hammer'. 'Lost hammer' is a term for mycras who had never set foot in the Valley of Snakes, the old name for this region, now known as the Crimson Valley. Just over a week ago, she was just another sixteen-year-old highschool girl. She had accepted that she looked like a mycra and because she didn't know anything about how the mycran society work, she pretended to be a lost hammer.   "I know many lost hammers who managed to find this place, long after those who were supposed to guide them died for various reasons. A family who arrived just a month before you lamented how they had to sell their two daughters to a porkin brothel. But they had no choice, without Aelrea's blessings we are weaker than a sick rattanor. They also couldn't find work as a crafter, because without the blessed golden hammer, even a mycra is no better than an average crafter."   "But I thought all mycras receive Blessed Hammers?" Serena said.   "Do you have a Blessed Hammer?" Grandpa Luus asked in exchange.   "No... but I thought-"   "You think you will receive a Blessed Hammer at a certain age?"   "Yes," Serena said, playing along with Grandpa Luus's misunderstanding.   "An old wives tale. Too many mycran parents lied to their children, telling them they would receive their Blessed Hammer when they were old enough. In truth, most mycras would never get to hold their own Blessed Hammer all the way to the end of their lives."   "Why not?"   "Ever since Aelrea was slain 300 years ago, not even a single newborn mycra received a blessed hammer at birth. Only those who were born before Aelrea was slain had their blessed hammers when we started our exodus south."   "Wait, did you just say Aelrea was slain 300 years ago?"   Grandpa Luus nodded.   "Killed by Ukhlar?"   "I don't know the name of the god that slew Aelrea. Ancient records don't keep well when you're running for your lives while being chased by blood maidens and dreamreavers."   Chased by both Ukhlar's and Falgur's kins, huh? I'm sorry, I didn't know what you guys went through, Serena thought as she said, "Did I - did Aelrea die at Monolith Square?"   Monolith Square, from Serena's memory, was the center of the old mycran capital of Hammerdale, at the foot of the Aelrean Mountains. It was the final battlefield where Serena as Aelrea, alongside her hero units Pegasus Knight Heriane, Guardian of the Forge Meristes, Mechanical Knight Alou, Spearmaster Gardi and Forgemaster Eri made their final stand against waves after waves of Ukhlar's cash items. He even made them so busy fighting that the only way she could summon her own cash items were by sacrificing her hero units to buy time. In the end, not even her cash items could save her and her hitpoints became zero.   Well technically, her cash items didn't even get to make an appearance. But complaining about that would be something like scolding the rain. What was done was done, there was nothing she could do about it. There was no saved gamed to save-scum with and every mistake was permanent.   As for Hammerdale as a whole, it was built in a region of permanent winter. Serena chose the site for being close to the previously unnamed mountain range which was rich in all kinds of minerals. But the coldness never bothered the mycras, for they were a people of the forge. The whole city was warmed by the fires of the forge, so much so that even snowstorms shied away from the city. In comparison, the Valley of Snakes was hot all year around, for it was at the center of the equator. Serena could only imagine the suffering they had to suffer, having to traverse the treacherous path to safety.   "Yes, our goddess was slain at Monolith Square," Grandpa Luus confirmed, "The only thing passed down throughout the generation without any deviation in storytelling was how the enemy god impaled Aelrea's body on the Iron Monolith at the end of the battle and how her burning blood continued to flow down the monolith for days, melting the monolith slowly and covering the ground in flowing magma."   Burning blood? Flowing magma? I'm pretty sure I have normal blood. I don't remember choosing the perk 'burning blood' or something cool like that. But according to this story, I or this world's Aelrea have been dead for the past 300 years. Wait, something doesn't click.   "How old are you?" Serena asked as the average age of the mycras were only specified as 120 years in AGO. Serena could remember seeing Grandpa Luus crafting with a Blessed Hammer before. If only mycras who were born before Aelrea's death have Blessed Hammers, then he who has a Blessed Hammer must be over 300 years old.   "I'm 104 years old, maybe 103 years, I'm not sure. It is almost time for me to hand over the blessed hammer to Iina," Grandpa Luus said as his eyes drooped, looking tired as he looked at Iina who was chopping some kind of bird with a small cleaver for dinner.   Iina stopped what she was doing to object. "No grandpa. Please, I don't need the hammer. You still have many more years. You're still strong, no need to hand the hammer to me yet."   "What do you mean hand over the blessed hammer? Didn't you just say nobody born after Aelrea's death received the blessed hammer at birth? You can't give your blessed hammer to others, right?" Serena asked.   "While that's true," Grandpa Luus said while materializing a glowing ethereal-looking golden hammer with a handle as long as his arm and head much large than his fist, "There is a method to grant the new generation their own Hammer."   "How?"   "You know that Blessed Hammers can't be inherited or handed away, right?"   Serena nodded. Of course, she knew that. She explicitly stated in AGO's Blessed Hammer's equipment setting that a Blessed Hammer would be soul-bound to the person it was granted to. It could not be gifted away, sold away or be inherited. When a mycra died, their Blessed Hammers disappeared with their last breath. So how would Grandpa Luus hand over his hammer to Iina?   "There is a method. It is not exactly a transfer of ownership. It is basically crafting a Blessed Hammer using another Blessed Hammer."   Serena pondered about what Grandpa Luus just said. Blessed Hammers are special items granted to mycras upon birth. They are S-class items thus giving them the ability to deal 75% damage to gods despite having low damage. Another characteristic of the Blessed Hammer is its ability to craft another S-class equipment at the cost of the user's life.   Wait, this means...   "You transfer Blessed Hammers by sacrificing yourself?!"   "It's the only way. Otherwise, my Blessed Hammer will disappear when I die. This hammer," Grandpa Luus looked at the glowing golden hammer in his hand, "I received it from my mother, who crafted it with the last strength of her life. Even at her death bed, she practiced, trained so that she could have enough skill to create S-class equipment, to craft a Blessed Hammer for me. She, in turn, received hers from her father. I do not know who her father received his Blessed Hammer from."   "But that... there must be a better way!"   "There is none. We lost thousands of Blessed Hammers before we found out that you can make a Blessed Hammer using another Blessed Hammer. It's usually passed down from parent to child at the end of the parent's life. It is considered an honour for the parents and for the child. These days, the number of mycras with their own Blessed Hammer is less than a hundred people."   "Grandpa, please wait for a few more years. There are still a lot of things I need to learn from you," Iina pleaded with tears in her eyes.   "Yes, there is still much you need to learn. I guess I won't die so soon after all," Grandpa Luus chuckled.   Serena could only watch the exchange. As Aelrea, she would most likely be able to change this cruel fate, but she was not Aelrea. She entertained the thought of herself being Aelrea because she created and played that character in AGO. However, the fact that Iina still hasn't received her Blessed Hammer somewhat proved that she was not Aelrea. She figured the real Aelrea of this world probably still hasn't revived yet.   "Enough of this depressing talk. How about we have Serena cook this fried chicken she talked about early this week?"   Announcement Psst! You! Yes, you! Do you want Ai-chan to release faster? If you wish to support Ai-chan and encourage Ai-chan to write faster, please visit here: https://www.patreon.com/shiinaai . Please understand that this is completely voluntary. Ai-chan will still post some chapters as Ai-chan can, but without the motivation and responsibility of money, Ai-chan can't break away from other stuff to focus on writing. Even $2 is cool. Won't you help?   By the way, Ai-chan will release two more chapters this week. So look forward to it. Sorry, Ai-chan has been busy with work since last month.

Serena slowly opened her eyes to the sound of chirping birds. A sharp ray of sunlight hit her eyes, causing her to squint before her brain woke up and the realization hit her. She sat up, thinking it was the next day and cursing Alice for not waking her up yesterday. But then, she realized something else instead. She was sitting in bed, in a room made of wooden walls. Not just any wooden walls, but log walls. The kind of walls you often see in western cowboy movies. She looked around her. Above her was a roof made of long grass woven together. The wall on her right had an open window right in the middle, allowing her to see a garden where bean-like plants were being cultivated. Under that window was a bed made of wood, with stitched fur covering the straw seen poking out underneath it. Right in front of her was a wooden door, crudely crafted from planks nailed together. Serena considered it such a bizarre sight that she concluded she was dreaming. After all, she took a nap in her classroom so she couldn't have ended up in a place so bizarrely different. She thought it was possible that she was kidnapped, but if that was true, she would've been tied up when she woke up. Convinced that she was dreaming, she went back to sleep. "Hello," a voice broke through her dream. Serena opened her eyes slightly. Through her half-lidded eyes, she spied a young girl, not much older than herself. She had shoulder-length dark brown hair, slightly wide mouth to be considered pretty, tanned skin and an oval face. But what was most striking about her was her eyes. It was red, like a ruby placed by a skilled jeweler in the center of egg white. Serena imagined the girl's eyes would glow in the dark if light shone at it. It reminded her of her avatar in AGO, Aelrea of the Divine Arms, she had the same red eyes too. It reminded her of the mycra race, that she as the goddess Aelrea created as her kin in AGO. But that couldn't be the case. AGO was a game. The girl in front of her looked very real. Serena pinched her thigh, winced in pain and figured she was probably not dreaming. So by process of elimination, she came to a different conclusion. This girl is an albino, she thought. She completely ignored the girl's dark brown hair and tanned skin. "Umm, hi there. I bring you breakfast," the girl said. Only now Serena realized the girl was carrying a plate in her right hand and a mug on her left. She had been too mesmerized by the girl's beautiful red eyes that shined like expensive ruby to notice anything else. While the girl crossed the short distance to the table beside her bed, she placed both her burden on the table under Serena's watchful eyes. "Eat up. I know it's not much, but I'm sure you can appreciate a warm meal after your perilous journey." Perilous journey? "Didn't you come from outside the valley? Grandpa found you collapsed by the side of the road on his way home from Rycius Watchtower." Valley? "Could it be... you don't realize where you are?" Seeing Serena's confused face, the girl said, "You're home!" "Pardon?" Serena asked. In her mind, she thought this was certainly not her home. "The Crimson Valley! The land that hero Lasrios tried to lead the mycra to! Oh wait, since you're a 'lost hammer', you probably grew up hearing it's original name 'Valley of Snakes' instead." Certainly, Serena has heard the name Lasrios and Valley of Snakes before. However, putting both phrases in one breath, brought into mind a possibility that she couldn't believe could be real. Added to the fact that the girl admitted that her people were called the mycra, it could only bring her to one conclusion. A conclusion which was simply impossible. Not even in fairytales. So of course, Serena was in denial. "Are you messing with me?" Serena asked with suspicion. "No! This really is the promised land, it is the Valley of Snakes that the hero Lasrios said was prepared by Goddess Aelrea for us. He brought us here following our time of great need." What nonsense is this? I never did anything like that. Wait, this means... oh man, I'm getting a headache. Serena indeed knew of a Lasrios, but that was in AGO. Lasrios was none other than one of her hero units. Serena had other hero units as well, such as Pegasus Knight Heriane and Guardian of the Forge Maristes. They fought Ukhlar together with her before she died and she could only assume they died too afterward. Sword Brave Lasrios was the strongest of them all, and thus Serena as Aelrea decided to equip him with an S-class weapon that she created specifically for him, the cursed Blood Forge. It was a blade of immense power that it consumed the souls of its users to become stronger. She then sent him on a long-term quest to defeat one of the players from the Theocracy of Lyrica, so he was too far to be recalled when Ukhlar the Scourge of Blood invaded the Aelrean Mountain Range. Lasrios was deep in enemy territory, accompanied by only a handful of skilled mycras and a company of khalisian mercenaries. They were in a place called the Valley of Snakes. According to the girl, this place was called the Valley of Snakes once. If one were to assume that the game had somehow become a reality, that meant, this was the place. If the game had become reality, then it would be safe to assume that just like this girl before her, Lasrios had also gained sentience. That idiot probably misunderstood my reasoning for ordering him to come here. He probably thought I sent him here to invade it for the mycra's future settlement. I actually gave him that quest because the player who owned this land was weak. Oh Lasrios, there should be a limit to your usefulness. Serena was impressed at herself for creating such a resourceful minion. The actual reason she sent Lasrios to the Valley of Snakes was not to take the valley for her use but to raise Lasrios's level by defeating a weak god. Then when he would be a lot stronger, she'd kill his character and have his soul consumed by the blade, which was forged with the trait of 'sacrifice'. This would hopefully raise the blade's level from S-class to SS-class. How could she have known he would misunderstood her intentions? "Didn't your parent teach you?" the girl asked again. "Pardon?" Serena almost forgot about this girl standing next to her bed. "Didn't your parents teach you about the Valley of Snakes? Even if you're a lost hammer, you must've heard them talk about it, right?" "You kept talking about 'lost hammer'. Is that some kind of insult or something?" "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. It's just what we call the mycras who have never set foot inside the Crimson Valley." "What did you say?" "We call people like you lost hammer because-" "No, did you just call me a mycra?" "Aren't you? What are you other than a mycra? Your red eyes that shine like ruby is telling enough." Wait, my eyes are red? I'm a normal girl! My eyes are blue! "But the real proof is in your blood," the girl said as she touched Serena's hand. Hey, overly friendly girl. Just because I'm sitting in bed, doesn't mean you can touch me so casually. The girl wrapped her fingers around Serena's, causing jolts of energy to pass through the palm of Serena's hand, up to her arm then into her heart. As if in response, a stronger jolt then fired out of Serena's heart and transmitted through their linked hands into the girl. Both of them reacted to that pulse of energy in different ways. "Ahhhnn, nooo..." the girl moaned while making a blissful face that could easily be misunderstood as something lewd. As for Serena, she made a muffled moan and panted while thinking, I didn't know I swing that way too. "What was that?" the girl asked while panting. "How would I know?" "That was amazing!" "I never knew another girl could make me feel this way." "You must be someone talented!" "This can't be real, I can't be bent." "I've never felt something so wonderful!" "Ai, it seems like life is not so straightforward as I'd like to believe." "I think if you work hard, you can even be a master craftsman!" "I may need to redefine my sexuality." "With your talent, I think you have a shot. What have you made so far?" "Excuse me? Were you talking to me?" "... Who else is here?" "I thought you were talking to yourself. What were you saying just now?" "I said your magic is so strong, you probably have the talent to become a master crafter. That pulse of energy just now was proof. All mycra can exchange energy that way, but your energy was amazing!" "You mean that feeling just now, it wasn't love?" "Love? Why would you suddenly ask that?" "Thank god!" I thought I've become a lesbian! Serena breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, thank Goddess Aelrea for your talent. There are many magic crafters from the hamlet, but you're far above them! You must be blessed. I think you should join the crafter's competition this year." "One thing at a time, my excited tanned... uhh... acquaintance. What do I call you?" "Oh, sorry, I was too excited, I forgot my manners. My name is Iina." "Serena," Serena introduced herself. She entertained the thought of introducing herself as Aelrea, but considering Aelrea was the mycra's goddess, they probably wouldn't take kindly to someone using their goddess's name. Even though she was Aelrea in the game, they'd probably expect her to perform some kind of miracle, which Serena had no idea how to do at the moment. "Then Serena, let me be the first to welcome you to Clear River Hamlet."

Age of Gods Online, otherwise known as AGO, combines the age-old system of browser-based massively multiplayer online game with the catchy action gameplay popularized by gaming consoles. Launched in 2019, it takes full advantage of the rise of mobile gaming to deliver an enjoyable, fully immersive Massively Multiplayer Online Game that allows any user to play the game regardless of hardware specifications or gaming platforms. All one needs to play the game is just an internet connection and a platform that can open web browsers.   Due to aggressive marketing strategy and their catchphrase, "You are not PLAYING a god, you ARE a god", their player base skyrocketed to 200,000 players in just a week. An impressive feat for a company renowned for making mediocre games in the past.     "Foul servants of the evil god! I, Guardian of the Forge Meristes shall halt your advance!" the hammer-wielding woman in fire-resistant coat announced before dozens of premium soldiers delivered blow after blow on her small body. Despite her great skills and the honour granted as Guardian of the Forge, not even she could handle the attacks from a hundred premium soldiers. Left with not being able to perform her main attack, she could only defend herself with her oversized hammer.   Suddenly from behind, a blade of light swept up the enemies around her. The blade of light cut cleanly through their bodies, cutting off their source of life. With that blow, they returned to their original forms, armoured statues imbued with life at their gods' commands.   "Too far. You. Die," a mechanical voice came out of the suit of armour that came up behind Meristes. It was the Mechanical Knight Alou, the only living armour crafted by the hands of its goddess, Aelrea of the Divine Arms.   "Everyone, do NOT allow them to advance any further! Even if you die, you will stop them here. Heriane, keep the premium dragon occupied. Eri, I will need you to sacrifice yourself to stop the Blood Corona," Aelrea of the Divine Arms commanded.   Just like her heroes, even she had suffered multiple wounds, mostly from having to deal with the siege weapon Blood Corona. Without minding her wounds, she said to herself, "If only Gardi is here.. he would be able to deal with those pesky blood coronas easily." It was because Spearmaster Gardi was armed with Spear That Drills The Universe, an SS-class item that ignored all defense, physical or magical.   "Yes, my lord. Come, my trusty steed!" Pegasus Knight Heriane flew to the sky, riding atop her mount, the silver pegasus.   "For the goddess!" Forgemaster Eri ran towards the throng of premium soldiers before jumping to the air and throwing her twin storm hammers at the concentration of blood coronas, weapons capable of leveling whole cities if given the chance.   "As the goddess wish. Taste my hammer, foul creatures! Forge of the Sun!" Guardian of the Forge Meristes cried as the head of her hammer became a brilliant ball of light. As the ball of light smashed against the ground, everything within the range of two miles turned to ash.   "Command accepted. Will comply." Mechanical Knight Alou rushed forward, its thick armour became the hammer that smashed against all the premium soldiers in its way. Its multiple gun ports fired on multiple targets at the same time while its flaming missiles scorched miles of land.   While this was going on, Aelrea pulled up her inventory. She planned to trade the lives of her heroes to summon her two premium items, the premium wyverns and the premium flame dragon. Unfortunately, before she could use either, a single blade cut off her neck from behind.   "I've been waiting for you to send your heroes away. Too bad, Serena. It's my win this time. Hahahaha!"   Serena had to fight the urge to throw her phone to the floor. She had just lost a battle against Ukhlar, the Scourge of Blood and she feared this had kicked her out of the deathmatch, despite having a lot of cash items still unused. The idea of losing all the premium jewels and items she just bought yesterday annoyed her to no end.   "Damn you, Steve. There should be a rule against using so many cash items in one battle. Bloody RMT scum," she cursed.   RMT refers to 'real money transaction' in which players spend real-world money to get ahead in an MMOG. 'RMT scum' refers to the type of players who rely on RMT to be on top. To be fair, Serena had no right to find fault in Ukhlar's method. After all, she too was an RMT scum right up to her defeat.   An incoming message chimed as she was contemplating how best to pay Ukhlar, the Scourge of Blood, otherwise known as Steve Weisz for this latest humiliation.   Marc: Congratulations! Serena: About what? Marc: For getting to Top 5. Serena: But I just lost. Marc: Saint Klaus was killed about a minute before Ukhlar killed you, so now Saint Klaus is kicked from the game and you're locked at 5th Rank. Serena: Saint Klaus was behind me? God, that gives me the creeps! Marc: You're still not creeped out about him asking for your picture didn't you? Serena: Of course I'm still creeped out! He asked for my picture the moment he found out I was a schoolgirl. Marc: lol Well anyway, I wonder how the devs are going to run the game now. Heard you guys will be transported to a smaller area to encourage conflict. Serena: Where did you hear this? Marc: Dev diary. They said the game will be in lockdown until Sunday to manage the updates. Serena: You sure? Marc: Yes, very sure. You can check it yourself. Serena: Maybe later. I'm still at school. Marc: Detention? Serena: Any other reason I'd still be at school this late? Marc: lol How about we go on a date this Saturday? Your exams are already over, right? Serena: You got a job yet?   The silence went on for four whole minutes.   Marc: Alright, give me another lecture, my heart is ready. Serena: I already told you I won't go on a date with an unemployed man. You want another date, get a job. Marc: But I do have a job, I'm a full-time gamer Serena: A job that makes money. I don't even mind if you get a job as a street vendor. If you want a date, make your own money, not wasting your parents' money.   "Bit rich coming from someone who spends her allowance like water," a girl spoke behind Serena, making her jump on her chair.   "Alice! Since when were you behind me?" Serena asked with a bit of fluster.   Alice grinned as she said, "A few minutes. You were too busy chatting with your boyfriend to notice."   "That shut-in is not my boyfriend."   "Oh really, then why do you look so happy every time you reply to his messages?"   "You - no, this... You're freakin' blind, Alice."   "Oh, he replies," Alice said as she chuckled at Serena snapping her head around to look at the screen.   Marc: But if I become a street vendor, you'll be too embarrassed to be seen with me. Serena: Excuse me, my father's first job was a roast beans street seller. My mom's first job was a shop assistant. Daddy made it very clear that no job is shameful while I was growing up. You were there during such lectures. How do you expect me to introduce you - as whatever - to my parents when you don't have a job?   "Ooh, you're already at that level?" Alice teased with a giggle.   "Go away, Alice," Serena said in annoyance while shooing Alice away with her left hand.   "Sorry, no can do. I want to borrow your phone," Alice said while looking slightly embarrassed.   "What happened to yours?"   "Confiscated. Mom said I played AGO too much. That's why I'm ranked at 23. I wasn't able to play."   Marc: If I get a job, will you go out with me? Serena: Get a job first, then we'll talk. Marc: Got it.   "Here," Serena said as she handed her phone to Alice.   "Thanks! I know I can count on you!" Alice said as she logged into AGO sandbox. "How was the boyfriend?" Alice asked while her finger danced on the surface of Serena's phone.   "He's not my boyfriend," Serena denied while looking out the classroom window from her seat.   "Oh, so that's the setting, huh? Older neighbour boy, fallen hard and a young girl who's in denial?"   "I'm not in denial. I'm just helping him get back on his feet," Serena argued without looking at Alice.   "By being his girlfriend?" Alice asked, her eyes locked on the screen and her fingers busy tapping everywhere.   "If it's necessary."   "Yeah, it's not like you're in love with him or anything, right?"   "Right!"   Alice chuckled. "Yeah, it's not like that shut-in who smells bad, rarely change clothes, lives in a dumpster and-"   "Don't diss Marc!"   "But you don't love him. So what's the big deal?"   "I'm the only one who can talk smack about him. You can't!"   "Ooooh, possessive much?"   "Whatever, just put it back in my bag after you're done with it. I'm catching up on sleep," Serena said as she buried her face in her arms on the desk.   "Yes, yes, your highness," Alice said as she used up the accumulated faith in the sandbox to stick some guard towers at her border, "You know it's really sad that detention is just another word for 'nap time' considering the teachers don't even bother to watch us. Alright, I'm done! Here you - Serena?"   Alice looked behind her, at Serena's seat, which was empty of all life and presence.   "Are you sleepwalking again?" Alice asked the empty chair.

/Luke’s Pov/ After the selection, Dumbledore said a few important words, like the Dark forest being forbidden, the right hand side of the third floor being out of bounds to everyone that doesn’t wish to die a most painful death. And ended it with”Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words, and here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!” He is a strange one, but I guess every genius is. The professors presented themselves for a bit and the banquet started, which was a good thing, I was really hungry as I didn’t really have the chance to eat at the train. The food was amazing, it materialized itself in our plates and tasted really good, the one at the palace was better, but  if this is what my life will be from today onwards I can say that I won’t miss my old one the way I thought. I started to talk with the first years a bit, Terry Boot, Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein decided to be roommates, there were girls, named Mandy Brocklehurst, Sue Li and Padma Patil, the last one as a bit sad because her sister was sorted on another house. They were all curious of how is being a prince, Anthony even stated that he expected me that last house he expected me to be was Ravenclaw, the other agreed, but after we talked a bit they all were convinced I was sorted in the right house. After the banquet, we met our house Prefects, the one that helped me in the train was named Penelope Clearwater, and the male one was Robert Hilliard, they were really nice, the only problem was that Robert talked, A LOT. “Congratulations! I’m Prefect Robert Hilliard, and I’m delighted to welcome you to RAVENCLAW HOUSE. Our common room is found at the top of Ravenclaw Tower, behind a door with an enchanted knocker. Follow me and I will show you there.” He started walking, but never stopped talking.  “The arched windows set into the walls of our circular common room look down at the school grounds: the lake, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch and the Herbology gardens. I can proudly say that of all houses we have the best view.” “Without wishing to boast, this is the house where the cleverest witches and wizards live. Our founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, prized learning above all else – and so do we. Unlike the other houses, who all have concealed entrances to their common rooms, we don’t need one. The door to our common room lies at the top of a tall, winding staircase. It has no handle, but an enchanted bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. When you rap on the door, this knocker will ask you a question, and if you can answer it correctly, you are allowed in.” Interesting, this really fits with the house that prizes intellect and wisdom, maybe I can call Hermione there, I bet if she solves the question nobody, well , almost nobody would bother with her there, and she seems intelligent enough. “First-years don’t need to be scared by having to answer the eagle’s questions, Ravenclaws learn quickly, and I bet you’ll soon enjoy the challenges the door sets. Also it’s not unusual to find twenty people standing outside the common room door, all trying to work out the answer to the day’s question together, so it’s a great way to meet fellow house members from other years, and to learn from them – although it is a bit annoying if you’ve forgotten your Quidditch robes and need to get in and out in a hurry. In fact, I’d advise you to triple-check your bag for everything you need before leaving Ravenclaw Tower.” The prefect continued. The people seems nice enough, looks like it will be more like a research club instead of a house, but that’s good for me. “You’ll like our Head of house, Professor Filius Flitwick. Don’t underestimate him, just because he’s really tiny and he’s got a squeaky voice, just remember that  he’s the best and most knowledgeable Charms master alive in the world today. He also gives us cupcakes if we go to his office with any question about the clases.” He advised us. The greatest Charm master alive!? They were really not kidding when saying that Hogwarts was the best school for wizardry in the modern world, wow I can’t wait to absorb everything he have to teach us. He also advised us about the other three houses; he said that Slytherins are not all bad, but its best to be on your guard until you know them well. He didn’t like the Gryffindors very much, called them show offs and that they like to joke about us. He also said that the Hufflepuffs are nice people, but we don’t need to worry too much about them when it comes to competition at exam time. His insight about the houses was interesting, but about relationships I will make my own and be the one to judge who to talk or not, I don’t really like to generalize people and being in a house doesn’t mean he/she will be a copy of the others there. “I think that’s nearly everything. Oh yes, our house ghost is the Grey Lady. The rest of the school thinks she never speaks, but she’ll talk to Ravenclaws. She’s particularly useful if you’re lost, or you’ve mislaid something. I’m sure you’ll have a good night. And once again: well done on becoming a member of the cleverest, quirkiest and most interesting house at Hogwarts.” He finished as we get at the door of our common room. The Grey Lady huh? Maybe she can tell me her history one day, I read that here in Hogwarts there are about twenty ghosts and I want to know all of their histories, maybe some of them even know about Merlin as I know he studied here too! The question the door gave us this time was a really easy one; I guess they do this to not intimidate all the first years, but I admit I was wanting to see a more difficult one than the sphinx riddle, that one is overused and everyone knows about it. As we enter our common room and new house we see a wide room, with a lot of bookcases and a domed ceiling painted with stars, the view outside the tower was indeed outstanding, and the room was cozy with the right amount of light to be easy to read but not hurt our eyes. As we were looking around, Penelope, the other prefect clapped her hands. “I know how hard it is to want to explore everything right now, every raven has went through this, but it’s really late right now and you have to ready your rooms, so go there and sleep, tomorrow will be a long day and you all be able to look at every nook and cranny here, the boys goes this way and the girls can follow me. Thanks and good night.” As it was planned, Terry Boot, Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein became my roommates, we didn’t talked much as we went to our room, everyone was exhausted and went directly to bed, me too, but I decided to finish reading Hogwarts: a history that I couldn’t on the train. The beds are charmed with light and sound protection, perfect to study at night and not disturb anyone. I did my first spell, Lumos, a really simple one, but it made perfect to read right now as it made my surroundings bright enough to read the book. It didn’t take much time to finish it tough, as I rushed it quite a bit at the end; I really was comfortable right now and wanted to sleep, as I thinking of how things will go tomorrow. I slept with a smile on my face.

/Luke`s Pov/ What can I say about our potion classes? Well, it was different to say the least, the class was in the dungeons, but the unique part was the teacher, Professor Severus Snape, and as the name 'Severus' indicated, he was a pretty serious guy. He looked like he disdained everyone and everything; he is a bit scary though, I don't really have any problems looking into a person's eyes, but his? Just one time and no more thank you, it looked like he could pry into my mind, and it made me very uncomfortable. Other than that, the only thing I would complain was in how he never gave any house points. His first class was quite memorable for me, when it was the exact time for the class to start; he entered the classroom giving his speech "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making, as there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death -- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." I bet he says that on every first class, don't get me wrong it's a good speech, it really does its job, it packs a punch and even tell us about how the subject is. His teaching method was the most basic kind, he just speaks to us and expects that we keep quiet and write everything, I won't say that I'm happy with this, but it's not like I'm displeased either, he sure know about what he is talking. He also didn't ask any question, I like to believe that he finds asking a question in a room full of Ravenclaws is unnecessary. In the end, the class was just theory, but he warned us that next week we will brew one of the elementary potions. In conclusion, I liked the class, it probably won't be one of my favorites (the subject will, just not the class), and with just the wonders of the art of potion making the class is more than interesting enough for me. Shame that my fellow ravens couldn't say the same as Anthony said and I quote "The teacher is a stuck up prick and his whole class is rubbish!" Padma, Terry, Michael and even Sue Li agreed with him, and if they were still in doubt if they considered me mad, well when I told them that I didn't dislike the class was the last nail on the coffin. "Haha, no need to look at me like that guys, it's just my opinion, I admit it could be better, but while Prof. Snape can be a bit dry, he got his job done, I had worse teachers than that, now let's go eat lunch, all morning having classes made me quite hungry." We talked a bit about our classes; they were still impressed with my performance in Transfiguration and were a bit excited talking on what if Ravenclaw wins the house cup since Slytherin won the last six years. As we entered the common hall and started to eat our lunch, I started thinking about my new schedule, I mean, here in Hogwarts, there is a lot of free time. We only have classes four days a week, and it's only in the morning (except Astronomy), so looking at that I can infer some things about what the professors want of us. The first being that they want students to make friends between houses, that can be seen as we are always in a class with another house during a class, being those Hufflepuffs on Mondays (Transfiguration and Potions), Gryffindor on Tuesdays (Herbology and Charms), Slytherin on Wednesday (Defense against the dark arts and History of magic) and on Thursdays we are all together in flying lessons and Astronomy. The second is that they expect a lot of self-study, which can be seen with how we have a lot of free time, if you don't count doing your homework, they pass a lot of it, which is necessary as I believe a lot of people would stay behind on their studies being either by laziness or procrastination. And lastly we don't have any form of Physical education (no, flying doesn't count), and the consequences of that are much more drastic than it seems. A healthy body is necessary for a healthy mind, and I believe almost all wizards are too proud to move a finger if magic can do that for them, they are still powerful, yes, but they don't have much stamina, I bet their style of fight is just pointing the wand to one another casting some form of attack, that's really basic in my books, as I learned in my fencing classes, you have to keep moving, predict your opponent and that its generally better to dodge than to block your opponent attack, and while I know magical and no magical fights are different, I believe a lot of the strategies are the same, or at least similar, so having a fit body certainly gives you an advantage. With all that said, I will have to make my own schedule later, with enough physical and magical training, in theory, and practice, maybe I can even make a group for it, disregarding houses, anyone would be able to join, I want to especially call that Neville fellow, as he kind of needs the confidence boost, Hermione I think would join even if it's only on the study part, the same could be said of my fellow ravens, as for the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins I don't really know, as I don't really know any of them. Maybe that blond girl, Daphne would participate, but that remains to be seen. At least, for now, mine will be something like this: 06:00 – 08:00 -> Wake up, read some of the graduated Ravenclaw students left behind and wait for my friends and go eat breakfast. 08:00 – 13:30 -> Classes (Physical training when there is no class). 13:30 – 14:30 -> Socializing and Lunch. 14:30 – 16:00 -> Physical training. 16:00 – 20:00 -> Theory reading at the library. 20:00 – 22:00 -> Practical training somewhere (probably my own room) or Astronomy class. 22:00 – Sleep (before 00:00) -> Relax. This is still subject to change, and I will probably discard it if I can really make the group study, but for now, it's good enough. All my life I followed a schedule, I was feeling weird already for not having one.

/Luke`s Pov/ I didn’t know It was possible to be even more hyped than before but a boat ride under the moonlight sure did help, Its definitively one of the most beautiful things I ever saw, and the atmosphere was perfect, and as I could see on the faces of every first year, they felt the same, even our blond guest on the boat. As we got ashore, I helped Hermione get out of the boat, she looked happy about it, but the other girl didn’t seem amused with it, in my etiquette classes I was instructed to always help girls in moments like this, so I extend my hand in help to her as well, she looked surprised, a small smile appeared on her face, and she accepted my help, the strange part was that she ignored us afterwards. All the first years enter the castle together, we have to go up some stairs, all illuminated by some torches, on our destination we have our favorite professor so far (and the only one we met) Minerva McGonagall. She welcomed us all, and explained that we will be sorted in one of the four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, that’s all things that I already knew but also introduced us to the house points, where basically you do good things you gain points, do bad things you lose points, simple enough. ~Toad noises~ “Trevor!” Neville shouted, and interrupted the deputy headmaster, I almost face palmed myself, after all that trouble he lost his frog again, at least he found him quickly this time, as the people chuckled, I pated his shoulder as to say it’s alright. The professor ended her speech and told us to wait a bit. “It’s true then? They’re saying on the train, Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts.” Said the blond guy who sneered at me at the train, everyone started to murmur, but yes it makes sense, for what I read he is on the age to start his training in magic. What surprised me wasn’t that he was here, but more that he was the scrawny kid with black hair I met on the train. They had a little stare contest, when the blond one named Draco Malfoy tried to extend friendship to Harry, if he ditched his red headed friend of the Weasley, because of difference in family power, huh I guess both worlds are similar in some aspects, but Potter refused. I see that he is loyal to his friends, he looks like a good person, and if we have the chance, maybe we can be friends. But now is not the time, McGonagall came back and the ceremony will start now. As we entered the hall we can see the four long tables, one for each house, and another one for the teachers and the headmaster Albus Dumbledore, an old wizard, and if he is wise and powerful as his beard is long, I must say that maybe he really is the greatest wizard alive. The ceiling is enchanted to looks like the sky, a fact I read on the train today, as I was thinking and Hermione saying that, something I didn’t expect happened, ghosts came out and they seem to be arguing with each other about someone (or something) called Peeves. Their attention comes to us for a moment but is rapidly dismissed. Professor McGonagall silently placed a stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. The hat was patched and extremely dirty. It was not only a talking hat, but a singing hat too! Is it sentient?  I swear each second in the magical world and I get more questions but never an answer. Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. Hermione was sorted into Gryffindor, which was surprising to me; I could swear she would be at Ravenclaw, Neville too was sent to the same house, just the same with the red head, Ron Weasley. I also finally discovered the blond girl’s name, Daphne Greengrass and she was sorted into Slytherin, same house as Draco Malfoy.  Potter and I were the last two waiting to be sorted. /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ /3rd person Pov/ "Potter, Harry!" As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall. "Potter, did she say?" The Harry Potter?" Such comments were all over the hall. It took a bit more time than normal until we heard “-- better be GRYFFINDOR!" he was getting the loudest cheer yet. “Pendragon, Luke.” The hall became silent, the halfbloods and muggleborn were astonished they knew the importance of that name, the purebloods were confused, they could recognize the surname but weren’t really sure from where. A lot of whispers started going around, sometimes you could hear someone saying prince or someone telling the name is just a coincidence. And as if nothing had happened Luke started to walk toward the hat. His presence was regal, just his actions proving that he is really a prince, a lot of people started paying more attention to him, his features, the black and white hair, the sapphire blue eyes, his poise, everything about him was dignified. He bowed a little to the hat and put it. It took him even more time than Harry Potter, but in the end the hat shouted "RAVENCLAW!" the Gryffindor table was the most disappointed table, they wanted to have both Potter and Pendragon on their table, Hermione and Neville were especially sad over this. The Hufflepuff while a bit disappointed too, didn’t put too much thought into it, The Slytherin table seemed to be the most neutral about it, while some sneered of the fact he was a mudblood, a lot of people there remained silent, a certain blond girl looked distant, but one could see she as displeased with the result. The Ravenclaw table however was very happy, all houses had someone famous except theirs, they are always looked down for being nerds and weirdoes, but now a real prince is in their house, and while not many there really cares about that, it was nice to be on the winning side at least once.

/Luke's Pov/ As Neville seems to calm down we continue to talk a little before we start to search seriously, he said he got his toad as a present from his aunt, but he keeps losing him, that little bastard use every chance he gets to jump away, the fact that Neville is a bit clumsy doest help either, but anyway he lost the frog in the train so we have a limited space to look around, which is great, Hermione decided to go look from where we are to the end of the train and Neville will go to the beginning, and doing so they will cover a greater area in less time. But I had another Idea. "Ok, you two do what you planed, I think if I ask one of the prefects, it would be easy, you know, they can use magic and all, but as there is a chance for it not working." As I said that Neville nodded frankly and Hermione seems disappointed as she grumbled "How I didn't think that?" Each of us walking away into our quest to find Trevor. Let's see who will find him first, it's not a competition but it's funnier that way. It wasn't hard to find the prefects` wagon, as I walked in the people there looked at me inquiring with their eyes the motive a kid like me is in their wagon. I walk toward a nice looking blond girl with blue colors on her robes, Ravenclaw I presume, and ask for help. "Ms. Prefect, could you assist me with your time? I'm a first year and a friend of mine lost his toad, and I believed it would be easier to find him with the help of magic, so would it be possible for you to help me and my friend?" She smile softly and replied, "Of course, it will be really simple, but one question, do you know the name of the toad? It would be necessary in this case." After I told the name she made the incantation "Accio 'Trevor the toad`". And not much time after that I can see a flying toad coming directly into her hands, she gave him to me "Just tell your friend to be more careful now, would you?" I readily agreed and thanked her, now retroacting my path to find Neville and Hermione. This experience gave me a mix of disappointment and excitement, I was disappointed for how easy it was to find the toad, and excitement to see that spell, with just a bit of specification, the prefect could not only find but bring Trevor to her, and with that I muttered my apparent new favorite phrase "Magic is truly magical eh." As I was getting closer to Neville, a blond boy passed through me, and after a glance to the toad in my hand, he just snorted and walks away. I guess someone looks down on toads, not my problem anyway. I tapped his back. "Trevor!!" he yelled as soon as he turned around, he thanked me a lot for the help, and after saying that I will go find Hermione he told me to change for my school uniform first since its almost time for our last stop. I thanked him and did as he said, after that it didn't took too long to find her, well she is pretty easy to spot with all that hair I chuckle to myself. "Oh are you doing magic? Let's see then." I approach and see that she is even bossier here that she was with me, I too am curious about this magic she is talking about. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow turn the stupid rat yellow." I get by her side at the moment a red head did the 'spell', it just harmed the poor rat that was happily eating… something, their cabinet was full of candy and food, all of which I never saw before, Magic food, I will have to try that later. "It's not very good is it?" Hermione said making the red head uncomfortable. Looks like now is my turn. "Hermione, we found the toad, looks like asking for a prefect was really useful, and so we can relax until the last stop. And Neville asked me to say thank you." She looked startled, as it seems she didn't even realize I was behind her. I also looked into the two kids that were sitting there, one was the red head, he was already eating chocolate again, but he was stuffing himself, quite frankly that was the worse table manners I saw in my whole life, I didn't even know you could eat like that, the other was a black haired scrawny kid, he was using clothes several times bigger than his size, and had a broken glasses, he was obviously wearing hands down clothes, the red head too, so how could they afford all this candy? None of my business and I don't care enough. "You two better change into robes, I expect we are arriving soon." I said and started walking back to my own cabinet, I heard Hermione saying to the red head that he got dirt on his nose, and she trotted until she was near me again. "Your idea of going to the prefects were a really good one, I should have gone too, I wanted to see some real magic instead of you know." She pointed her head on the opposite way we were walking. I agreed with her, and after I told her about how the girl did it, she was impressed. Curious enough Neville was in our cabinet, he said he was guarding it isn't a good idea to leave our things into somewhere empty, after he said that I realized that's true, I always took it for granted since I'm almost always at the palace and I never had to preoccupy myself with that. I really liked this kid, he is shy and clumsy, but he have a good heart, so I asked him to go with us, agrees, and we talk a bit about ourselves. Hermione is muggleborn like me, her parents are dentists and she has no brothers or sisters; Neville on the other hand is from a noble house in the magical world, he said he lives with his gran and also is a single child. Now I like him even more, nobody that calls his grandma as 'gran' is a bad person. I can see in his face that there are some circumstances that he doesn't want to talk so I change the talk to me. "Well, like Hermione here, I'm also muggleborn, but like Neville, I'm also from a noble house, and different from both of you, I have a brother, funny isn't it?" Neville was quite shocked after knowing that I was a literal prince. We talked a bit more until the train stopped; we finally got at our destination, Hogwarts. We got out of the train and I can see it, the castle, it looks amazing, excitement boils inside me again as I walk toward the boats we will use to get there, I was also surprised seeing that our guide was a man more that is 2.5m. He has a big beard, and there is a few kids a bit scared of him, but with just a look in his eyes I can see he is a good man. I got on a boat with Neville, Hermione and a blond girl that didn't talk to us, but she keeps glancing at me when she thinks I'm not seeing it. When I tried to say hi, she just snorted and acted like we didn't exist. Another weird one I guess.

/Luke's Pov/ While eating, I could see that Padma looked a bit sad; she was observing her sister at the Gryffindor table. "You can still talk to her you know?" I said, bringing her back to reality. "What?"She asked. "I said you can still talk to your sister." I repeated. She looked unsure"B-But now we are in different houses." She mumbled. "And? What's the problem? It's not like you are strangers now. If you want you can always go there and talk to her. Maybe it's better to wait a few days, so she can make some friends in her house, but after both of you are settled down, you can be together again, even if it's less time than you were before. "Thanks, Luke, I-I guess I will do that, wait a week or so and talk to her, it's just that I never spent so much time without her, we`re twins so we were always together." She said. Twins huh, that reminds me of Max, I miss him, just remembering that he hates me now makes me sad. "What happened? You suddenly got sad, did I say something wrong?" Padma asked a bit worried. "No, it's nothing, I just remembered a bit of my own twin brother, we were never really close as we walked different paths, but when he got to know I'm a wizard while he isn't, our relationship turned sour." I shake my head. "But anyway, changing the subject a bit, I'm thinking of creating a study group, maybe next week or so, there is no need to be just us of Ravenclaw, with that you would have an excuse to be with your sister, and maybe even help her with studies, what do you think?" I asked. "That would be great! Thanks again Luke!" Padma said excitedly. "But if we help other houses too, that would make things harder for us? The way our house gains points is by getting good grades If the others join in that, wouldn't that put us in disadvantage? And even between us, as we have our bet, wouldn't it be better if everyone tries his best alone?" asked Michael, Terry nodded, clearly agreeing with that. I shrugged "What's the point to beat someone that is not at his best? I believe in myself enough that I won't need any kind of handicap for me to get the best grades, and in my opinion, while all houses have their quality and defects, they also synergize together, think with me, we from Ravenclaw represent intelligence and wit, but without ambition and cunning (Slytherin), we wouldn't put it to use, without bravery and courage (Gryffindor), we wouldn't dare to innovate, and without hard work (Hufflepuff), even if you have the brains, you're just wasting your potential. What I said now is just from our perspective, but they need us just the same as we need them, and the school actually want us to mingle together, it's just that it doesn't happen very often." "Why do you say the school wants us to mingle? We have the house cup, doesn't that means that we are rivals?"Terry asked. "It's simple enough, just look at our schedule for classes, every day we study together with a different house until the last one that everyone gets together, with that you can see intention the professors have to us, and about the house cup, you're right, we are rivals, but in my opinion the good kind of rivals are the ones that grow together, that inspire each other to be better, not one that is superficial and just there for ego boosting." I said. Looking at their faces, only Padma was satisfied with what I said, maybe because of her sister, the rest looked a bit conflicted. "Sigh, it's just an idea for now, and I don't even know if I will be able to convince people of the other houses, also there is no need to join if you don't agree, I will just do what I think is good and hope for the best. It's also good to make friends with more people." Not that I'm very experienced in making friends but they don't need to know that. In the end, as I expected, only Padma readily agreed, Anthony told he will think about it, the rest opted for the wait and see strategy. It could be worse I guess. "Well, it's time for me to find a good place to work out, see you at the library or at the common room later." I said as I got up and waved goodbyes. /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ /Anthony's Pov/ If someone told me last week that the strangest person I would meet was a prince, I would not believe, but now? I already believe so. I'm not belittling him, it's the opposite, that man, Luke, is bloody brilliant, I met him for less than a day and I already know that. In our transfiguration class, he was the only one who could do anything useful, and putting salt in our wounds, it's not like he knew beforehand how to do it, no, it was his improvement rate, it was fast, frighteningly fast. He is also very perceptive; he even got house points for that, now that I stopped to think, he was the only one today that even got house points putting our house in first place, I don't know if we can keep up with that, but sure is nice to hear people talking about Ravenclaw being first place after years. And while perceptive, I find funny that he can also be a bit dense, it's obvious that he draws attention everywhere he goes, but it seems that he doesn't know that, wait, maybe I'm wrong, what if he just dismiss it as normal? It would make more sense, he is a prince, it's obvious that he is already used to it. One could look at him and be lost on the fantasy that he is a perfect guy, a charming prince of muggle fairy tales. But I know that he is also very human, he has his regrets, the look on his face when talking about his brother said it all. And I think it's because his failed relationship with his brother that he wants to make the study group, I think that he is a bit lonely, even if he doesn't know it himself, and that's why he wants to make a group, that in a way he finds his equal, his rival or something like that, I read one time that its lonely at the top, and while he is far from the real top, age wise he already is. Academically he would be the one who gains less doing this group thing, but I think what he is looking for is different, and he is a great guy, so it's decided, I will become a part of this study group too. The only thing is, I will never work out as he does. I'm a wizard, not a bodybuilder.

/Maximillian Pov/ “… and yes, Luke will now study in Hogwarts, but remember Maximillian, you can’t tell anyone about this, it is a magical school and magic is hidden from the common people, if anyone question you about Luke, you can tell he is studying out of the country, any questions now?” ‘I heard my grandma say, is this a joke? Really? Today was supposed to me my day, I got first place in my school, I thought this was some kind of congratulation party for me, but noo Luke  have to be the center of attention again, I got the grades in the school, which was really hard for me, and what happens? Luke can do magic! Why not me? Of course it’s him, everything good in this world is for him and him alone! And look at his face, not even putting anyone there, just looking down on the f*cking world! I didn’t really like my brother for some time, but this just takes the cake, why I can’t have anything nice? Something to get the upper hand with him? I can’t even try to talk bad about him with my friends and they took his side, they don’t even know him more than a few seconds of greetings for god sake! Everything I have, everything I am is rubbish in comparison to Luke, why am I even here?’ “Hahahaahaha ahahaahahahahaahahaaha” I started to laugh, “hahaahahahaaha hahahahahahahahahaha”.  “I can’t f*cking believe, Luke you really are a monster, but not like the ‘little monster’ that people call you, no you’re the bad kind of monster,  a freak and you know that, you steal the happiness of others, you can’t even pass a day without someone jerking your ego off! You look down on everybody and think you’re better then everyone just because that book you use to train, today was supposed to me my day, that’s all that I wanted, but noooo, you have to steal that from me too! You’re not my brother, not after you killed mom, not after you made my life a living hell, go on then make your magic and disappear of my life!!” I yell and storm off the dining room, the last thing I ignored was a yell from my father that I don’t even know what it was. /scene break/   / Luke Pov/   ‘Wait what? What just happened? Max hates me? Why? I knew he was a bit displeased with the fact I completed my training, but that was it, was it worth all I did? What am I thinking? Of course it was, but I should have realized how he was feeling about it, talking more with him, be more of his friend, maybe use my free time with him instead of reading even more at my room, I think I’m crying, and where am I? Did I blanked again? No gran told us that day I really had a fit of magic because of my emotions, it happened again? So magic works with emotion?’ I calm down a bit after analyzing my situation, my heart still hurts a bit but at least I’m calm now. I sigh to myself.’ Now let’s summarize everything I know, first my brother seems to hate me, not a good start on the list I guess, second I can do magic, third I already have a school to go and learn more about it, fourth Next week a Professor will come and take me to buy the materials I need, fifth I think emotion is an important aspect of magic and sixth the two times (that I know) I did accidental magic I teleported, I need to know if this is something common or not, and seventh I’m on my bedroom right now witch can mean the two times it happened I got to somewhere I feel safe.’ Satisfied with my logic I calm down even more, I don’t really know what to do about Max, I feel like I failed him, but I never really done anything to hurt him except being myself, and I don’t think I’m wrong for being myself, I guess I will just wait a bit this week and try to talk to him or anything, and all of this made me realize something very important, I don’t really have friends, I like my teachers and all but he was my best friend, I guess I will have to work harder in that aspect , maybe it’s time to research a little about what kids our age like to do, I bet I won’t have it in my head after next week too many new things to learn and read, I hope I can still mend my relationship with Max tough, aargh lets stop thinking about that, let’s see what to do, aha! I will train a bit of magic tricks that we do and show it all to my future friends, a bet they will find it entertaining, at least I hope; hmm I will need a set of cards and a lot of other things. /scene break/ ‘Well I couldn’t even find my brother Max this week, apparently he refuses to be in the palace with me in it, odd with a place this huge there is plenty space for us two, but that is not the most important thing at the moment. Right now there is a wizard with me, a witch to be exact, a tall and severe-looking one, her name is Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and the one who wrote my letter of admission, and will take me to some place called ‘Diagon Alley’ where I will supposedly find everything I need and a bit more, after that I will have just two months until the begging of classes, so much to read, so little time.’ She must see that I’m a bit anxious and started talking to me again, “No need to be nervous Mr. Pendragon, for what I heard about you, everything will go just fine, but come with me we already got to our destination.” I found it odd to be honest, it looked like an old pub, and it’s there, the entrance to the magical world? Well I expected something a bit different, but I guess the unexpected is more hidden, and I bet there is a lot of magic stuff to make it even more hidden. This is it, this will be my first step into the magical world, what will happen I don’t really know, but I’m excited to meet it all, I think the dangers and the new things to learn will all be amazing, and it was with a firm step and a slight smile on my face that I walked in my life.

/Luke’s Pov/   I got at the underground bunker I use to train fiscally sooner that the required since my calligraphy studies ended early. ‘Heh I started it late but got away earlier, that sure is strange.’ I mused as I started stretching. But it didn’t take much time for my instructor to come in; there wasn’t time to greet her before she started yelling. “Oh I see!! Our little Luke is eager today huh!? Just because you beat me last time you think you’re the best huh!?” ~sigh I can see the glint in her eyes, she is ready to strain me again, I bet she likes to torture me, ‘well at least I’m lucky she is nice to me after training..’ “Hello teacher Elfrieda! Just wait a minute and I will be done here and we can start.” She doesn’t really like to be called Elfrieda but I do it often to tease her, normally it goes well she just grind her teeth, I said normally because she is now grinding my head, I could dodge it, but I know better to take the path with less pain. “Aargh, stop teacher El! I’m sorry, im sorry!” After a few more moments she stop it and smiles and starts to hug me her breasts almost suffocating me, I would complain but I physically cant since she is strong enough to bind me, something I believe is very hard . “Well since my little Luh is asking for me to stop, who am I to continue~”.  ‘Well as much as she likes to torture me in training she likes to hug me, she says it’s for recharging, well anybody whit their quirk I guess.’ El instantly turned serious and revert for her old torturer self and grinned, “Today we will spar, but don’t get exited too early on little Luh”. ‘Urrhg, I just pray that she doesn’t double my weights again, it’s already hard as it is, but she always double the weights after I beat her.’ I bet she saw it on my face as she grinned and said “But today is different, you will have the same weighed clothes, are you relieved?” ‘There is more to this, I’m sure of it, it wouldn’t be so “easy”, it’s not her style and I guess not mine either’. “Well, what’s the catch?” ‘I know I will suffer let’s just get over it’. “You know Luh? Sometimes you’re no fun, so I will make the fun for us! The catch is you will blindfolded today, I know you can do it, well if you can’t I will make sure you will in the future, so put this special mask here and prepare yourself for the beating you deserve for bullying me last time~” ‘I almost shout, who is bullying who? But I like the challenge; it will take some time to accustom with the darkness but I can try to hear the air like I learned with sensei Doujima last year.’ But as I was lead to believe, nothing is easy in this world, she just had to turn all the Fans on, so everything is more difficult sigh~ why am I getting excited? I know I will be beaten today, but I always like a challenge be it physical or mental, while I say that, teacher El says I’m a bit of an M, whenever that is, last time I asked my psychology teacher she scolded El a lot for teaching me inappropriate things, and while I’m curious there is better things to do, last time I tried asking Max but he just turned red and didn’t tell me what it was, I gave that to him I didn’t expect him to know something that I don’t since he is always goofing off somewhere, I attribute that to what I like to call his ‘street smart’, since it I certainly wasn’t taught that in my regim- ouch!’ “Hey! You didn’t say start!” she retorted immediately “there is no one to tell you when a fight start in real life, I know you can read the wind, now I want you to read my intent, so better prepare because here I” – ouch she hit me again “go!”, this time I dodge it, and turned serious. She started slowly giving me time to adapt it, and giving me tips, I have to learn how to not use my base sense, which is really hard after tuning them with all this training. The time passes and at the end of the training I couldn’t really feel her intent, I took off my mask as I was beginning to feel a bit disappointed, she came hugging me again with all her monstrous force. “How it was Luh? Did you feel my love? It’s been a while since I got you like that” and she seems pretty smug about 24yrs beating a 9 year old while blindfolded. So I asked exactly that and after a warning with her fists about not being polite to talk about a lady age, she beamed to me about always being happy beating a little monster, I grinned, “At least I’m a cute monster.” This resulted in another hug.   /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ /King Andrew Pov/ ‘My mother called me saying she has something important to say about Luke, something much too important that needed to be said personally, I’m getting a bit anxious as it is something new to be worried about my youngest, he is a really smart kid and while, proud of himself it hasn’t turn into arrogance (even if he deserve to be arrogant, that little monster ), I bet I’m more proud about him than he is about himself, I guess he never sees the limit at anything, he is a bit hardheaded too. Who would guessed he had it in him, to keep going with a choice he made before five years of age is no easy feat, sigh, I guess he got that from his mother, never seen someone so similar in believing oneself’. I smile a little entering my mother’s chamber, where she is already drinking tea. “Hello mother, what do you want to talk about Luke?” I ask while standing. She chuckle a bit and motion for me to seat, which I did. “Calm down will you Andrew, no need to be anxious, our little monster is fine, here take a cup of tea.” While chuckling a bit hearing his nickname I calm down and asked. “So mother what about Luke?” There was a glint In her eyes that I didn’t see for years, I gulped and she started. “You know of our origins Andrew, about how Merlin helped our ancestor King Arthur to create the great kingdom we now live and ‘rule’.” I nodded and she continued. “Since that time except for his sister, none of our line awakened magical powers, but it all came to an end today, apparently Luke, in a moment of emotional distress ca-“ “What? Emotional distress? What happened?”I asked not putting the information about magic in my head, I can’t think of anything that could put Luke in emotional distress. “Sigh, calm down Andrew, you’re supposed to be a king you can’t be controlled by your emotions like that.” She is right so I just took a heavy breath and she continued. “Nothing too important really, just a conflict with Maximillian, the boy is a bit jealous of him as he is near to complete his training and all.” ‘Oh okay, it’s just that, I guess as Luke doest really have friends besides the instructors he put a lot of weight in his relationship with Maximillian.’ “So my little boy is magical, heh I guess It makes sense, I can’t see someone that isn’t magical do what he can do, in fact I’m a bit relieved, that means it wasn’t that i gave up, it was impossible without magic.”I said satisfied about concluding a regret of mine. “No, I think is the opposite dear, for what I read at the final of the book it says that if the one who could complete the training in his youth, would continue it in a ‘special school’. So I’m guessing that it was the training that enabled his magical power.” She said calmly and then drinked a bit of her tea while I’m shocked with the revelation that you could train to obtain magic, and that I and everyone except Luke took that chance and let it slip, ‘sigh I don’t know if I’m proud of him or ashamed of myself.’ “So? What about now? Do we tell him or what? He is in the last part of the training, so I don’t think it’s wise to let him know just yet.” I said and she agreed. “Yes, lets him finish his training, and after that we tell him the news, we also have a lot to prepare, and let’s try to be with him a bit more, we won’t see him that much after next year.” I realizing that he will be out of our house (palace) got up sadly and agreed with my mother.

/Luke Pov/ My first impression of the Leaky Cauldron was weird, the local was weird, the people was weird, everything was weird to me, while it couldn’t be more fitting for a pub to be the ‘portal’ between the magical and mortal world, even more in England it still is a weird looking pub, but that’s already behind me, when Prof. McGonagall used her wand in a brick wall, that was the moment when I could see magic for the first time, I know I used it before, but like they say, seeing is believing, and just like it literally was, that moment was the one I leaved my old world behind to discover this new and magical one. I heard a chuckle and look at the Professor, “Don’t mind me Mr. Pendragon, it’s just that for what I read about you I didn’t imagine you reacting like most children, I expected you to be more calm and collected, but I must admit that I prefer the way you are now, kids must be kids.” Just as she said that she turned serious again like the small moment of glee never happened. “But Prof. McGonagall, how can one not be excited? A new world opening in front of you, new cultures, new knowledge, if anyone can be calm in such a changing moment of his life, when would he be excited?”I inquired; she looked down and said “An eager one aren’t you? I was thinking that you being a prince and all would be under my house Gryffindor, or even in the Slytherin, but as I can see now, I’m almost sure you will be a Ravenclaw.” “Gryphindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw? What does that mean? Wait you said houses, does it mean there is one more? If so there is four houses, are they the one in the Hogwarts crest? I can see that, Gryphindor probably is the lion, while the Slytherin would be the snake obviously and Ravenclaw the eagle? What’s the name of the house of the Badger? And what each house means?” I look up and see she have an almost imperceptive smile on her face. “Yes a Ravenclaw indeed, you’re really a curious one right? Well we can talk about the four houses later; just know that the last house is called Hufflepuff and each house represent some traits, the Ravenclaw house prizes learning, wisdom, wit and intellect, something I see you also prizes a lot Mr. Pendragon.” Well she is right I guess, and I muttered “Well, I like to say that mankind ability to learn and adapt it is our greatest treasure.” Her eyes narrowed hearing that. “Before I was almost certain, now if you’re sorted in another house I would think the Sorting Hat was broken, but come with me, we have to go to the Gringotts, you have to change your muggle money to galleons, the wizard money.” I wanted to ask more, but in the end I just nodded and follow along. “Wellcome to the Gringotts Mr. Pendragon, I know you will find it fascinating, but please don’t stare at the Goblins too much, they’re a high intelligent race and are the ones we entrust with our money.” She said seriously while guiding me to a free goblin. ‘Another sentient race already!? This visit to the magical world is already worth it, seeing his name tag I started the conversation hiding my excitement. “Hello Mr. Bogrod, would you kindly make a conversion of pounds sterling’s into galleons?”  He looks down of his high table and look at my eyes for a moment, “ Of course Mr…” “Pendragon sir, my name is Luke Pendragon.” I said to him. At that moment all the goblins who heard my name stopped what they were doing for a moment, and continued they work.  “Pendragon you said? Like the Royal family of Pendragon?” Inquired Bogrod with a face much more serious than before. “Yes, Im the second prince of the United Kingdom’s.” I said a bit proudly. “Well Mr. Pendragon, if that’s true, you already have a vault here, but it’s beyond my power to move that vault, just wait a minute I will have to call the director of the bank.” He says with what I believe is a smile. I accent and wait a bit, looking at the wizards’ reaction of shock and disbelief, so I ask my box of answers, AKA Prof. McGonagall of what this reaction is all about. “Ah yes, this reaction is understandable Mr. Pendragon, You will meet the Leader of the goblin nation and director of Gringotts, it’s not every day someone can meet him, nevertheless without appointment.” There wasn’t much time to muse on those words because Bogrod already came with another goblin. “Mr. Pendragon it’s an honor to help you, my name is Grinlok, director of the Gringotts, I believe you would like to see your vault, so come, let’s not waste much time.” He stands his hand and after I shook it, he rapidly starts walking to a sort of cart. I followed him and the Professor came with me. “I can see that you don’t really know much about the story of your Ancestor, King Arthur, after your family got out of the magical world I suppose that’s expected, but now that his descendent is with us again you need to know a bit of it, King Arthur helped our nation to be established, He was the one that made it possible and doing so he and his family became friends of the Goblin nation, so you can also be called our friends, I hope you won’t abuse it.” He didn’t even let me have the time to respond as he continues. “While it’s sad that you can’t open the main vault, namely vault 001, you can be assured he left something for the one in his line that awakened magic in another vault, namely vault 004.” “Why can’t I open the main vault?” I ask more of curiosity than anything. ”Because im afraid not even I can open it without its key, and that vault key is most unique might I add. That vault can only be opened with the Holy Sword Excalibur and being of the Pendragon family, and while I hope you find it and claim the vault, for now, you have to be content with your another vault, but I assure you will be happy with it.” As he said that, our cart/rollercoaster stops and he open the vault 004. My lips cramped a bit when the vault opened, I know I wasn’t expecting much but at least it was more than an empty vault with two parcels. “Happy indeed.” I muttered to myself. “Well I wasn’t expecting that, you can take your time with your parcels Mr. Pendragon.” Leaving me alone for a moment in the vault. Nothing happened when I took the first parcel, couldn’t even open it, but the second was different, the moment I touched it something happened, it was like it came to life and inside was a letter that said: My descendent, as you can already determine I’m King Arthur Pendragon. And here is the key of my legacy. But I will not leave it for anyone, you may be of my blood, but I don’t know your character so I will let you pass my test, if you’re worthy you will be able to pass it, if not return this parcel here for the next generations. The second parcel is an clue to where lies my sword, and the test for opening it is rather simple, but only you of my blood can complete it, it’s an magical lock made from Merlin himself and can only be manipulated with someone of my progeny. I wish you luck my descendent. I took the other parcel again to inspect it and I realized something, something crucial at this moment, I didn’t have any idea of how to open it. So I guard it and got out of the vault. “Well, that was educating, but I guess I will still have to change my muggle money for wizard money, and is this vault mine now?” Grinlok looked at me almost inquiring what I got, but never asked about it and responded. “Of course Mr. Pendragon of course, you can go with Bogrod again and change it, I hope to see you again.” And just like that I have an adventure; gosh I’m already in love with this wizard world.

  /Minister Fudge Pov/ ‘This is most unexpected, after a millennia the Pendragon family have a magical heir hmm, is it a good thing or a bad thing? Let’s wait and see, I just wish I can use this in my favor in some way, wizards doesn’t like changes, neither do I, but with this? I’m afraid that with him and the Potters kid, the-boy-who-lived, change will come some way or another, the blood purists will not be happy about this, what is the best course of action? Hmmm…’ I muse to myself after reading the latest document,’ this is a tricky situation, the royal family coming to the magical world again, I need a connection, the wizard world needs a connection right now we can’t afford to be in bad relationship with the muggle royals, it could be catastrophic we didn’t quite recover yet after You-know-who reign, I guess we should be able to send someone to be a friend so even if something bad happens he won’t blame everyone for the error of few, at least that’s what I hope.’ I pack up the necessary documents and decide that I need to meet Dumbledore; it’s obvious that he will go to Hogwarts, he will know what to do.   /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ /Maximillian Pov/ ‘It’s been a few hours since I last spoke with my brother, I know I have to say sorry to him, but I don’t really know how, it’s unfair to me that he is Mr. perfect. He should at least be considerate for me, he makes me look bad in front of everyone, even the staff in the palace talks behind my back as if I’m unwanted and a blemish in the royal line, it’s not like I’m any worse than my ancestors, I guess I’m even a bit better than dad, but just because of Luke I’m treated like I’m an inferior breed, and it’s all because that training, that thing is rubbish! I would like to call it inhumane, but I guess its possible now, my all so perfect brother could do it. It’s really vexing, being called the trash of the family for something others did, even my friends prefer him, and they all like him without even meeting him! Even my Nat wants to know him better, he doesn’t do anything and he already stole my friends and the girl I like, just like he did with mum. It would be great if he had not been born.. Wait what did I really think that? He doesn’t have the fault really, but it’s true that my life is worse because of him… Yes almost everything bad in my life is his fault… I will say sorry this time, but if he continue to make me looking bad I will stop talking to him, the one thing I’m better than him is making friends, he never had one his age, just me so if I stop talking to him he will be alone and will know how bad of a brother he is.’  I will go to his study now, he almost always is there, he just study every single day until its really late, and there isn’t even the need anymore, who the hell needs to know how to speak more than 10 languages? And what about science, mathematics, physics? We are kids for god sake; well I do understand the need of history and geography, but the rest? It’s all rubbish I say, rubbish!   /Luke Pov/ ‘It’s a few months after my little debacle with my brother, but in the end all is well, he came to me the same day and said sorry, I know he still resent me a bit tough, but it’s not my fault that he couldn’t cope with the training, or if he is a bit jealous of the results of it, but it’s just that, a bit of envy, even I have that, every time I see him playing with his friends I got envious of him, but it’s alright I still have time for that, now even more, I finally ended the training the book told me to do, now I have so much free time that I don’t even know what to do, I still exercise and study, but not as much as before, there is no real need, apparently it was all to develop my potential, now I have to find something to use it, but what?’ I think the heavens heard my thoughts because just a few moments later a owl came to me and handed me a letter with in my name, in there says.     HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) Dear Mr. Pendragon, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July. Yours sincerely, Minerva Mc Gonagall Deputy Headmistress.   There was a second page to the letter, but it was a list of materials that I would need. I admit that I was a bit confused at the beginning, even though it was a prank, but then again the book told me I would go to a special school if I could complete the training, I guess I as a kid just have one option right now, go ask gran about it, even if it’s a prank at least it gave me a motive to go to gran’s room. I smirked and went there. “Hey gran!” I tackle her as soon as she opened her door for me, “I got this letter, even though it’s weird and fantastic enough to be deemed false I would like to know your opinion.” She smiles and takes the letter. “Ah it finally came, my dear, this letter is true, you may not know but you’re a magical little boy indeed.” I don’t really like to be called a little boy, but that’s gran privilege she can call me whatever she wants and she knows it, even abuse it sometimes, but what can I do? It’s the fate of a grandma’s boy.  “It’s true? Really!? I was thinking it was rubbish just a cool prank, wait what, there is a magical world? OMG there is a lot of new things to learn!! I didn’t know what to do anymore after the training, it really have a second part, now I’m relieved, wait a bit, did you know? Why didn’t you tell me before?” I asked like a machinegun. She smiles affectionately. “Calm down Luke, everything at its time, I will explain it all at the dinner with your father and brother, just know that I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to influence your training, I know it would make your head to be in another place and I bet it would be hard for you to finish it that way.” Well that makes sense for me, and I know gran would never do something bad for me so its ok. Magic is real, I can’t even imagine the possibilities, what would it be like, how it is to learn it. My grandma gives an affectionate chuckle while I start to daydream about magic and my future.

I decided to change a bit of how I write the novel, I guess putting everything in the Mc perspective can be a bit weird and not show what's really happening, I will try another style this chapter, so please tell me your opinions on it. /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ There was uproar at the flight practice field, each house standing up for their own, just Hufflepuff kept quiet, there wasn't anyone from their house included, there were some upset people in their midst, they thought it was Draco`s fault if anyone else, but they also blamed Harry and Luke for not complying with the rules. Still, they were more sympathetic for the latter two, as they were just standing up for a friend. Luke, Harry, and Draco followed the three professors for a while until they didn't hear the commotion on the field anymore. Draco was the first to talk as soon as they stopped. "Prof. Snape, Potter and Pendragon ganged up against me, I was just defending myself." Hearing Harry's name Snape expression darkened a little and said "Well Potter, already using your fame to bully someone else, why I'm not surprised? See Minerva? Draco here was the victim." He said seemly forgetting about Luke. It was Flitwick instead that responded. He wasn't satisfied with how things were going. He saw that the Malfoy's kid was attacking his student, and the latter was just dodging, even more, he already considered Luke one of the brightest of the first year's students followed by Hermione and Daphne that was showing a lot of determination lately. "You can't decide something like this just asking one person Severus! They all deserve a chance to speak." Snape continued glaring at Harry's, already convinced he was in the fault. "We didn't gang up on him! He was mocking Neville and stole his remember-ball; we were just standing up for him!" Harry said while glaring at Draco. "Is that true Mr. Pendragon?" Minerva asked, she was still a bit disappointed for what happened, but she softened a little after hearing the reason. She also has some quidditch plans for Harry as her house team was in a dire need for a seeker. Luke nodded and told them what happened in more detail, he told them how Draco wanted to hide Neville's remember ball, how he taunted them again and again and even disrespected his royal family for being a muggle family. Hearing the part from the disrespect for being a muggle, Flitwick already took Luke side; he suffered a lot of prejudice for being a goblin descendent, and despised bigotry. Luke continued, telling the professors how Draco threw the remember ball away, making Harry chase it. And as there is no need to hide something that everyone already saw, he also admitted that he riled Draco too, explaining that it was his words that made Draco lose his temper and start attacking. Luke hid that he was dodging him just for humiliate Draco a bit and just told them that he only knew one spell, the trip jinx, and told them that if he used it, Draco could fall his broom and the consequences would be catastrophic. Flitwick was even more satisfied with his student response, an outstanding Raven indeed. And for the looks of it he also has the talent for being a great duelist, he showed good dodging skills even while standing on a broom, that's no easy feat. And also a very calm mind, which was essential if one wants to be a duelist. As a champion himself, he was excited on the prospect of teaching someone like him if Luke shows more talent and interest he wouldn't deny teaching him how to duel. "Did you see Severus? Their stories looked quite different than Mr. Malfoy`s." Said Flitwick, but he worked with the Slytherin house head for a while and knew how he gave preferential treatment for his students, so he continued. "I suggest that each Head punish their own student, what do you say Minerva?" Noticing Filius intention of resolving the problem in the least problematic way she agreed and took Harry away with her. She had to introduce Harry to someone. Snape didn't like the way it was handled, he wanted to punish Potter, but seeing how the other two heads already took their decision and since it was Minerva that had authority over him, he just dismissed Draco and went away. Draco sent one last glare against Luke and went to find his frien-, err followers to complain about what happened. Flitwick called Luke to accompany him to a walk. "You do not need to worry Mr. Pendragon, you will not be punished, but I want to talk a little with you. You see, as I'm of goblin descent, I had to face a lot of prejudice, while not the same, you as a muggle-born will also face it, especially from some noble wizard families. Mr. Malfoy here already gave you a bit of its taste today." Flitwick said. Luke nodded and the professor continued. "In time I came to regard those who judged me as ignorant rather than malevolent, you see, most people simply want those around them to be simple so that they would be easier to understand, as opposed to simply acknowledge the fact that people are complex. As a muggle-born and the fact that recently the times changed a bit as well, you have it easier, the fact that you're from the most powerful muggle family as well helps a little too." He chuckled at the last part. "But I want you to remember that while it's very easy to retaliate at times, the best way to show superiority is not by violence, be a bit thick-skinned and you will be okay, I must say I was impressed with the way you handled the situation today, you're a Ravenclaw true and through, using words against spells, hahaha it was quite like me when I was younger. That's all I wanted to say to you Mr. Pendragon, and if you need anything, you can find me at the teachers' hall." Luke thanked the professor and went back to the flying field to see if there were someone waiting for him there. He was quite satisfied with the result, while not perfect since Draco got away scot-free, he made a good impression on Prof. Flitwick, and that was more than enough to consider it a win in his books.

/Luke's Pov/ Looking back at my departure from home I realized how much of a lonely person I am, except the working staff, just gran father and teacher El (who came back when she discovered I would be out of country <- that's what the world thinks.), Max on the other hand still refuse to see me, I wanted to talk to him, I hope when I come back he is better, at least enough for us to resolve all of this, I don't think our relationship will be like in the past ever again tough. I got on the station pretty early; my family is too conspicuous to come with me so I have to go alone, as I wanted a great margin of time for any problem, it was decided that I would go as soon as possible. I believe I'm saying this a lot, but magic is really amazing, passing a wall and getting in another platform, I believe that was some sort of teleportation, or something similar, aah they use something like this as if it's nothing, how amazing it would be if the magical society never separated from the muggle one, both of them would really help each other, no, maybe not, maybe society would turn stale, the muggles wouldn't progress the technology the same way, there wouldn't be much incentive. I enter the train while pondering the feasibility of merging the two societies again. I was one of the firsts to embark, so I just chose a random cabinet, stow my luggage and started reading a book, Hogwarts: A history. This one was the last one in my priority list, so I leaved it for reading on the way to school. /Scene Break/ /A certain bush haired girl Pov/ I hugged my parents as I need to enter the train, I make a deep breath and assure myself that everything will be okay, I revised all the books already, I wish magic won't be too hard, at least not as hard as making friends, never had one, hey hey hey, stop thinking negatively Hermione, now it's a new beginning for you, you will make hundreds of friends… or at least one or two… 'Yes let's go', I say to myself as I push my baggage onto the train. As I embarked a little late to be with my parents a bit more it looks like all the cabinets have someone already, so it seems I will have to sit with someone, breath Hermione, you can do it, I open the one I am most close "Hello, can I sit here with you? All the other cabinets are being used, my name is Hermione Gran--." I froze a bit seeing the face of the person inside, I don't even know if I can call him a person as I never saw someone like that in real life, his posture, his face, air and demeanor, everything looks perfect, his medium sized hair while being black have a white strip that oddly enough complement his looks even more, the wish to have a hair as good as his leaves my mind quickly as he looked at me with his sapphire like blue eyes. I have a feeling that I saw him before but I don't know from where, I'm certain I would remember him if I had met him before.. He smiled, put a marker in his book and offered "Ah hello, of course you can, here let me help you with your luggage." He tucked everything for me, and it took me a while to get back to reality. The fact that I saw the book he was reading was my favorite 'Hogwarts: a history' helped a lot I admit. "Come, you can sit, no need to keep standing it's not like I bite, Mrs. Gran." He chuckled a bit and continued,"My name is Luke Pendragon, but you can call me Luke." At that moment realization came to me and I started panic a little, He is THE prince Luke Pendragon! They say he is a genius and would be out of the country for his studies, but that answer why I found him familiar, I stuttered a little but could continue the conversation. "I- Its Granger, not Gran, and it's really not a problem calling your name like that? I mean you're a prince and all." He frowned for a bit, but rapidly replied "No problem, as we are fellow new students I don't want status to be between of us." I calmed down a lot after that "You can call me Hermione then! I see you are reading 'Hogwarts: A history' great read I must say, I read all the books necessary for the year already, you can never be too prepared, even more so when you only discovered that you're living with half of the world hiding from you." As I start the conversation again the train starts moving. /Luke's Pov/ Well, I didn't finished my book, but I guess it would be rude to continue reading it after I got company, and I guess I should be more social, the person that entered my cabinet is a bushy haired, and I couldn't not observe that she have an slightly bigger front teeth than normal, in the beginning she was a bit shy, after she realized who am I, even more so, but very quickly I must add, she started feeling better, started talking about how much she is studied and everything, and I swear that every moment that passes she is getting a bit more bossy in her tone of voice, I guess that's how she really is, like people say, an 'know it all', I think I would be like that if I didn't have my oratory training, and if my guess is correct she acts like that in instinct, a protection of sorts, I guess she is a bit like me on the fact she didn't have a lot of friends, or had friends at all, so I have a bit of sympathy for her, but man this bossy tone is a bit irritating. So I will try to change the theme. "So Hermione, do you think you know which House you will be entering? I find all of them fascinating and already have an idea, but what about you?" she thinks a little and started to say "Well, I have one that I really want to enter, but I don't know if I will it's ---" she was interrupted when a fat boy our age open the door to ask us something. "Did you see my toad Trevor? I lost him." He was a bit red faced, but I could see he was using all the courage he could muster to ask us that. "No we didn't" I responded, seeing the disappointment in his face I added, "But I can help you if you want." Hermione instantly said she would help too. I get up of my seat and put my hand on his shoulders, he looked like he would cry at anytime, but he didn't,"Now tell us your name and where you last saw your frog, you can call me Luke by the way." "And me Hermione." Our bush haired cabinet friend added. The boy gulped and added, "Longbotton, my name is Neville Longbotton, please call me Neville, and thank you, the two of you."

  /Luke’s Pov/ ‘Well, that was nice I guess, after all I’m happy again after my first emotional breakdown…’ I sighed and look at my watch and realize its 09:12 and I was already late for my calligraphy class. `it’s the first time I’m late for any class and I’m not really happy about it, one more thing to complain to Max when get to talk again.’ For the first time in my life I have to run inside the Palace, and for the looks I’m getting for the working staff even they are surprised to see that, I guess that’s really out of character for me hehe. When I opened the door for my personal study, I see with relief that my professor is still in there reading something, so I walk towards what I expect to be my first sermon ever. ~Thanks Max~ I think to myself. “Hello teacher Wilbur, sorry for my lateness, I was talking with my grandmother, and I guess I lost track of time” I said respectfully. He closed his book and look at my face and smiles softly. “No need to be sorry Luke, it’s the first time you ever done so, and I know how you’re a grandmas boy” he said slyly. “Just don’t make it an habit okay?” I nod relieved and he continues “But it wouldn’t be right to not give you an punishment for your tardiness.” He said with mirth in his eyes. ‘I got relieved too soon!” I thought to myself and prepare myself for the worst, as I never got punished before I don’t really know what to expect. “Yes teacher, what do I have to do?” I ask back, he nods and says “hmmm let me see your calligraphy is already very good and I always find amazing how they trained your brain to memorize anything, you never showed me that on purpose so I guess I deserve a good show for waiting for you, hmmm but what do I ask for you to show me” he starts mumbling, but I guess I’m a bit relieved, memorization, that’s eas- “ Ha!! I know what you will do for me!” he shouts startling me for a bit, but continue right after that, “I would like for you to recreate, even the mistakes, of our second class, I’m really curious to know the extents of your memorization ability.” ‘Wait that was years ago, I guess I can do it tough, if I couldn’t why did I train like that anyway?’ “Yes teacher!” I said confidently. He nods appreciatively and says “Good good, do your magic and I will be back with your original work for comparison later, I wish you good Luke.” I almost face palmed at that pun that he likes so much but I just snort a little and prepare my tools. ‘Hmm it shouldn’t be too hard to do this, I remember exactly how it went, the errors that I made, so basic, but I guess it’s things like this that make it worth it all that work, the sense of realization after you get better than you once were, I admit it was hard at the begging but it’s so worth it later, I don’t really understand how Max couldn’t keep with me, after you make it an habit, even if it’s still a bit hard, aaarghh I will have to begin again I forgot about my muscle memory and made it correctly this time, well that’s complacency for you, I guess I will do it again with more attention now’. Almost like orchestrated, I finish my last line, teacher Wilbur opens the door and asked me to show him my latest work about my first work of calligraphy. ‘I see that he is amused with this chance eh’. ‘I really wanted a camera right now, just to take a photo of his face; I guess he didn’t really believe the rumors’. “How is it teacher? I think I did well but you can never know.” Without even looking at me he asked “How could you do this? Do you really have an eidetic memory? It looks like a photocopy of the original; you really are a person of many talents Luke.”  He looked pretty impressed to me and I would be lying if I didn’t say it felt good, but I don’t really like him saying I have that as a talent, I worked hard to get to this point.  “Thank you teacher, it’s not a talent really I worked hard to train my brain.” He looked back to me and asked “training?”.”Yes teacher, training, I believe you know how almost every day I have a full schedule” he nods and I continue “I got that since I was almost 4, it wasn’t really necessary, but it was a chance every member of the royal family got, they say it comes back about the creation of the kingdom and is a book written by Merlin himself about how to develop potential at an early phase of life, my brother couldn’t keep a month in it, but I did, I guess I didn’t really had a childhood for it but I’m glad I keep going, the book says the training keeps going until eleven years old and its said I would complete my teen training in an special school.” “School? Which school?” he asked me, “honestly? I don’t know, it must not even exist anymore, the book is ancient and all, but he was quite sure I would be taken to it.”I shrugged. “Fascinating, my dear pupil, can you explain to me what your training was?” He asked eargly but I shook to his disappointment. “Well I can’t really tell since it’s an family book, but the first mental exercise was fairly easy and I can talk about it since its nothing especial, it’s pretty easy really, just condition the person to remember everything, for example in the middle of an conversation you stop it and  makes him repeat everything and continue it only after he got it right, after little time he would be better at memorization, and it’s better to do this with kids as their brain is the development faze it works wonders, I guess I’m the proof of it” I said smirking a little as I see his awed face. “I- I guess you’re right, thank you, that will be all for today, and remember don’t get late again, I don’t think my heart is strong enough for another surprise like this” he showed me the door, of my own study might I add, but I guess it’s alright since I have my fencing training right now, so I just wave good bye to my nice but shocked teacher.

/Lukes Pov/ “I’m really glad that the first class we will have is transfiguration. It’s the subject that I’m most interested about.” I said. “I heard its one of the most difficult classes we have, transfiguration and potions.” Anthony added. “I get that transfiguration is cool and all, but why it’s the one that got your attention? I think the majority here are more interested in charms.” Padma asked me while the rest of the first years nodded. “Well, it’s not like I’m not interested in charms, on contrary I really am, it’s just that I’m a bit more interested in transfiguration, both have limitless potential, but the ability of changing matter for me is really appealing, even more as a muggle-born as I studied physics and chemistry at home, and if you compare them with transfiguration there is a lot things that don’t add up, and I find it fascinating, also it’s a pretty useful subject and I want to try and transform into a animagus in the future, it seems pretty neat.”  I answered. “Animagus!? But that is really hard; I read that there are only seven registered animagus, and that it’s really dangerous, you can end half-human, half-animal.” Sue Li said entering the conversation. “And it takes a lot of times, and it isn’t even that useful, I bet you can use your time better than trying that.” Complemented Padma. “Well, I admit that maybe it doesn’t look that impressive to most magical born, but for me the implications of being capable of turning into an animal is amazing, if it’s an useful one of course, imagine you transforming in some sort of bird and doing so you can fly without a broom, and in a book I read on the subject, it seems an animagus can even communicate with the animals they take form, it’s really more useful than it seems.” They seem convinced, at least a bit. “But still, it really takes too much time and is very dangerous, so make sure to be cautious if you try something.” Anthony said a bit concerned but rapidly grinned “And it will be great if you waste your time in this, more chance for us to win our bet!” Everyone laughed a little. We talked a bit more of what to expect on the first day of class, Terry complained that we have potions today too, making the two most difficult subjects on the same day, and making it even worse on Monday. I didn’t really care for that, but the others agreed with him. With that, we entered our classes; there are some annotations on the board, but no sign of any teacher, just a cat on the table looking at us. I stare at the cat for a bit, the fur around its eyes was a bit funny to me, looked like the cat was using a spectacle and it was there I had a revelation. “Guys, remember when we were talking about animagus? I think our teacher is one.”I said barely containing my excitement. If that’s true then it will be much easier for me to transform into one! My classmates looked at me with weird expressions that seemed to ask why I assumed that from just seeing a cat, but before they could ask me that, the cat jumped and transformed into our teacher, Prof. Miverva McGonagall, everyone in the class gasped. “Mr. Pendragon, may I ask you how did you know I was an animagus?” She said as she walked towards me. “I’m really interested in transfiguration and the animagus transformation was the thing I read more about, and in ‘A guide to transfiguration’ said that all animagus have something like a mark on their animal form that is caused by something on their human body, so when I thought it was curious that the cat had spectacles markings, I realized that it was highly possible that you were a animagus, and it looks like I was correct.” I said. “Your observation skills will help you very much in your classes Mr. Pendragon. “ She looked impressed, almost everyone in the class did. “And ten points for Ravenclaw, for not only discovering I was an animagus but for the explanation as well.” “That’s the way Luke, great job man!” said Michael giving a slap on my back, but just one stare from McGonagall and he went stiff. After a few congratulations from my friends we get to our tables, we had to sit in double, making me and Antony a pair in this class. "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." McGonaggal started the class. The class was alright, it was mostly the basics, which I already read about, but an hour or so. Prof. McGonagall gave each of us students a match, and told us to transform it into a needle. This is one of the simplest spells in transfiguration, if I couldn’t even do this, it means I’m not talented, even if I know the theory if I can’t apply, it doesn’t mean anything. And I’m really interested in this branch of magic, so I concentrated a lot. It took me three times to make it right, on the first one I made a metallic matchstick, on the second it was a bit pointy but not enough, and like they say ‘the third time's the charm’ I finally could make it. As we had a bit more time in class I tried to modify the match/needle even more, changing the color, engraving some marking, things like that. In the beginning it was quite hard, but after a time I could do it, the engravings were pretty ugly at the start but as it became more fluid, made the needle quite beautiful forming a eagle`s feather, for the color I made it blue and bronze. Making the needle a homage for my new house Ravenclaw. As I finished, Minerva was quite impressed with my work. Even saying “Looks like Ravenclaw will be a treat in this year house cup thanks to you Mr. Pendragon, great work and mentality, trying to better yourself even after you completed the task, the details was great, and the time you needed to better your work was outstanding. Ten points for Ravenclaw.” The first years all looked impressed, even some of the Hufflepuffs that had the lesson with us congratulated me. Twenty points for the first class, that’s a great beginning. After class was over, Anthony said “Amazing Luke! Maybe you really be able to turn in the eight animagus, you really have talent for transfiguration!” Padma nodded “It was really great, I could only make my matchstick gray.. How did you do it?” she asked eagerly. “First, thanks Anthony, second, eight animagus that we know of, I bet there is a lot of unregistered animaguses, and third, about how I did it, well I just used my imagination, magic is something intent based, if you can use your imagination to form a needle in your mind and intend to transform the match into it, it becomes really easy, to the point you can even add details into it, like I did.” Both of them nodded in understanding, “I will try it later!”They both said at the same time, “don’t copy me!”They said at the same time again glaring at each other a bit. I just laugh a bit and told them “Well let’s go, we still have a bit of time until our potions class, but it’s better to be safer than sorry. You two can try to do it later.” They nodded and we leave the class.

/3rd person pov/ At the Buckingham Palace there was two well dressed children that looked like 9 years old walking with each other, one with a medium lengthen black hair with a pure white bang, and the other had a short blond hair. At first size one wouldn’t believe that they were brothers, nevertheless twins since they were quite different in demeanor and appearance. “Luke, why do you keep doing all of this?” The Blond boy said.  “Do what Max? The training and study?”  Answered Luke without much thought, while Max frowned. “Of course!! You know that there is no need for all of that, even our father told us that it wasn’t necessary, so why do you keep doing this? It’s not like it’s fun or anything and as I said there is no need!! We are of noble birth and money will never be a problem to us, so why do you cope with all this rubbish?!”  Luke sighed and looked at his brother for the first time since the beginning of the conversation. “It’s not that I need it, but more that I can.” Luke said lightly, and before his brother could interrupt him he continued. “We are princes, while the times changed and we do not hold real power, we do have our titles and some responsibilities, but it’s not for that that I cope with it at all, I just like the sentiment of improving myself, while not required we have the chance to train and study like few have the chance, and while you choose to forsake it I on the on the other hand embrace it, and in fact I quite like it.” Seeing the face of his brother and noticing a bit of anger Luke sighed again and decided to change the subject, but before he could do that Max exploded. “Shut up Luke! I know you only do this to prove to everybody that you’re better than me! Not only you get better grades than me, everybody in the palace or even the country compares me to you like I am unwanted, they think I’m just a brat because of you and everything you done, our father likes you more than me even when it’s your fault that mother died!!”  Max heard a PLOP sound and realized he was alone and what he had done, his mind in turmoil with shock and regret of what he had done, he could only pick the book on the floor and try to find his younger brother, and while he had no idea how he disappeared like that, he paid it no mind, he need to say he was sorry. /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/      “Luke my dear what happened? How are you here?” It took little time to Luke realize that he was in his Grandmother room, Elizabeth Pendragon The Queen Dowager of Britain, or like he liked to call her, ‘Gran’. “Gran!” Luke said with tears almost falling his eyes and hugging her tight. When she hugged him back was the time Luke couldn’t hold on his tears anymore and cried for the first time in years. He had great emotional strength but his brother exploding on him for being himself and put the blame of his mother death on him, something he already does himself was a bit too much for a nine year old. Elizabeth was shocked, for more than one reason, the first was how could her grandson be in her room without the security or the staff telling her, the second was the fact that her grandson was crying, someone could ask what’s the problem with a 9yr kid crying? Well when that kid was the sole person in more than a few centuries that could cope with the “Pendragon way of raising children” you can see the problem in that. Her eyes turned soft and hugged him back asking what happened. After a few moments Luke could calm down, and a bit red-faced he started to explain what happened, or more accurately what he could tell that happened. “… and after he told me that I was the cause of mother’s death...  I blanked for a bit and I was here, I guess I wanted to see you after all that… AAAHH!!! I left my book behind!” Elizabeth couldn’t believe what her favorite grandson told her (not that she would say he was her favorite), the first part was how could Maximillian have the nerves to leash on Luke because of his shortcomings, and even insinuate that it was his fault she was dead, she died in labor, yes, but that wasn’t no one’s fault nonetheless Luke’s. The second was the fact Luke still couldn’t tell how he passed the staff and security to get into her room, she had her doubts, but still thought it was too farfetched to be true. She Looked down to see the already calming but a bit flushed boys face and hugged him again and started talking while caressing his hair. “You know Luke, even at your age you’re someone I respect, not because you’re my grandson, but for being yourself, since younger you were clever yet hard working, ambitious yet chivalrous, have wisdom beyond your age and yet you’re brave, sometimes you’re cunning and resourceful but never forgetting that you’re also an honest person, all of this are part of you and are all qualities that you should be proud, so keep your head high and know you’re doing your best and you make me more than just proud of you.” Luke keeps hugging her for a few moments more. “Thanks gran, you are the best, always know how to make me feel better, I just don’t know what to do about Max, I guess I stranded our relationship…” the last part came almost like a whisper. Elizabeth laughed and ruffled his hair a bit. “Well my dear, you’re all just kids, and maybe he’s a little jealous of you, after all you’re the first since King Arthurs that can keep with the training, and I guess it’s even more difficult now with all that’s new you also had to learn together, and of course, the results of it can easily be seen, in your demeanor, wits, abilities and of course fame.” she said. “Fame?”Luke was a bit confused, he was just a kid and what fame he could have other than been a prince? Max wouldn’t be jealous of something he had too. “Looks like I forgot to add a bit of denseness when talking about you” his grandmother chuckled. “Of course fame my dear, everybody knows how talented you are, there is already talk of marriage for you even though we don’t do that anymore.” She keeps caressing his hair a bit more and then said to him to go do his responsibilities witch Luke promptly went to do. A few moments after her grandson left her room, her eyes turned serious and she called someone. “I know, it’s farfetched, but what were the readings?” she asked not knowing if she was hoping for it to be true or false. “Your majesty, its indeed true, all the readings point to it but it wasn’t intentional, should I do something?” said a white haired black suited man. “Sigh James, how many times I have to tell you to stop calling me ‘your majesty’? And no, don’t do anything, at least not yet.” Said the Queen Dowager while thinking about the future of her grandson, and maybe the country. “By your order, your majesty.” The black suit man said while smirking a little, and while leaving all that he heard was a ‘sigh’.  

/Lukes Pov/ Even after I exchanged the money, and got more galleons than really necessary for an first year student, I was still thinking about the parcel that I got, It was a surprise to be sure, but now I have something to focus on the long term, and I’m happy for that, all my life I had something to look forward, and after the training and completing my task I was feeling kind of empty, so I decided that I will do this, not because I want the sword or the vault, but because I can, and think with me, it’s also a good path to walk, I believe I can do a lot of things in this world, things that I don’t even know is possible, but with King Arthur legacy with me? I think there would be nothing stopping me afterwards; I just need to know what to do after this, for what I would need it, meh, this is a thought for another time, I just began walking in this path, I don’t even know anything, and now I have to change this. “Prof. McGonagall, where are we going now? We already got the funds, and I want to buy some books, and the rest of the school materials.” She looked at me and said with her best teacher tone of voice, which I guess is her normal tone, that the first thing we would get is an wand, after that we will get the rest you need, and if you want, a pet owl and some extra books.” Seeing the glint in my eyes when she said the magical worlds ‘extra books’ she just sighed saying in a low voice “These Ravenclaws…” We walked into a shop called Ollivanders, inside of the store was a bit chaotic, it had a lot, and I mean A LOT of boxes, easily surpassing the thousands, and it wasn’t organized, at least not for me, but just seeing the face of the what I believe Is the owner I guess it’s an organized mess, only him can find something here, like our most personal mess in our rooms, sometimes when I get too much into something my room gets like that, I like to think that it’s the insanity of a genius, and with that I know I’m in the presence of someone great in his own field of research. “Greetings, welcome to Ollivanders, Ah Minerva McGonagall I remember your wand an 9½", Fir wand with a dragon heartstring as a core, wonderful wand, elegant and refined just like you, and Who we have here? A new student I suppose? Come here boy, my name is Garrick Ollivander and we will find the perfect wand for you, just remember, the wand chose the wizard.”  I can see the passion in his eyes; he really is a great man. “Hello Mr. Ollivander, my name is Luke Pendragon, nice to meet you.” I gave him a sight bow and he asked me what’s my main hand, well that’s a trick question, I don’t have a main hand and I don’t favor neither too. “I don’t have one, I can use both, and I don’t favor either hand, so I don’t really know what to answer.” He mused a little and told me I was already a tricky customer, apparently being ambidextrous is something very rare for wizards. After the fifth wand he passed me turned out to be not the right one, his face shot up like he had a revelation, it took a bit of time but he got back and passed me an black wand, and as soon as I touched it, the wand started to shine, and I believe I saw a bit of sparks too. “Yes, this wand chose you Mr. Pendragon, it’s an 10” ebony wand with an Thunderbird feather, I generally don’t work with cores other than unicorn tail hair, dragon heartstring or in the rare occasion phoenix feather, but this one I made in a bout of inspiration, one of the best I made in my entire life, its especially suited to transfiguration magic, and as long you hold in your beliefs this wand will be the best partner you will have in your life, keep an eye on him McGonagall, maybe he will be the one who takes your title of master.” He chuckled to an amused faced Minerva. As we are getting out of the store she starts talking to me. “Sigh, it’s a shame I believe you won’t be one of my cubs, the house needs someone like you there, but anyway were already a little behind our schedule so let’s continue, do you have the list with you?” after I nodded we went into a shopping spree, it was a shame that I couldn’t get a broomstick, there was a Nimbus 2000 in a case and I found it pretty neat.. “Anyway Mr. Pendragon, now we have a bit of time do you want to find yourself an owl or do you want to buy some extras books?” and for her surprise I chose the first option. “Hm, even if there is no problem, can I hear why would you choose the owl? I really thought you would choose the latter.” I smirk a little and said “I already got the address of the bookstore and I know that you can make orders with an owl, so it’s better to get an owl as it means more books as well.” She looked impressed “Yes, you’re right, I see you are already adapting to the wizard world, so come with me, I know a very good pet store.” /scene break/ I just put my feet on the store and my eyes landed in a beautiful white owl, it was just a look, but I decided that was the one I would buy, after an uneventful trade I look at my new companion, we stared at each other’s eyes and she hooted to me, that moment I knew I made the right choice. “You need a name little one, your feather is beautiful like snow, but I think it’s even more comparable with the moonlight with that shiny silver gloss that you have, yes let’s call you Luna, do you like the name Luna?” She hooted to me again and got on my shoulders, this will be a great relationship I can feel it. In the way back to the muggle world, I see a book in the bookstore stand, ‘Hogwarts, a history’ ”Prof. McGonagall, can I buy just one more thing? It’s a book about Hogwarts; it would be nice to read it before going to the school.” She nodded and told me to be quick, and that I was, if I wasn’t I would loose myself in the bookstore again, she didn’t liked when I did that the first time buying my essentials. With a wand in the pocket, a book in hand and an owl on my shoulders, I got out of the Dyagon Alley, already feeling like I lost something I get in the car awaiting for me, just one day there and I can feel it, this is the beginning of my life, this is where it all starts.

Coming back to the field, Luke realized that there were more people waiting for him than he imagined. Padma and Anthony he expected, but Michael, Terry, Sue Li and Mandy he could understand. But seeing Hermione and especially Daphne there, was something he wasn't expecting one bit. In fact, everyone was surprised by the presence of the two girls; the boys were even crying invisible tears thinking about how it's unfair that Luke have such good luck with girls. Luke, on the other hand, felt happy; he never had a lot of people his age to talk, even less to be friends. He never felt he was lonely, albeit he never had the time to feel that way. But experiencing such things recently he realized he preferred things this way. "Hey guys, thanks for waiting, everything went better than expected!" Luke said grinning while dropping a bit of his formalities. Nobody expected his change in demeanor, but they all realized that Luke was feeling more comfortable around them. More than anyone else Daphne felt happy about that, she didn't really knew how to approach Luke and seeing him smiling at her helped improve her confidence a bit. "You know how stupid you were!? You could have died or worse expelled!" Hermione said, almost yelling at Luke. Her priorities were a bit wrong but her thought was appreciated. The thing that surprised Luke the most was hearing a soft "Idiot~" from Daphne, it was the first time she talked to him. Even Daphne herself seemed surprised; she had an almost imperceptible blush on her face, panicking a bit inside, she decided to just leave. Seeing that she was leaving, Luke called her out. "Wait! I'll be at the library at 16:00, you're always welcome there!" She stopped for a second and continued walking, but this time a bit faster, she didn't want anyone to see the grin she couldn't control or her red face. Daphne never imagined that she would have a crush on someone so soon after leaving home, but after seeing Luke on the train, she was very interested at him, his looks and demeanor attracted her like a moth to a flame, she didn't really understand this feeling, she still doesn't, but she knew that she felt happy near him, and the fact that he called her just now made her feel elated. Seeing all this happening, the bushy-haired girl felt something strange in her heart, like something grabbed and squeezed it a bit. But her attention was shifted when Luke started talking again. "I think I want to see Neville, he did break his arm in all this so I'm quite concerned, and I want to talk with him about the study group." "Study group?" Hermione reacted to the word study like a Ravenclaw would. "Yes, you see, I want to make a group with people that want to improve themselves, each of us has strengths and weaknesses, and doing a study group would help us improve faster, I don't really care about being in different houses, just about the desire to better oneself! I also want you to be part of the study group Hermione. What do you say?" Luke asked expectantly. Hermione wasn't expecting that a group study, it sounds like a decent idea at least, and she was feeling happy being called to join the group. While they don't talk much, Luke was the only one that was nice to her, she didn't have any friends in the Gryffindor house yet, most people are indifferent towards her, and some even openly don't like her, like the red-headed boy, Ron Weasley, every time she does good in some class he speaks loudly how she is a know it all, she knew she was one, but it doesn't make it any better to hear it from her supposedly new family. She had even thought that she should have chosen to enter Ravenclaw house when the Hat was talking to her. He was actually putting her there, but she thought she would do better in Gryffindor and so the Hat complied. It wasn't even one week after that and she already regretted her decision. She even felt envious when she saw him talking with a lot of his housemates during the week, he was really popular, but she also understood why, he had the charisma, and was also a very good person, to say he had given her a good impression on the train was an understatement. She also felt happy with the time they spend together at the library, just reading near each other, it was relaxing and much better than being by herself. But with a group like this it wouldn't matter anyway, she could make friends with other people, something she was really expecting since she got her admission letter. The day on the train really gave her hope that she wouldn't be alone anymore, but as soon as she was sorted in a different house than Luke she was alone again. This was her chance to not be alone anymore and it's by doing something she already does by herself, study, it's really a win-win situation. So she accepted. "I would like to join the study group, but only if it's serious, and I won't let anyone copy my homework,"Hermione stated. "Of course, we are there to improve ourselves, not for taking shortcuts," Luke said almost like he was insulted by her thinking he would like to copy her homework. "Now I want to talk to Neville about it, Padma here will also try to convince her sister Parvarti, she is a Gryffindor like you, and I also think Daphne would participate too." Luke continued. When Hermione heard about Daphne she felt like her heart was being squished, she never felt like this before, but today she felt it two times, she really didn't understand that feeling and didn't like it either, it made her feel hopeless. The group ended up separating, Luke, Anthony, and Hermione went to see Neville, while Sue Li, Mandy, Michael, and Terry went to do their thing, Padma went to find her sister to call her to the group. While going to the Medical Ward the group was startled by hearing Peeves the Poltergeist singing that Harry entered the Gryffindor Quidditch team as the youngest seeker in the last century. Luke was impressed, he knew that Harry was a natural, at least in flying, they were the same, both never used a broom until today, and while Luke was also really good at it, he had a lot of physical training that helped him with it. Harry, on the other hand, was doing it all by instinct. Luke decided to congratulate him later, he looked like he could be a good guy, he stood for Neville too and all, and for what I see he could be a good friend as well. /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ I'm still working with this new style, but I'm also liking it more~ I tried to show more of the feelings of the girls, Daphne is really different from canon, but I think its better for me to not limit myself with things like this, it's an AU after all. Thanks for reading and commenting. Hope you enjoy o/~

/Luke`s Pov/ Like always, I woke up before six. I stretched myself and prepared to take a shower. As the first day on the school grounds I don’t really know where I can do my morning exercises, and I’m also really curious about the common room. I looked over Anthony’s bed and see that he is still sleeping and decided to just go out and explore a bit. The common room was empty and quiet, well there was someone sleeping in a couch with a book in hands, but I bet I will be used to such sights pretty fast. Being considerate I avoid making noise as I started looking around, there is a lot of bookshelves here, and I plan to go on all its books later, but what really caught my eyes was a sculpture made of white marble. It was of Rowena Ravenclaw, our house founder, at its feet laid a message, “Wit beyond measure is man`s greatest treasure.”  I really liked that phrase, I said something similar to McGonagall at the Diagon Alley, but this one is sleeker, I will take it for myself, I mused while grinning a bit. I started to look around the room again, but was interrupted by a voice. “Curious one aren’t you?” I was startled; someone could get behind me without me noticing. I turned around “who’s there?” I asked. “Not there, up here.” I heard again. As I looked up I understood how I didn’t feel anyone here, it was a portrait of a woman talking to me. I saw some of these portraits when coming to our room. “Sorry lady, it’s just I’m not accustomed having portraits talking. My name is Luke, nice to meet you.” I smiled and said to her. “Oh curious and a charmer, you will be popular here.” She chuckled, “You can call me Ophelia, I was one of the prefects here in the past, now I’m just one of the portraits here, any doubts you have or need help with homework you can just ask one of us, we like to help the students, especially the talented ones.” She winked to me. “And it isn’t like we have a lot to do anyway.” She is a funny one. “Don’t blame if I do so then Ophelia, I’m new here and have a lot to ask about, but first can you tell me a bit about you? It wouldn’t feel right for me to live here and not know anything about you or the other people/portraits here.” Her smile grew bigger now and she told me a bit of her history and what she knew of the house, her full name was Ophelia Foxglove; she studied here more than seven hundred years ago and leaved her portrait when she leaved the school. She was one of our house more popular prefects as she always loved to help her juniors, and so as to continue doing that even after she graduated, she asked for permission to leave her portrait here, as a support of the house. After that, some more students wanted to do that too, but it was rare to be accepted, counting her, there is only eight of such portraits in the house, apparently it’s a great honor to be accepted to be hanging here, and she sure is proud to start that tradition. Speaking of traditions, our house have another one, on the last year of school, the students of the house group up and write a book of what they learned here, not much of the classes, but more of their history in here, the adventures of the time, things that marked their time here, some gossip of the time, and even the notes of the more brilliant students. We have an entire wall with such books, and as Hogwarts is really old there is a LOT of such books, but I liked the idea of that too, later I will try to find one of when Merlin was a student here, I bet there will be interesting stuff about him, and maybe, just maybe I can get a clue on how to open the other parcel I got from King Arthur from Gringotts. As we were talking the other students started waking up and using the common room, some were going to the hall to eat breakfast, some first years stayed to hear a bit of our conversation, and some of the older students, mainly the girls were gossiping a little. When Penelope entered the common room, she looked at the small gathering we were forming. “Oh I see Ophelia already chosen her new protégée, and it’s our little prince as well. Congratulation Luke, she only talks to those she deemed worth, it means you will be a great future here.”  She clapped to get our attention, it worked. “And while it’s all cool and dandy, it’s time for you first years to go and eat breakfast; you can’t be late for your first day of classes, so go, you can talk with her later, she isn’t going anywhere.” And so we did, all the first years went together. “So Luke already has special treatment here, I guess being a prince has its perks.” Joked Michael, the black haired kid that shares room with Terry. “I don’t think it’s about being a prince er... Michael right?” said the Indian girl, Padma Patil, “He was sorted here in Ravenclaw with us, so I bet he really is intelligent, it’s nothing about his family, he gives the impression of a great person.” Anthony intervened too “Yes, that’s true, yesterday before sleep he even started to read a bit, and could already do a spell, so I can tell he at least is a hard worker.”  I smiled a little; there are already two people that look at me not as a prince but as a fellow student. “Hey man, no need to mind my status, we are house mates, so no need to be too stiff too, and more, I don’t want to boast something I didn’t worked to get, so if you want to be awed, you will be by looking at my grades.”I said smirking a little, Michael looked a bit more comfortable now, but it seems my last declaration brought up the competitive spirit of the group. “Now we are talking!” Said the only asian of the first year in our house, Sue Li, but after noticing she said that more loud than expected, she started to blush and hide behind a blond girl named Amanda. We all chuckled a bit and started taking bets; the one with the best grades will receive a new book from the rest. As we are nearing the hall, while still together one can see there’s already some groups forming, in my case was with Padma and Anthony, the two that stood for me, Terry and Michael, Sue Li and Amanda, etc. While eating breakfast, that was really good by the way, I mused to myself a little. It’s only so early in the morning and there I saw, met more people of my age than I met all my life, heck I met a seven hundred years old sentient portrait. Made some colleagues, even a bet for the end of term; I see that even my personal life will change a lot here. I smiled a little. “Luke, wake up man, it’s time for our transfiguration class, you can lose yourself in your own little world later, let’s go we can’t be late in our first class.”Anthony said while tapping me on my shoulder. I get up, looked at him and nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

/Luke’s Pov/ Thursday have a different schedule than normal, Instead of two classes in the morning we have only one, but it is also the only day we have classes at night. Because of that, I have to change my schedule a little; I will practice a bit of magic in the morning, in the time that would be our first class, as I won't have time for that since I have astrology lessons today. It's also the only day all houses have classes together, I think it's because both classes have more practice than theory. And speaking of practice, I really wanted to try the tripping jinx I learned yesterday, so I used it… on myself, surely not one of my brightest ideas, but hey, it worked, so that's something. After that, I talked a bit with Ophelia, the prefect on the portrait. When I complained about having a lot fewer classes than I thought, she said that happens only in the first year, on the second we have afternoon classes and third year onwards we also have electives, so our time will be packed. Now that's looking more of a school to me. I went with Anthony and Padma to eat breakfast, they are the ones I talk the most among the Ravens, and recently Anthony said he will also join the study group if I really make it. After eating we talked a bit and went to our first flight class, while I'm excited, they are a bit nervous; Padma has height fright and Anthony doesn't like any kind of sport. Our flight teacher is called Rolanda Hooch, more known by Madam Hooch; she is also the referee for the Quidditch matches. She had short white hair. The four houses train together, but we are still a bit separated in a way that each house faced another one, Ravenclaw faced Hufflepuff and Gryffindor faced Slytherin. "Welcome to your first flying lesson." She started, "Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick. Hurry up." As we did so she continued. "Stick your right hand over the broom and say 'up'." When I put my hand over the broom, I felt it trying to make a connection with me. Using my magic I accept the connection and say 'up', and doing so the broom immediately shot to my hand. Other than me, only two people could immediately get it right. Draco Malfoy from Slytherin, and Harry Potter from Gryffindor. Hermione was quite vexed because her broom didn't even move a bit, but not as vexed as the redhead Ron Weasley, he was the loudest there, and I guess even his broom was getting fed up, as it went up, but not to his hand but to his head instead. After a while, everybody could summon their brooms, Madam Hooch continued, "Now, once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it and grip it tightly, and you don't want to be sliding off the end." Every student mounted their broom. "When I blow my whistle I want each of you to kick off from the ground hard, keep your brooms steady, hover for a moment, then lean forward slightly and touch back down." Seems simple enough I thought. She did a three-second countdown and blew her whistle. The exact moment she did it, Neville started to fly, but he didn't have the control of his broom, and as he was trying to get down, he instead got up. As panic got him, he lost even more control and started to shake in the air, he even did a Three-sixty! After that, he started to hit the castle walls, until he was stopped by a statue that held him by his robes. Luck wasn't with him today, because after that his robes started to tear, and he fell from it, he was held again by an unlit torchbearer, but fell from it too, breaking his arm. As Madam Hooch had to take Neville to the hospital wing, she threatened us telling that if she sees a single broom in the air, the one riding it would find themselves out of Hogwarts before they could say "quidditch". Little after she went out, Malfoy started to mock Neville, he took a transparent ball from the ground, it was a remember ball. I guess I will stand up for Neville as he already got my respect, even if it was just a little bit. ""Give it here Malfoy."" Surprisingly I and Harry Potter said the same thing at the same time. We looked at each other and smile. Malfoy sneered at us, "Oh, the great Harry Potter is friends with our little Prince? The boy who lives? More like The boy who bowed." He took his broom and shot up saying that he will put Neville's remember ball in the roof and taunted us again. While, I don't really care if someone talk shit of me, if it's on my face I will do something about it and if he even has the audacity to shame someone because of me in front of me as well? Hmph, I won't let it go cheap. I looked at Harry's eyes, and we nodded. Both of us went to Malfoy. Leaving everyone baffled. Hermione and Padma called us Idiots. As both Harry and I flanked him, Draco instead of returning the ball, just threw it away, Harry readily went to take the ball while I confronted Draco alone. "I don't understand Malfoy, why are you such an arrogant git? For what I can see you're just a daddy's little boy who has nothing to his name except your ancestor's blood. You think do you have power? Do you even know what power is?" He exploded, "What do you even know!? You think you're great just because you're a prince, a muggle prince at that!? It's you that don't know what power is! Do you even know who my father is!?" his face was red. "See? That's what I'm talking about, it's ever your father this and your family there I may not have had much contact with you, but I've already seen how you treat people, and how it was to be the heir of the Malfoy family, you're nothing." That made it, he took his wand and started to throw jinxes at me, I didn't even retaliated, it would be too easy. I start to dodge everything he took at me. People like him like the attention, so I will take even that from him, I stand up on my broom and started to dodge every spell again, but this time with just my body, leaving my broom fixed in one place. I have a great sense of balance so it's still too easy. His face was becoming redder at each passing moment, "Can you see now Malfoy? You had a lot of time to train how to do spells or even ride a broom, but you can't even touch a strand of my hair. You're the worst kind of rich kid. The kind that doesn't know how big is the world, just a frog in a well. Take away your family and you're nothing, just a brat with an inflated ego. If someone has all the money, power and connections your family has and actually uses it to improve himself, that's someone worthy of respect, but you? Who just uses the name of your ancestors for being a bully? Well until you take out the stick in your ass, you're just a barking dog." Everyone went silent, I guess I said a lot, but to be honest, it was needed, now there are two things that can happen, one he will realize that he is a prat, the second he will take enmity with me and ignore everything I said. We all know that it will be the latter. Yeah, he chose the latter, I already can see pure hate in his face, he didn't even talked back and started to send jinxes at me again, and as I started to think that maybe it would be worth fighting back. Harry came back with Neville's remember ball. He didn't even have time to commemorate as Prof. McGonagall came with Prof. Flitwick and Prof. Snape. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Pendragon, and Mr. Malfoy, the three of you will come with us, I wouldn't believe in this if I hadn't witnessed it myself, Two students dueling in a broom in the first week of school." She was livid, "And I expected much more of you Mr. Pendragon." "Calm down Minerva, I'm sure they have their motives." Said Prof. Flitwick. "Now come you three, we have to discuss what happened and what will be your punishment."He continued. Snape just glared at Harry the whole time. I will try to explain what happened, we have a lot of students as witnesses as well, and the fact I didn't fight back will help my case as well, so I'm quite confident that nothing too bad will happen. /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-/ I realized I made a hole to myself in making they have few classes like that, it doesn't make sense if you compare with the plot in the third book with Hermione almost having no time because of classes, so I made that only in the first year it will be like that, hope its ok to fix something this way.

/Luke Pov/ The ride back was also interesting, Prof. McGonagall explained to me a bit of Hogwarts and its four houses, she didn’t told me too much tough, apparently now that I have the book ‘Hogwarts: a history” she doesn’t need to explain everything, which is good, no spoilers for me. I was playing with Luna when I got back home, the palace was still beautiful, but now, for the first time in my life, I felt it lacking something. It wasn’t here I belong anymore, the fact that I can’t use magic here until 17 didn’t help either, and while I still quite like my home, I am more than happy to go to Hogwarts, apparently it’s a big magical castle, with story so rich not even the Headmaster, the apparent greatest wizard of modern times knows everything about it. After I said goodbye to McGonagall, I put my new materials in my room, and went directly to find gran, I want to talk with father and Max too, but father can just come to grans, she is old I won’t make her walk much, and Max, well I don’t really know what to do about him, the way it is if talk to him about my experiences he will just say I’m a show off and hurt our relationship even more… “You came back dear, come in, let’s talk a bit of what you think about your little visit to the magical world, and I believe you have to introduce your little friend here to me.” She smiled softly pointing to Luna. “Yes, this is Luna, I got her there, but let’s call father and Ma..” I stopped a little after my slip of thong, she also looked a bit sad, but I continued “I don’t want to speak the same things twice, so let’s call father.” /scene break/ “… And after buying one last book it was time to get home, so here we are now.” I said quite exited while gran just smiles and father looks a bit bewildered, there was a moment of silence until father started talking again. “So you have a chance to get the Legacy of King Arthur?” I nodded, I told them about the legacy, but not how I will find it, it’s my adventure not theirs hehe. “That’s amazing son! That’s the dream of everyone in the royal family, and my son will have the chance to get it? Well I suppose if someone would have the capabilities it’s you, I know there is nothing you can’t do.” His smile grows bigger and bigger while saying that to me. We talk a bit more, and everything was going well until I ask of Max. How can I say this? Max really can’t stand me, at least not at the moment, jealousy is a strong ugly thing, He can’t see how blessed he are, he is a prince in this day and age, he is talented by normal standards, but he keeps calling himself trash while comparing with me… he have good looks, money, everything a normal person would die for, but still he is jealous of me and hate my guts. It’s sad, we had the same starts, but now we are so far apart of one another. I snap back to reality after father said it was late, and time to go sleep. I abided and went to my room, tomorrow I will start with my books, and I have only two months before school starts, my first time going to school since I always was tutored at home. /scene break/ All of this is really amazing! I already read all the books necessary to class, and while I didn’t practice any, at least I know the theory. Astronomy while similar with the muggle studies of the stars, it also have a different focus, charms on the other hand is an entirely new world of possibilities, just a phrase and a flick of the wand and poof you can do magic, I really want to understand it better, what’s the magic language? How does it works, is it really necessary to speak while casting a spell? Since there are spells that doesn’t need that I assume its not, and if understand the language used to cast spells, can I control magic just speaking? So many questions so little answers! Herbology seems similar enough with taking care of plants in the muggle words save some kinks, Defense against dark arts was interesting enough and History of Magic was real interesting, never knew the second world war wasn’t really because of Hitler, and we had a supposed ‘Dark Lord’ until recently, I guess I’m lucky he died the same year I was born.. But what really took my attention was transfiguration; I guess the wand really chose the wizard as apparently mine is one of the best for the job, transfiguration is a very exact science, and a very dangerous one too, the way I see it you can mold reality with transfiguration magic if you’re good enough at it, they who master the arts of transfiguration can even become something called Animagus, you can transform into a animal, how cool is that!? I will certainly try that! Cough cough, sorry I got too excited, there is limitations on it tough, first you can only turn into one animal, you got your animagus form boom its it for the rest of your life, I would cry if I became a crab or something like that. Second is the transformation is not perfect, you will have some mark that match something in your human form and third you have to license your form, it is heavily restricted by the ministry of magic. I don’t like the Ministry very much, there are a lot of shitty laws, and they seem pretty much racists, they don’t even recognize another sentient species in the law, the goblins they do, but it was after a lot of bloodshed, but the rest? Apparently they are not powerful enough to be worthy. They even put limitations on muggleborn wizards, like you can’t use magic in your own house? That really makes no sense, okay, it’s wrong if you do it in form of the people not related to magic, but in your own room trying to study for the next term? The fact you can’t even do that is rubbish. As I was thinking to myself, Luna comes back with an parchment, another book I bought, in this two months I read a lot of complementary books, especially about transfiguration, I was so into the books that if not for doing physical training in the mornings and for eating, I was in my study reading them, I’m a bit ashamed to say that I was so obsessed with it that I forgot about Max. But now with my last book in hands, I finished my luggage, tomorrow I will go to the station, apparently you have to take a train to go to Hogwarts, I can’t even wait, I know it’s stupid but the magical world truly is magical. I chuckle a little and went to sleep knowing that tomorrow will be a long day.

/Luke's Pov/ I found a great place to train, it was near a lake, the wind and sun were very nice there, and the only problem will be on rainy or snowy days, so I will need to find another place soon. Most of the people that communed there were older students, so they found quite odd to see a kid working out there under a tree. I think that being a Ravenclaw helped a bit, seeing that as most students here think we are weird/eccentric. There were some girls that giggled a bit as they passed me. After the training, I went to my room really quick to take a shower and then I quickly went to the library, and as I expected, there were a fair bit of students there, most being ravens, followed by Hufflepuffs, Slytherins, and lastly Gryffindors. Speaking about Gryffindors, the only first-year student from their house here is our bushy-haired friend, Hermione, she had a stack of books on her side, if she likes to study this much, I really want to know how she wasn't sorted in Ravenclaw. I took a bit of time selecting a few books, as I don't need a lot of them right now, I pick only three. Two about the disciplines we had today, Transfiguration and Potions, and one extra for the basis of magic. The transfiguration I picked was a theory book, the potions one was a compendium of the elementary potions and for the last one, I wanted to see if I find something about the correlation of intention, creativity, and emotion with magic. If it were just saying an incantation and swinging the wand the right way there would be a lot of world-class wizards right now, so I think my theory is on the right way. I sat near Hermione, as she is someone I'm acquainted with, but after simple greetings, we didn't talk much, and quickly I immerse myself in the books. You can use a lot of muggle knowledge in magic, I think transfiguration is the subject that takes more advantage of it, as knowing more about what you want to transfigure helps wonders. For potions, it was really easy to just learn the process, but later I will try to find out the proprieties of each ingredient, I do not want to know just how to prepare the potion, but rather to know how each ingredient works and how to combine to create a specific potion. And for magic itself, it's not really confirmed if that correlation really exists, but it is believed that there really is some truth in that. After that, I went to my room, tried a few transfiguration spells until I was satisfied, in the end, I could turn a stone into a really beautiful porcelain bowl. Then, I took another bath and went to bed, but before I slept I read the book about magic theory again, I know it will benefit from it. Next day was interesting, the classes were with the Gryffindors. The first class of the day was Herbology, where we were sorted into big tables with four people, there I actually paired with Neville, and was surprised with his knowledge with plants, and he was quite different when dealing with them, he knew what he was doing, and wasn't clumsy or even shy when talking about it. I'm glad that he already found his passion. After that was Charms class, the professor was his House head, Filius Flitwick, and it was a blast, literally, a Gryffindor student named Seamus blew himself trying the 'Lumus' spell that was used as practice in a lesson. I didn't think it was possible to do that, how did he make combustion when trying to use such a basic spell? Either way, the class was really good, Prof. Flitwick was enthusiastic in teaching and I was very enthusiastic in learning, so it was a win-win situation, he even complimented me in my spell work, he also complimented Hermione, who looked really happy about it. I really don't understand how she wasn't sorted in Ravenclaw. After that it was like yesterday, went to lunch with my friends, work out near the Black Lake, goes to the library and read a book about each subject we learned today and one about magic theory, try some spell at my room, bath read a little more and sleep. Wednesday classes with Slytherin, I was really looking forward about the Defense Against Dark Arts (DADA) class, but sincerely Prof. Quirrel was a joke, he was the first teacher I found really incompetent in my life, he couldn't teach us a single thing, even Snape was better than that. The second class was History of magic, and I don't know what I find more curious, the fact that our professor is a ghost, or that Daphne G. the blond girl, sat with me, I tried to talk a bit with her, but she just ignored me, but I can see in her eyes that she wanted to talk a bit, I guess she is just shy, so I told her that every day from 16:00 to 20:00 I would be at the library, if she wants to talk to me she will know where to find me. Lunch and working out was normal, but Daphne actually showed up at the library while I was reading a book about DADA (since our professor is bad, I will learn it myself), she just sat next to me and sent a glare to Hermione and me. To be honest, I'm quite curious about this girl, I didn't even hear her voice, but her actions are amusing, I want to see when she will open up at least a bit, until then I guess I will have a silent companion if she starts to use our table in the library. When it was time to go back to my room I said goodbye to both girls and even Daphne waved her hand for me a bit, to be honest, I wasn't expecting that, but after that, she sent a glare at Hermione again and went out too. Practice at my room was good, Anthony joined me in that and both of us could do our 'Lumos' spell quite well, even adjusting the intensity of the light. After we were satisfied we went to bed, but I read a bit more about charms and jinxes, there were some I really want to learn, like the trip jinx, as it looks quite useful in a fight, especially so for such a basic spell. Tomorrow will be my first flight class; I'm quite excited about it. I think it's everyone (that doesn't have height fright) dream to be able to fly, I mean, you must feel so free up there in the skies; I really want to try it tomorrow. Thinking that I felt sleep with a smile on my face.

Insanely43 I believe in the choice for freedom! Maybe I should flesh this out a bit and see where it leads? I won't comment on how long I haven't updated this buuuuuut... I also prefer reading! I started window shopping and searching for goods. I've basically noticed that the selection itself is more of a category of what a person who is a completely untrained fighter would want to be able to see immediately. Aside from that were things that I, as a person would want to do in my spare time like... [Internet : 1 DC per hour] (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻  "MOFU! Come fight me! The internet is supposed to be god damn free!" "haa..." I can only be thankful that I even have the net. Still, I can only wonder what I would use it on... [Rental Holographic Device<Internet compatible!> : 10 DC per hour] Mah head. Mah liver. I wanted a beautiful gold digger! Not a system gold digger! Aside from spouting profanities all day, I decided to just look through the Dimensional Store's various wares... how scary... [Transcend to Godhood : 10¹⁰⁰ DC] [Divinity, Massacre : 10¹⁰ DC] [Divinity, Death : 10¹⁵ DC] [Divinity, Sins : 10⁷ DC] [Divinity, ....] Cough... Well then. If I ever want to become a God I can always pay ten to the power of 100 dimensional coins right? Welp, I don't know if I would ever want to be a God OR even have that kind of money... Eh let's fix the filter settings to things I can buy... [Desert Eagle (Infinite Ammo) : 500 DC] [FN SCAR (Infinite Ammo) : 800 DC] [Nietono no Shana : 8,000 DC] [Derflinger : 1,500 DC] [Tessaiga : 5,000 DC] [Tenseiga : 5,000 DC] [Firebolt Magic : 1,250 DC] [Magic Circuit(Basic) : 1,500 DC] [Mana Manipulation : 10,000 DC] [.....] Tsk, tsk, tsk so many choices, so little coins, still I would, without a doubt buy both anime goods and magic but for now is time to use the freebie! Spoiler I wonder if Author's Notes or spoilers are better? Still, to think that there are people who write 1500 to 2000 words every day boggles my mind. I have new found respect for them, especially since they have even made it extremely interesting(Boxxy & Arcane Emperor!). I have no promises to speak of! [collapse] Spoiler Side Side Note : Want a cool table flip? Go to https://looks.wtf/flipping-tables or google it yourself! [collapse]

Insanely43 Lots of work, Lots of overtime. Basic excuses, but still quite real. If you haven't noticed, this is a self insert of a fat man's wild imaginative fantasy of being popular? and getting stronger? Currently collapsed on the ground I stared at the damn blue screen. At the side there was another screen with logs. 《System Initialized》 《Beginner Set Package is being distributed》 《Detected Asian Male over 30 years old》 《Forced job change》 《Beginner Set Package changed》 And the stupid 《Sage》 job just because I was a 34 year old asian. Bastardo. I calmed down as quickly as I flared up. It was time to take in the shitty situation I was in. Looking around I only saw trees, grass and shrubbery. Not a beautiful mage girl, saintess or demon lord. Summoned/Kidnapped seems to be a no. I looked down to see the clothes I wore was cargo shorts with walking shoes and an ahego undershirt with a plain long sleeved dress shirt. I used my hand to hit my bulging stomach. Reincarnation as well as transmigration is out as well. Hmm... I never imagined that I would be transported to another world, for no fucking reason. If only this was 16 years ago I would have been so excited. Now as a working adult, I find it a damn bother! I've been working my ass of for 14 years! My life savings was going to reach 5 million dollars! My retirement! My house! My (future)sexy gold-digger wife! Oh the humanity! 《Name : Lou Rox》 《Class : Sage》 《Skills : True Magic》 《Abilities : N/A》 I stare blankly at this information, with no stats. Status Screen OPEN!... Nothing? Really? Then what the hell is 《"True Magic"》, see the air quotes mofu! [True Magic] [A magic that is absolute and is bound by the very laws of reality.] Well, that did not help in any way, shape or form. How the- A fucking truck hits my head! As if mey brain was going to explode. Rip apart from the inside. From the very depth of my head was a burning and shocking sensation like never before. "SHEEEEEEEEIT!!!" Damn you system! Why do you have to hurt me! This needlessly complicated skill. "Haaaaa..." I really shouldn't be shocked by anything. I've watched and played so much anime that the troupes are easy to spot. Still this skill... Really matches my view of what "True Magic" is compared to commonly seen magic. Without the use of a resource(mana) or the need to prepare it(Grimoire), using only semantics and kinetics which is the fancy terms for sentences and body language. Still. "System! I don't even know how to speak or gesture magic! This shit is useless to me!" 《Dimensional Store is Opening》 《Beginner Set Package has been delivered.》 《Receive? Y/N》 "Yes!... bitch." Finally. 《You have received 10,000 Dimensional Coins!》 《You have received 1 Special Item Creation Coupon(Small)!》 《You have received 1 Tutorial Email from "XXX"》 《You have received 1 Basic Magic Semantics 101》 《You have received 1 Basic Magic Kinetics 101》 I don't really see- Oh here it is. Two small books fall into my hands, as well as a letter floating down gently. Well it was more a piece of folded paper. In any case I open the letter and started reading it. Dear Traveler, You have been randomly selected to participate in the <Revitalization Program>! What is this you might ask? It is basically bringing new branches of various timelines in dying world! You are saving the world! You are the Hero! Well not really. Just like the flap of a butterfly's wing can change an entire man's fate, so to with your very existence can new timelines spawn bringing a world's inevitable demise several millennia's further. Of course, to reward you of your brave sacrifice, you have been given complete amnesty for your crimes, both past and future ones. You have been given free reign to do as you will by the XXXX XXXXXXX. You have also been given the power to travel between different realms, planes and realities as you see fit(Provided, you have the coins). You may go with pride in your hearts! PS : Dimensional Traveling may result in death, decapitation or decomposition. The High Council is not responsible for any death, despair or unfair situation that you might instantly find yourself in. "Ho Ho." Bastards. The lot of them. "Dimensional Store" Ignoring everything else, I might as well check out the shop [Dimensional Store] [DC : 10,000] [Weapons][Armor][Accessories][Consumables][Skills & Abilities][Comfort Items][Tickets][Filter][Search] [SIC Coupon 1x] "Hehehe, time to find something useful!" Insanely43 Chapter 2 is done! Next chapter, skillz and abilitiz. Story should start picking up afterwards. Now, I am wondering if I would ever finish an arc by the end of the year...

Everyone has dreams. Everyone has desires. Everyone can achieve their dreams if they work hard for it. Bullcrap. I don't have dreams. If you're talking about bodily desires, I am only human, as for materialistic desires... Ehh... the essentials for a stable and comfortable life should be enough right? No need for new clothes that cost like 225 US dollars (I'm looking at you basketball jerseys). Second hand stores are fine. I didn't have to work that hard to pass the interviews. With my latest job only needing to complete 40 hours of work per week, I was literally in heaven compared to my old jobs. My parents has long fed me this crap. With good intentions I am sure but being asked if I want to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, architech or a soldier every year is not that nice, yeah? As a 5'8 white asian male, I was not bad to look at. I have had several girlfriends but currently single. Currently obese with 240 pounds. Going drinking with my buddies on weekend and playing online games with them. I was quite content with my life. No regret or hidden desire to be a billionaire(Lottery for the win!). Just living for the joy of being alive. With no interest in being reincarnated, transmigration, or summoned as something in another world. But.... 《Job change successfully into Sage》 "Come fight me you shitty mofu!!!" I shouted at the blue screen while surrounded by trees in a clearing as if eerily similar to a generic isekai prologue. Spoiler Author's Note : No word count target as well as a release schedule. Criticism as well as grammar and spelling corrections are highly appreciated since I am training to join the grammar nazi army. [collapse]

Insanely43 1 year? Yeah, with corona-chan and the bubonic plague I was like, time to write some crap! In any case, I lost the draft for this one(I had one?) so writing a new one from scratch! Can you guess the item? "Now then... How the hell do I-" I put my hand through the screen and a weird connection pop up in my head. "Well, that answered that question." As I imagined the free coupon, I pulled my hand free and revealed a stupid looking ticket, complete with a marker of where I need to rip it apart. [Special Item Creation Coupon(Small)]Create an object within a 50x50 box shaped area that has none to below average magical content. Imagination and intent are needed to create the desired object. "Well, well, well... what have we here?" I try to slowly use my mind if I can get what I wanted. Hmm... well, I can't get a pill to make me all knowing, but I seem to be able to make a pill that would make me very intelligent... I can't seem to make a potion to make myself immortal but I can make a potion that is able to have a permanent regeneration increase... Tsk, I can't get the dragon balls. Hmmmm... Magic huh? I don't know crap about but I can make a lot of handguns and all of them also have infinite ammo but let's see about this one... Oh!? I can actually make that? Isn't this to much? Eh, I can even give it a growth capabilities!? Holy fuck! Damn it my imagination is crap, I should have read more SciFi! Let's see... yes... yes... YESSSSSS... Ever so slowly I imagined its features, its specs, its overwhelming power... I filled the box to the brim. I made sure I was able to consume and use it. I made sure it was intelligent but not sentient. I made doubly sure that it would grow. Closing my eyes and holding onto my vision, I tear the piece of paper in two and it slowly dissolves into light. In the generic clearing, I was looking at a ball of light slowly slowly forming into a box. It was grey in color and even had a metallic shin. It slowly floated to my outstretch hands. Ignoring the notification that had appeared, I licked my lips in anticipation. "Yesssssssss..." I might have a crazed look but who could blame me? I started feasting upon the grey cube. It, of course tasted nothing like metal, or anything like it. It was closer to eating medicine but it didn't have that bitter taste. It was also both soft and easy to crumble but would not break apart from the large cube when I took a bite. As if it was made for kids, but I did want it easier for consumption so don't judge me! I neither had to drink water nor had I had felt stuff, I easily demolished the grey cube in less minute and the notification that I ignored was now right up my face as well as I smirked while looking at my surroundings... [Connection to Host Established.][Connected to Physical Body.][Connected to Mindspace.][Connected to Soul.][AI Operational] 《Special Item Creation Coupon(Small) has been used.》《Special Item has been created.》《Quantum Reality Simulator : AI Biochip[Growth] x1 has been received.》 [Quantum Reality Simulator : AI Biochip[Growth]]Imagined by Lou Rox, a fictional device that may or may not be found at the end of a civilization that has focused on science and the digital world. Able to simulate reality with an accurate score of 99.99%. A gross processing power that can simulate several omniverse, it has reached the ability to quantify infinity(humanized standard). Equip with an Advance AI to perform all complicated procedures and has the ability to process, analyze and store data independently. Soulbound to [Lou Rox], it will grow with the user in both power and age. Insanely43 Don't expect another one anytime soon. I recommend Endless Path:Infinite Cosmos, The Sinful Life of the Emperor and Dragonborn Saga. What? No I am not a shill, those are just my favorite ongoing novels. It's true, I swear! Spoiler PPS - Stay safe! And of course it's a Biochip, it's in the tags! [collapse]

Azrael - The Rolling Slopes   “Tens and Thirteens! You’re an Ageless Immortal?!” “I didn’t understand any of the words you screamed,” Azrael was confused at Elira’s sudden outburst and judging by how wide William’s eyes and mouth were, it sounded like it was a big deal, “Ageless Immortal?” The demon closed her eyes and massaged her temples, “You don’t die from old age?” “Uh… not really?” He was slowly realizing his mistake, “There are no one who can regenerate their life energy here, are there?” Elira shook her head at him, “There are constitutions that give bonus to life energy but none that can regenerate it.” “I know someone with it,” William raised his hand as he volunteered additional information, “June Harriliere, The Life Giver” “That was only rumours and none from the Fallen really confirmed it,” Elira denied his claims, “you should really stop reading gossip newsletters” William frowned at the demon and defended the authenticity of his source, “Oh, come on! there’s life in her title!” “Raea has a mother in her title, do you see any of her kids running around?” Elira rolled her eyes at the man. “What if she has an illegitimate child? You know, like Serath? Maybe that’s why he abdicated because he was an illegitimate child and the Devourer Queen found out?” William was whispering conspiratorially which Azrael found funny as they were the only people in the vicinity. “What are you on about, you’re the one that told me it was because of someone he loved,” the demon’s right eye was twitching now, “your sources can’t even stick to one version.” Azrael sighed at their behavior, “As much as I’d like to gossip, we should do this during lunch and not in the middle of a monster-infested forest.” As if on cue, the bushes from their far right made a rustling noise. It made the three of them tense for an upcoming fight but only a small tree rodent bounded out of it. Elira narrowed her eyes at him, “Fine. But we’re still not done talking Mr Ageless Immortal, let me determine the safety of our location first and then you can scout for our target.” Azrael felt the general impression of Elira change like something was added to her being. He felt it during the previous fight, sudden bursts of speed and strength that were different from the normal distinct energy reinforcement. “Amazing, isn’t it?” William was observing Elira’s actions, “she’s probably using the soul of her long-eared rabbit.” “Soul?” he wasn’t familiar with other types of energy as most constitutions from his world uses distinct and life energy. “Yep, the Phasol Demon Family are few of those who possess the constitution to allow understanding in the way of the souls,” William nodded and tossed a few more explanations, “the long-eared rabbit doesn’t just increase her hearing range, but also the precision of it. She can identify which sounds are real threats and which are harmless.” “The long-eared rabbit and its ancestors lived their lives as prey,” Elira opened her eyes and spoke to the both of them, “their soul possessed the reason for their survival and I managed to resonate with it.” “The area is safe despite the ruckus we caused from our previous battle,” Elira nodded in his direction, “you can go scout now, we’ll wait here or contact us through the stone for directions.” Azrael reduced the pull of the world from his body and jumped to the nearest trunk, using it as a foothold to continuously jump from one tree to the next. It required precise use of energy if he wanted a smooth and quiet transition but he perfected the action long ago. Guided by his instincts, he managed to cover a wide area before resting his back against the base of a tree; hiding his presence from the gorilla who was engaging against a larger version of the lizard they fought before. He sent his energy through the telepath stone strapped to his waist and instructed his party members for the direction they should follow. The gorilla was having the upper hand in the match, possessing an additional limb with a longer reach and striking whenever the lizard least expected it. The deathmatch was reaching its climax when his two members arrived in his position. ‘I will engage right after the lizard dies,’ Elira’s thought arrived from his telepath stone, ‘try to stop him from using his tail.’ Elira jumped out of hiding just as the gorilla delivered the final blow to his opponent, accompanied by a ball of distinct energy rushing from William’s gauntlet. She threw a bottle containing a green liquid in sync with the rushing energy and it hit the gorilla’s hand, its spiked tail being occupied by the ball of energy. The bottle produced a green smoke around their target and she rushed to confront the disoriented monster in close quarters. The gorilla was a few heads taller than the demon but she was fierce in her approach, unafraid of the difference in weight and size. Azrael decided to support on the sides, throwing daggers at the right time to intercept the tail whenever it was about to attack the demon. William left the role of distracting the tail to him and focused on inflicting injuries with a barrage of distinct energy. He withdrew his recurve bow from Shadow and nocked an arrow in its string, waiting for an opportunity to release the energy reinforced projectile. He didn’t need his hands to control the flying daggers so he decided to help in the offence. Elira produced a guttural cry with her throat, getting the attention of the gorilla who was about to bound away in William’s direction. The distraction was what he needed and the string of his bow produced a vibrating sound as he released the tension from it, letting the arrow fly to their enemy. Azrael expected the tail to ignore his daggers and prioritize the approaching arrow so he redirected its path by opening two cracks in space; one in front of the arrow and another one facing the undefended legs of their target. The arrow made the transition with only a slight reduction in momentum and it pierced through one of the monster’s leg. Elira didn’t miss the chance and slid through the gap below and sliced the base of the creature’s tail. Her push daggers weren’t sharp enough to cut it in one slice but the injury made the rest of the fight easier. It wasn’t long before the gorilla fell to the ground, riddled with holes and burns from different projectiles it received. Elira’s face was dotted with sweat, having taken the brunt of the monster’s aggressiveness. “We messed up.” Azrael was confused about her statement, the fight didn’t actually take long and none of them were in great danger during the course of the engagement. Considering its size and strength, he would consider the fight as an excellent start to their mission. “It’s a female so no manly parts for me to cut off,” Elira stated without emotion at the two confused men. “...” “...” Azrael apologized for the mistake but the two waved it off as they didn’t notice the gender of their target immediately either. Elira chucked it off to the chance of engaging the gorilla after it fought against another inhabitant of the forest. Elira harvested some useful materials from the dead monster and Azrael took off again to find another target. It wasn’t long before he found another one and he made sure that their target would possess the required materials for the mission. The fight went just as well as the first one and Elira harvested the corpse while William did his best to avoid looking at the mutilation the demon was performing. Azrael was quick to make his escape from the scene and gave a reason of finding their next target. It was already dusk when the three made their way out of the forest, the demon and the brown haired human having additional bruises as compared to when they first entered it. “Ugh… I’m gonna feel this tomorrow,” William was rolling his shoulders from its socket and made an inquiry to their next destination, “so we heading back to the city now?” “No, we’ll stay the night in the Towering Cairn and then try to find our fourth member in the morn of morrow,” Elira shook her head at the man’s question and directed an inquisitive gaze at him, “unless you have prior engagements Mr Ageless Immortal?” “Are you gonna keep calling me that now?” Azrael rolled his eyes, “because if that’s the case then consider this team as over.” The demon just laughed at his annoyance but turned a serious look at him after, “You need to keep your constitution a secret.” “Would it pose a problem in this world?” he was curious about the insinuations of his regenerating life energy in Lochley, “besides, I think Theresa knows already... though, she assured me of secrecy.” “Not really, but it won’t hurt to be careful,” She shrugged at his first question and followed up on his second statement, “do you trust Theresa then?” “Not one bit.” he answered without missing a beat. “Then maybe you can trust her after all?” was the demon’s offhanded reply. Azrael stopped in his tracks and stared at the demon with narrowed eyes. Elira stopped as well and tried to explain her reasoning, “Think about it, she could have easily planted a feeling of trust and connection between you and herself.” Azrael countered her thoughts, “Maybe because she can’t?” “I’ve seen her do it before, on top of the cliff when you first arrived here,” Elira started walking towards the road again, waving with her tail for him to keep up, “you forgot the oh-so-scary demon and focused your attention on the tall and handsome man instead.” “Theresa this, Theresa that, who are you guys talking about?” William was pouting on the side for being left in the conversation. Azrael ignored the other man and tried to recollect his memories during that day. What Elira told him was the truth, he remembered the sudden urge to speak and the quick way he adapted to the presence of the demon. He shuddered at the subtle way Theresa’s power work and considered it as more dangerous than the aggressive illusions that most telepaths prefer. The demon’s eye twitched at the sulking man, “No one, just be thankful you haven’t officially met her.” They arrived at the wide official road between the two cities and waited for a free carriage to pass by. Azrael was busy with his thoughts when their female companion interrupted it with an advice, “Just ignore her for now and hope you don’t meet her again, unless you plan on joining their guild?” He didn’t answer the demon and tried organizing his thoughts about the matter and other problems he is currently facing. A carriage that could ferry them to the Towering Cairns passed by around that time and he decided to think about his problems inside it. His first and foremost problem would be the thing inside his Shadow as it’s likely the source of all his problems. He was sure that his brother would try and find him for it… but when and how? His brother would assume that he was already dead in the abyss so even if he realized that the missing thing was with him, he’ll have to retrieve it from the abyss. The thought of his brother dying in the abyss if he ever decided to look for it made him chuckle which broke the silence of the carriage. Azrael ignored the curious looks of the other passengers and decided to move on his next problem, though, it was more of a question than a problem: how did he survive the trip to the abyss and how did the thing end up with him. Nevan, or anyone, would have died if they touched the thing but she was still present during the exile ceremony. However, now that he thought about it, the woman was looking quite worried at that time; in contrast to the happy freedom spiel the day before it. He concluded that the thing hated his brother as much as him and decided to escape with his body, saving it in the process from the abyss. He was not sure if it possessed any sentience to prove his theory but he didn’t want to think about the other alternative. “You’re looking quite funny with your expressions.” Elira’s voice interrupted his thoughts, “As much as I hate to disturb you from your musings, I thought you’d like to see the Towering Cairns from afar.” Azrael looked out the window and saw the city, or specifically, its namesake. A tower made of stones stood proudly on the horizon, its height twice as tall as the surrounding walls of the city. The cairn blocked a part of the setting sun, highlighting the rays of light and shadows it cast into the city, with a painting of orange skies and dark clouds decorating it as the background. It was beautiful. His new world was... beautiful. He was glad he struggled for life, for fighting against the crushing force of the abyss, for not giving in to despair. He thanked his brother for the exile, for the words he whispered before they activated the Wesh Root. ‘This is not an exile Azrael, this is -- execution.’ It made something inside him burn. His brother had expected him to stop struggling, to stay obedient like how he lived his whole life in Ost, to accept his fate, to silently die. Like how he stayed silent as he was assigned to the front lines, as his brother fed his cat to the birds, as he listened to the testimonial of his beloved against him, as the judges made their decision of exile. Nevan had always cried for him but he had stayed silent throughout all of it. But the fire inside him burned at that time, he screamed at the abyss as it tore through him, crushing his every bone and flesh, trying to put the fire inside him out. ‘Live’ He didn’t know where the voice originated; from himself, from someone’s soul who perished in the abyss, or from someone created by his own mind. It was like a light for him in the darkness of the abyss, he followed it, and so he lived. “Hey… I think you broke hi-- oof” William’s voice brought him back to the present and when he looked up, he could see the blurry images of his companions. The man was curled up in his seat, rubbing his palms at his sides; mumbling about domestic violence. Elira reached out to his face and dabbed the tears streaking on his cheeks, worried face surfacing as she wiped the tear drops from his eyes. “Are you alright?” her voice was quiet but strength and concern were evident behind it. Azrael stared at his two friends; one who was looking at him with a weird face, the other full of concern and silent support. “Mood swings and being glad, that’s all. Thinking that this world is beautiful and that both of you are beautiful,” he gave them a full grin, their faces flushing red at his compliment. The man tried sputtering something but couldn’t make the words with his mouth while Elira closed her eyes and breathed a deep sigh. “William is right… I think I broke him after all.”   End of Chapter 13  

  Azrael - The Bloodied Borough   Azrael was having a nightmare, he was sure of it. Gray fingers gripped his pale wrist and sharp nails dug into his skin, dragging him against his will in a sea of strangers. Choruses of screams can be heard in the vicinity, piercing his skull and leaving echoes of despair in the back of his mind while the smell of stale sweat and desperation lingered in the air. “... telepath stones and you need a connector. We’ll also need to find you some local clothing, you stand out too much with your pure black ensemble.” The demon was indifferent about his suffering and continued walking in the throng of people, listing some other things they would need. When Elira invited him to the trader’s area of The Bloodied Borough, he imagined one large building with a quiet sitting area for its customers. A waiter would then serve snacks and refreshments while the assistant of the shop take a list of what they would require and deliver them at a later time. He didn’t expect another type of battlefield, full of bartering customers and stubborn merchants. The streets were packed with other shoppers like them, busily browsing each store; trying to uncover every secret of the wares. Azrael just sighed and let himself be dragged by the demon through the densely packed crowd, she seemed to have a destination in mind and he hoped that it was somewhere less crowded. They did end up in a big building, and it’s less congested, but there were still enough people for Azrael to be uncomfortable. “Oh, what are you frowning for,” Elira noticed his displeasure when she turned around to say something to him, “this is the most popular shopping place in the city! Let’s get you a connector first; I don’t want to walk all the way to the northern part of the city again if I needed something from you.” Azrael just curled his lips even further at her, “I thought we were gonna shop for telepath stone so we wouldn’t have to look for a telepath? What’s this connector you keep on babbling about?” Elira just turned back around and headed for the nearest staircase, “It’s the most revolutionary thing that Mary The Innovator released, five or so years ago. There had been actually an uproar about it as Couriers lost their main source of employment.” Her tail was swishing in front of him as they ascended the stairs, he wondered how Elira would react if he suddenly pulled the thing. Azrael remembered his feline pet which hissed and bit at him and decided not to try the demon’s patience. Elira was oblivious to his curiosity and just continued to ramble on about the connector, “They use some sort of encoding that translates your message to energy, send it to the cities’ tower, and the tower would then send it to your intended target. They can even send captured images now!” They kept climbing until they reached the third floor of the building, it was quieter here with only a few shops that each occupy a room; with glasses as front walls and their wares displayed behind them. Azrael was again amazed at how secure the people in the city felt, with only the guards wearing battle gears and weapons; even Elira was just wearing a simple tunic and pants. She just laughed at him when he asked if they weren’t worried about theft, “It’s only in the trader’s area where people are not allowed to bring weapons, didn’t you see the inspection we passed through before coming here?” “The trader’s association also have a lot of guards that patrol the vicinity, and even if they can’t catch the thief, they still have several other measures in protecting their wares.” They stopped in front of a decently sized shop with a lot of rectangular metals in display and entered it. “Elira! You haven’t been stopping by, I was worried some slug monsters had already eaten you! I heard they prefer the taste of demons!” A dwarf that was standing behind the counter of the shop greeted them as they entered its doors. Azrael assumed she was a dwarf, as her features were too small to be human and were too wrinkled to be considered a child. “Stop killing me with such weird monsters in your imagination, Cherry.” Elira used a familiar tone of speaking with the dwarf and introduced him, “This is Azrael, my -- uh.. Friend, he needs a connector.” Azrael just raised his brows at the sudden blush Elira had as she introduced him to the shop keeper. “A friend! Other than William?! How wonderful, such a handsome man too! You should really get more friends my dear,” The dwarf beamed at him and he wondered if she always talks with such a loud voice towards her other customers, “now, lad, what connector do you have in mind?” Elira was the one who answered for him, “Just give him the latest one, he is rich anyway.” Serath had given him some sort of credit stone as an additional payment for the books; that it should be accepted in most shops associated with the Trader’s as currency. The elderly dwarf had a wistful expression on her face, “Handsome and rich! Oh if only I were a few years younger…” “Cherry, you’re old enough to be his grandmother.” Elira just rolled her eyes at the shopkeeper as she cut her off. The dwarf just mumbled about age secrecy decorum act and went to one of the shelves and withdrew the rectangular metal in it. It was three fingers thick, and about two by three fists in dimensions; from the way the dwarf carried the thing, it was also about a few stones heavy. “Now, this here is the latest thing,” Cherry gently placed it on the counter in front of him and opened it up, “10~15 mins of delay for same city communication and provides the capability of processing images, though sending one would take thrice as long.” “Elira!!” The bells on the door produced a ringing sound as it opened, followed by a raucous voice that screamed his companion’s name. “I saw you from the outside, who is he?” The human was openly scrutinizing him and so he did the same. He had an average height which was a few fingers shorter than Elira’s demon height. Shaggy brown hair decorated his head and his green eyes spattered with flecks of gold were narrowed in suspicion; his face would have been pleasant if not for the frown directed at him. Azrael considered it as an annoying and punchable face but what bothered him the most were the staff and wooden axe he was currently hugging in his chest. They looked very familiar. Elira whipped her tail on the man’s shins, surprised at his sudden appearance. The action made the man jump on one foot and almost lost his huddled possessions to the ground. “Ow! Wha’dya do that for! The trader-seal on the weapons almost broke!” “Sorry, it’s just that you surprised me... and you were rude!” Elira narrowed her eyes at the man and roughly introduced them to each other with her tail, “Azrael, William. William, Azrael.” “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you don’t like going here because of the temptation in buying stuff?” Elira asked the man a question as she curiously looked at his possessions. The man’s face visibly brightened at her question, “Look! The city guards contacted me this morning and gave me two weapons,” he pushed the staff and axe in the demon’s direction, “They found my benefactors’ bodies in the slums this morning and the two of them had a written will to leave their belongings to me...” Azrael and Elira both froze at his statement and the latter took a quick glance at him before asking, “Benefactors? You know the people they found in the slums?” The man, oblivious to their reactions, happily replied, “Oh, only the dwarf and the elf; they treated me to drinks a few days ago.” Elira’s brows furrowed at the answer she received, “They just met you… and they placed you on their will?” “I know! It was weird. I don’t even remember giving them my full name,” The man’s eyes widened and then it suddenly scrunched up with a furrowed brows in confusion, “Apparently, they had several wills on their body but the latest one was addressed to me. They figured that they don’t have anyone left but each other so they change their wills whenever they met someone they like… at least according to the guards.” Azrael found William’s expressive face quite amusing. He didn’t think that the man was lying so he decided to ask him about the avian and the other unidentified person, “There were four corpses right? What about the other two?” William crossed his hands in front of his chest and tilted his head at him, “Oh.. they didn’t tell me anything so I’m probably not part of their will...” Elira was not as tense anymore after learning that his friend just got lucky with the weapons, “Are you here to sell those things?” “Yes! I was on my way to the fifth floor when I noticed you here with this hands-- whoa is that the newest connector model!” William hurriedly handed the weapons to Elira, which she almost dropped, and rushed to the rectangular thing beside him. “Amazing! Are you buying it Elira?” Elira rearranged the weapons in her hand so it wouldn’t fall, “No, Azrael is the one buying that… and don’t just hand over fragile things to people!” but William just ignored her and chatted with Cherry to discuss the thing’s capabilities. Elira just sighed at William’s behaviour and gave an apologetic look to him, “Look, Cherry we’ll take the thing. William come on, we’ll help you sell this stuff.” They made their way to the fifth floor after completing the transaction and they were busily browsing several telepath stones when William dropped another bomb in their conversation. “Oh, have you guys heard the news from the Daily Idol Newsletter? Apparently, there’s someone living with The Barrier Master now and they are speculating it’s his new love interest. I heard they got it from a reliable source.” “Ahahaha!” Elira suddenly burst into laughter when she caught sight of Azrael’s frozen face. “Wha-- why are you laughing? It’s not you, is it? Did you guys get together from your last mission?” William narrowed his eyes at the hysteric demon squatting on the ground and shaking from laughter. “No… no… but I would also bet that it’s from a reliable source.” Elira just grinned at the confused man. Azrael just sighed, guessing that it was the telepathic woman that started the rumours. Serath had assured him that the residence had defensive formations and it would divert unwanted attention. It was also the reason why normal people didn’t know Serath’s current residence in The Bloodied Borough. William just changed the subject as he couldn’t figure out why the demon had a sudden fit of laughter, “Anyway, why are we browsing for telepath stones? I thought we’re getting a telepath for our team?” Azrael raised an eyebrow at Elira, “He’s part of our team?” William was wide eyed again at his question,“You’re part of our team?” Elira answered their questions, “Yes, both of you are part of the team I’m making.” She also remembered to answer William’s inquiry about the telepath, “Azrael and I decided that we didn’t want a telepath on the team after an encounter with one.” “But we’re going to have to buy one every time their energy gets used up,” William frowned at their decision, “And what encounter?” Elira had brought up the importance of the telepath role on a team; they handle the communication between a group as they fight and information learned in real time could be the deciding factor of a mission. However, looking for one that’s willing to join a team can be quite the arduous task, that’s why they settled for the alternative which were telepath stones. “Oh nothing,” Elira just waved her tail at his question about the telepath, “What are you planning to do with the profit from the weapons? They seem well made and maintained.” “I’m planning to use it to my benefactors’ death ceremony.” William flushed at the dumbfounded stare that his companions gave him after that statement, “I think it’s the right thing to do, okay? I only knew them for a few hours but they treated me to a drink and even left their possessions for me.” He turned around to escape their incessant stare but murmured something before leaving, “The least I could do is that they have a proper burial.” They just continued to stare at the man’s retreating back until Elira faced him with a serious face and broke the silence, “You’re alright with it?” Azrael shook his head at Elira after a few beats of silence, “It’s not really my business is it?” “Look, let’s shop again at a later time. Just go home for now while I help William with his weapons.” Elira looked at him with concern and decided to finish their business for the day. Azrael considered Elira’s question as he trudged his way back to Serath’s residence. He didn’t know what to feel about William’s concern to his assailants and neither could he understand the reason for it. According to him, they only knew each other for not even half a day and yet he was willing to spend the wealth and, more importantly, the effort to ensure they have a proper burial. The people in Lochley kept surprising him: in power, in resolve, and in morals. Even his assailants expressed regret at his supposed death when they got caught in Theresa’s illusion. His previous life of seclusion and constant war seemed so far away despite being in the new world for only a few days. He had already arrived in his current home and was still in a pensive mood when the sound of someone knocking on his front door interrupted him from it. Serath was standing outside his door when he opened it and the man gave an apologetic smile as his greeting. “Mr Azrael, is this a good time? You don --” “It’s fine, might as well get this over with.” Azrael just left the door open and went to his receiving room and sat on one of the couches. Serath closed the door behind him and sat on the opposite couch with a low wooden table in between them. Azrael just sighed and leaned at the back of the couch after Serath settled himself, “Before you start, please stop addressing me as Mr and drop the formal way of speaking.” Serath had a complicated look on his face before replying, “I can adhere to your first request Azrael but I apologize as I'm already used to speaking formally.”   Azrael closed his eyes and tapped the armrest of the couch with a constant rhythm, “Fine, is this about Theresa? What did she tell you?” “She informed me about the invitation that she extended to you,” Serath’s deep and pleasant voice paused but continued after a few beats, “and about your refusal.” “Wrong," he corrected, not bothering to open his eyes, "I said I’ll think about it.” There was another beat of silence before Serath replied with a smile in his voice, “Theresa likes you, you know?” Azrael had to open his eyes at that and raise his brow at the man opposite of him. Serath ignored his raised eyebrows and continued, “Theresa… had a bit of a difficult past. Her constitution brought her more problems than solutions as a child, and only when Raea came by her village that she managed to find someone who wasn’t coerced into loving her.” Serath wasn’t looking at him anymore and he had a far-away look in his eyes as he recalled his memories about his first meeting with Theresa. “We were only ten back then when Raea brought Theresa in the Empire of Light. I remember my father enforcing everyone’s mind with defensive formations at the request of Raea.” His eyes crinkled at the memory. “Nobody openly requests something from the Emperor of Meshiere but there she was, just an elf who had a small child with closed eyes, clutching at her robes with tiny hands; telling my father to help the child in having a normal childhood.” “Theresa still didn’t open up to anyone, she just stuck at Raea’s skirt every time the elf came by to teach me in the Elemental Ways.” Serath paused again, leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes, “that was until she was called by a mind full of stories and dreams -- of pure innocence. Theresa followed the call and it brought her to the library, there she found Yomire; peaceful in her sleep, surrounded by mountains of books.” “Yomire was also going through a tough time at that time and finding someone who could listen to her stories without actually speaking fascinated her. They became inseparable,” Serath suddenly chuckled before continuing, “and Theresa and I started fighting like the kids we were.” Azrael didn’t know where Serath was going on with his story so he just remained silent. “I was to be a king and Yomire was supposed to be my queen; I was a child back then and I had only dreams of being a good ruler and I knew I needed a queen for that.” Serath opened his eyes and looked at him, “I’m sorry I got caught up in the story and lost track of my point; I never did get the hang of storytelling.” “Theresa does not wish to read upon other people's mind but even with the help of several seals, she still could not escape them.” Serath was looking at him seriously now, “A seal she was willing to break to look upon your troubles and punish your assailants.” Serath stood up and bowed in his direction, “I am deeply sorry if you feel like she went overboard.” Azrael also stood up as he didn’t feel comfortable sitting while the man was bowing in his direction, “I-It’s fine, you don’t have to.. Uh.. lower your head.” “Theresa has already left the city since she gets annoyed staying within one if her seal is broken.” Serath turned around and headed for the exit after informing him of Theresa’s departure. He stopped just as he reached the door and turned back to him, “Would you like to know to know something?” Azrael didn’t know what to reply so he just nodded his head. Serath opened the door and exited as he was speaking, “The Mother of the World and The Storyteller were titles that Theresa herself spread; Raea was like a mother to her and Yomire was her personal storyteller. She wanted the whole world to know about it and so they did -- as what Theresa wants, she always gets.” Serath turned around and faced him with a wide grin on his face, “Theresa didn't leave the city just to avoid thes noise, she left the city to convince Raea in personally inviting you to the guild,” He was left speechless at that. “Be careful Azrael, The Mother of the World is coming to get you.”   End of Chapter 11 trader-seal - A seal placed upon dangerous artifact so that they would be allowed to be carried in Trader's Area. It doesn't actually seal the weapon but it breaks at the slight use of it. Empire of Light - Capital of Meshiere, home of the royals that rule most of the continent.  

Elira Phasol: The Ends Forest   Ominous clouds covered Elira's entire vision as she craned her neck to look at the sky -- or specifically -- the absence of it. She turned her head to the direction where they came from and saw the dividing line between the sky and the clouds. Their journey went on a boring note as they traversed the plains without interruption. She saw a herd of Triple-Horned Bull but they didn't seem to care about the moving metal, despite being famous for their aggressiveness. Gerund only woke up after they started to disembark from the carriage. He seemed oblivious to the awkward silence permeating the air as he yawned and stretched his muscles in the grass. With their transport now parked at the edge of the End's Forest, she decided to have the initiative and break the silence with an inquiry. She had been wondering what they plan to do about the carriage; they couldn't just leave it parked in the open after all. However, orbs of light suddenly appeared out of thin air and circled around their carriage before she could ask. The orbs of light suddenly turned to glowing lines, stretching and twisting; it formed some sort of language that Elira couldn't understand. Serath seemed to be the source of the transforming energy as he was standing near their carriage while having a look of deep concentration on his face. The hovering lights slowly made their way to the frame of the carriage and once they touched the metal, they exploded in a bright color of white that left spots on her vision. They promptly disappeared after the onslaught on her vision -- along with the carriage. Her eyes twitched and her tail swished as she tried to keep the surprise off her face at the sudden disappearance of their metal contraption. Serath made his way to her with an apologetic look on his face after his 'explosive' performance. "Elira, I'm sorry about the way I behaved during our ride. It was ill-mannered of me to affect the mood of my company because of something that happened long past." He apologized to her with the patented polite smile, back on his lips. 'At least he is still calling me Elira, I wouldn't know what to do if he went back on Ms Phasol'. She thought before giving an apology of her own -- at least some form it. "Don't worry about it, it was partly my fault so let's just forget about the whole thing." "Yes. We should follow Mr Gerund and Theresa as they seemed to be heading towards the direction of the forest already." He nodded over her shoulder and when she turned around, they are indeed walking without a care for the two. They followed quickly behind them and Elira noticed that she seemed to be the only one wearing some sort of weapon in her body. She could finally see Theresa's outfit, which was a simple tight-fitting robe with the color of the grass beneath their feet and sleeves that are both long and wide. The robes ended around her thighs which were covered with black tights and she had flat shoes for foot equipment. She looked like a blind woman that was going for a stroll in the city's park, instead of walking to a forest infested with creatures that could end a man with a single swipe. Gerund was wearing the same protective gears as her: leather breastplate, greaves, bracers, but with an addition of a single shoulder pad. The color of his leathers was also different from her own, which is a deep brown color like wet soil. However, there were no visible weapons in his person that she could detect. Serath seemed to be a man in attending a royal ball with his chiselled jaw line and enchanted robes. There were no visible weapons on him either. "You seem to be keenly observing us Elira, is something the matter?" Serath inquired when he noticed her curious looks. "It's just... where are your weapons?" She asked as she couldn't figure it out. "I don't need weapons," Theresa replied with light cadence while Gerund just grinned at her with full teeth and pointed at the ground below. Serath was the only one who gave a satisfactory answer to her, "I am in possession of several weapons right now which I sealed in my own dimensional formations. I assume you are familiar with the concept of dimensional pockets?" 'A seeker of space, this man seems to be becoming more and more ridiculous.' Elira was feeling that the company she was currently keeping seemed to be getting absurdly powerful by the second. "Yes. But only those with the right talent, constitution, and blessings could command or create their own dimensions right?" She replied with slight irritation in her voice. Serath just smiled at her annoyance and replied, "Yes, it was truly fortunate that I was born with a good constitution and had a good education upon my earlier years." He seemed to be trying to make a point so she let him continue. "Elira, you possess both of these. You inherited the Phasol Constitution from your ancestors, right? I am also positive that you underwent good education as it showed in the way you handle yourself. Give it time and you will surely bloom as a powerful demoness." 'This man is too smooth!' Elira blushed and her tail wagged -- just a bit -- at that; she would be considered as a rock if she didn't get affected by his compliments. "It is said that the Phasol Demon Family are gifted in the way of the souls. What souls have you comprehended if I might ask?" Serath just continued on as if he didn't just say a line that would embarrass most people. "I've comprehended quite a bit of souls: the Long-eared Rabbit to increase my hearing perception, Red-tailed Gorilla for strength, Crowned Eagle for eyesight, Yellow-Ringed Viper for poison resistance, and the most useful of them all, Shadow Cat that increased my balance, speed, and stealth talents." Elira listed some of the souls that she managed to resonate with, or in Serath's term: comprehended. "I'm surprised that you didn't assume we 'eat' the souls of the creatures to gain their talents and abilities; it seemed to be the popular information that's going around." Elira didn't have many friends and she assumed it's because they're afraid she would eat their souls; not at all because of her personality. "Our information network is a bit more reliable." Theresa was the one who answered her inquiry and continued, "The traveler haven't left the forest yet. I can't detect any energy and the creatures in my range don't remember seeing anything out of the ordinary." Elira got a bit embarrassed that Theresa had been doing work while she just continued chatting with Serath. She looked around and noticed that even though the forest was enclosed inside the crescent-shaped mountain range, the mouth of the forest was still considerably huge. 'She couldn't have detected everything from here to the two ends... right?' "I guess it's settled then, we enter the forest and make our way to the cliffs. Serath, barriers if you please. Elira, come, stay close to me so you don't get plucked by something in the forest." Gerund waved her over as he gave instructions to everyone. The orbs of light appeared again, around the two of them this time, as Serath simultaneously applied barriers on them. 'I guess that's The Barrier Master for you. Effortlessly constructing a high-level barrier on two people with a fraction of the speed of everyone else.' It wasn't Elira's first time having a barrier applied to her body. She remembered one of her more dangerous missions; she hired a barrier user then and she couldn't help but compare the experience. After a few minutes, the lines finally brightened and then disappeared around her body. It was a neat trick as walking with glowing lines around her would be incredibly weird and impractical. "It should be enough to fend off the attacks of most creature in the forest. Please take care as it is not indestructible and avoidance is still better than a blocked attack." Serath solemnly explained to her after he finished with the barriers. "Can it block the attack of the Lesser Dragon in the area?" Elira inquired, wanting to know just how powerful The Barrier Master really was. Serath gave her a look, that he knew what she was up to, but he still answered her question. "A single strike of the dragon is possible but he won't be stopping with one, would he? Defensive formations are trickier than offensive ones as you have to make it as varied as possible without disturbing the target's own energy. I could enforce a city to withstand a barrage of attacks from a dragon but the same can't be said about applying it on moving creatures with their own distinct energy." Serath suddenly went on a lecture about formations and she actively listened as she could gain a lot from it. 'Maybe I'll be able to resonate with souls that have defensive talents' "Defensive Formations could be dissected into the source, structure, upkeep, and target. The source would be the base of the formation, which would be my energy. The structure would be the means of to complete the formation and will determine how the barrier would behave itself, in my case, it would be runic languages. Upkeep would be how the barrier would maintain itself and how long before it expires. Lastly, the target's own energy should be considered lest they disturb the formations you created. It is a simplified explanation but that should suffice for the basics of it." Serath just smiled at her as he made his conclusion. "Alright, enough lessons. Let's continue with the mission, it's possible that the traveler could be hanging onto their dear life right now." Gerund interrupted their conversation and just proceeded to walk inside the forest while they followed. After the three of them entered the forest, she could feel the environment take a drastic change in ambience. The trees in the Ends Forest are all thousands of years old and they towered over them like giants. Their wide leaves and long branches covered the clouds that covered the sky; dimming their surroundings even further. There was no path to follow but the grass and shrubberies didn't seem to have the growth rate of the trees as they stayed at their knee level. She could feel the old souls of the trees as they traversed the forest; their patience, their stability, and their longevity whispering to her own soul. Gerund took the helm while Serath protected their rear with her staying in the middle. She could feel being observed by several eyes and powerful souls; her own soul quivering from their hostility. The man taking the lead didn't seem too concerned about their stalkers, although he didn't have the usual carefree attitude either. They just went walking undisturbed for the first half hour until one of their stalkers finally decided to jump the intruders. A sudden movement on Elira's peripheral made her whole body tense and reflexively withdrew the katars from the straps on her back. The creature had been blurred to a shadow because of its speed, her perception too low to actually make the identity of the attacker. She didn't know what it was but she knows that it was heading straight for her. She placed the weight of her body on the balls of her feet, poised to dodge when a sharp piece of hardened soil suddenly burst from the ground in front of her. It struck directly to the incoming shadow which had been made visible because it was impaled at the head by the soil. It was a dark green snake that had the width of a human's thigh; she didn't get to observe it for too long because multiple shadows suddenly burst through the trees on their right. They were too fast for her to identify but not too fast for her to be helpless against. She knew the general direction the snakes are flying to so she could easily dodge and slice the oncoming snakes. It's just that -- all the snakes were flying at her. She did not have to worry for too long, as multiple spears made of hard soil erupted from the ground, impaling the oncoming attackers easily. She was about to give a sigh of relief when she saw where the snakes were coming from. At first, she thought it was a huge shrubbery but it was rippling. It was a creature seemingly made from countless snakes; slithering, hissing, and knotting together until they form a giant ball made of pure abhorrence. The ball of snakes was big; twice the height of Elira in diameter and it was slowly moving, rolling or crawling -- she didn't know, as she was not familiar with such disgusting creatures. "It's a Snake-charmer Flower, we need to attack its core plant to completely kill it," Serath said calmly beside her. 'That damnation of a thing is a flower?'  Elira's instinct suddenly flared for survival as she detected a fast-moving object behind that made her turn around. However, Serath was faster than the attacker as he stood in front of her and the much -- much -- bigger snake, a circular object floating between him and the oncoming danger. 'A shield -- from his dimensional pockets?' Serath struck the back of the glowing shield with his palm, and a barrier made of connected transparent hexagons suddenly appeared all over the three of them. The giant snake was moving too fast and struck directly against the barrier. The hexagon that was struck just dimmed at the collision but recovered almost immediately after it. The giant snake crumpled and thrashed on the ground after hitting the shield but not for long. Serath immediately withdrew the barrier and threw the shield at it. She was dumbstruck at the idea until she saw the shield cleanly slice the thrashing snake in two. Serath suddenly turned around, not bothering to retrieve the shield, and threw a dagger towards the knot of snakes, past her shoulders. She followed the knife with her sight and notice that it was off-course; it was heading for the area way above the amalgamation of snakes. She didn’t have to wonder for long because just as it was above the creature, the knife suddenly produced a blinding light and Serath appeared beside it... with a gigantic hammer on both of his hands and he was poised for an overhead slam. He struck the hammer down despite still being in the air, a circular formation appeared below him and it made a collision with the descending hammer. A deafening bang sounded at the impact and a sonic boom appeared around the circular formation, yet somehow, it stayed unmoving in its position. The ball of snakes below suddenly exploded to bits and pieces; their skins, innards, and blood flying in all directions. Fortunately, the creature was a far distance away from them and they didn't have to suffer the sudden rain of guts. Serath was standing on the floating circular formation, robes still as clean as when she first met him. He looked down upon his work; the flattened piece of land and dead snakes beneath his feet, a slight smile on his face. Elira then made a promise to herself: to never -- ever -- piss him off again.   End of Chapter 4  

  Elira Phasol - The Bloodied Borough   “Are you hiding from someone?” Elira figured that two days were enough for Azrael to think about his assailant’s burial so she decided to drop by for a visit on the third day after their shopping. However, what greeted her was a wary looking face that peeked through the gap in the door. “Oh, it’s just you,” relief flooded his face after taking a glance at her pointed horns, “and no, I’m not hiding. Not at all.” Azrael opened the door for her but immediately closed and locked it after her entrance. She raised her eyebrows at the man radiating anxiousness and followed after him to the receiving room. He gave a deep sigh and dropped his body in one of the couches. Elira sat on the opposite couch, “You do know that anyone who could get past this residence’s barriers won’t get stopped by a simple metal bar?” “I know that,” he rested his head in his hands and frowned, “but the additional security still helps me relax.” Elira made a guess at his host’s problems, “Is it Theresa again?” Azrael’s frown deepened at her question, “Apparently, she had already left the city.” “I thought you’d be happier now that she’s gone,” Elira looked around at the sparsely decorated drawing room, “don’t you plan to decorate? or ask if your visitor wants a drink? you’re quite a bad host you know.” “I would be if she isn’t fetching one of the most powerful individuals in this continent to meet me.” Azrael leaned back in his chair and gave another deep sigh. Elira’s tail twitched at his statement and asked for details. The man was quite glad to unburden himself about meeting with Serath after they separated at the trader’s area and she learned of The Barrier Master’s apology and warning. “Are you sure he isn’t just messing with you?” Elira didn’t actually think so but she needed to at least try comforting the man. Azrael’s deep frown lessened a bit, “I'm su… you know what, maybe you’re right. Serath's grin at that time is quite blinding.” Elira  ignored his choice of words and further reassured the man, “and even if The Mother of the World does come, it’s not like she’s gonna tie you up and drag you somewhere because you refused.” “Why do people keep saying I refused? I clearly said I’ll think about it!” he ran his hands through his hair as he corrected her. “Well, ‘they’ll think about it’ is usually used as a euphemism for ‘no’.” Elira ignored the man’s hysterics and stood up, “come on, let's take a walk. You need to relax and staying cooped up in your room won’t help with that.” “...” Elira smirked at his silence, “You’ll be harder to find if you’re not here you know?” She decided to bring him to the park at the center of The Bloodied Borough as they just passed by it during their tour. The combination of the red bark, white leaves, and pink flowers of the trees that populated the park were easy on the eyes and they produce a relaxing scent. They were heading to one of the benches when Azrael noticed one of the Flora Orleys watering the trees. “I haven’t seen any of their race before, are they part-humans with plant blessings?” The Fley possessed the same red bark of the trees around them as her skin and clothes, white leaves were stuck to her head that was arranged like hair, and she had pink almond shaped eyes without any irises. Her face and body were shaped like a female human with the difference in the absence of hands and feet; branch-like fingers jutted from her stumped wrists and she had roots growing on her legs for feet. “They are the original inhabitants of this world and they populated Lochley even before the First Age of Unity. They don’t have human blood in them and they are one of the major participants in The Orley War and The Triumvirate War.” Elira patiently explained to Azrael the origins of the other species. The man turned an exasperated look on her, “I don’t know any history from this world Elira.” She ignored the man’s look and continued, “The First Age of Unity was the event that opened up Lochley to the lower worlds. It resulted in The Orley War which was humans against the original residents, followed by The Divided War when the Second Age of Unity happened and brought the part-humans in this world.” Elira paused to see if the man was following and when he absently nodded she decided to summarize the last part, “The Triumvirate War was the last major war before the Great Peace which we have today, any more questions?” Azrael inquired about the Fley instead, “Oh… Do they all look like that? She looks like the trees planted here.” “That’s because she was born here,” Elira shook her head at his question and continued walking as she added some details to her explanation, “Orleys take the form of the environment they were born in. They take up the appearance of the local flora if it was a Fley, local rocks and stones if it was a Ground Orley or Gley, and local corals and sea plants if it was a Water Orley or Wey.” Elira noticed the man’s furrowed brows as they sat in the unused bench, “Don’t worry there are no bird Orleys.” Azrael scoffed at her direction, “I wasn’t even thinking that!” Elira crossed her legs and played with the tips of her braided hair, “What are you thinking so hard about then?” Azrael slouched in the bench beside her, “Do you know the requirements to be invited to the Fallen? You said you were preparing for your application on Thirteens, does the Fallen have something like that?” “Hah, as if. They wouldn’t have only twelve people if they were openly recruiting,” Elira huffed at his question, “why did you ask?” “Just that Theresa told me something before she invited me…” The man trailed off and Elira waited for him to continue but he didn’t. She was about to ask about it when he inquired the reason for her visit, “Why did you want to talk to me again?” “I actually haven’t told you yet,” Elira let the man change the subject as she thought it was none of her business anyway, “I need to know your skills for the team role.” Azrael placed one of his knees on the bench and faced her, “Shouldn’t you have asked that before actually inviting me to the team?” She did the same and rested her elbow on the backrest of the bench, “I had a feeling that you were confident in your skill when you threatened me at top of the cliff.” “I already apologized for that!” His face flushed red at the reminder of his actions, “If you really want to know, I did scout work before and I’m quite good at it. I’m also good with a bow and flying knives.” “Good we still don’t have a scout,” she expected the man to be a ranged fighter and being a scout was a nice bonus, “I’m more of a physical close combatant while William is quite adept at converting unowned energies to boost his own distinct energy for his spells.” Azrael nodded at her, “So he’s a mage… wait, are we a fully offensive team?” “The three of us at least. I asked William to search for our fourth member,”  Elira didn’t know many people outside her clan and Azrael just arrived in the Lochley so she left the recruitment to William. “I’m thinking of a support elemental mage preferably someone adept in earth or water spells,” she stood up from the bench and motioned Azrael to follow with her tail, “you’re free today right?” “Yeah, I don’t really have anything to do yet other than sleep. Why?” He gave her a confused look as he stood up, “are we going shopping again?” She shook her head at the man, “No, I’d like to see you fight so let’s head over to the Merc Hall to get a simple mission. I know you survived two mages and a sneak attack but I’d like to see your skill for myself.” Azrael looked happy at her idea, “Huh, I guess this will be my first mission here then.” Elira got infected with his excitement and grinned at him “Oh, you’re right. Let’s try to find something interesting then,” her smile faltered after that, “although, I doubt there’s one available right now.” They arrived at the Merc Hall after a few minutes and walked past the tavern to the mission area. They were greeted by a man waving both hands above his head and a booming voice that made everyone in the room pause to turn and look. “Elira! Azrael! Here!” “Quiet!” A book went flying from one of the counters to the direction of the screaming man. William saw the projectile and ducked down under the table while screaming at the aggressor, “Ronda! That’s dangerous!” The elven woman behind the counter huffed in the man below the table, “You should stop screaming then, how many times do I have to remind you! Hand my book back to me!” Everyone in the room went back to their business after the screaming match, used to the sudden outburst of the receptionist to the man slowly walking with a book in hand. Elira was also used to the display and headed to the same direction as William with a smile on her face. She reached the counter and interrupted the elf who was reprimanding the man in front of the counter,  “Ronda, how many books have you thrown at William today?” “Just this one and he is acting like a man who lost his whole fortune already,” The elf smiled at her approach and noticed the black-haired man following behind, “and who is this man? He is definitely a step-up to your usual companion.” “Hey! I heard that!” William pointed his fingers at the receptionist who slapped it away with the returned book, “Ow! Stop being violent.” Ronda just sniffed at him, “Then stop pointing at people, and you were meant to hear that.” “This is Azrael,” She introduced the man who was busily observing the room and other people in it, “he’s -- uh, new... but he is a genuine Journeyman and we’re here for a mission.” Ronda held an open palm to Azrael’s direction and asked for his papers, “Identification.” “You guys are gonna do team missions and you didn’t invite me?” William was sulking which made Elira’s eye twitch. “I knew you would be here so I didn’t bother informing you,” she remembered the task given to him and inquired about it,  “any news on the fourth member?” William shook his head and frowned at her, “Nothing really panned out, most people here are already in a team and they didn’t want to join a new one. There are those that doesn't have a team yet but.. Uhh” Elira raised one of her brows at his hesitation, “Just say it.” William scratched his head and answered, “They were kinda afraid of you.” His answer made the black-haired man beside her laugh which he tried to cover with a cough. “Then we don’t need them.” Elira had expected the result and she wasn’t bothered by it. She turned back to Ronda and stated what kind of missions they would like, “Give us a mission suited for three Journeyman that’s close to the city and it should be on the difficult side.” The receptionist browsed the connector in front of her and looked for a mission that would meet their requirement. “Hmm… what about this, an alchemist is in need of a spiked tail gorilla’s manly parts. Other requirements would be the source should be from a fully grown specimen and you need to bring at least three.” Both men at her side froze at the given mission but she smiled at the receptionist that displayed her sharp canines. “Perfect, we’ll take it.” Elira was followed by two mumbling men outside the Merc Hall and they made their way to the stables to look for a ride. She was wearing her adventurer set and weapons when she met up with Azrael but William wasn’t as prepared and had to separate to acquire his supplies. Azrael narrowed his eyes at the other man’s retreating back, “He won’t ditch us, will he?” Elira waved her tail at his concern, “Don’t worry about it, so any questions about the mission?” Azrael tapped his chin with a finger, “Well, I’ll be scouting for the enemy so a description would be nice.” Elira recited their target’s appearance, “They are furred bipedal creatures that have strong and thick limbs; they use their spiked tail as an extra limb for climbing and attacking and they mostly use physical attacks. They possess a strong upper body and they are quick to anger that’s why they usually live and wander alone unless it’s mating season.” She took out a telepath stone and handed it to him, “Here’s yours, we got it for you after you left last shopping trip. Just send your distinct energy through it while thinking of something and it will automatically convert them to thought energy and connect to our own stones.” Azrael turned the stone around his palms and observed it, “These are quite convenient, how much do I owe you?” “Just buy me the next one,” She stopped him from withdrawing money, “they’re consumables so we need to get another after its energy gets depleted. Telepaths would be more convenient and would be harder to intercept but looking for one is difficult.” They arrived at the stables and Elira inquired for the next schedule of the carriage while Azrael asked her another question, “Where exactly are we going? And why are we using beast pulled carriages instead of that hunk of metal we used before?” She found a schedule for the next half hour and registered their names and paid for it, “We’ll be riding a carriage heading to the next city, Towering Cairns, as they will pass the Rolling Slopes where we will find our target. Energy carriages are quite expensive and beast-pulled ones would be more economical in this case.” William arrived around that time, wearing the same leathers as her which was fitted for his body and a metal gauntlet for a weapon. He was also equipped with several straps and belts for easy access to other consumables that he might need. Azrael commented on their equipment, “You guys make quite a pair.” “I know! We hunted these lava bears together and they were quite nasty, one almost burned all my hair off!” William was eager to narrate the source of the leathers but Elira told them that they should make their way to the carriage in case they missed it. The carriage was quite comfortable with only five people occupying it before it departed the city. They shared it with a friendly elf who narrated her whole life with them and a quiet avian which Azrael discreetly avoided. It was an hour and a half later that they disembarked the carriage and were greeted by a tall grey mountain with a thick forest in its base; the trees populating it were impressive but not as much as the trees from the Ends Forest. “I need you to observe how we fight first so that you know when to attack. The creatures in this forest won’t be as dangerous as the one in Ends but they can still pack a punch.” Elira explained some of the monsters they might encounter inside to the newcomer, with William piping up additional information here and there. They entered the forest and it wasn’t long before they encountered their first enemy. It was a giant lizard that had long hind legs, hard green scales, and a row of sharp teeth that were visible as it snarled in their direction. Elira immediately rushed to the creature while withdrawing her katars from the straps on her back. Channeling the soul of  a Shadow Cat, her body burst with speed and she managed to close the distance with the target before it could move to her other party members. The lizard snapped its jaws at the incoming demon but she nimbly dodged it by rolling to one side while a blast of energy hit the side of the creature when it tried to take a bite of Elira. It snarled at the direction of William, rage building up at the pain it received, but Elira made a quick stomp at its direction backed by a strength increasing soul that pushed the lizard off balance. William didn’t miss the chance and gathered the surrounding energies to his fist and then punched it in the direction of the stumbling lizard. The mass of energy sizzled as it hit the scales of the lizard and it made a growling sound of pain. Elira followed up with a jumping stab from her katars, followed by a kick as she used the body of her target as a leverage to jump back in the distance. The lizard was smoking on one side and bleeding on the other but it didn’t plan on going down without a fight; deciding to ignore the long ranged attacks and focus on the nearest enemy.  Eliradidn't panic and easily sidestepped the desperate attacks of the dying lizard, slicing it with her katars to produce more bleeding injuries with William constantly barraging the monster with balls of energy. After a few more seconds of fighting, the lizard went down with a quiet thump. It lay on the forest's floor, struggling for its last breath as it died from too much blood loss. “Basically, I will take the attention of the monster while you guys try to sneak some long range attacks on it and wear it down,” Elira explained to Azrael as she holstered her katar and withdrew a carving knife, “Any of us could have killed the lizard alone but by being smart about it, we get to save our energies for the next fight.” She started pulling the longer teeth of the lizard and deposited them in the pouch hanging on her waist. Azrael nodded at her explanation but he was looking intently on how she dismembered the lizardm for its useful parts. “Are you harvesting it for materials?” Elira remembered the cloak he was wearing and realized she could use the man as the team’s mule. “Can you deposit the whole body of this lizard in your cloak?” Azrael answered her while poking the dead lizard’s body with the toes of his boots, “That would depend on its worth. Putting something as big as this would require a bit of my energy and taking it out again will require the same.” “Wha --, he is a Seeker of Space?!” William was pointing at Azrael with his finger while directing the question at her. Elira threw one of the lizard’s claw at William, “Stop pointing at people, and he is a Weaver of Space not just a Seeker.” He stared wide eyed at Azrael, who chose to ignore the attention he was getting from the other man, “I think I’ve been called that before, what does it mean?” “Seekers of Space can affect the threads of dimensions but only at the extent of their own personal bubble,” Elira raised her brow at the man as she thought he would know about it, “Weavers of Space can affect the threads of dimensions outside their own bubble and use the unowned energies in the surrounding instead.” Azrael nodded in her explanation, “We didn’t have those terms back home but I understand the difference.” “I can’t imagine him as a Weaver of Space, doesn’t opening one outside the personal bubble require huge amounts of distinct energy?” William was still observing the other man, “I don’t mean to be rude but your distinct energy amount sucks, even mine is bigger.” “Oh, I use life energy instead of distinct energy,” was Azrael’s off-handed reply. “You use your life span as an energy source?!” Elira screamed at the man, she knew he wasn’t using distinct energy to open the dimensional cracks but she didn’t expect him to use his life energy. Azrael was confused about their reaction and nodded at them. “Are you insane? Do you want to die?!” Elira couldn’t believe the man was acting like he was throwing leftover crumbs and not his own lifespan. “Oh, as long as I don’t overuse it I’ll be fine since I can regenerate it easily if I use it in small amounts.” he was smiling at them like he didn’t say something that would make anyone drop their jaws in shock. Azrael, as it turns out, was an Ageless Immortal.   End of Chapter 12 Energies of the Wesh Distinct Energy One’s unique energy produced by their own body. (Think Mana) All distinct energies are owned energies, but not all owned energies are distinct energies. Can have several properties that would boost certain affinity towards another type of energy. Personal Bubble A term used to indicate the reach of one’s own distinct energy outside the body. (Think a bubble surrounding the person’s body)(Think Personal Space) Owned Energy Energies that are in possession of someone and cannot be used by others according to the rules of energies. Rules of Energies The first rule of energy states that no one can take hold of an owned energy and must be pierced or moved from the outside first if one wants to invade/attack it. (Think personal space) Example: One cannot produce a fire inside his opponent's body as it would violate the rule. Instead, one needs to make a fire outside the opponent’s personal bubble and throw it at his target if he wants to burn the man with his fire. There are always exceptions to the rules but they are very rare anomalies. Elemental Energy Energy that can be found in the atmosphere of Lochley and is the main type of energy that one absorb and uses for their own elemental spells. They are considered unowned energies until someone actually takes hold of them and convert them into owned energy. Life Energy One’s own lifespan. Life energy increases as one’s own distinct energy increases but deteriorates throughout one’s life. Thought/Mind Energy Energy that’s naturally emitted by all living things. It would require a special constitution or training to actually understand and use them for different purposes. Telepath uses them to communicate with their team members. Special Energies Energies that doesn’t fall under normal categories and is commonly used by unique constitution holders. Example: Phasol’ Constitution which allows them to understand and harness Soul Energy.   Ageless Immortal A title given to someone who possesses a constitution that allows them to regenerate life energy. They can still die from injuries and overuse of life energy but they don’t normally age and could live a very long life if left to their own devices. Elemental Mage A known classification of mage who uses elemental energies either by converting their distinct energy into elemental energy, and/or using the surrounding elemental energies as a source for their spells.  

William Benioff - Towering Cairns William was being avoided.  He hated the feeling of being unwanted and right now, his demon friend was trying to avoid him. He looked for her t after the excursion with the Wesh Enthusiast but she wasn’t in her own house and she didn’t reply in any of his messages. At first, he thought something bad might have happened but a quick question around the Merc Hall brought news about sightings of his demon friend -- with The Barrier Master. He didn’t know how to feel when he heard the news, he didn’t want Elira being close to the man but he also didn’t want his idol to be close to Elira. If anyone asked him what he wanted, he would answer that he wanted to be with both of them at the same time. William reassured himself that it was for the best he wasn’t invited, he was still recovering from his previous behavior in front of the celebrity after all. He decided to wait for Elira to finish her business and ask about her relationship with The Barrier Master over dinner. The demon was unperturbed about his presence in front of her house and accepted his invitation for dinner, murmuring about being ditched for other’s company. They went to a nearby restaurant and were seated immediately after entering. Elira started perusing the menu, “So, why are you hanging around in front of my house like some sort of stalker?” “I wouldn’t be there if you answered any of my messages,” he had been standing in front of her house for a while and was hungry so he also started browsing the menu, “where were you today?” “Sorry about that... I was tired and I had to tour someone,” Elira placed her menu down and flagged the waiter. “Hey! I’m not done deciding yet,” he wasn’t fond of hovering waiters so he tried swatting the demon’s raised hand. However, Elira ignored his complaints, “Just order anything you want, it’s my treat today.” “You do know I can actually pay for my own food?” William was thankful for his friend’s help whenever he had troubles with money but that didn’t mean he liked depending on the demon. “It’s my apology for ignoring you, and someone treated me to a meal today despite my objections,” Elira justified her behavior and it surprised him that she let someone else pay for her meal. He knew the demon was proud and stubborn; that even after he got lucky with some missions and tried repaying some of her kindness, she always found some sort of excuse to decline his good intentions. “Stop staring at me like that," Elira rolled her eyes at him, "he didn’t play fair and stole the bill after he distracted me.” She started ordering his favorite foods and the waiter left after that. The demon discussed her tour with the traveler and he didn’t miss the demon’s darting eyes when asked about the said man, instead, he was given a vague description and assurances of possibility in meeting the man soon. Serath’s presence during the tour was also because of the traveler and learning as much eased his heavy heart. He still wanted to be with them, though. Another problem popped up the day after. He was called by the City Watch about a group of people found dead in the slums but he didn’t know anyone from there; the orphanage he grew up in was in a more reputable part of the city and he also made sure not to wander in the area. William’s heart dropped at the sight of the dead elf and dwarf lying on top of a table in the city’s morgue. He didn’t remember their names but he remembered how generous they were with drinks and how they tried to cheer him up with his worries. “You knew the two of them?” One of the investigators saw his expression and inquired. He mechanically nodded with eyes still stuck on the lifeless bodies, “just for a few hours… they treated me to drinks the other day.” “Must have been one good drinking session since the two left their belongings to you,” the other man gestured at two wooden weapons resting on a weapon shelf. After answering routine questions, they released him with two good weapons in hand and told him to stay out of trouble. William inquired of what they planned to do with the bodies and he offered to pay for a proper burial for his benefactors, that earned him weird and suspicious looks but they agreed to wait for his payment. He knew that the party fought someone in the slums and lost, the elf's punctured body and the dwarf's stitched head were enough proof for it. They were probably not good and upstanding people but they were kind enough to ease his worries; he’d feel bad using their weapons for his own gains so he decided to at least give their bodies a proper burial. William also met Azrael that day and he couldn’t determine yet if the man was another problem; the black haired man was attractive enough but he was also very weird. The man loved black; all parts of his apparel were in the same lifeless color, even the hooded cloak he refused to remove inside a sheltered building. He also had a funny expression after he announced his decision about his benefactor’s bodies -- like he had a deep philosophical thought over basic decency and good will. “What’s wrong with him?” he asked the demon after the other man left. “Nothing. He isn’t from around here so probably just culture shocked,” Elira changed the subject, “what do you think of him as a teammate?” William shrugged at her question, “he’s a bit weird but you picked him so he must be good in a fight.” His comment turned out to be a serious understatement as a few days later, he found out that the man was a Weaver of Space, an Ageless Immortal, and very very unstable. They settled in one of the more reputable inns at the Towering Cairns and the episode the man had at the carriage resulted in a late night visit to his room by a demon. His heart skipped a beat the sight of Elira in casual clothes, blue hair wet from recent bath, and standing outside his room with a familiar connector under her arms. However, her first sentence made him groan and slashed his hopes apart. “We need to talk.” William hesitated before opening his door in full and gestured at the demon to enter, “Is this about Azrael?” Elira walked into his room and placed the connector she was carrying atop the table and settled herself at one of the chairs beside it, “Yes, I need to tell you something about him.” “You two are in a relationship aren’t you,” he narrowed her eyes at the seated woman, and gasped as a thought invaded his mind, “you’re carrying his child aren’t you?!” The demon didn’t even change her expression at his declaration and rebuked him for his errant thoughts, “Stop spouting nonsense, this is about his origins.” William remained standing and rested his back on the closed door, “If you wanted to tell me that he is the traveler you guys fetched at the Ends Forest then save your breath, I already figured out that part of the happenings in the Rolling Slopes.” That earned him a raised brow from the demon, “Good. Then the following discussion should be quick, he was the one who got attacked by your benefactors.” William almost lost his balance and his blood ran cold at the implications the demon’s statement brought. He slowly made his way through the room and slumped himself at the edge of the bed, pushing the palms of his hands on his eyes as he tried to calm himself down. He felt the demon leave her chair, followed by the sound of a glass being filled with water. “Come on, drink up.” William removed the pressure from his eyes and accepted the water from the demon but remained looking down at his feet; trying to avoid looking at Elira's eyes. “Does he blame me?” he winced at the sound of his hoarse voice and drank the glass of water to clear his throat. “Don’t worry, he doesn’t hate you for sponsoring the burial for his attackers,” she sat back down to the chair and crossed her legs, “he was probably confused but mo--” “NO!” he was as surprised as the demon at his outburst and he took a deep breath before continuing, “not about that… I-I think -- I’m the one that informed them of his arrival.” He spoke the last part of his sentence in one breath and he felt the demon tense in her seat. He waited for the accusation to come but the demon stayed silent and she had her hand on her chin when he risked a glance at her. William was about to suffocate in guilt and silence when his friend stated her opinion about the matter, “I think it wouldn’t have mattered.” The demon didn’t give him a chance to interrupt as she continued with her explanation, “Mr. Gerund said that the mission wasn’t confidential and the one aiming for him would definitely know about the details already, so don’t beat yourself up over it.” William wasn’t reassured but knowing that the demon didn’t judge him for his mistake and stupidity eased some of the burden in his heart. He silently nodded at the wall, still too afraid to look Elira in the eyes. The demon sighed and stood up from her chair, “Look, don’t worry too much about it okay? Just make sure you don’t carelessly hand over his information to strangers again.” Elira handed the connector to him as she left the room and told him she borrowed it from Azrael so he could unwind with his favorite past time. The thought of how she predicted his reaction about the news made him smile and he settled himself in front of it. He appreciated how fast the connector started and he logged in to his account, thankful that the Towering Cairn had just installed a new connector tower.   Logging in… Welcome, Willovah! Subscriptions: - Idol Newsletter [Hourly] The Bloodied Queen has a Bloodied Twin? [Hourly] VI The Dimensional Witch’s wardrobe malfunction! [Hourly] Unhappy with your energy size? Enlarge them in five easy steps! [Weekly] The Crown Princess comments about The Barrier Master’s new ‘housemate’! (+7 Unread) + Meshiere Weather Forecast + The Fate Holder’s Fortune Reading - Meshiere Newsletter Thirteens finalized the deal regarding The Innovator’s latest airship Unknown Assailants annihilated by The Cosmic King [warning: gore images] Thirteens’ and other major guild’s manpower distribution for the upcoming Surging Tides [updated] Thirteens’ annual recruitment locations [updated] (+4 Unread) - Lochley Newsletter Surging Tides Preparation Guide by Mercenary Hall [pinned] Wesh Root’s Unusual Activity by the Wesh Enthusiast Trader's Association’s upcoming goods you ought to get! (+2 Unread) + Inbox Messages (7) + Chat Groups (133) + Saved Threads + Settings + Log out William browsed for a bit before closing the connector, too stressed about the recent discussion to actually enjoy his pastime. He decided to sleep it off and try to be productive the next day to keep himself busy. He was gorging on his breakfast when Elira found him in the inn’s dining area. William handed the connector back to the demon and wisely ignored the raised eyebrow at him. “I’ll look for our fourth member, go tour Azrael in the Towering Cairns... or something,” he said in between bites and added as an afterthought, “and try to get him in other colors, he looks too suspicious in all black.” Elira seated herself at the table and waved the waiter for her breakfast, “Okay, but you can’t avoid him forever.” William gave the demon a full smile, “Don’t worry I won’t... besides, I like his face too much to avoid him for too long.” She rolled her eyes at him, “You like every attractive face so I’m not surprised.” “Hah! So you do find him attra-- Hey!” William accused with a point of his finger but the demon tried to bite his finger off so he pulled it back to his chest and gave her a narrowed glare. “Don’t test my patience so early in the morning,” she warned him by pointing her tail in his direction. The breakfast remained silent after that and William said his goodbyes to the demon after finishing his own meal. He still wasn’t prepared to face Azrael so he decided to make his escape before the black haired man went down for breakfast. It wasn’t his first time in the city so he didn’t meander around and headed straight to the Merc Hall. It was close to the stone walled inn where they stayed the night so he arrived in the bustling building a few minutes later. The Hall was full of mercenaries rushing to begin their day with a mission, eager to start early and hoping to finish them before nightfall. Most of the missions being obtained at this time were the routine extermination and gathering quests, where local mercs help in managing the population of the monsters nearby and in picking up common materials that were used in the city. William waited for the rush to subside, not wanting to trouble the people who relied on such missions for a living. Once the counters weren’t swamped anymore, he approached the one who handled team registrations and missions. “Hey Ecco,” he waved at the smiling receptionist, “not bad for the morning rush, huh?” “Will, this counter is for team missions,” the man politely reminded him, “unless you and Elira finally started one?” “Yep, should have three names registered already,” he rested his arms and elbows on the counter and slouched his body in front of it, “I’m looking for the fourth one, anyone you can recommend?” “Familiarity and synergy are important in a team,” the man fixed his glasses and started operating his connector, “you should be looking for a person in your city of operation, why here?” William scratched his head, “Uhh... you know how Elira has some kind of ‘reputation’ in The Bloodied Borough...” “A reputation that’s also well known here,” Ecco gave him another polite smile, “a fierce demon who eats the souls of her enemies.” His mouth curled down at the receptionist, “which isn’t true… well, she’s definitely fierce but her constitution doesn’t work like that.” “You know there aren’t many constitution holders in our backwater cities,” Ecco laughed at his offended frown, “people should be rushing to be part of your team but they prefer to believe in dubious rumors.” “Ugh, I warned her to let the insults pass...” he rubbed his face with his hands to stop his rant, “just find me someone, okay?” The receptionist went back to his connector, “Requirements?” William tried to remember Elira’s demands for their teammate, “a short or mid ranged fighter with an affinity in ground energy or someone able to transmute their energy with earth property.” “We’re also planning on taking missions difficult for our rank so someone capable and willing to do those kinds of missions,” he continued with his other requirements and added a compromise, “if you can’t find someone then water energy will do too.” “Makes sense, the two of you are already pretty strong for Journeymen anyway,” the receptionist nodded at his requests, “anything else?” “Someone unattractive, or at least someone less attractive than me,” he added shamelessly that earned him a condescending look from the other man. “Dare I ask, why?” “Our third member is already pretty close to Elira despite their short acquaintance, they seem to have bonded over something -- it’s ridiculous,” William tapped his fingers on the marble counter, “now, I don’t mind it if they get together, just that if they plan to have a third party I hope they would choose me.” He straightened his back, puffed out his chest, and declared righteously,  “I can’t have our fourth member bumping me down the queue so…” “You’re hopeless…” Ecco lifted his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, “strangely enough, I have the perfect candidate for you... he won’t mind Elira’s reputation either.” “Really?!” William closed his face and the other man backed off at the sudden invasion of personal space, “Wait… he won’t be someone weird right? Actually no, scratch that… he can’t be any weirder than our third member.” “He won’t be weirder than you, that’s for sure…” the receptionist mumbled under his breath and retrieved the information from his connector. “Journeyman rank-3, ground elemental energy specialist. He left his contact address here,” the receptionist gave him a piece of paper with an address in it, “I’ll send him a message through connector so he knows that you’re dropping by.” “I’m not familiar with the address written here,” William scratched his head and asked for directions, “any good landmarks I could find?” “Just make your way to the Blue Cairn and ask the residents there for that address.”  Ecco sent him away with the piece of paper and a ‘go find out for yourself’ when he tried acquiring more information about the suggested man. He left the building and browsed the sky for a bluestone tower; he could see it in the far distance and with a deep sigh, prepared himself for a long walk throughout the city. William was starting to figure out the identity of their mysterious fourth member, the sudden decrease in foot traffic of humans and part-humans in the streets clueing him in. He was a hundred percent sure when he arrived at the Orley settlement built around the Blue Cairn. Ground Orley, a ground elemental specialist that no human would find attractive. William couldn’t help but chuckle at Ecco’s perfect suggestion for a teammate. He didn’t know if the non-humans knew how to fight as there wasn't a mercenary Orley in The Bloodied Borough; they seemed so peaceful, just watering plants and helping to manage the structures of the city whenever he saw them. He was expecting curious stares in the settlement but he was ignored by the non-humans who continued their tasks; talking to each other in their own language, walking with a destination in mind, doing chores, and other mundane jobs you would normally see in a human residential area.  William didn’t know how to navigate through the settlement so he resolved himself in asking one of the rock-skinned people kneeling silently on the ground. “They are resting. Can we help you?” A high pitched voice interrupted him as he was about to reach the gley. He turned around and saw the source, a brown-barked fley with long green leaves as her hair. “Sorry... I didn’t know,” he apologized and tried handing out the piece of paper to the fley, “could you… give me directions to this address, please?” The fley’s green eyes glanced at the paper and with a simple ‘follow us’, turned around and walked away from him. He followed along the plant-woman, observing the different houses shaped like a mound but he couldn’t detect any differences between them. They stopped in one of the identical mounds, the fley just pointing at it with her stumped wrists before leaving him alone. William stared at the wooden door and decided to finish his business early, hoping that he wasn’t overstepping some sort of Orley tradition that would end with him crushed between boulders. He was about to knock when the door opened by itself, a towering rock-skinned man appearing behind it. The gley was a head taller than him, with hoofs instead of feet and legs slightly bent at the knee. His whole body was covered in dark colored rocks that fit around his body like puzzle pieces, a face with two bright colored rock for eyes and large underbite jaw that seemed detachable from his head. “Will. Come in.” A gravelly voice was heard coming from the gley despite its unmoving jaw. “Heard about you. We are Drukvu.” William entered the rock covered mound and was surprised at the cleanliness of the place. He was expecting soil and mud inside the house but the smooth and marbled floors shattered his prejudices against the non-humans. However, the lack of furniture and other household items were expected, with only a counter built on one side of the wall and a connector sitting atop of it. “We are sorry. Not human friendly. Sit on floor.” Drukvu folded his legs forward and kneeled on the smooth floor and waited for William to do the same. He decided to spare his knees and sat comfortably in a crossed legged position not far from the gley. They stared at each other for a minute before William got tired of waiting for the other man to speak. He went straight to the point, “We’re looking for our fourth member for a Journeyman Team and I heard you might be interested.” “Yes. If you will take Orley.” The gley’s gravelly voice sounded again and he wondered how could the man speak without moving its jaws. “Oh, don’t worry about that,” William waved his hands in dismissal at Drukvu, “though, I’d need to know how good you are in earth element abilities.” “Gley are best. Ground Elemental Spells.” the stone man’s face didn’t change but he could hear a hint of pride from its statement. William stood up and waved for the gley to follow him outside but Drukvu remained sitting and was looking at him with a tilted head. “Well... we need to test that, don’t we?” William puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips. “Let’s fight.”   End of Chapter 14  

Elira Phasol: The Ends Forest   Daggers pointed at you from several dimensional cracks was not the sort of welcome Elira had expected when she ascended the cliff. When Gerund told them that there was a possibility of the traveler from being a completely new world, she had expected a new race and unfamiliar features. However, what greeted her at the top was just a man, with basic human features and was all sorts of black: tailored short black hair, pristine onyx eyes on his well-structured face, a deep black coat covering his entire body that looked so unnatural as it barely reflects any light. The only thing that was not black was the pale skin on his face that gave sharp contrast on his black motif. Their journey towards the cliff had been eventful at its first half. After Serath obliterated the Snake-charmer flower, he proceeded to do the same to every other creature they encountered. Giant furry rodents, sharp-fanged carnivores, weird man-eater plants; all turned into paste under Serath’s two-handed war hammer. It seemed that all the barrier he needed was something to prevent the blood and guts from touching his ever clean robe. William had told her that The Barrier Master was a bonafide Guardian like her Gigi. She didn't know if it was accurate so she asked Serath to see if their information was correct. “I am indeed a 5 star rank 2 mercenary as I have been quite active on doing difficult missions and the requests for my defensive formations were well sought by major cities and that helped me fulfill the requirements.” Serath politely answered her question as his Lochley Rank was no secret. Gerund had something to say about the rankings though. “Bah, rankings schmankings. It’s more of a gauge of experience than a real power ranking. There are strong Adepts that could kill Imperators like a cattle on a chopping block, like me! Hahahaha!” Serath nodded in agreement with the opinion of the older man, “What Mr Gerund said is true. Although I’m on the 2nd highest rank, I am still unable to contend with some of my guildmates who have lower rankings. Yomire, for example, is probably as strong as me despite being an Imperator but she’s too busy reading books all day to complete missions.” ‘Yomire, The Storyteller. William said that her enchantments are top class but she only accepts requests if you could pay her with a very rare book and she doesn’t accept any other payment.’ “Pft, yeah right. The only reason Yomire could kick your ass is that I’d help her if you two ever get in a fight.” Theresa suddenly popped out of nowhere and mocked Serath who just smiled at the woman.  Gerund piped up at Theresa’s sudden appearance, “Ah, Theresa. Now here’s a fine example of a person too strong for her rank. Not even the two most powerful mercenary in Lochley, favoured by gods, would want to get on her bad side.”  Elira wanted to hear more but Theresa refused to clarify. "I found our traveler camping on the cliff; he seemed to have detected your energy outbursts and decided to observe.” She turned around after giving her piece and went to the direction of the cliff. Theresa had scouted ahead of them to find the traveler but Elira didn’t notice when the woman left their party. The last time she remembered seeing the golden robed woman was before they entered the forest. They made it to the base of the cliff without encountering any creatures and the demon silently wondered if it’s because they got too afraid of Serath or if Theresa had a hand in it. She’s partial on the latter being the truth though. The cliff was tall and she dreaded the climb but Gerund constructed stairs on the side of it using ground elemental energy which seemed to be his expertise. They happily chatted when climbing up and only went back to silence when they were about to reach the top. Elira watched as Serath reach the end of the stairs with Gerund excitedly following behind. It was finally her turn and curious eyes which rapidly turned to a sharp glare of hatred greeted her, followed by the cracking of air around the traveler, spinning daggers peeking out of them.  She sneered reflexively at the man and was about to whip her tail to the ground as a sign of aggression when Theresa’s voice resounded in her mind.  ‘Do not agitate him further, don’t worry he won’t attack you’ Elira just rolled her eyes at the still-glaring man and said offhandedly, “Of course, the traveler would be a demon hating man. What did I expect?”. The man started speaking in an unfamiliar tongue and she could feel the warning in his tone. Serath seemed unperturbed and just calmly replied with the same language. “Ost! He is from Ost!” Gerund seemed more excited than ever and was beaming beside her. She raised her eyebrows and asked, “Where is that? I thought he would be from an undocumented world?” “There had been only 1 recorded person from Ost and it was a very long time ago. She was the one who brought the concept of possibility in using energies to affect the weave of time and space! She managed to help the people of this world develop the very first-dimensional skill and her inheritances are the most powerful time and space artifacts currently in this world!” Gerund was babbling now and the traveler seemed oblivious to the ruckus he was making. The traveler had removed his floating weapons and was warily closing the distance on them, focused only on his conversation with Serath. Elira wondered how they managed to quickly calm the man when she noticed the blindfolded woman silently standing, facing the two conversing figures.  'Theresa is affecting the mind of the traveler!'  The sudden realization made her gasp in shock. Gerund thought that the reaction was for him and continued on his rambling. “He could bring about new revolutions on this world! Can you see his cloak? The thing seems to be made entirely from a thread of space -- that’s insane! He is also likely to be a part of nobility while the last Ost traveler was just a commoner…” Elira just mechanically nodded at the barrage of information Gerund was happily providing but her thoughts were analyzing Theresa's abilities.  ‘She might not be controlling his mind… It seems she’s planting thoughts or suggestion and diverting the traveler’s mind from our conversation at the same time.’ Judging from Theresa’s previous report outside the forest, she could also see the memories of the creatures living in it. Elira had a difficult time remembering the information despite being confident about her own good memory. This proved her theory that everything Theresa says or do would be forgotten if not actively remembered. Telepath skills are pretty common but they could only send messages to other people’s mind and receive thoughts that are specifically directed at them. They should not be able to subtly affect the mind of other people as their voice are very distinct and the receiver would clearly know that the thought was from a telepath. A sudden explosion of papers brought Elira out of her reverie and she watched in amazement at the event unfolding in front of her. Everyone seemed to be entranced as the pages danced around the traveler; they formed twirling formations that slowly disintegrated to lights that disappeared into the man at the center. “Thank you.” Words of gratitude were the first thing Elira understood from the man. He had a quiet and gentle voice but he had the same accent as Serath, probably because the knowledge of the language came from him. He sounded and looked young so she guessed that he is in the same age bracket as her. Serath’s subtle glance at Theresa was not lost to her when Azrael presented the ring; The Barrier Master was asking her if she implanted a thought of gratitude to the man and her shaking head seemed to placate Serath before he graciously accepted the ring with a jibe. Elira learned of Azrael’s name after Serath introduced him to their resident Wesh Enthusiast and she was surprised at the other things she learned from the aggressive interrogation of the old man. ‘Seems nobles have their fair share of problems. Thankfully my family didn’t dip their fingers into clan politics.’ Azrael was looking quite uncomfortable at the continued barrage of questions so she decided to offer goodwill to him -- by insulting his cooking. A look of surprise surfaced to his face before rushing back to the cauldron and kneeled in front of it; genuinely sad at the now-ruined lunch. Gerund actually ran after the man and tried to taste the burned meal but Azrael was having none of it as he tried to pull the man away from the cauldron. Gerund grabbed one of the handles and gripped it so hard his veins started to show, “A meal from Ost! I’m going to taste it even if it’s just ashes!” Azrael was grabbing the other end with a flushed face and screamed at the other man, “Are you insane? Are all people from this world insane? Actually, don’t answer that I don’t want to know… Burning Beaks! Stop! I’ll cook you another one!” The tug of war for the cauldron stopped when it disappeared under Azrael’s unnaturally black cloak. Another one appeared a few moments later and the man started dropping all sorts of ingredients at it. He seemed to be pulling things out of nowhere and he even pulled several balls of waters enclosed in some sort of transparent bubble. Gerund tried grabbing one before it could be added in the meal so Azrael threw a ball of water at him. The projectile hit Gerund straight in the face but he didn’t look affronted and just tried to lick the waters on his face. Azrael was dumbfounded at the shameless behaviour man and his body started to shake trying to stop his laughter. Serath didn't have the same inhibitions and laughed openly at Gerund. After his laughter subsided, he went closer to the cauldron to inspect its contents and asked the newcomer about his plans on it. “You are not under any obligation to cook for us Mr Azrael, though I’m quite curious to what you are making.” “Uh.. sou..tew?” Azrael’s face turned a shade of red at his unsure answer. Serath’s brow’s furrowed as he tilted his head in confusion at his reply, “Soutew? Hmm.. it is possible that the word was not properly translated and that there is no word in Lochley’s language for your meal.”  Elira shook her head in exasperation at Azrael's enthusiastic nodding. She decided to test the waters and slowly made her way near the two. Azrael tensed but surprised her with an apologetic smile as he offered genuine regret on his previous action. “Sorry about earlier. I kinda freaked out like a startled bird back there. I kinda forgot that I’m in a new world and I shouldn’t let my previous prejudices affect me. I’m Azrael by the way.” He had bashful smile on his face as he made his apologies. “No worries, I’m used to those kinds of reaction. I’m Elira.” She offered her hand for a handshake but Azrael just stared at it. “Unfortunately, our traditions were not transferred with the language. Elira, if you please.” Serath offered his hand at her and she flushed red at the notion of a handshake with a prince. Azrael curiously watched their exchange and finally took the hand after she offered it to him again. He was so stiff at doing the gesture that a light laugh subconsciously escaped from her lips that made his blood rush to his cheeks. The man was quite beautiful and she found his shyness endearing. She silently grieved for all womankind at the loss of a good fish in the sea to other predators and several plans formed in her mind on how to keep William away from the Azrael. “The introductions are nice and all but can I get my turn now?” Theresa interrupted them with arms crossed over her chest, one hip tilted, and a raised eyebrow above her blindfolded eyes. She offered a hand to Azrael which he hesitantly took. Her introduction was straight to the point and so was her demands. “Call me Theresa. It’s nice to meet you, did you bring books?” The recipient of the introduction-slash-demand had a look of confusion as he answered. “Uh.. yes?” “Good, then are you willing to part with them for Lochley Currency? Don’t worry, I promise I won’t cheat you.” A predatory smile decorated her lips that contrasted her earlier statement. Elira wondered why Theresa would want books but chided herself for not doing the same once she realized that they were for Yomire. Serath tried to stop her aggressive behaviour but she cut him off before he could complete his sentence. “Theresa, I don’t think it’s --” “Shut up Serath. You know very well I only accepted this mission for the chance of acquiring books.” An expressionless face turned to him as she justified her rude behaviour. Elira was amazed at Theresa’s harsh rebuke, ‘Did she just told a prince to shut up? I think she’s growing on me.’ He just sighed and tried to compromise, “Then at least let me conduct the inquiry, Mr Azrael is already slowly moving away from your antics.” “Fine. Just make sure they’re good ones.” She moved over to Gerund who was quietly eating in front of the cauldron wearing a scrunched face. Serath made amends to startled man. “Mr. Azrael, please forgive our companion as she tends to get aggressive whenever Yomire is involved. We would indeed be grateful if you could trade or lend some books to us.” Gerund hurriedly came over to them as Azrael started taking out the books. History books, lores, children stories, cooking books, and other miscellaneous books appeared that made Elira wonder if Azrael had a library inside his cloak. They decided to do the deal back in the city in which Theresa grudgingly agreed because of the sheer number of volumes. Elira had a question for them though, "Those are a lot of books, but can Yomire read them?" "Of course my Yomire can read them." Theresa scoffed at her but Serath gave a more detailed answer. "Yomire would probably be the only person in this world who is as adept as those with my bloodline regarding languages. Her thirst for books and stories require her to be knowledgeable in this field." Gerund also piped up an answer, "She possesses most of the first Ost traveller's books. Though it isn't as much as what our friend here offers." The deal continued and resulted with Azrael acquiring the floor below of where Serath was staying as part of the payment for the books. During the flurry of conversation, Elira also got the job of touring the newcomer to The Bloodied Borough and helping him register at the Merc Hall. She couldn’t feel much distinct energy on Azrael but his previous actions told her that he’s quite confident in his combat skills. Gerund asked Azrael on the location of the Wesh Root and made a stair towards it on the other side of the cliff. They all followed him but she was dismayed on how ordinary the thing looked.  It was just a rock now and Gerund explained that the Root's energy had been depleted and it will no longer work. They noticed the dried blood scattered on the smooth floors and its previous occupant just stated ‘accident’. Everyone else raised their eyebrows at that but didn’t inquire any further. Elira watched Azrael's solemn expression as he turned one last look at the remains of the open fire and boundless sea on the horizon. It was already dark when they made their way back to the carriage with Azrael muttering about creepy faced trees and the lack of encounter with the forest's inhabitants. “By the way, what’s up with the clouds? Is that the reason why I didn’t see any birds in the forest?” Azrael asked as they reached the edge of the forest. Theresa was the one who answered his inquiry, “Yes. A Dragon made the clouds of End’s Forest as its home. She's pretty territorial in her airspace and kills all flying creatures that come to the cloud's vicinity.” “Broken Eggs! There’s a Dragon in there?!” Elira didn’t know what the connection of broken eggs with a Dragon but Azrael looked extremely surprised. Theresa suddenly laughed aloud as if she just remembered something really funny. “Yes. So tell me, Azrael… How does it feel to be rescued by a prince from a Dragon’s Lair?”     End of Chapter 7 Lochley's Mercenary Standard: Neophyte - 1 star, ranks 1-5 Journeyman - 2 star, ranks 1-5 Elira rank 1, William rank 1 Adept - 3 star, ranks 1-5 Gerund (The Wesh Enthusiast) rank 5 Imperator - 4 star, ranks 1-5 Yomire (The Storyteller) rank 3 Saint - 5 star rank S Guardian - 5 star rank SS Serath (The Barrier Master) Elira's Grandmother Divine - 5 star rank SSS Unknown Rankings (mentioned characters) Theresa, Azrael, Vienna, Balrow, Jasmine (The Bloodied Queen), Mary (The Innovator) Named Groups: Fallen, Thirteens, Traders Named Races: Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Demons, Drakes, Avians Named Sentient Species: Orleys, Dragons

Elira Phasol: The Bloodied Borough "Ah, you must be Elira, of the Phasol Family. Welcome, welcome!" A human with a wrinkled face, framed by a rugged beard of a lighter color than his bright red hair, greeted her as she stepped into the room. "And you brought a friend! Wonderful! Please make yourselves comfortable. Serath, be a dear and request for another chair from the Guild Hall for our friend here." the middle-aged looking man added as he saw William following behind her. Gerund, Elira assumed, was sitting in one of the four chairs around a circular wooden table and he looked as unassuming as the wooden table in front of him. He directed his request at the other man sitting beside him, who looked so out of place in the guild's ordinary room. Serath's royal blood was quite obvious: at his bearing, clothing, and appearance. He was wearing a deep ocean blue coat; lined with subdued, but elegant, black lines that hugged his well-built body. 'Enchanted Robe, and not simple enchantments either'; Elira enviously thought as she continued to observe the man as he stood. The coat extended to his feet, the upper part closed over the collared shirt he was wearing underneath but opened below the waist down to his boots. 'Even the boots are enchanted,' Elira silently added in her thoughts.  Serath's features were all human from what she could see: black hair that shined blue when hit by the light,  fine and symmetrical bone structure that elves and demons would be envious of, eyes with the same color of  his coat. It shined with gentle amusement, partnered with a polite smile that decorated his lips. It was directed at both Elira and William. 'Damnation, I was staring.' She glanced at her friend to see how he fared and -- William was ogling, only lacking a drool on his open mouth for it to be considered improper. Serath seemed unperturbed and just greeted them with a polite smile."Ms Phasol and?" She elbowed William so he could answer and stop his ogling and close his mouth. "Uhh.. W-William! William Benioff... b-but you can call me Will." He suddenly widened his eyes "No! I-I wasn't commanding you or anything, you.. you could just call me whatever you want! You can even call m----" Elira elbowed him again, harder this time, before he dug his own grave. To his credit, Serath just continued with his introduction and ignored their antics. She thought that the man was probably used to people like William. "Ms Phasol and Mr Will, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, I am Serath Meshiere. Please use the seat I just vacated and the other chair beside it for your comfort." He went out after that, presumably to get another chair. William rushed to the chair that Serath just evacuated, claiming possession of it with a big smile on his face. He would probably urinate on it to mark his territory if it weren't for the other two people in the room. Two? Gerund just laughed good-naturedly at William's too-honest reactions. Elira continued observing the room as she made her way to the chair beside William. The room was decorated simply: with cream colored curtains designed with orange embroidery, soft brown carpet that covered the entire floor, an unlit fireplace at the other end of the room, a detailed painting of a winged horse hung on the red brick walls, and the table with its occupants near the fireplace. She promptly seated after arriving at the table and explained his friend's presence. "Good day Mr Gerund, this is my friend Will and he just accompanied me to the hall because he wanted to meet Serath." Elira stated honestly that made William's eyes go wide with embarrassment. Gerund cackled at that, "Hahahaha, such an honest fellow. Don't worry child, most people reacted the same after first being introduced to him; he is quite used to that. Now, let me brief you on our mission -- No child, don't stand up, the mission is not confidential so you can listen to the details." He stopped William from saying his goodbyes and just continued with the explanation. "My subordinates and I detected a Wesh Root energy signature in the direction of the End Forest a few weeks ago. According to our estimation, it had been activated for a month already and the energy was powerful enough to indicate that someone, or something, made a dimensional jump towards this world. As you both know, World Travelers are rare in this world outside the Age of Unity. There are some World Travelers here and there outside of it but they are scheduled, noted, and known." He stopped and drank the cooling tea in the table before he continued. "This jump, however, were not any of the three and the Wesh Root in the End Forest was undocumented. It's very possible that the traveler would be from a completely new world, a world that we have not made contact with before, and I intend to meet the traveler. Do the two of you have any questions so far?" Gerund asked us just in time for the sudden question that she had. "If it had been a month already, how would you guys know if the person, or thing, would still be there?" Elira asked with curiosity in her voice. Serath arrived at this time with the procured chair and just silently brought it beside the other chair and sat. She was surprised that he carried his own chair, she assumed someone would bring it for him after the inquiry. Gerund just glanced at him before he answered my question. "Ah, a good question! You see, the energy we detected had been quite massive, meaning that jump made was quite the distance away from our world. Although world jumps are not dangerous in itself, it can still be quite exhausting. The traveler would probably camp a few days in the End Cliffs if the exact location of the Wesh Root from our calculations are to be believed." He paused while looking at Elira, urging her to speak. "Alright, but that's only for a few days, how about after?" "If our traveler is smart and competent, the traveler would have rations and some survival tools ready. Traversing the End Forest takes quite a bit of time and effort, it's entirely possible for us to encounter the traveler on our way. However, if our traveler is careless and not-so-competent, we would likely just find our traveler's bone scattered across the forest, licked clean by its inhabitants." He took another sip of his steaming cup of tea before continuing. Steaming? "If our traveler is very strong, then it's entirely possible that the traveler muscled their way through the forest and already left. If that were the case, we'll be able to find traces of his energy and at least know the direction our traveler took after his exit at End Forest." Elira just nodded this time, distracted, drinking a cup of her own hot tea, while William was the one who asked the next questions. "The End forest is BIG though, like, second biggest forest in this continent. How would you guys find this 'traveler' if he or she is still there?" He asked while stretching his hands to emphasize his point. "And if Mr Gerund's assumption is correct, that the traveler would be from a new world, we won't have a record of their language so how would we communicate with it?" Elira added her questions before the middle-aged looking man could answer. Gerund just looked at Serath this time urging him to answer the question. "Mr Gerund hired our expertise for the two questions both of you had brought up." "To put it simply: I have a talent for understanding and speaking languages I've never heard or learned before, while my fellow guildsman would be the one to detect our traveler throughout the forest." 'Oh, I thought Mr Gerund hired him for his barriers; I guess it was for his talent in languages instead. That's quite a rare talent...' she absently thought, 'They also don't seem to be too worried about the lesser dragon and other creatures in the forest. I guess they're really in a different league' A knock suddenly brought Elira out of her reverie. "Mr Gerund, the carriage that you requested just arrived in front of the Guild Hall." A polite voice spoke from behind the door. "Ah, I guess it's time we proceed with our task. Mr Benioff, I would invite you to join us but our carriage could only comfortably carry five, the extra one is for our traveler if he agreed to come with us. As you may have inferred from our discussion, time is of the essence for this mission." Gerund extended his hands to William as he made his goodbyes. "N-no, don't worry about it. I only came here to see-- I mean to send off Elira to her mission. Please take care of her." William accepted the handshake while Elira just rolled her eyes at him. They left the Guild Hall and they were greeted by one of the latest model of the energy-carriage parked in front of the building. It had a sleek design: the top of the carriage just below Elira's shoulders, with front and back compartments that were structured to reduce wind and energy resistance; it was equipped with retractable four wheels to conserve energy consumption on flat lands.  Past the open doors were two rows of seats that could be occupied comfortably by two people at the front and three people at the back; the driver seat was at the front, set apart with a driving wheel across it. It was a state of the art carriage that was powered by energy crystals and could run with the direction of a driver. I want one! Elira excitedly exclaimed to herself as the four of them boarded the carriage. She excitedly seated at the back row, forgetting to actually say goodbye to William as she entered the carriage. She remembered once she was seated and just waved at the still open door towards William with a smile. William just waved back, a look of confusion on his face. Wait... Four? Serath took his seat beside her after she scooted inside, closing the door after he entered. Gerund took the front row seat in front of her and on the driver seat was a woman... Wait, who is-- "You finally caught on to me, huh?" The woman smiled at her from the driver seat. She was a human with tanned brown skin, shoulder length dark violet hair, and she would have looked ordinary if it weren't for the piece of cloth covering her eyes. She couldn't look at her clothes, but it looked like she's wearing an ordinary robe. The cloth on her eyes was embroidered with golden threads, drawing lines that looked like a formation across it. 'She was in the room with us! The other chair, Mr Gerunds refilled tea cup... MY OWN HOT TEA! Why didn't I notice her? No, scratch that, it's like something convinced me that she wasn't in the room.' Elira furiously recalled everything that happened in the room, trying to remember if Theresa was really present in the room. Serath just shook his head beside her while Gerund cackled at the front seat at her confusion. "Ms Phasol, please forgive my fellow guildsman; It's just a side effect of her constitution. Those that have just started on the path of energies would have a hard time perceiving her presence. Actually, even stronger individuals would have a hard time detecting her if she as much willed it." Serath explained to her once Gerund's laughter died down. "Hahaha Yes! Now that you are in an enclosed space with her, your mind would have an easier time detecting her existence. Not to mention she would be our driver so your mind would be harder to trick as a carriage without a driver would be too much for her passive deceit." Gerund just added afterwards. Elira was dumbfounded at how easy she got tricked by a mere passive deceit. "It's nice to formally meet you Elira, you could just call me Theresa. You'd probably need to spend some effort if you want to remember my name as my constitution affects it too." Elira could feel that Theresa winked at her from behind her blindfolds. Theresa started the carriage engine and directed it in the open red streets of Bloodied Borough. "Oh..." She was actually quite speechless for once and then blurted out, "How can you drive us if you can't see?" She widened her eyes at the question that just came out of her mouth. She's actually quite curious about it but she didn't plan on asking it so crassly like that. Gerund just had another laughing fit in the front seat just as Theresa answered. "Don't worry, I can actually see without opening my eyes. Also, don't worry about offending me about blunt questions or comments; people tend to become more honest around me." Elira could actually feel Theresa observing her, even though she is facing forward and driving the carriage. "It would be prudent to enforce your will before speaking, Ms Phasol; it would help in countering Theresa's aura." Serath kindly advised beside me. Elira just nodded while trying to organize her thoughts, enforcing her will, so she doesn't accidentally spill them. 'It seemed that she can influence the mind of the people around her. Quite a useful but dangerous talent, depending on different perspectives. I've never heard of her name before, though. Oh... she said that her name have the same effect. Damnation! How crazy are the constitution of these Fallen members? Wait-- Fallen has ten known members, including June who is already dead. Is Theresa included in that list? Let's see...' Elira closed her eyes to concentrate even further while Serath curiously observed her sudden silence.   'Raea, the Fallen's founder and guild leader -- The Mother of the World.' 'Kaed, the Fallen's vice leader, -- The Bejeweled' 'Mary -- The Innovator' 'Dyennah -- The Spell Progenitor' 'Yomire -- The Storyteller' 'Serath -- The Barrier Master' ' Jasmine -- The Bloodied Queen' 'Jared -- The Indestructible Construct' 'June -- The Life Giver, Deceased' 'Lyonel, Fallen's Newest Member -- The Cosmic King' 'Damnation, There's actually 11 members including June. So does the ten that people are talking about when they mention The Fallen include Theresa? or does it include June and they don't know about Theresa?' Elira kept silent throughout the journey while thinking about the different fallen members. When she looked up, the carriage had just exited The Bloodied Borough's East Gate. Gerund seemed to be taking a nap at his seat while Serath was holding a book in his hand, reading, and Theresa was just silently driving the carriage to their destination. The Sun was almost in the middle of the sky and she figured it would take an hour or two if they kept their pace, before they reach the edge of the End Forest. "I forgot to inquire if you ate your breakfast before leaving, Ms. Phasol. There should be some snacks on the door's compartment if you're feeling hungry." Serath broke the comfortable silence in the carriage to inquire about her stomach. "I'm good, thank you. Could you please call me by name, Elira? Ms Phasol just sound so formal and you don't need to add an honorific like what you did with William." She replied to him as she noticed that he was still addressing her as Ms Phasol. "Also, do you always speak formally?" Elira added because she was curious. "If you inisist, Elira. And yes, it was part of my upbringing and I never did manage to change it despite leaving home. It's quite difficult to forget the lessons so I just kept using this manner of speaking. Besides, I feel more comfortable with it." He added the last one with a smile. She decided to stop prying on his origins as she thought it would be inappropriate so she just asked a different question. "So, how many members does Fallen actually have? The information that's been circulating around says it's ten but --" 'Stop. Don't inquire about June in front of Serath.' A voice suddenly rang in Elira's mind which greatly surprised her. She managed to school her expression from the surprise she felt of the sudden voice that invaded her thoughts. Serath saw her surprised expression but he just directed a narrowed eyes at the driver as he answered her first question. "The total number of The Fallen is actually eleven. Any reliable informants would speak the same, and the information is not guarded by any means. Dyennah ceased her guild activities and is currently travelling the world and June --" Elira could actually see the light of Serath's eyes dimming; the smile on his lips suddenly disappearing into a thin line, "-- well... she's dead." "..." And that's how Elira managed to kill the entire conversation on the carriage; the rest of their journey was spent in an awkward silence, with only Gerund's soft snores and the engine's quiet hum accompanying them.   End of Chapter 3  

Orlo: The Bloodied Borough   Orlo hated drakes with passion. He didn’t like the half-assed Original Humans, who acquired the chance to become a True Dragon but botched their blessing because of their attachment to humanity. The blessing resulted in a scaled human, concentrated on their arms and feet, like a natural gauntlet and greaves. They lacked the ability to fly, which was an insult to most avians like him as the drakes claimed to be a relative of the Ruler of the Skies. Their torso and their head were very humanlike, with the only difference being the color of their skin which matched the color of their scales; reds, blues, pinks -- bright colors that shine with the reflection of the sun. It was appalling. But those were reasons why he didn’t like the race, not the reason why he hated them. His recent loathing for the part-humans came from a single drake, his boss. This is because of a single encoded missive he received in the middle of the night. The plan must go on. It doesn’t matter if he is protected by The Barrier Master; find a way to acquire or kill him. I̶t̵ ̶h̴a̵s̵ ̷a̵l̸s̷o̶ ̸c̵o̷m̵e̷ ̴t̷o̶ ̸o̷u̸r̵ ̵a̶t̶t̷e̷n̷t̵i̴o̴n̷ ̸t̶h̸a̴t̸ ̷ṯ̵̴̷̷̴̕ḣ̸̴̶̸̷̜ẽ̴̴̴̴̸͖ ̴̶̸̸̴̞̂c̷̵̷̶̶͇̽ủ̷̸̸̷̸͙r̷̸̶̵̶̤̾ş̸̶̸̸̵͐e̵̶̸̸̶̫͗d̸̶̶̴̷̡̎ ̵̷̶̴̵͙̈e̶̷̶̴̴͔͆y̸̶̸̴̴͇͛e̶̶̶̶̴̗̊s̵̷̸̷̵͖̅ ̴h̴a̷d̵ ̸l̶e̴f̷t̴ ̵t̷h̶e̶ ̴c̴o̷m̴p̸a̶n̷y̴ ̷o̷f̶ ̸T̴h̴e̵ ̶S̴t̸o̶r̵y̷t̴e̷l̴l̵e̷r̵;̶ ̴i̷t̶ ̷i̵s̵ ̶p̴o̶s̷s̶i̷b̴l̷e̴ ̴t̵h̵a̶t̷ ̵ṯ̵̴̷̷̴̕ḣ̸̴̶̸̷̜ẽ̴̴̴̴̸͖ ̴̶̸̸̴̞̂c̷̵̷̶̶͇̽ủ̷̸̸̷̸͙r̷̸̶̵̶̤̾ş̸̶̸̸̵͐e̵̶̸̸̶̫͗d̸̶̶̴̷̡̎ ̵̷̶̴̵͙̈e̶̷̶̴̴͔͆y̸̶̸̴̴͇͛e̶̶̶̶̴̗̊s̵̷̸̷̵͖̅ ̸i̴s̷ ̶h̸e̸a̶d̷i̷n̵g̸ ̷i̶n̸ ̶y̴o̷u̶r̸ ̴d̷i̴r̴e̷c̵t̶i̷o̷n̷ ̷t̵o̵ ̵p̷r̵o̵c̸u̶r̵e̶ ̴s̶o̴m̶e̶ ̶b̴o̶o̵k̸s̶ ̸f̵r̷o̶m̷ ̴t̷h̷e̸ ̵w̸o̸r̶l̷d̶ ̴t̵r̶a̴v̶e̴l̷e̶r̵ I am sending help but she might not arrive there in time so you must initiate the plan NOW. The surging tides are coming and we must eliminate all variables .   Orlo could not understand some part of the message; he kept reading the part again and again, but still couldn’t make horns and tails out of it. He assumed that the encoding had a problem, but the message was clear; acquire or kill the world traveler NOW. The missive also stated that the world traveler was a male but they didn’t bother to tell him how they managed to acquire the information. Any additional information would have helped but they just expected an Imperator like him to do the job well. He had Vienna and Balrow scout the city as he made some plans on how to deal with their target without confronting The Barrier Master. He knew that the world traveler would be required to fill residency papers in the Merc Hall so he made his plans around that. Kill and Retreat. Orlo decided to go for the kill as capturing the world traveler would take too much effort; better leave a corpse than smuggle a body outside the city. He knew his plan had a gaping hole in it; that if The Barrier Master decided to stick with the world traveler, they would not have any chance killing the target. But that’s the only plan he could come up with because of the time constraints; the Ends Forest wasn’t that far and he had to make one on the fly. “Boss, yer scouts reported that the world traveler just entered the Guild Hall. The Phasol Child is with him but The Barrier Master separated with them before they headed for the building.” Balrow interrupted his thoughts, signalling the start of their mission. The world traveler and his companions had been touring the city in the early hours of the day, eager to introduce the newcomer to its daylight attractions. It was dusk now and the processing of residency papers should last until the three moons made their appearance in the dark sky. Orlo was ecstatic at the news, “Good! Send Malik to keep an eye on The Barrier Master and make sure he informs us through our telepathic link if he comes close to our location. Is Vienna ready to intercept the world traveller?” “Yeah boss, she was preparing her crocodile tears when she left. I must say, boss, yer plan sucks; a crying beauty to lure a young man to his doom? What if he prefers harder muscles or someone with more meat? Ye should have sent me.” The dwarf complained while waving his Sheperd’s Axe;  it was a curious weapon that functions as both melee weapon and energy conductor for his ground elemental spells. Despite Balrow’s physical build, he was more formidable in medium ranged combat. Orlo increased his distance with the complaining man and replied, “I never said the plan was good and you didn’t speak up when I asked for suggestions. Any young man would run away if a barreled dwarf that stank like the Defiled Forest comes running to them with snot covered face.” Balrow just grunted an affirmative and they continued their waiting in the deserted slums of The Bloodied Borough. They weren’t really alone but they might as well be, as the slum residents didn’t care much for outsiders; they kept to themselves and were used to random fights happening in their streets. The blind eye that the guards gave to the area also suited their plans as they didn’t have to bribe any officials. The plan consisted of Balrow and Vienna starting the fight to gauge the capability of the world traveler. Their resident scout and telepath, Malik, stated the man didn’t have much energy but he was wearing a cloak that looked like an enchanted artifact. He decided to stay hidden in a roof and go for a sure kill when the battle was at its peak or when the target was in a vulnerable position; he was an assassin before being dragged to whatever Organization his boss belonged to anyway. The sounds of hurried footsteps on the dark streets echoed with the murmuring of beggars that infected the slums like maggots in a dying carcass. The elven woman with red eyes and aggrieved face appeared on the alleyway, followed by a worried-looking young man. They were in the middle running when the young man suddenly stopped in his tracks, just before the sabotaged ground that would enclose his feet in thick mud. Vienna was a professional and immediately leapt to a distance as the young man realized their ambush. Balrow appeared from the side of a house and struck the blunt edge of his shepherd's axe at the ground; it summoned a thick wall of earth that closed the street from outsiders. He immediately followed with a chant that produced ground elemental rocks around him that he hurled at the surprised man. Their target nimbly dodged the oncoming rocks and replied with a barrage of throwing daggers that appeared from the surrounding space around him. They flew with great force but Balrow managed to block them with a hurriedly summoned flat stone that floated in front of him. “Ye stone gods! A Weaver of Space! -- Vienna!” The dwarf was as surprised as Orlo but managed to react properly. Vienna was mumbled while holding her staff that she retrieved from one of the houses. She finished her chant and dozens of arrows made of wind flew towards their enemy. However, the young man negated each arrow with a barrage of daggers which accurately hit the oncoming projectiles. The elf was not surprised and just finished her follow-up chant that activated the formations in the surrounding walls that enclosed the street; sudden blasts of air appeared from them that made the enemy lose his balance. Balrow took the chance and struck his axe to the wall beside him. The wall rippled and the ground energy traveled through them and produced a sharp spike once it reached the wall beside the stumbling man. The attack still missed as the newcomer suddenly got pushed backwards by an unknown force that made him fall into his back towards the dirty streets below. The ground seemed to swallow him whole and he immediately reappeared in the second-floor wall, near the elven woman, with a dagger in hand. Vienna’s heart skipped a beat but instincts guided her body as she released a gush of wind energy that pushed the young man back to the wall; he didn’t disappear this time but he didn’t drop from the wall either. He seemed to be laying down on the wall as if it’s a floor. Cracks appeared from the walls around him as he summoned more daggers towards the elf. A circular piece of stone was the only thing that saved the shocked woman from the sharp objects. Vienna hurriedly enchanted her body with abundant wind energy that made her quickly float away from the enemy. The hanging man on the wall didn’t want the elf to get away and he was about chant something when another spike came at him from the streets below. The man slipped down the wall to avoid the flying stone and calmly continued his chant. The effect of the chant was apparent as the floating elf stumbled to the ground at the sudden increase in gravity and was unable to correct the energy output of her floating spell. Rain of daggers came from the cracks of space high above the fallen elf but Balrow was quick in enclosing the vulnerable woman in a tomb of stone. The action caused him a glancing injury as he didn’t notice the incoming daggers behind him and was a bit too late in rolling away from the area. Balrow hurriedly released Vienna from the tomb and they regrouped together while avoiding the unending daggers raining at them from above; thankful that the Weaver of Space is still affected the Rules of Energy or they will have cracks of space that would be too close for comfort. The young man’s black hair was now sticking in his face due to sweat; ragged breathing and shaking limbs further indicated his exhaustion but the resolve in his onyx eyes seemed stronger than ever. An assault of gravity suddenly struck the pair of part-humans; the loud slap of their knees and palms hitting the ground, evidence enough of the strong pulling force suddenly applied to their body. The young man was waiting for the pair to regroup together so he could unleash a strong attack and finish them off at the same time. He summoned a black bow and -- froze. Orlo didn’t know why the man suddenly stopped, with a look of surprise and despair on his face, but he was an assassin. He knew that it was his chance. His quick but silent approach towards the back of the man remained unnoticed; black wings stretched as he glided soundlessly near the man. His execution was brisk, noiseless, unimpeded, and most importantly of all -- successful. The young man’s head separated from his body, shocked face still decorating his face; blood spurted from his headless neck as his cloaked body fell to the ground with a light thud. Silence returned to the enclosed alleyway, red liquid quietly painting the streets; filling the air with the familiar scent of murder and slaughter. Orlo observed the recently made corpse and kneeled in front of it while Balrow and Vienna regained their movement and made their way to him. “Such a talented young man, shame he became our target. He was kind, agreeing to aid a hysteric woman wailing about her child.” Vienna didn’t feel good from killing the man, but a mission was a mission. “Yer still too soft Vienna, that will be the end of ye in our line of work.” Balrow reprimanded the elf but silently agreed with her statement. Orlo just blinked at the corpse in front of him and proceeded giving instructions to their retreat, “Balrow, strip the man off with his items, no point leaving it for the beggars. Vienna contact Mal--” “Such a pretty head, can I have it?” The three of them snapped up in attention at the sudden childish voice that filled the quiet streets. There shouldn’t be anyone in the area as they cleared it before the mission but what they saw confused the three of them. A child with hair longer than her whole body was hugging the lifeless head; rags for clothes covered her body which was stained with blood from the head in her arms. The child seemed to be blind despite her attraction to the head as she was wearing a dirty cloth on top of her eyes. Orlo stood up and tried to take the head from her, “Child you’re not supposed to be here; leave the head alone. He at least deserves all of his body parts when the authorities discover our body.” “Ye gods birdman, what do you mean by our body.” Balrow was frowning at the statement of their Avian boss. The child giggled and stepped away from the approaching feathered man. “Yes little birdy, what do you mean by your bodies. Oh look another corpse popped up.” Orlo stopped in his tracks at the site of their telepath lying prone on the ground. The demon didn’t seem to have any injuries on his body but the lifeless eyes that was looking at him were proof enough of his death. “Malik! Ho--” Vienna gasped in confusion but stopped, as the lifeless body suddenly stood up and smiled at them with his black lips. “Malik, Malik, singing with his thoughts. Malik, Malik, what have you wrought? Malik, Malik, shouldn’t have followed a man, Malik, Malik, shouldn't have pissed off a woman~” The anomaly of a corpse giggled and sang in a monotonous voice that sent shivers through the three of them. The fear struck them straight to their hearts; Vienna couldn’t remain standing and kneeled on the ground, tears pooling in her eyes. The other two men were more professional and tried reaching for their weapons but they could no longer find them in their vicinity. “Who are you and what do you want?!” Orlo narrowed his eyes at the child, trying to calm the rapid beating of his heart. The child just giggled again at his demands, “Oh no little birdy, I’m the one asking the questions here. WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?” A sudden urge to answer filled Orlo’s mind and he did his best in keeping his mouth shut, but the figure of his scaled boss still floated in his mind. “Tut~ tut~ resistance is futile little birdy… hmm. Scales! A drake~ a drake~!” the child just mocked him and proceeded to divulge his thoughts. “H-how?!” Orlo widened his eyes and he could no longer keep the fear in his heart. It was clawing at his entire being, suffocating him as his eyes blurred because of the tears threatening to escape from his eyes. “Questions~, questions~ little birdy have too many questions! You don’t even have any satisfying answers to give me.” The child pouted while playing with the head, rotating it in her hands that caused a splatter of blood in the streets. Vienna was retching on the ground while Balrow was stunned; face, bloodless. Orlo could no longer hear the sound of his own heart because of the cawing of the birds that filled the roofs of their alleyway. “Little birdy~ little birdy~ your friends are here~ They are hungry! They are hungry!” An innocent smile followed her statement contrasting her bloody appearance. Bad premonitions filled Orlo's mind and he tried begging at the child, “No! Please!” “Anything~ Anything~ Kill your friends for me!”  She suddenly threw the head at him and he reflexively caught it. A familiar weight pulled at his arms; it was no longer a head but the black sword he used to decapitate the young man. Balrow widened his eyes at the sight of the sharp weapon and tried reasoning with him, “Orlo! It’s the child! She is affecting yer mind, ye don’t want to do this!” He did want to do it; he wanted to cut his neck through the dirty beard. He wanted to, he wished for it, he desired for it, -- he lived for it. Orlo was about to slash his sword when he felt something break in his mind. He lost control of his faculties from a crippling headache and slumped on the ground like a puppet that had its strings cut. The child tilted her head and spoke with a curious voice, "Hmm, the telepathic link from the other telepath broke. I guess it couldn't handle the forced coercion." Gritting his teeth through the nausea, he forced himself to stand up. The urge of violence had receded but it was still there and fearing it would come rushing back, he threw his weapon away in a panicked hurry. Towards the dazed elf and dwarf. Orlo wasn't in a good state of mind so the sword's momentum was slow; Balrow was unprepared but managed to clumsily dodge it. He was worried that Vienna would get hit but she stood up, dodged sideways, and caught the sword as it passed by her. And immediately slashed towards Balrow whose back was turned on her. Vienna sliced the defenseless neck and the dwarf’s head unceremoniously separated from his body; the blood splashing on Vienna’s face and lifeless eyes. She didn’t wait for the child’s next instruction and and repeatedly stabbed her own stomach. Orlo was aghast at the sound of the sword as it pushed through the woman’s own soft body. Squelching sounds chorused with the childlike laughter filled the street; excited cawing of birds aiding in the cacophony. “Such weak will~! But the crows are still hungry -- hungry! You won’t have a complete corpse after all!” The child was all innocence: hands on her back, one foot tapping on the ground rhythmically, tilted head and a bashful smile on her bloodied face. The lines on her blindfold was shining with red; the blood around her reflecting it, making the street glow with a menacing hue. Orlo lost his mind and laughed hysterically, curling on the ground in a fetal position, clawing hands busily pulling feathers at his limp wings. The flapping of the crows was the last sound he heard; the converging mass of black, his last memory.   End of Chapter 8  

Elira Phasol, The Bloodied Borough Elira was in a good mood. In fact, she was in a fantastic mood. She was fifteen when she got accepted as a Neophyte, the lowest rank in the standard that Mercenary Hall use. It took her another 3 years of up-hill battle to prove her worth and reach Journeyman. Last month, she finally reported the mission’s success that fulfilled the requirements for her new rank. Elira had earned her new rank through valid missions and didn’t resort to bribery like most scions of powerful families. She was adamant in proving herself, despite the constant urging of her idiotic friend, to use her own family's influence for a quick climb in rank. The Phasol family got the wealth and more importantly; the Phasol Constitution. This type of constitution gifted them certain talents in the way of the souls and this made them one of the more influential families in Meshiere Continent. Her Great Grandparents both held the position of Saint and Guardian Rank; that's a 5-stars rank! It seemed leagues away to her newly acquired 2-stars rank. Elira could have saved around a year if she made use of her family's resources but she did not want to -- and she had no regrets with that. Most people would call her a try-hard, arrogant, or even a goody-two-shoes but she did not care. She was proud of her heritage but she knew that if she wanted more in life, she had to work for it herself. "You're wearing that look again." A familiar voice mocked her from behind, but the voice intoned a friendly attitude so she let it pass -- without a physical beating that is. "And you're wasting your breath, again, pointing out obvious and useless things." Elira knew what look his friend was talking about because she could see it in the mirror. She was not vain, she just needed the daily affirmation that she would do well with everything for the day. Elira’s haughty expression was reflected in the mirror, along with her other features. Her golden coloured eyes shined with the light reflected in them; it formed a good contrast to her dark grey complexion and braided dark blue hair. A pair of horns jutted behind her slightly pointed ears, the sharp ends just a bit higher than her head; it pointed to the ceiling and it stood straight and proud -- just like her. A well-proportioned face complimented everything but she didn’t have much pride in it; most humans with demon constitution possessed good looks anyway. "Besides, what are you doing in my house? In my bathroom no less. Don't you have any sense of propriety?" She said as she turned around to look with narrowed eyes at her friend, standing outside her bathroom door. "Oh, I had let myself in. I figured you'd be doing your morning ritual anyway, so no chance of me seeing your covered bits. Not that I wanted to, mind you." He replied, smirking with his ever aggravating face. Elira had already donned her adventurer armour. A white undershirt with a red leather breastplate on top made from Lava Bears. Her lower limbs were protected with leather boots and greaves, while her upper limbs are equipped with bracers; they were all made from the same material. Various belts and harnesses are strapped onto her body to hold the katars, her main weapon, and some other knick knacks like throwing knives, small bombs, and poison bottles. She kept the important potion bottles separately in her belt pouch. She liked being able to move easily so she preferred her current equipment over cuirass and other heavier full body armours. Most of her current Souls gave an advantage to movement, perception, and strength; combined with her demon constitution, she'll be able to move just as if she was naked. Elira looked over William after double checking her equipment and she supposed he was attractive enough, despite being human that is. In fact, most people she knew was attracted to him one way or another. Years of teasing conditioned her to be irritated whenever he opened his mouth though. William was a human without any unique constitution to his name. His ancestors did not possess any bloodline to pass on, nor did they receive any blessings. He didn't have any Elven or Demonic blood to increase his appearance's charm, nor any Drake or Avian constitution to increase his elemental affinity. He was just your plain, fleshy, soft skinned human. Despite all that, he had talent; talent to control his own energy efficiently for converting other energies. He was a Journeyman, just like her, and he had been promoted the same year as her. "I can't believe that you're going to meet two -- TWO! of the ever elusive Fallen members! I really envy your family background; at least you finally started using your resources properly." William said as he waved his hands in the air, like most humans do; they did not have tails after all. It seemed that his breach of privacy was just to complain about her special mission. "Nobody would pass up the chance to do a mission with a Fallen member; they are Legends" Elira said righteously while crossing her arms at her friend. "They only have 10 members but they are considered as a major power; not just in Meshiere, but in the whole world!" Her pointed tail waved behind her at her excitement. Any of the Fallen members' achievements and power could rival her grandmother; each of them possessing unimaginable talent and constitutions. Despite having only 10 members to their guild, they could contend with the other major guilds and clans that are composed of hundreds of people. At least according to other people and rumours. She hadn't met any of their members -- yet. "Do you know who will you be meeting? I'm gonna die of enviousness if it's Jasmine or Jared." Elira’s tail twitched at his statement. "How did your grandmother manage to land you a mission with them anyway?" He continued, mostly to himself. "Serath is the first member but I don't know who the other one would be. It's an escort mission so it would make sense that The Barrier Master would be joining, not to mention he is currently in this city." Serath Meshiere could be considered as one of the well-known individuals in Meshiere; his surname made it obvious enough. Born as the crown prince to the largest empire of the continent but abdicated due to unknown reasons; he is an enigma to her as his fellow guildsmen. His barriers precede his heritage though and it means a lot when you're more famous for formations than for your royal blood. "Serath? Dragon's balls, he's freaking cool!" William suddenly seemed more excited than before. She guessed that it was the royal blood; nothing excited the masses like a prince or a princess... then again, he would have probably reacted the same if she named any of the Fallen. Maybe except, Mary -- that would just be weird... and June, dead people could not join escort missions after all. "Yes, yes, now get out of my way. I need to be in the meeting place in an hour and I need to leave now if I want to arrive early." Elira pushed him out of the bathroom doors and made her way to the entrance of a humbly decorated home, grabbing the prepared adventurer pack on the way out. The house Elira lived in was located in the residential part of the city reserved for mercenaries. Most of the houses in these part of the city looked uniform, with their red brick walls and flat rooftops. The front doors of the houses are directly beside the street, with only a few houses decorating their front yard with a garden. Elira was content with the size of her house as it’s big enough to house three people and she is currently occupying a whole house alone. It was no mansion -- but it was hers. It's located near the centre of the city and was quite close to the Mercenary Hall branch of The Bloodied Borough. William followed her outside the house and kept staring at her with shining, pleading eyes. She could feel his intense gaze, boring through her, as she tried to ignore him and walked away from her front door. Two blocks later, she could still feel his presence so she decided to confront him. "Why are you following me?" She suddenly turned around and William tried to act with nonchalance -- tried, being the key word. He was trying to look everywhere but her, with his hands behind him, whistling a random tune. Elira stopped walking and just raised an eyebrow, pointed her tail at him and stared until he finally relented and replied. "Oh, come on. Introduce me! It's not like they will kill you for bringing a friend!" William pleaded and her eyes twitched at that. "Look -- I'm not gonna join you guys. You could just say that I accompanied you to your destination; like a proper gentleman." He continued when she just kept staring; he seemed immune to her glares already. "I thought the 'love of your life' is Jasmine?" Elira sighed as she turned around and just continued walking on the red pavement; silently granting permission for his presence. "She is! Have you seen her in the recent news circulation? She was modelling the most popular underwear brand right now! I saved the picture to... uhh I mean.. I wanted to show it to you that's why I saved it. Yes, that's it... I thought you would like the underwear brand!" His blood rushed to his face as he realized what he was babbling about. Elira just rolled her eyes at him; she really didn't want to know what that picture was for. She just continued walking to her destination while William, not-so-subtly, changed the subject to more mundane news from the news circulation. "... and they said Lyria just managed to kill the rampaging lesser dragon on the West Wardens -- Hey, you still haven't told me about the mission! I know it's an escort quest but who will you guys be protecting?" He said as he punched her gently on the shoulders while walking to get her attention. "Me." "Whaa-- They are escorting you?!" William's mouth had been hanging open when she turned around to face him with a teasing smile on her lips. Elira just chuckled and replied, "Well, not exactly. I'm not actually part of the mission." He just waited for her to explain, so she continued elaborating. "My Great Grandmother just so happened to be indulging drinks with Gerund -- YES the one who is an expert in world traveling. Gerund received news about the activation of a Wesh Root while getting drunk with her, so he hurriedly organized an expedition. My Gigi thought it was a good opportunity so she suggested that he bring one of her grandchildren for learning." she patiently explained her Grandmother’s involvement on the said mission. "So.. long story short, your Old Granny forced him to bring you for experience?" William clarified. "Yes. It just so happened the Wesh Root is somewhere in the End Forest, which is south-east of here, and that The Barrier Master is currently stationed here. Hence, I was the one that got chosen for accompanying them for being in this city." "The End Forest, where a Lesser Dragon made his home?" Elira just nodded at his question. "Tortured Demons! are you insane?!" William exclaimed in reflex. Elira's tail made a fast whip at the ground that produced a cracking sound at his remark. The sudden action made other passersby gave a wide berth at her surrounding space. William had the decency to look apologetic at his slip of tongue so she decided not to gouge his eyes out. Demons had been persecuted long, long ago for looking different. However, during The Triumvirate War; humans, demons, and other part-humans started to work together in pushing the Orleys back. After hundreds of years fighting together, they decided to keep the peace even after the Orleys retreated back to Praenth. Racist slurs no longer had the bite from before and they just became harmless expressions. She still didn't like them though and he knows it. "Sorry, it's just that it would really be dangerous, right? I'm just worried." He softened his tone and in a rare bout, gave a look of seriousness. "Look.. We're near the Mercenary Hall so I should reassure you now before you make me look bad in front of them." They stopped walking and faced each other seriously. "Mr Gerund knows that I'm just a Journeyman but he still accepted my Gigi's offer because we will be escorted by The Barrier Master and another Fallen member. Only the Lesser Dragon would pose a problem for them but the Lesser Dragon there is a peaceful one; this would just really be a stroll in the forest." "But.... alright, alright, geez." William stopped his inquiry when Elira sharpened her glare at him. They continued walking in silence until they reached the Merc Hall. She settled her nerves and pushed the door open and went straight for the left staircase with William silently walking behind her. She knocked politely on the unassuming door located on the second floor of the hall and went in -- excitement bursting from her soul for she would finally meet a Legend. End of Chapter 2

Azrael - The End Cliffs Azrael woke to the sound of sea, his temples throbbing in rhythm with the crashing waves. He coughed the blood that was stuck in his throat and heaved to endure the pain; waiting, wishing, for it to pull back with the retreating tides. Azrael had taken harsh punishments before: crushed by boulders, ripped by gravity fields, and stabbed by flaming beaks. But none had left him in deep despair and towering anger. Exiled. Sent to the abyss to be delivered as a corpse in a random world. But he survived; with a torn body and laboured breathing -- but breathing nonetheless. He could feel the blood that had no business outside his body running through the surface of his skin. A strong metallic scent filled the air and he could feel his clothes sticking to his body like second skin. He wanted to look over his injuries but he was too occupied with pain to do so. A warm and steady flow of energy radiated from his core, coursing to every part of his body; he instinctively knew that his body was healing itself. Azrael tried to sense this energy but was dismayed at the paltry amount of it. 'I might have to go into hibernation,' he absently thought as his body produced the life energy needed to heal himself. He didn't know how long he endured, but it felt like forever before he managed to recover his sense of faculties. Now that he had a semblance of thought, he silently thanked the gods for his Rur Constitution and tried to take stock of his situation. He observed a ray of light coming from one side of the cave's wall, illuminating the cave he found himself in. He didn't remember the light when he first gained consciousness, but then again, he had been too absorbed with pain. The cave was structured like a room, with floors that are too smooth that it had to be man-made. It had naturally formed walls that slowly converged to the top forming a ceiling. The space was big enough to house 20 of him comfortably -- if not for the big piece of rock full of twisting and shining lines. It was situated on a slightly elevated platform that took up the middle of the room and it faced the big crack in the wall where the ray of light was coming from. Azrael just sat there, staring at the glowing piece of rock, when a jarring thought surfaced to his mind. The rock was a Wesh Rock and the lines twisting on it were actually the Roots of the Wesh Tree. "No... No no no!" He screamed as he crawled his way towards the rock, too exhausted to stand up and walk on his own two feet. Tears slowly mixed with the blood on his face as he forced his body to climb the platform. Sheer desperation as the only reason he managed to reach the rock with his battered body. A trail of blood had followed him to the rock, bloody hand prints decorating the sides of it. The red prints made its way to the rock as he tried to activate the rock again. Back to home -- back to the only life he knew. The intensity of his actions dimmed, along with the light of the lines surrounding the rock. He only stopped his pointless actions when the lines no longer shined, his hopes dying with it. Wesh Tree, Tree of the Cosmic System, Pathways of the Legend, and many other names depending on who or where the question was asked. He remembered the voice --the lessons-- of his teacher about the Tree; or specifically its roots and its purpose. 'The roots of the Wesh Tree are gateways -- gateways to a different world! However, using them required great energy outside the Age of Unity.' Energy they were apparently willing to part with just to get him out of the way. "You got what you wanted huh?" He whispered to the now dull rock beside him. He knew it was bound to happen;  he was considered as a threat after all. Staying at a prone position near the rock, he closed his eyes and waited for injuries to fully heal this time. Crawling with open wounds all over his body had been an idiotic thing to do, no matter how smooth the floors were. After a long but indeterminate amount of time, he could finally move his body freely without pain. He removed his clothes to assess his body; he could not detect anyone close by so he had no inhibitions in being nude. His body and clothes were fully covered in dried blood but there were no longer superficial wounds in his body. He could still feel the repair ongoing inside but at least he won't be an open blood tap. "Let's see... what do I need? I need a clean cloth, water, and some rations. Throwing a tantrum is surprisingly exhausting... at least my Shadow is still with me." His Shadow was not the literal shadow but the small black sphere that decorated his right ear. It was inherited from his mother and he found it funny that he had an inheritance when he didn't even know who his own mother was. It was a useful piece of artifact though; it can be used as a space storage and it can shape shift to a different object. He normally wears it as a cloak but his "Exile Ceremony" forbade him from wearing one. For some reason, he had been forced to wear presentable clothes as they expelled him outside Ost; his previous world. "Trust them to make me wear fancy clothes even in my own execution. Winter's breath take them all! Them and their useless traditions." He complained, to no one in particular, as he settled himself and tried to keep his emotions down. Nevan told him that he was free; free from everything. From responsibilities, royal court, traditions, loved ones and enemies -- Free from him. The cold comfortable breeze from the cave's entrance brought Azrael back from his musings. He hurriedly controlled Shadow to retrieve some items and it floated from his earring to the space near his hands. It expanded in size and he could now fit his hands through it to retrieve his items. After cleaning himself of dried blood, he retrieved a set of clean clothes and wore them. He was wearing ceremonial clothes when he arrived but decided to never wear anything like that ever again. He settled for a muted grey sleeved shirt, topped with black battle vest and pants. A pair of black boots finished his clothing ensemble. Azrael didn't know the affairs of this world so he prepared for all occasions; his battle set was very comfortable anyway. He wore Shadow above everything, which transformed from an earring to a deep black cloak, opposing sides clasped together near his collar bones. Its length reached the smooth floors below and he decided to keep the hood off; he figured that a hooded man would be less welcome than an open face. After checking several items and weapons hidden inside his own clothes, he stopped procrastinating and decided to face whatever bloody pinions he will find in this world. Azrael walked to the crack on the wall, which he assumed as the entrance, and then promptly stopped. Blue. Everything in his line of sight was blue. He faced the nameless sea in front of him and watched the blue waves turned to white as it crashed to the stones located far below. The word entrance didn't seem correct anymore as no one could enter the cave unless they knew how to fly. The cave was located in the middle of a tall cliff, which was located at the edge of whatever land he was in, the unending sea enough as an indication of it. A precipice, and in the middle of it all, was him. He closed his eyes as he felt the breeze kissing his skin, sounds of the waves relaxing his still-frayed nerves, and the smell of the sea bringing a promise. A promise of something new, something he didn't know he wanted -- a promise of freedom -- a precipice of change. He forced back the emotions and the tears trying to burst out from his chest and eyes. And laughed. He laughed: at his exile and death, at his family and home, at his conflicting emotions. He laughed, and laughed, and laughed until he ran out of breath. He hoped that his uncontrolled emotions were just the result of shock; he didn’t want to be considered as a lunatic in this world. "It's over. New life, new world, new people. Get over it and move on." He repeated it to himself, over and over again. Azrael gave the Wsh Rock one last look before moving on. "Now... how in the pointed tails and broken eggs am I going to get out this cave? Bloody pinions didn't even make a stair." He silently thought and weighed the idea that this new world didn't have the concept of stairs. "Could it be that everyone here knows how to fly?" He continued pondering about the lack of stairs before he berated himself with his escapism attitude. Azrael gathered his, now slightly bigger, energy pool and tried to sense his surroundings. He should have done it right after regaining his faculties, to ensure that no danger abounded in his near vicinity; but his instinct told him that he was safe here. His instincts never failed him. Except for the exile business of course; no amount of Seer-Instinct would have helped him there. He sensed a different but familiar energy all around him. A huge amount of ground elemental energy covered all directions, aside from the cave's pseudo entrance; where he sensed faint amount of wind and water energy. Large amounts of weak ground energy and absence of faint water energy indicated that the cave was covered, not by soil, but by hard rock. The energy extended pretty far up and he dreads the idea of climbing such height on a steep cliff. He decided to spare some of his own life energy to control the gravity around him to make the task easier. Ensuring he won't fall would be more efficient than suddenly using it on his falling body. Methods of using of life energy flooded his mind as he converted it to control the pull of the world around him. He slowly crept to the edge of the entrance and surveyed the uneven rocks. He concluded that climbing seemed possible, albeit a daunting, task. He started climbing after mapping which rocks seemed secure, instincts guiding him on a slow but safe climb. The sun was setting when he arrived at the top; changing the colour of the clouds to a warm orange colour, three moons made visible in the dimming light. He silently laid down, the rocky surface cooling his back; his tired breath mixing with the rhythmic sounds of waves. The foreign moons silently loomed above, mocking him for he is not of this world. After a few blinks, he decided to stand up and look at the other side of the cliff. This time, a sea of green greeted his eyes, decorated by orange clouds and the setting sun on the horizon. The clouds did not look natural as it hovered high above the entire forest without a single crack, hiding the sky. He saw the distinct divide between the blue sky and orange clouds as it framed the area above the entire forest. Azrael worried about the faint sense of danger he could detect inside the clouds; his instincts screaming at whatever the clouds decided to hide. He observed the forest and made a garner on what it could contain. His body was still recovering from the disastrous world jump and he was sure he wouldn't be able to handle any of the creatures that made the forest their home. "Well, I guess I'm stuck here then..."   ----   End of First Chapter Bloody Pinions / Winter’s Breath - a non-sensical expression. Pointed Tails and Broken Eggs - Part of an idiom from Azrael’s World. He uses it as a swear word.   Other idioms: A Summer’s Embrace and Winter’s Breath came from but a single chest Pointed tails and broken eggs lead to broken bones and pointless death. Meshiere Continent, Lochley    

Azrael: The Bloodied Borough   Azrael considered telling Theresa to stop the moving metal, walk back to his cave, and live a life of solitary and seclusion; maybe even befriend the dragon in it. He was asking questions about his new world bnut he didn’t like one of the answers he received. Serath had to stop the naggy old man with his incessant questioning before the question and answer session began, “Mr Gerund, please stop asking questions, at least for the duration of our trip back to the city. Mr Azrael might have questions of his own and it would be good to clear things up before arriving in it.” He actually had a lot of questions so he immediately fired off one before the red-haired man could speak, “What is this thing we are riding on? We don’t have much in the way of transport back in Ost.” “This is an energy carriage, invented and first introduced to this world by Mary The Innovator, which is Serath and Theresa’s guildmate in Fallen. People just used fast creatures as mount before this.” Elira answered as she tapped the leather seat they occupied. They were sitting together in the backseat with Serath in the far right side and Elira in the middle. Despite their earlier confrontation, he found solace in her presence as she seemed to be the only normal person out of his rescuers, even with her demonic appearance. Theresa scared the burning beaks out of him, Gerund was just all sorts of annoying, and Serath was just… Serath. “It’s quite fast, but I don’t see its purpose if we could just use teleportation points.” The black metal looked cool but it couldn’t beat the convenience of instant travel. However, no one answered him this time and when he looked around, 3 pairs of eyes were staring at him. Gerund was the one who confirmed his doubts, “There are only a handful teleportation points in Lochley, are they common in Ost?” He guessed as much when he saw their reactions on his cloak and dimensional cracks but he wanted to confirm it, “Uhh… yes? They’re our main mode of transport. How do you guys travel to faraway places?” “With airships. Let me guess, you guys don’t have one.” Elira seemed smug about these ‘airships’; they have ships back in Ost but those usually goes into the sea. He decided to ignore her and just ask another question. “Who is the strongest person in this world?” He was quite curious about the individuals in this world as he could feel that Serath was strong and Theresa was all sorts of dangerous. He received different answers from his companions. “Raea.” Gerund and Theresa spoke the same name to his question. “Theresa.” Serath answered differently; he was surprised by his reply as he could feel that he is more powerful than the blindfolded woman. “Lyria.” Elira had a different answer too but she seemed as surprised as him at Serath’s answer. Theresa just laughed at Serath’s answer. “Oh, don’t listen to Serath, he's just afraid of me. There’s really no way to tell but the public considers Raea The Mother of the World, and Lyria The Indomitable Sword as the two strongest individuals in this continent alone. As for other continents, they have different individuals that are as strong as the two I mentioned before.” Azrael considered asking more but decided he’ll do his own research on the topic later. He decided to ask about the warring affairs of the world next, “Oh, are any of the continents in war?” Theresa was the one to answer him again,“You’re in Meshiere continent, and all you need to know right now is that it has been in a state of peace for a long time. There were some minor civil wars in its cities and some incursions but nothing big.” The blindfolded woman seemed to suddenly become friendlier after he showed the collection of books. Azrael was surprised about the collection himself, as he hadn’t sorted out through the items inside his trusted cloak. Nevan was the one who prepared the items inside as he was busy in self-pity about the impending exile. “So, demons and humans live peacefully with each other in this world?” Azrael asked his next question carefully; he didn’t want to offend the demon again. His gaze wandered on the demon’s pointed horns; it looked pretty dangerous and pondered if she sharpens them every day. Elira seemed to be expecting his question and just answered with nonchalance, “Demons are humans. The Great Territorial War ended more than a thousand year ago where every humans and part-humans settled their differences.” “Part-humans?” Azrael was surprised about the existence of other races aside from demons. Elira raised an eyebrow at him, “How come you know about demons but not the others? Their bloodline came from the same source, just different aesthetics. There are the drakes, dwarves, elves, avians, and other half-beast blessings.” “Avians?” Azrael’s back straightened at that. He had enough of giant birds and living in the same city as them would be quite a blow to his sanity. He was sure that one of the bird creatures would be the end of him. Elira’s eyebrow heightened even further, quite amused at his pale face, “Yes, they have a human body but they have down feathers for hair and feathered wings and tails on their back; this gives them the ability to fly. They have the same hands and feet as humans, but with retractable claws for nails.” Azrael heaved a sigh of relief at her description, “They don’t have beaks do they? They sound more like an angel to me; minus the claw and tail part.” The demon was the one with a confused face this time, “What in the Lochley’s name is an angel?” Serath answered Elira’s question while giving him a curious look,“They are beings of the higher plane and are quite powerful. I’m surprised Mr Azrael knows of them” “Oh... I actually haven’t seen one, just heard about them in stories.” They didn’t answer his question about beaks, he was quite worried about that. The rest of the ride was filled with more mundane questions like food, currency, ruling powers, and laws. He was surprised at the civilization of this world where culture, belief, governance, and technology thrived -- so unlike his constant warring world. He also asked about how they knew he arrived in this world and from their answer, he figured that he had been hibernating for around 3 weeks in this world’s time. It was already dark when they arrived at the city. Towering dark walls loomed before them as they entered the city gates; he wondered what they would look like in the light of day. Tall poles with glowing orbs lined the streets of the city and they shined light on the red pavement as they made their way through the inner parts of the city. They dropped off the demon and the red haired man in a tall building; Elira said before leaving that she would meet him here in the morn of morrow for the agreed tour of the city. Azrael tried to remember the way as Theresa drove the carriage in silence towards Serath’s residence. It turned out to be a five floor building in the northern part of the city; with the first two floors as a tavern/restaurant. Serath gave him the key for the whole of third floor and with a simple good night, headed directly to the fifth floor. Theresa seemed to have disappeared after they parked the carriage beside the building but he was too tired to care about it. He woke up from hibernation because of his rescuer’s arrival and he only managed to recover a very small part of his life energy. From their conversation in the carriage, there was good order in the city and his life wouldn’t be in danger inside of it. He just dropped straight to the bed, closed his eyes, and opened them again at the sound of knocking on wood. Serath’s muted and polite voice followed the knock, “Mr Azrael, I thought I should wake you so you could prepare for the tour in the city as it’s already half-hour before the agreed time.” Azrael slowly blinked at the sight of the unfamiliar wooden ceiling. It was lined by a ray of light that escaped the thick drapes covering the window of his room, illuminating the floating dust motes in its path. He lazily sat up from the small wooden bed, staring around the sparsely decorated room. His line of sight stopped at the wooden door on the far left of his bed, staring at it and slowly processing everything in his sleep-addled mind. Another polite knock had him scrambling from the bed. He hurriedly made his way to open the door and deep blue eyes, crinkled with amusement, greeted him on the other side. “I’m sorry if I intruded on your floor, I tried knocking from the outside but you were not answering. Should we postpone your tour to a later date?” Serath sounded sincere in his first statement but the last one had a slight teasing tone to it. His party didn’t miss the careful way he acted around the demon and Serath was probably amused at the possible reaction of Elira if she learned of postponing the arrangement. Images of sharp black nails digging into his skin as Elira drags him out of Serath’s residence flashed in his mind so he hurriedly answered, “No! no… today is fine, where’s the washroom?” He had to learn on how to operate the bath as it was quite different from his previous world; not that he prepares his own bath there. With a clean body and new set of clothes, they made their way to the meeting place by walking through the streets; it was early and he could finally observe the city in the light of day. It lived up to its name as the streets and most buildings were painted in varying shades of red. Splashes of other colors can be seen here and there but the red dominated the different structures of the city. Various humans and part-humans littered the streets, walking with fervour to start their day. He finally saw one of the avians and he hurriedly stuck close to Serath, trying to use the tall man as a shield to the bird woman coming from the opposite direction. ‘They looked more human than bird… and thankfully they don’t have beaks.” Azrael curiously looked at the feathered human, who noticed his curious stare but just smiled kindly at him. He saw more of the feathered people and they seem to forego upper body clothes, with the females just wearing a kind of cloth to hide their chests. He was sure his face was red at all the exposed skins and he tried not to directly look at them. Elira was leaning at the wall of the building, arms crossed in front of her chest, when she noticed their approach, “Good you’re not late. I’m trying to avoid someone so let’s leave immediately, will The Barrier Master grace us with his presence? And is Theresa here? Yesterday was enough surprises for me to last a whole month.” Serath just smiled at her jibe, shook his head at her last question, and confirmed his assistance to the tour. They went for breakfast first, as his last meal had been a tasteless soup and he completely forgot about dinner last night. Serath and Elira actually fought for the bill but the man won by distracting the demon with an inquiry about a man named William. The tour went on until dusk, in which Serath said his goodbyes; the remaining pair entered the Merc Hall for the processing of his papers. The procedure went smoothly as having The Barrier Master as his reference person opened up a lot of avenues. They were about to leave when warning bells rang in Azrael’s mind, his Seer-Instinct warning him of possible danger. “Hey Elira, thanks for the tour. You’re pretty cool for a demon but I want to be alone for a while.” Azrael tried to act normally but Elira’s eyebrow and swishing tail were proof enough that she knew he was acting suspiciously. “Geez, if anyone took your fancy here and you wanted to drag the lucky person back to your bed, you could just tell me.” Elira announced with a loud and amused voice to the room that had several heads turning in their direction. The demon just laughed afterwards and with a wave of her hand and a light slap from her tail, left him alone in a room full of curious stares. He wanted to run out of the building immediately, but that would defeat the purpose of separating with the demon. After waiting for a few minutes and fending off several advances, he decided it’s time to confront the danger. A crying elven woman immediately latched onto him, crying hysterically about helping her child, muttering about being ignored by other mercenaries. He knew that this was the danger his instinct told him about, but he still wanted to help the woman. He had met with nothing but goodwill upon arriving in this world, barring the creepy-faced tree, and he wanted to give something back. Agreeing and trying for an awkward gesture of comfort, they made their way further south of the city to the direction of the slums. They turned to a narrow alleyway and it was in the middle of the street that his instinct suddenly flared that made him stop. The elven woman was no longer crying when she leapt away from him and a dwarf that came from one side of the houses blocked his path of escape. He could have easily escaped; he could cut a thread of space and connect it to another thread outside the alleyway, forming an escape route... but he decided to fight. He needed to fight. This was a lesson better learned early; that he might have met good people but not all people in this world were like them. It was better this way; his first day had been like a good dream, but the back of his mind was telling him that he already died in the abyss. That this was his mind trying to escape its inevitable death. He needed the affirmation of being alive and the slap of reality in his face is just what he need. That violence will follow him wherever he goes. He was a prince, butwas also considered as a soldier. Every time his brother sent him out of the palace was to try and get him killed in some war front. He was not new to fighting, and so he fought. The dwarven-elven pair was good; it showed that they were experienced in these type of battles. They had the advantage of an ambush but he had a few surprises of his own. His flawless control of gravity and space did surprise them and he managed to successfully herd the two together. He successfully applied a strong pull on the area below the two of them and they dropped like insects. He quickly withdrew his bow to finish them off but a slight touch of energy from inside his Shadow made his blood run cold and freeze him in his tracks. ‘Why? Why is it here?!’ The hint of energy near the location of his bow, inside his Shadow, was something he never expected to see again -- nor did he want to. It was the item that made his brother send him to the abyss, for fear that he might be chosen by it. His seer-instinct burned through his own being, snapping him back to reality. A flash of memory assaulted his mind; his own head flying off his shoulders and his body falling lifelessly to the ground. It was a vision of his own death. He quickly bent his knees and rolled to his left, preparing for the next attack that will surely come -- but it didn’t. He snapped his head up and was dumbfounded at the display in front of him. It was like watching a puppet play; him as the audience and his enemies as the puppets here to entertain him. His hidden assailant was an avian, with black wings and skin that hid his body in the shadow of the night. He was acting as if he had successful sliced the neck from his body and the dwarf and elf were doing the same. He knew they were stuck in an illusion and his mind turned, trying to guess the identity of the puppeteer. ‘Theresa’ “Oops, you caught me.” A honeyed voice resounded throughout the alleyway that made the hairs on his skin stand up. “Oh, what are you afraid of. It’s just me.” Theresa was standing on the other side of the street and he had a nagging feeling she had always been there; even during the fight. She was wearing a sleeveless long one piece dress that hugged her well-proportioned body. It was cut on one side starting from the waist and it showed her smooth leg whilst walking towards him; high heels clicking on the dirty pavement. Her dress had varying shades of blue and violet, like the sky just before sunrise. The color stayed on one position in the dress as she moved, seemingly part of a background rather than part of a dress. It was both weird and enchanting at the same time. Parting her bangs to the side with a hand decorated by different colored bracelets; producing a melodic sound at the gesture, like a wind-chime caught by the whispering air. Her red hair reached up to her narrow waist, flowing freely that swayed with her hips; blood red lips, curved in a seductive smile that was directed at him. However, the most notable thing her blindfold; different colored lines danced inside it as if they were alive. He could feel his attraction towards the woman growing, it confused him as he had never been attracted to one before. Something passed by his mind, an idea that tried getting away from him, but something inside told him to grab a hold of it. “Stop that!” Azrael shouted but his breathy voice and flushed skin contradicted his statement. Theresa just bit her lower lip and continued with her seduction, “How do I look?” Azrael was about to give up resisting when the burning desire in his body was suddenly snuffed out; like a fire losing its air. “Good job, you’ve got quite an impressive willpower.” Theresa still looked the same, but the feeling of attractiveness was no longer there; she was indeed beautiful, but he no longer had the feeling of worshiping her feet. “What did you do that for!” Azrael was gasping for air, sweat flowed freely on his face flushed face. Theresa just smiled at him, “Just wanted to distract you, confirm some things, and cheer you up but I guess I chose the wrong gender for it.” She paused and started to think about something, but continued a few breaths later, “How was your experience with The Bloodied Queen? Though, it was missing her eyes.” Azrael frowned at her question, “The Bloodied Queen?”   Surprise was evident on her face despite the blindfold hiding her eyes, “Oh. I forgot. Most people in this world knows her and I usually use her appearance whenever I want something.” She paused, as if to emphasize her point and continued, “Why did you freeze in the middle of the battle?” Her question reminded him of the object in his possession; he wanted to throw it away but he couldn't even touch the thing. “Curious, I can’t see what it is. It should have surfaced in your mind but something is blocking me.” Theresa’s statement surprised him. Azrael was quite annoyed at the breach of privacy. “Do you always read other people’s mind?”  “Yes.” She answered so bluntly that he was speechless for a moment. Frustration bubbled up inside him, but strangely enough, he was no longer worried about the thing. “Feeling better?” She was smiling at him genuinely now, "What do you want to do with your assailants?" Azrael watched the ongoing "play"; he couldn't see the illusions but the horror on their faces were visible under the moonlight. Never had he seen so much fear in the eyes of a person. "Ask them why did they attack me." "They got an order from someone," She answered immediately, seemingly prepared for the question, "They don't know why as they seem to be just following orders." Following orders: like him when he reported a location of village full of non-combatants that led to their massacre, like his lover when he pretended to be his friend so his brother could control him easily. Despicable. "Kill them." Four corpses now decorated the street: the dwarf without a head, the elf with a mangled body, and the other two just laying on the ground lifelessly. He didn’t even know where the demon's body came from. “So… how do you feel about Serath?” Theresa’s sudden question made him frown, not fully understanding her question. “What?” She seemed disappointed at his confusion, “Hmm, shame. I could have used you as bait.” “I think... I should leave you here and just go my merry way. Thank you very much for saving me by the way.” He decided to ignore the woman and started walking away from the street. He did not want to get caught in an alleyway with four dead bodies in it. However, the frustrating woman just followed his footsteps, continuing her previous statement. “Wait, you could still help me. Serath is a prince, you’re a prince, why not be together?” “What are you on about, stop suddenly matchmaking people!” Azrael quickened his footsteps, he was seriously considering spending life energy on blinking away but then stopped as he realized something. "How did you know I was a prince?" "Aha, so you are indeed a prince, that explains a lot of things. I knew you were lying when you said you were nobility but I didn't know if you were a rich merchant or royalty." He cursed himself for slipping the information. “Serath was devastated when June died and he never found someone again after that.” Theresa’s voice sounded so sad that it caught him off guard. However, her following statement showed her true colors, “I can’t have Serath staying alone, he might get interested in Yomire again and I can’t have that.” “I don’t even know who the fuck these people you keep going on about. Just leave me alone, I have more problems to deal with.” His patience was running thin and he chucked the woman as a lost cause. He was about to start walking again but her next question made him hesitate. “You mean the object that you want to get rid off? How about we help you with that?” “You can’t. Nobody can help me with this.” "Yomire possessed several texts from Ost, it might have been old but it has enough information for me to conjure several possibilities on your situation." "..." He remained silent, figuring that the less he says the less chances of him revealing more to the woman. "What you possess is something that can even block my perception and there are very few things that can do that," Theresa was unfazed by his silence and continued her conjecture. "Coincidentally there is one such things on the records we keep and I bet you are not supposed to have it." He looked away, closed his eyes, and tried to hold himself together; knowing that her next statement might break him. He was sure it will be the same conclusion he got after finding that damnable thing inside his own space. Theresa was quiet for a moment but despite his closed eyes, he knew she was watching him behind the piece of cloth that hid her eyes. Just when he thought she wouldn't continue, she started listing his deepest fears. “You’re afraid that they will come for it. That they will follow you to this world and end you permanently. You fear for your new found freedom and you fear the fate that comes to whoever denies The Emperor of Ost...” “Your world had abandoned you and your new one is about to be engulfed in the surging tides. You feel lost. You feel despair. You feel the unfairness of the Wesh. But you are not alone, you might have Fallen to the deepest abyss -- but you are never alone...” “How would you like to join our guild?”   End of Chapter 9  

  Elira Phasol - The Bloodied Borough   “You refused?!” Elira's shout was accompanied by a loud bang as her chair crashed on the marble floor, food on their table almost jumping out of it as she slammed the table with her palms. Everyone in the restaurant was surprised at the sudden outburst and several patrons turned their heads in the direction of their table. Everyone except the man in front of her. Azrael was busy chewing his food and just nodded at her, his plates undisturbed despite the punishment their table received. Reassuring the waitress that everything was fine, she picked up her chair and regained her calm, waiting for the other man to finish the food in his mouth and answer. He replied after a loud gulp, “Not exactly, I told her I would think about it.” “Think about it? I can’t believe someone would do that after being invited to one of the strongest guilds in this continent.” Elira replied with an even voice while trying to rearrange the disturbed meal in front of her. “Are they really that powerful? I thought they only have ten people?” Azrael looked like he knew what he was doing so Elira decided not to berate him on the missed opportunity. Elira picked at her plate while answering, “Yes. Each of the te-- eleven, are very famous in their own fields and despite their low number, they are on par with the Thirteens guild.” “Thirteens? There’s only two difference…” Azrael frowned at her comparison. Elira pointed her fork at him and interrupted, “You dummy, it’s just the name of their guild not their actual number. They have Thirteen Elites in which each one has their own manpower. I actually aim at joining their ranks.” “Why did you refuse anyway? Don’t you want to join a guild?” Elira fired off another question when Azrael remained silent; he seemed to be thinking about something. He was shaking his head when he answered, “It’s… suspicious? I only arrived here and they already invited me after a day. Plus -- Theresa is as scary as a startled terror bird.” Elira didn’t know what’s the deal with Azrael and birds so she decided to ask, “What’s up with you and birds? You seemed to be avoiding the avians more, compared to when I gave you a tour.” He frowned at the reminder of the bird people, “one of my assailant’s yesterday who almost killed me was an avian; I knew those people would be the end of me. Besides, you haven’t seen a terror bird… They were aptly named.” “You shouldn’t really follow strangers, even an elven beauty. Did you find out who they were or what they wanted? The city guard found their corpses but they just cleaned it up and kept quiet about it.” Elira heard the news before she arrived at the restaurant for their late lunch. “No, Theresa disposed of them. Easily I might add,” Azrael started eating again after that, only to ask her a question after a few moments. “How powerful exactly is The Mother of the World?” “She could end this city in a day if she as much willed it.” Elira answered without missing a beat. Azrael raised his eyebrows, suspicious in the truth of her answer, “... And what’s stopping her?” “Reason? Morals? Other Divine Class beings? Just because she is powerful doesn’t mean that she can do whatever she wants, and just because she can doesn’t mean that she would do it.” Elira counted with her finger as she listed the reasons on top of her mind and continued, “Only a fool would wield power haphazardly like that, what would be the point? To prove she is above others? Shallow people like that would never become strong.” Elira was on a roll and decided to add a piece of history in her lesson: “Once upon a time, a Divine decided he should rule the world and do whatever he wanted. He wrecked havoc in Elierd and decided to enslave the people there. He was strong; stronger than the other divines in that era. He even managed to recruit another Divine in his agenda. Do you know what happened to them?” Azrael frowned, “I don’t know the story so…” “They died. Other continental powers decided to intervene as they were a threat to their own land. Four divines were sent to kill the two, even a True Dragon decided to join the conflict. They fought above the Elierd, the clashing of powerful energies attracting the Elemental Current of the Land of Storms destroying the land completely.” Elira paused to drink water and freshen her throat. “Now Elierd is destroyed; uninhabitable and it’s resources lost. Once a Divine unleashes their full power, they will leave nothing but destruction in their path.” She paused again, this time to emphasize her point. “Who gained anything? The man who thirsted for power? He’s dead. Other continents? They lost the resources and trade with Elierd. The people? Annihilated and sent as refugees to other continents, home broken and families lost.” The black haired man remained silent after her story, furrowed brows and a frown on his face. “You keep going on about Divine... I don’t know what or who they are. Are they gods?” Elira chided herself for forgetting that the man just arrived in their world, “Divine are not gods, rather, they are someone favoured by gods. It’s the main requirement of being a Divine in the Lochley Ranking.” “Favours of Gods can be anything really. It can be a weapon, a body part, a blessing, a summoned being.” Elira added, predicting the man’s next question and continued when she saw he was about to ask something again, “No, I don’t know what The Mother of the Worlds’ favour is, or the The Indomitable Sword’s for that matter. I imagine it would be a sword.” Azrael narrowed his eyes at her, “Are you Theresa?” Elira had to laugh at that, “I don’t need to be a powerful telepath to know your line of thought, it’s one of the most asked questions when you are starting as a Merc.” Azrael sighed a breath of relief, “You’re right, I think I’m developing a phobia on Theresa.” Elira just smiled at his depressed face, “Theresa this, Theresa that, she might pop up here if you keep calling her you know.” “...” “...” Elira smirked at the man who was warily looking around the restaurant. “You were totally expecting her to pop up, didn’t you?” His face flushed red and stuttered at her teasing tone, “O-of course not! My instinct would have given me a warning.” Elira was quite curious about the happening yesterday night, “Is she following you? By the way, what was her reaction when you declined her invitation.” Azrael tried to flag the waitress before answering her question, “I don’t know if she is following me… She just shrugged and acted as if it was no big deal and continued convincing me to seduce Serath.” “Ahahahaha! She asked you what?!” Elira was shaking from laughter; she had never laughed like that in a long time and it was a good feeling. The waitress that arrived was looking weirdly at her. Azrael ordered a dessert before replying,  “It was ridiculous. She was so adamant about it, I had to blink away... only to arrive a step from my previous location.” Elira just smiled at him, tail swishing behind her chair. “I doubt you could accomplish that. I learned about June on our way to your rescue, and I added the bits of information that William told me about. Serath abdicated his crown prince title for someone, which turned out to be June, but she ended up dying in some mission.” Elira paused when the waitress arrived with a slice of cake for Azrael, but continued with a wistful voice after she left, “Such a clichéd tragic story, isn’t it? The best protector in the continent, failing to protect his loved one. Lots of stories popped up like that and hordes of women wanted to be the one to heal his broken heart.” Azrael just frowned in her direction, “You didn’t invite me to lunch just to gossip didn’t you?” Elira blushed at his accusation. She never had many friends so having a conversation partner that isn’t William was like a breath of fresh air to her, “No, I actually wanted you to join the four-man team I’m making for some Journeyman missions.” “Journeyman missions?” He asked, before putting a piece of dark chocolate cake in his mouth, bliss surfacing on his face. She nodded at his question and explained, “The Merc Hall also fixed your ranking together with your residency. They jumped you up to Journeyman on The Barrier Master’s recommendation so you can now do missions of the same rank.” She followed up her pitch when Azrael just continued eating his cake, “I’m planning on getting some credentials for Thirteens application and doing difficult missions is a good way on getting accepted and I need a team for that,” she paused before adding with a narrowed eyes, “Unless you don’t want to work with a demon?” Surprisingly, Azrael just shook his head with a serious face, “It’s not that. My hate for demons was born out of necessity instead of something personal. It was war back home and I had no choice but to fight demons whenever I leave the p... Home. Now that I’m in a new world, I could just forget everything back then…” Elira was satisfied with his answer and continued convincing the man, “Good. Doing missions is a good way to learn more of the world, and to gauge your power in this world’s standard.” Azrael was thoughtful now, “It might actually be a good idea… why do you want to join Thirteens? I thought you mentioned your Great Grandmother was an elder thing in some other guild?” “Blackdawn, they’re pretty famous as well but not as much as Fallen and Thirteens since they don’t have a Divine.” She paused and thought about her interaction with the elder this morning. Elira’s Gigi surprised her with a sudden visit in The Bloodied Borough; the elder demon knocked in her house early in the morning and invited her for a breakfast. She inquired about the mission she got for her and was quite curious about Azrael, she was surprised about the presence of Theresa in the mission and asked if she was still in the city. Elira didn’t actually know and she said so; her Gigi just nodded and left her a warning before leaving the city again, “Theresa once drowned a man by convincing him he is a fish. Try to avoid the blasted woman or at least try not to antagonize her.” Azrael snapping his fingers brought her mind back to the current conversation. Elira remembered his previous question and answered, “I never had plans to join my Gigi’s guild. There’s a reason why I trudged through Neophyte rank and didn’t just jump through Journeyman with her influence.” Straightening her back and raising her chin, she gave him a serious look and continued, “I know that I have good family and constitution but I didn’t want it to define who I am. I don’t want to end up successful because of riding the coattails of my family name. I am thankful for their blood but I know I do not owe them anything either.” She knew talent was good, but she knew hard work and talent were even better. “Curse everyone that thinks I am not capable of doing it, and I laugh in defiance at everyone who thinks that I am an idiot for my resolve. I do not want to be remembered in the history of this world as one of The Phasol Child. No , I want to be known as -- Elira.” She huffed right after her speech, daring the other man to say something about her long winded speech. Azrael eyes widened throughout her speech but it crinkled in approval at the end, followed by a good natured laugh without any malice in it. “I knew I liked you for a reason. So, when do we start?”   End of Chapter 10  Gigi - Great Grandmother Elierd - The Ruined Continent Land of Eternal Storms - Considered as they Eye and Heart of the World Lochley. Massive gathering of elemental energy which is also the source of the dangerous Elemental Current that runs throughout the world. Nobody knows what's inside it as no one is able to survive the place.              

Azrael - The End Cliffs Azrael cursed as his boiling lunch tried to escape the cauldron towards the open fire below. A sudden quake disturbed his lunch and the forest’s tranquility; he could see the trees in the far distance quiver at the onslaught of energy that came and went, like a bird fishing its prey. He shuddered at the thought of confronting a creature that possesses such destructive power. The idea of him getting out of the cliff through the forest didn’t look as good as he first thought anymore and considered living in The Exile Cave forever. He decided to name the cave as respect for the humble place that received him in this world. The name was to remember his exile, that he can no longer return back to Ost. ‘Names have power, Azrael. They can be a source of energy with enough belief. It may be a lie at the start, but with enough time, it can become the truth  that will change the world.’ Azrael thought that Nevan, his guardian, was just spouting drivel. He wanted advice on a good name for his feline pet, but Nevan proceeded with an hour long lecture about names and titles. He did attempt a foray into the "Friendly Woods" when he first made his "Heroic Escape"; scouting the surrounding is one of the basics of survival after all. Climbing down was an easy task as he is adept at controlling the pull of the world, he just had to jump down from the cliff, reduce its pull, and land quietly to the ground. And so he did. Azrael slowly descended; passing through the thick foliage of swaying leaves, as if to welcome him into its shade below. The dimmed light reminded him of his secluded life in the castle, the towering trees resembling the high castle walls. The spatter of light danced in tune with the rustling leaves that whispered with the creaking branches. Old. This forest was old and untouched; he didn’t know how to feel about that. ‘Something’s missing’ He observed his dim surroundings and tried to unravel the secrets of the trees hidden behind the bark of their trunk and roots of its feet. It was the absence of something; the absence of life, or at least the sound of it. The woods were too quiet to his liking, the creatures too silent, like someone stalking their prey. He huddled with his Shadow, finding comfort in the cloak that embraced his body. That’s when he saw it; a black furred creature that was as tall as him and thrice as long. It had a long body and pointed head, it’s oversized fangs jutting from its mouth. But it was lifeless, its body was full of vines that pierced its skin. It was slowly being lifted from the ground, towards the mouth of something. It looked like a tree but its branches were shaped like a mouth, leaves decorating it like pointed teeth; its trunk was quivering, seemingly excited at its new acquisition. The thing actually had eyes; two empty holes as big as his head on the lower part of the trunk. Roots decorated below it, forming a twisted smile. It looked like a twisted imitation of a human face and it was looking straight at him. ‘Wherever you are, whatever you do, you must act like your station and handle yourself with elegance and grace’ Clearly, his guardian never had to run from creepy looking tree-things before as he had never scampered so ungraciously in his life; back to the cliff where he climbed for his dear life. “Winter’s Breath! What Friendly Woods? Friendly if you mean the things in it want to make a close acquaintance with your guts.” Azrael murmured in indignation towards no one in particular.  He made it to the cliff top safely, thankful that there are no flying creatures in the forest. The Creepy-Faced Tree didn’t follow him; maybe because it was really a tree and couldn’t move or that it preferred the bigger prey it already has.  Azrael decided to recover his missing life energy before going into the woods again; no point in dying if he could survive by recovering to his peak condition. The most efficient way of recovering would be going to hibernation, he figured that The Exile Cave was safe enough for it. He went back to the cave and prepared for a long sleep; thoughts of a prince coming to wake him up and save him humorously floated in his mind. He didn’t know how long he slept; he closed his eyes and the next moment he is awake again. No prince woke him up but his Seer Instinct did, telling him that something’s about to happen. He wasn’t too concerned as there’s no feeling of immediate danger associated with it, in fact, he could feel hope instead. So he decided to cook, as he was famished from his recent sleep. Azrael didn’t know how to cook, but Nevan was fussy enough to separate several ingredients in his Shadow for a cauldron of soup. He just had to add water, add the ingredients, and wait for it to boil. ‘Come to think of it, she didn’t know that I would be exiled to the abyss to be made a corpse. She probably thought that I’d just be sent off into some other world so she prepared my things for it.’ There he was, peacefully cooking his lunch on top of the cliff, the glare of the sun hidden above the clouds, when the first rush of energy made the ground quake. Azrael thought that it’s one of the Friendly Woods’ not-so-friendly creatures and just proceeded on stirring his stew; slowly, as he had filled the cauldron to the brim. More is usually better so that’s what he did, however, the soup’s bland taste seemingly mocked his line of thought. ‘Maybe I’m supposed to let the liquid evaporate? No, then it wouldn’t be stew; the recipe clearly said that it’s a sou-- stew or soup?’ Too hungry and lazy to redo his bubbling creation, he resolved himself for a tasteless meal. Azrael was in the middle of scooping when another commotion happened in the forest, almost dropping his bowl as the scalding soup sloshed to his hand. It was more subdued this time, but he could still feel the strong assault of energy. He abandoned his meal and stood at the edge of the cliff facing the forest, waiting… ‘Once is a chance; Twice, a coincidence; Third an oncoming storm.’ A muted thud resounded after a few minutes, and it wasn’t his imagination that it was getting closer. It was then that he felt a faint presence, like the ripples of feather on a quiet lake, a glance by a stranger on the same street. It was just a brush of energy on his own personal bubble and it had come and gone before he could even process it.  Azrael didn’t know what to make of it so he ignored it as he has more pressing matters to attend to. Whatever was making the commotion was heading for him but he didn’t feel any immediate danger; the impending arrival of the violent storm was supported by his Seer Instinct. After Azrael determined that his life isn’t in any peril, he decided to go back to his soup; wondering if he should share the bland meal with his visitors. ‘I hope they kill the Creepy-Faced Tree on their way here. I wonder if they would like my soup, they would probably kill me for the affront on all things that could cook.’ Random thoughts filled his mind as he waited patiently; filling his stomach with tasteless food as he might need the extra energy. Azrael managed to finish two bowls of soup undisturbed when he felt three distinct energies below the cliff. He wanted to look down and check but he decided to wait for them in his current position; sitting in a chair with his legs crossed, hands resting on them. It was as elegant as he could get on a windswept cliff top without actually bringing out the tapestries inside his Shadow. His skin tingled at the sound of their rhythmic footsteps. ‘Wait, footsteps’? A human wearing a deep blue coat with hair the color of the deep ocean slowly ascended from the side of the cliff. He was ascending a stair, which confused Azrael as there had been no stairs on that cliff. The human was looking at him with a welcoming face, slight smile on his lips, and blue eyes that shine with the reflection of the sun. A smaller man with red hair followed him from the stairs with the same expression as the first visitor, only that he could feel the man’s excitement about to burst through his eyes. Azrael’s pupils contracted and his body tensed at the sight of the third visitor. He opened several dimensional cracks in the air around him; floating daggers slowly revealing themselves, ready to fly off at the demonic creature. The demon’s tail made a whipping motion to the ground but stopped before it made a collision. She rolled her eyes and murmured something that he couldn’t understand but he didn’t like the tone of it. Azrael cursed himself for forgetting about the language issue, he was debating his chances if a battle ever occurred but a sudden impulse to speak invaded his mind. He didn’t know where the idea came from but he decided to at least give the other party a fair warning. “Why are you guys here and why are you colluding with a demon?” Azrael directed his question at the man with blue eyes who was still smiling, as if the revolving daggers around him didn’t exist. “Please, we mean you no harm. Elira, our demon friend, is a peaceful one; as is most demon in this world.” Azrael widened his eyes as the man just spoke the same language as him. He glanced at Elira who didn’t look like a peaceful creature as she was openly glaring at him. “Would it be possible to sheathe your weapons? I would imagine a civilized introduction would be proper for our first meeting.” The calm of the man unnerved him, but he decided to withdraw his daggers and close the cracks in space. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my name is Serath Meshiere. Might I inquire your name? You are from Ost are you not?” Serath made a polite bow during his introduction and made an inquiry of his origin. Azrael wasn’t surprised that the man knew where he came from as Serath was speaking the same Ost’s Common Language; he was even speaking in the stiff formal way that nobilities like to use. “Yes, are you a noble from Ost? My full name is Azrael Harken.” It wasn’t his actual family name but there’s no reason to tell them that. The man was clearly no commoner and he wanted to avoid some confrontation if he happened to be from Ost. “I see… Mister Azrael, would you like to speak in the Common Language of Lochley? My companions would like to join our conversation and it would be quite tedious if I were to translate everything.” Serath pulled a tome from a dimensional formation and held it in front of him. ‘Wait, when did they get so close? No -- it’s me. Did I walk subconsciously closer to the four them?’ Azrael realized that he was no longer in his original position and was near enough to observe the thick leather book on Serath’s hand. ‘Wait, four?’ Azrael’s head snapped at the direction of the unassuming woman beside the demon. She had a free-flowing blonde hair; the tips that reached her waist slightly danced with the wind. Her robes were the color of gray, the same color of the cliff. She was wearing a strip of yellow cloth on top of her eyes that was decorated by deep black lines. ‘Did I miss her because of the demon? She probably climbed during my standoff with Elira.’ Azrael dismissed his thoughts and looked back the tome. “I can see how a book would help me speak your tongue, but I’m afraid your companions have to wait until I actually learn the stuff.” He asked the man holding the heavy looking volume. Serath laughed at his statement and replied, “There is still the need to finalize the enchantment on the book. I felt that I should inform you of it before proceeding as I did not want to startle you.”   Azrael got distracted by the man’s sudden laugh and just nodded. The book suddenly opened and orb of lights formed around it, thick strands flowing through the flipping pages. Azrael was amazed at how the book was processing such complex energies and assumed that Serath was directly transferring the language to the book. He got too absorbed in the process and only noticed the man’s exhausted aura as the last orb of light merged with the book. Serath handed the glowing tome and instructed him on how to use it. “Please insert some of your energy as it is needed for the tome to activate. The process shouldn’t take much of it and please rest assured that it’s completely safe.” Azrael hesitantly received the book and let the energy from his core merge with it. He was about to ask when to stop when the book suddenly exploded, pages flying in all directions. Thoughts of chasing flying papers filled his mind. Azrael was about warp the gravity around the cliff towards him when the pages stopped mid air and it started to form several layers of formation around him. He looked in wonderment at the dancing papers; they shined in various colors as they burned around him, producing rainbow colored ashes that floated like fireflies. They flickered around him, adding various tint in the shade of the clouds that hid the yellow sun. They were so like the colorful butterflies from home, the dye of their gently flapping wings adding life to the white winter garden. It brought the truths of a language, and Azrael eagerly accepted all of it. Just as the last piece of the paper burned, Serath spoke in a new language that felt so familiar to him, like the echoes of a past long forgotten. “Yomire told me that the book would not take much of my energy. Apparently, she’s emulating your bad habits, Theresa. She also forgot to tell me how beautiful the tome would look once activated.” Serath berated in good nature at the blonde women as he watched Azrael’s teary eyes. “Thank you.” Azrael didn’t know what to say, so his first Lochley Language ended up being as words of gratitude. He summoned a silver ring with a black gemstone embedded on it and gave it to Serath. “This is? You know, I did not expect to get a proposal just for enchanting a book. We were not expecting anything in return for the book so please don’t force yourself.” The man raised his eyebrows at him as he received the ring. Serath also looked at Theresa who just silently shook her head at him. “It’s a Dimensional Ring. I know it’s not worth much but it’s all I have right now that’s worth something.” Azrael just ignored the man’s obvious quip and wondered what Theresa shaking her head meant. “Then we will graciously receive your thanks, though you belittle how rare artifacts with dimensional nature are. May I introduce you to Mr Gerund, I am pretty sure he is silently killing me in his mind for monopolizing you.” Serath gestured at the red haired man who went closer to him. “Hello! I’m Gerund, The Wesh Enthusiast if you prefer titles. Do you have a title from your world? You’re from Ost right? There had been only one Ost traveler recorded before and it was a thousand years ago, she brought the very first dimensional artifact in this world that sparked lots of studies about it. Are you a nobility? You look like a nobility. Your cloak looks like a very powerful artifact too.” He took a step back the old man’s aggressiveness. Gerund stood in front of him with shining eyes like a child that got his first weapon. Azrael looked at the other three people for help who were all shaking their heads. It looked quite comical, even with the demon in the mix. He decided to answer each question before the man decides to invade his personal space. “I don’t have any title. Yes, I’m from Ost and yes I am indeed a nobility.” Azrael actually has several titles and he was royalty and not nobility. He didn’t want to lie when they just gave him a great gift but he didn’t know these people. Besides, the reason he gave the ring was to counter the gift and settle the debt. ‘You must always pay your debts Azrael, they can become a burden of the heart that will drag you down when you least expect it’ Azrael settled for a nobility as he had more knowledge about them compared to commoners. He figured he wouldn’t pass as a commoner with his equipment anyway. He decided to leave the last question unanswered. “Why were you sent here? Did Ost finally decide to connect to other worlds?” Gerund immediately asked another question just after he finished. “Exiled.” Well, executed would be the technically correct term but that would probably raise a lot of questions he didn’t want to answer. He knew that Ost didn't like connecting to other worlds so exile seemed a fitting answer; it was partially true anyway as it was the publicly known information as his punishment. “Can you tell us why?” Gerund didn’t seem surprised by his answer so he guessed he answered right. “For dallying with a man.” Azrael simply answered; it was also the “official reason” for his exile. The demon seemed surprised at his answer. “Hmm.. Yes, yes, as a nobility you would be required to produce an heir, and it’s true for most world that I researched. But getting a consort should suffice -- unless you refused?” Gerund turned a thoughtful look at him. “Yes.” this time it’s the whole truth.  Gerund continued his line of question without a missing a beat. “So you got exiled and was sent specifically here?” “Well, not exactly. I got sent in a random world.” Partial truth again, he got sent to the abyss but ended up here. “Hey, I got a question too.” The demon piped up before Gerund could ask something again. Azrael turned to look at her, less wary now but still unused at speaking with a demon without it trying to kill him. “Why is your cauldron giving off black smoke?” Elira nodded at his back and he turned to look at his forgotten lunch.   ‘Burning Birds! I forgot about my soup!!!’   End of Chapter 6 Burning Birds - Azrael’s self-made expression for his personal hate regarding bird creatures.  

William Benioff: The Bloodied Borough   William continued to wave his hands at the disappearing carriage in the distance with a confused smile on his face. He got too distracted with how Elira behaved; like a child during the gift-giving holiday that locals of The Bloodied Borough celebrate every winter. Elira had always loved new technologies that every innovator seemed to shit on their asses lately. After all, they could only contend with The Innovator with quantity and cheap imitations. Even the carriage that the guild procured for Gerund's mission could not compare to the real deal. 'Did the freaking carriage just drove itself without a driver? I don't think anyone entered the driver side... Oh well, must be a new release.' Worry replaced his previous expression after the carriage disappeared in the intersection. He had several things to worry about and now seemed to be a good time as any to find solutions for them. He went inside the Merc Hall and found an empty table so he could ruminate in peace. The Merc Hall branch of the Bloodied Borough has a tavern in its first floor. Mercenaries usually needed a place to gather and the Hall decided to capitalize on it; providing energy-boosting food and alcoholic drinks that everyone loved to imbibe. The mission area was located on the back of the building, past the gathering and eating area. They also provide several meeting rooms on their upper floors but only those that fulfill the requirements could rent them. The primary worry in William's heart would be Elira's safety. She was stronger than him and he always lost in their sparring matches but he was sure that she isn't strong enough to kill any of the abominations that grew in the forest. 'It's alright, The Barrier Master has a 99% success for escort missions according to my Yearly Idol Newsletter' There was nothing he could do about it anyway so he just went on to his next worry. William's second worry would be the loss of his composure in front of The Barrier Master. He wanted to at least act like a collected person as impressing one of the Fallen with his Journeyman Rank would be futile. The collected persona disintegrated as he entered the room, though. 'Tens and Thirteens! Why did I act like that?' William wondered at the sudden wreck of emotions that he was in front of Serath but couldn't find a reason, except maybe for his weak will; it's either that or something supernatural. William just sighed and decided that his first impression was a lost cause and he just had to be thankful that it wasn't The Bloodied Queen. His member would have probably burst from too much blood if he ever gets the chance to meet the voted  -- sexiest woman in Meshiere --, at least according to his Monthly Idol Newsletter. "Hey there lad, want meh to buy ye a drink? Ye seem to have the world on yer shoulders." A dwarf with the height of a table and a body of a barrel interrupted his thoughts before he could go into his other worries. He was walking towards his table with a female elf as a companion. "YES!" William immediately answered the dwarf as he really needed one, and the half-man seemed to be genuinely concerned about him. Also, he didn't want the man to retract his offer; he isn't poor per se but he isn't rolling in wealth either. "A charming young man such as yourself shouldn't worry too much about the happenings in life. I'll add a drink to this silly dwarf's offer," added the tall elven woman with a smile directed at him. "Oh - ah yes! Thanks!" William was glad he didn't lose composure in front of the beautiful elf this time; probably because all the elf he knew were beautiful. He silently thanked the Original Humans that got the Elven Constitution Blessing for their descendants and the gift of long-legged creatures with perfect proportions, though William thought female elves could use more chests. The pair of part-humans took a seat at his table and they made small talk and introductions as they waited for the alcoholic drinks which arrived quickly. "Please forgive us if we interrupted your contemplation, though I don't think they were good thoughts. My name is Vienna and the dwarf beside me is Balrow. We just arrived in the city yesterday and we don't know many people here yet." The elf was the one who made their introductions while Barlow just chugged one of the mugs of red beer that arrived.  Unlike elves and demons which are all beautiful, dwarves are as varied as humans. There are dwarves which only differed to humans in height, while there are dwarves that have bearded face and stocky body. Of course, there are those that fall somewhere in between. Balrow was part of the dwarves that looked like a barrel. William also drank one of the several mugs that occupied their table, happy to have a free drink. "You guys can just call me William. I was born and bred in this city so if you have any questions, just ask them," he said with a thump on his chest as he tried to impress Vienna. "How 'bout the important places in this bloodied city lad? Meh eyes are turning red from all the red things in this forsaken city!" Balrow chugged another red beer to prove his point. William had to laugh at that as non-locals are usually irritated at the red motif the city decided to uphold. "Well, here's the merc hall, you probably know that already since you're here.. haha" William said in a happy tone and the part-humans just smiled at him.  'Heh - I'm a funny man' "If you guys are more into selling stuff, then the Traders are located in the market area, west of the city. Though most people there are snobs, freaking elitist bastards and their tinkling pockets." William finished his current mug and grabbed another one off the table.  'Huh, the drinks aren't getting any lesser. They're such a generous pair' "The residential area for locals, mercenaries, and other non-important people like us are located on the east side. The park is in the center of the city if you guys like to frolic in nature -heh - do elves do that? My elven friends don't seem to do that. Do you do that Miss Vienna?" William inquired at the now giggling elf. "Unfortunately, No. I think you're mistaking elves with the Flora Orleys William." Vienna reminded him of the true locals in their world. "Huh, you're right. I forgot about them, though there aren't many of the non-humans in this city; only a few Fleys that manages the park and Gleys that helps in building and repairing structures. Did you guys wanted to know more about them?" William didn't want to discuss the Orleys as he wasn't educated about them. Balrow shook his head at the question, "Nah, what more is to learn about them, lad? 'Am actually interested in yer previous companions. Meh didn't know such high profile mercs are in this city!" "Ohhhhhh you saw them?!" William brightened at that, eager to discuss idols with the half-man, however weird that may be. "Bahaha! Lad, everyone's head turned at The Barrier Master and the Wesh Enthusiast when ye people climbed down the stair, and ye came down with them!" Balrow's booming laugh echoed throughout the room and everyone in the vicinity perked up at the mention of the Hall's high-profile visitors. "I couldn't believe it either! Seeing an idol outside my Weekly Idol Newsletter, a dream come true!" William's face was flushed now, from too much excitement and alcohol. "So, where have they headed lad? Knowing the Wesh Enthusiast, probably some sort of otherworld business." Balrow was whispering secretly now.   'Huh, they're interested in Gerund more than Serath? What a weird bunch' William frowned at the thought but still answered the dwarf.  "In the.. uh whatchamacallit? the Ends Forest! They're meeting some sort of traveler or something... Ugh, my head is spinning" William half-whispered half-shouted at Balrow, he was confused on why Balrow was whispering. "Don't worry lad, ye can still drink!" William wanted to stop drinking but the dwarf and elf kept offering more mugs at him. "Did the Wesh Enthusiast say where the world traveler came from?" Vienna seemed to be doing the interrogation now. 'Interrogation? Why did I think of that' William thought with his alcohol addled mind.  "Oh.... lemme remember... NEW! Mister Gerund said something about new world.. or was it new pants? I think I need a new pants. Serath's pants are tight... even Elira's pants are new, oh I want to be their pants... Heh -- Jasmine should never wear pants...." William was mumbling now. "The Bloodied Queen lad? Was she part of the team, we didn't see her." "HAH! I wish! My little Willy would still be full of blood if she was here! Ohhh.. I wish her picture would always grace my Daily Idol Newsletter." William sighed, full of emotions. "Who's Elira? Was she the demoness?" The elven woman seemed to realize that he already had enough beer as Vienna stopped forcing them on him. "Elira! My dear dear Elira... pretty thing ain't she, too bad she'd poke my eye out with her horns and strangle me with her tail if I ever make a move on her again..." William was suddenly assaulted by the thought of Elira's tail, strangling him. "Actually, you know what guys? maybe I'll like that. Tails are good. Hahaha!" He was slamming the table loudly, seemingly unaware of the weird looks he was getting from the neighboring chairs. "Ye gods of stone and ground, Vienna, you gave him too much to drink" Balrow hissed at the elven woman who was looking dumbfoundedly at William. "You told me to make him talk! Well, he's talking now!" Vienna whispered back to the dwarf. "Come on guys! Don't fight! All humans are beautiful! Appreciate them with me! Whatcha lookin at chump, never seen a man who can appreciate beauty before? hey you're quite handsome yourself!" William shouted at the passing demon who was looking weirdly at him. Vienna hurriedly gave an apology to the demon before turning her attention back to him, "Did the Wesh Enthusiast only hire one of the Fallen?"  "Hmm, what? oh you're a fan of them too! Good! Good! Honestly, I like the Thirteens better... except for my Jasmine o' Jasmine of course!!" William grinned at the elf. "Lad, ye didn't answer Vienna's question, or did he actually hire a Thirteens or any of their subordinates?" Balrow's face was scrunched up in annoyance as he reminded William to answer the question. "Whaa - No! My sweetheart said there's... TWO! Two Fallen.. though I didn't see one otherrrr, you guys saw one other? another one? hehe" William was having trouble keeping his eyes open and he was contemplating of how comfortable tables would be compared to his bed at home. "He's falling asleep now, from all his act earlier I thought he'd have a high alcohol tolerance." Vienna mumbled as she tried to shake the human awake. "Hm.... go away." William slapped her hands away and placed his arms on top of the wet table and used it as a pillow. "Aaaaand he's down. We still don't know who the other one could be, we'll be in trouble if it's any of their main combatants." Vienna whispered to the dwarf, lacing her voice with wind energy so that it would only travel to her partner's ears. Balrow replied after Vienna enchanted his own voice, "Its yer fault, you gave him too much to drink! We'd have to pay for that ye know! And what main combatants are ye talking about, any of the ten could send us to our graves! Even that kid!" "At least we got a good news out of him. The world traveler would be from a completely new world, we need to inform the leader so we could properly prepare." Vienna said as she looked at the sleeping man on the table, the tip of his brown hair was getting wet from the spilt beers on the table. "Hmph, I suppose the lad earned his drinks. Those kind of travelers are very rare and most that arrive here brings artifacts that are unknown in this world." Balrow agreed as he left his chair. "Lands of Eternal Storm, let's just hope we don't end up like Elierd from this mission." Vienna silently prayed as the two of them paid at the counter and left the Hall. After the two had left, the waitress tried to wake up William who was still peacefully sleeping at the table. "Hey Mister, your companions already left. Go away so I can clean this table!" She was used to seeing unconscious men and women in the tavern area of the Hall and being able to handle them is one of the requirements of her employment.  "Mmm... no... Elira... you can't... huh what?  why am I sticky?" William lazily blinked at the waitress wondering at the wet hair sticking at his face. "Mister. Go. Away. No sleeping in the tavern, it's not even dark yet!" The waitress fumed at him and he obediently followed the waitress as she led him outside the Hall.  The harsh glare of the sun greeted him as he exited the building. The light burned at his eyes and he squinted them, wondering if gouging them out would be a less painful ordeal. After a few seconds of convincing himself that he needed them to see, he slowly trudged on his way home with a headache that would probably last him until the night. William wondered where his benefactors went and tried to remember their conversations. He couldn't remember anything important; that they only talked about certain high profiled persons. 'They sure like the Fallen too' William praised the pair for being such good company. He walked carefully back home, afraid that sudden movements would further upset his stomach. His bladder was also full but he didn't want to return to the Hall to use their water closet. However, there's one reason why William was trying to get back home as fast as possible. 'It's been a few hours since I left home, my Hourly Idol Newsletter should have a couple new things now. Oh boy, I hope they post something about Thirteens this time!' End of Chapter 5 Notable Terms: Tens and Thirteens - Expression common in Meshiere. Usually used to express the absurdity of something.  Lands of Eternal storms --- Elierd  - Expression common in the whole of Lochley. Usually used as a prayer/expression before, during, or after a great danger. Orleys - The first inhabitants of Lochley. They are the ruling class of Lochley before the First Age of Unity arrived. Fleys - Flora Orleys Gleys - Ground Orleys Weys - Water Orleys

Azrael - Towering Cairns   Azrael was hiding in a locked room, not from a god favored individual, but from his own companions. He cursed himself for the abrupt emotional episode, for thinking that he settled his mood swings back at the Ends Cliffs. Worse, he let his moment of weakness be witnessed by other people -- good people -- but still strangers if considered the length of their acquaintance. Elira’s outlook in life had dazzled him; proud and unyielding, she despised those who had another say about her own choices. Add her educated background, she was the perfect person to emulate and learn from: in values and in Lochley knowledge. The only problem was how weak she was in the grand scheme of things. Azrael needed strong allies for the inevitable arrival of his brother, the heirloom in his Shadow a guarantee of it. Fighting alone against the future Emperor of Ost was a sure way of killing himself and escape was nothing but a borrowed time. ‘Nevan would know what to do…’ He shook his head before the melancholic mood could take hold of him. His guardian was no longer able to give counsel and he only had himself for making decisions, a thought that made him both happy and nervous. The need for sustenance and information made him leave his comfortable bed, the angle of the light from the windows indicated that it was almost noon. He was still embarrassed about facing his companions but he prayed that they ignore his previous eccentric behavior. Azrael knocked on Elira’s door and entered after a muffled assent. He was surprised at a white creature made from energy, hopping around the cross-legged demon. “Sorry,” Elira stood up and the creature disintegrated into specks of light, “I was practicing forming my energy.” Azrael was curious about her talent in souls, “was that one of your abilities?” “Yep, I formed the image of a long-eared rabbit and reinforced the shaped energy with soul energy,” Elira made her way to one of the wardrobes and commented on his late appearance, “you missed breakfast.” “Overslept.” Azrael sat in one of the stool as he waited for Elira to change in the washroom. “Come on,” the demon reappeared with new clothes, grabbed the connector near the bed, gave it to him, and headed straight for the exit, “let’s get you something to eat.” Elira passed by their companion’s room without a glance and he inquired about the man’s affair, “We aren’t gonna invite William?” “He’s looking for our fourth member,” she gave him a concise answer and instructed him to bring funds, “bring your fancy credit stone, we need to buy clothes for you.” Azrael glanced at his pure black outfit, “What’s wrong with my clothes?” “Its black, its suspicious, and it screams rich.” The demon didn’t even look at his clothes but she managed to summarize it well. Elira dragged him to a clothing store and told him to choose casual clothes that weren’t black. He stared at one of the cloth racks, unmoving, until Elira sighed and picked some bright colored shirts and pants for him to try on. After a ridiculous amount of fabric passed by his hands and body, the demon finally brought him to a place that served food. Azrael eyed the multiple bags under their table, “I’m not gonna go broke from all these clothes, right?” “The credit Serath gave you was equivalent to The Storytellers enchantment favor,” Elira saw his puzzled face and tried to change her explanation, “it’s equivalent to a weapon or armor that even a Saint Rank would want.” He gave her another confused look so she just shook her head and answered his previous question directly, “no, you’re not gonna go broke from buying clothes, food, or even a house in the capital -- but you’re missing the point.” “What point?” “That you got yourself a favor from one of the Fallen.” Elira leaned back on her chair and prepared for a long lecture, “Money starts losing its trade value the stronger you become, do you know why?” Azrael answered with the first thought that came to him, “Because all powerful people already have lot’s of it?” Elira nodded, “Correct, any other reason?” “Because the valuable things can’t be bought by money alone?” He responded after a few beats of silence. “Yes,” the demon smiled at his answer, “for example, to get the service of VI The Dimensional Witch or IX The Performer they need to owe you a favor or you possess other things or services they would be interested in.” “Oh, I don’t think the books I gave them are that valuable.” What Azrael handed to the Barrier Master were mundane books: cooking recipes, children stories, fictions, and other ordinary books accessible by commoners in Ost. He couldn’t part with the romance stories that Nevan loved to read so he kept them for himself, along with the other books restricted for royals and nobles. “They may not be important but they’re rare,” Elira tapped a finger on the table to emphasize her next statement, “and The Storyteller is all about rare books.” “What does she do with them?” Azrael narrowed his eyes at the demon, skeptical about the use of the books. “Read them of course,” Elira laughed at his frown from the obvious answer, “nobody actually knows, but it's one of the few information about her.” Elira enumerated the known information about The Storyteller: “She is confirmed to be a woman, registered in the Merc Hall with an Imperator Rank to her name, enchantments that are well-known throughout the continent, and finally, her love for rare books and stories.” “That’s not a lot for someone considered well-known,” Azrael was expecting a whole book of information about the Fallen member but the information given couldn’t even fill a page. “It’s clear someone is trying to control information and only disseminate the important parts,” Elira was unconcerned about the conspiracy, “like her love for rare books and the possibility of getting an enchantment through it.” “Theresa?” “Most likely.” Azrael was considering the small, but influential, guild as his first choice for ally so he continued fishing for information, “are information about them as controlled as The Storyteller?” “Only some of them, the others are quite popular and their information is spread through different channels.” Elira didn’t find his curiosity suspicious and proceeded to tell him other intelligence about the guild. “The Bloodied Queen and The Indestructible Construct are considered to be the guild’s main combatants and they frequent the newsletter. You have to ask William if you want to learn more about them.” The ordered food arrived and they ate in silence, left with their own thoughts. He was in the middle of considering Thirteens and befriending a True Dragon when Elira interrupted him with her own concerns. “What are your plans for the near future?” Elira realized the vague question and clarified, “I get it that you’re willing to help with this team, but what about after?” Azrael frowned at the question, “I… don’t know yet.” “I should also remind you that we might travel around the continent for obtaining good missions,” the demon’s eyes widened when she realized she never asked about his opinion on the matter, “you’re fine with traveling for long periods of time, right?” “I’m fine with that,” he was more than fine with the idea as traveling would be a fantastic way to learn about Lochley, “how long will the team operate?” Azrael estimated that he had a few years to spare; as powerful as his brother was, the future Emperor of Ost was not without concerns. He might notice the disappearance of the heirloom but he won’t be able to chase him immediately; war and politics would hinder him from leaving Ost. However, once the current war reached an end, he would be able to focus in suppressing their other sibling. The heirloom hunt comes after that. Azrael realized that it was possible for his brother to send elites, to scout or capture him. He cursed himself for not making relations with the Wesh Enthusiast to monitor newcomers. “... the surging -- you’re not even listening, are you?” He ignored the demon’s exasperated look and asked, “Do you have any connections with the Wesh Enthusiast?” “I think that between the two of us, he’d be more interested in making a connection with you.” Elira pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes, “I thought he was visiting you every day after we arrived at The Bloodied Borough?” “Yes,” he crinkled his nose at the memory, “but he stopped coming after the second day. Serath told me it has something to do with the Wesh Roots.” “I can ask my Gigi but...” Elira waggled her eyebrows at him, “you can just ask Serath.” “I’m trying to avoid the man,” he blushed at the playful smile the demon was giving him, “it’s not something personal… I just want to spite Theresa.” Elira rolled her eyes at him, “For someone who’s supposed to be a noble, you act so childish sometimes.” ‘You are a child, nothing but a child…’ The sudden memory of a familiar voice made his eyes flicker with emotion. The demon sensed the tense atmosphere around him and was about to speak when a loud voice echoed in his head. ‘HEEEEEY! I found our fourth member!’ Elira flinched at the loud thought delivered by their telepath stones. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and sent her own message after a deep sigh, ‘Don’t use too much energy, we’re eating in the Dancing Seafood so proceed here.’ Azrael was glad about the interruption; from his own thoughts and from the prying demon in front of him. He avoided opening up the topic by stuffing his mouth with food; the silent plea was acknowledged and the demon ate her own meal in silence. A commotion at the entrance of the restaurant announced William’s arrival. “What do you mean he can’t come in? He’s with me!” The waiter was glancing at the rock-skinned man beside the restaurant’s new guest, “But sir… we don’t have any food for Orleys…” “It’s okay, he won’t eat. We’re really just here for… Elira! There! We’re with her!” William’s loud voice echoed within the restaurant and everyone’s eyes followed the direction of his finger. Elira’s face was now buried in her hands and Azrael wondered if it was pride that’s preventing her from ducking under the table. The brown haired man waved as he approached them; followed by a silent gley and a waiter massaging his temples. The table and seats were rearranged to fit two additional guests and the introductions came after that. Azrael didn’t miss the other man’s attempt to avoid his eyes; it made him wonder how he offended the man. “The demon is Elira and the.. uhm.. other man is Azrael.” The gley glanced at demon before facing him, “Greetings. We are Drukvu.” Azrael chucked William’s behavior to his eccentricity and focused on the non-human. It was his first time hearing an Orley speak and he found it fascinating that they didn’t need to move their mouth or jaws. “You are weak.” The gley’s next sentence left him and the other table occupants dumbfounded. He didn’t feel offended as there was no emotion accompanied with the statement but it still made his eye twitch. Azrael couldn’t blame the gley. His distinct energy was being used for recovering his life energy and anyone curious enough to peruse it would find it lacking. “Bahaha!” William shook with laughter and slapped Drukvu’s shoulders, “you’re straight forward eh?” “Don’t worry about his qualifications,” Elira regained her calm and started the discussion about the team, “he has other… ways… to get around. Did William tell you about the team’s goal?” “Travel. Prove strength. Increase rank. We are the same Phasol Child.” “Address me by my name,” Elira turned to William who was reading the menu, “did you test him already?” “Yea.. yea… what’s good to order?” The demon rolled her eyes, ignored the man’s question, and decided to ask the gley instead, “How did he test you?” “Block attacks. None passed through.” Azrael raised his eyebrow at that; William’s energy bullet was efficient but it wasn’t hard to block. Elira saw his expression and smiled, “Looks like you’re also guilty of underestimating your teammates.” He blushed at his own hypocrisy and gave a half-hearted defense, “There weren’t really many battle instances for me to draw on…” The demon ignored his mumbling and turned her attention back to the rock-skinned man, “You’re fine with joining our team?” “Satisfactory. Heard reputation. We are willing.” Drukvu moved his head up and down in a stiff motion, imitating the human’s gesture for approval. “Good. Then we’ll register as an official four-man team in the Merc Hall and request for a guided mission,” she turned to his direction and explained before he could ask what kind of mission it was. “Guided missions are one of the ways the Merc Hall use to prevent too many deaths in their workforce. They assign a higher ranked individual to supervise aspiring teams who takes mission harder for their current rank.” “Don’t forget to request for a Thirteens supervisor,” William piped up after the waiter delivered his food, “Dunno about rocky and blacky but we still need to impress them and make connections before the annual recruitment.” Azrael gave the man a withering glare for the nickname but William just kept eating and ignored him; though, he did notice the brown haired man’s reddening ears. “I’m planning to, but don’t expect them to send someone just because we asked,” Elira glanced at the two humans and stood up, “Drukvu, accompany me to the Merc Hall. I also need to brief you on other matters.” William widened his eyes and stuffed the remaining food to his mouth. It didn’t end well for him as he choked and became on the receiving end of hard slaps on the back from the rock-skinned man. Azrael was now sure that the other man was avoiding him. He raised an eyebrow at Elira who just gave him a wink and stopped William from standing, “Finish your food properly. I’ll pay for the food on our way out.” The pair of part-human and non-human left the restaurant, leaving two humans and their awkward silence. Azrael tried to guess what Elira was planning but he remembered he did have a topic to ask William about. He didn’t know why the other man was conscious around him so he ignored his discomfort and asked. “Can you elaborate how powerful The Bloodied Queen and The Indestructible Construct are?” William’s stiff face morphed into a full smile directed at him; it was so sudden that Azrael had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. “Jasmine, The Bloodied Queen, is a celebrity!” William pushed his chair closer to him and started his excited ramblings: “She’s the most active Fallen member in terms of doing missions, interview appearances, and promotion shots. She debuted during XI Couturier’s showcase and had been a staple part of idol’s newsletter after that. I could show you my coll--” “How about her battle capabilities?” Azrael interrupted him as he wasn’t that interested in perusing dubious collections. “Oh…” William paused, confused about his lack of interest, but continued after a few blinks directed his way. “She’s a bonafide Guardian; meaning she can expand her personal bubble and take hold of every unowned energy in the area, manifest her energy to its true form, and is contracted to a Guardian Being.” Azrael’s eyes widened at the capabilities of a Guardian as it sounded like the requirements for a Royal Guard and Field Generals in Ost. If Serath was a Guardian, then Fallen would already have four people that could contend with the elites under his brother. He didn’t know Theresa’s exact power but he knew she was strong and tricky to fight against. He decided to initiate contact with the guild to sound out their characters and motivations. It would be risky but better than waiting for other options present themselves. Azrael retrieved his connector from Shadow and asked William who was giving him curious looks for his sudden actions, “Do you know how to join a chat group?” “Yea,” the other man nodded, “but you need to know the group’s name and password if it was set to private.” “Can you help me join one?” He wasn’t familiar with how the connector works and he didn’t want to ask Elira as the demon would tease her for having The Barrier Master’s invitation to a chat room. “Uh… sure,” William moved to the seat next to him and guided him through the process, “you need to make a connector account first…” After answering several basic questions, he entered the information needed to join the chat group. Connecting to Chat Group - Ascension Please Wait… “That’s a weird group name,” William frowned at the screen, “anyway, connecting to the group would take a while. You can close the lid of the connector as you wait; it would take a couple of minutes depending on the location of the group maker.” The two decided to leave the restaurant and wait for Elira back at the inn. They made their way to their own room and Azrael decided to take a quick nap while waiting to be connected to the group. The sun was setting when he woke up from his short sleep. He rubbed his eyes and noticed the blinking lights of his connector in the dark shadows of his room. The dazed man made his way to it and opened up the screen: … Connected to Ascension. [Az has connected to the group] [Six other users are currently connected to the group] Fight Me: She was crazy! Fight Me: Chopped me up to pieces while laughing! Fight Me: But she was a real babe Fight Me: Almost worth it, getting chopped up like that. Fight Me: HAHAHA Fight Me: SHITTY GODS SOMEONE ELSE IS HEREE Lovely Eyes: Hi Az, did you miss me? Fight Me: Oi kid, someone invaded our group!!! Your invention suckkkk! Fight Me: SPY! Fight me! Fight Me: Blind woman you know the spy?! Traitor! Miss Her: I gave the invitation to Azrael. Fight Me: Did you finally get tired of the book lady?! Fight Me: Ohhhh Angelman this the new housemate I keep hearing about? Fight Me: You finally got over that dead woman? HAHAHA Lovely Eyes: I told Jasmine to connect. Fight Me: change your nickname to Trashed Her… or FUCKING A NEW ONE Fight Me: Az, leave the boring man and come to me if you want to be satisfied. I’m goood. Fight Me: Fuuuck you Theresa! [Fight Me has disconnected] [Five other users are currently connected to the group] Lovely Eyes: Goodness, finally some peace and quiet. Miss Her: Azrael, I apologize for our guildmate’s behavior. Miss Her: And well done on handling Jared, Theresa. Lovely Eyes: Azrael isn’t chatting. Lovely Eyes:  I’m gonna kill Jared if he scared Az away. Kaed: Is he the one you invited to the guild Theresa? Kaed: and you were not supposed to hand out chat group invitations Serath. Lovely Eyes: Yes. Lovely Eyes: Oh, you’re always such a killjoy Kaed. Miss Her: Mary agreed when I asked her if I could invite Azrael to this group. Kaed: That’s because you agreed to do barriers for her experiments. Lovely Eyes: Ignore Kaed, Az. Lovely Eyes: You’re welcome here. Kaed: You guys are easily bribed. Lovely Eyes: Yomire loved your books! Lovely Eyes: She’s only read a quarter of it. Miss Her: Azrael might have left the connector open. Just a Kid: Another lurker. Lovely Eyes: Kaed, is Raea heading to Az now? Kaed: No. Kaed: She’s too busy to bother with your whims Theresa. Lovely Eyes: Rude. My invitation was genuine. Kaed: Stop concerning yourself with the world traveler. Kaed: He will find us if he wants to join and we will consider it then. Kaed: I need to get back to my duties. [Kaed has disconnected] [Four other users are currently connected to the group] Lovely Eyes: But he’s already here! Lovely Eyes: You’re here to join, right? Azrael?     There was no more chat after that and he decided to close the connector. Azrael tossed the rectangular metal back to his Shadow and curled back in his bed, thoughts of true dragons floating in his mind.   ‘Maybe befriending a dragon doesn’t sound so crazy after all.’   End of Chapter 16   Energy Manipulation Awareness - Detect the energies around you. Reinforce - Use distinct energy to amplify your own body or weapons. Discharge - Release distinct energy outside your bubble. Form - Shape distinct energy for practical use. Transmute - Change the nature of your distinct energy. Absorb - Convert unowned energies to aid your distinct energy. Substitute - Use other types of energy other than distinct energy. [Saint Requirement] Manifest - Culmination of all the experiences in energies and the Wesh. Embodies your energy into something that is utterly your own. [Guardian Requirement] Field - Spread your bubble and take every unowned energy in the area as your own. Creates a territory full of your own energy and tailored for your advantage. [Guardian Requirement] Guardian Being - Sentient creatures of the Wesh that holds great power. Can be contracted with an individual.   

Ryuuenjou Fuyuki watched as the soldiers lit up the bonfire for her father’s cremation. She had already exhausted all of her tears. Although she was young, she roughly understood the concept of death. ‘The dead won’t return,’ one of the servants had mourned back when she was still bedridden. ‘Poor girl. Poor, poor girl. What will happen to Fuyuki-ojousan now?’ The Emperor was saying something at his pedestal, but Fuyuki could not be bothered to listen. All she could hear was the crackling of the fire, eating away at her father’s flesh. “Fuyuki-sama,” the maidservant holding her hand tugged her lightly. “It is time to go.” “…” Fuyuki looked at her quietly, then nodded. She was brought to a roofed horse-pulled cart. The maidservant, Misa, helped her enter the cart. Misa, with tears in her eyes, pursed her lips. “This is as far as I can go to accompany you, Fuyuki-sama. Be well.” ‘You are leaving too?’ Fuyuki wanted to say. But that was wrong. The one who was leaving was her alone. She was to live with her distant relatives on her mother’s side, whom she had never even met before. Fuyuki nodded at Misa, who had accompanied her mother as her handmaid for a very long time. She would have wanted Misa to come with her, but the place she was to live in did not permit outsiders. Misa had no choice but to seek employment elsewhere. “Take care, Fuyuki-sama!” Misa waved as the cart began to move. She sobbed loudly, unwilling to part with the little lady whom she had helped to raise. The journey to the Kujou household passed by in a flash. She was greeted by a group of people by the gates, one of which wore bright red clothes that looked dignified and luxurious. “You must be Fuyuki,” the Head nodded towards the girl. With a somewhat friendly smile, he ushered her into the large manor that was twice, perhaps even more, as big as the Ryuuenjou manor. “Welcome to the Kujou clan,” he says. “From today onwards, you will live here.”

Nobody had come out to send the two away, and nobody had been sent to accompany the mother-and-child pair to the manor which they had been banished to. Fuyuki tightly held her daughter’s hand. As if sensing her uneasiness, Fuyuki gave her a small but reassuring smile. She bent down to meet the child’s eyes, “Don’t worry, Airi. Mother will protect you.” Airi—named after Fuyuki’s deceased mother—nodded reluctantly. She smiled to her mother in return, hoping to show that she was a brave little girl. After the little pep moment, the two continued to walk on the dirt path. At some point, the path disappeared, causing them to reach the secluded courtyard later than they expected. The house was dirty and unkempt. Clearly, no one had bothered to clean it for them. Fuyuki exchanged glances with her daughter, a helpless smile gracing her pale countenance. “…Well, should we get to work? After resting, that is,” she chuckled. The two braved themselves and entered the tattered place. Although Fuyuki said she would clean the house after resting, upon discovering that the inside of the house was worse than she had expected, she opted to begin cleaning immediately. By the time the sun went down, the two were finally able to relax in the now-cleaned living room. Luckily, the house was small, so the cleaning was easier. There was only the small kitchen, living room and single bedroom inside the house. The two huddled together in the living room, trying to build a fire to keep themselves warm for the night. Fuyuki may not have been welcomed in the clan, but she was still raised like any other pampered young lady. To have to live independently like this was actually quite tough on her. Despite that, she still continued to smile for the sake of her young daughter. “Airi, can you help Mother with unpacking?” She asked. The two of them did not have many belongings, but their two big bundles of luggage still needed to be unpacked and put away. “Mm!” Airi eagerly agreed. She had always liked to help her mother around, so she did not voice any complaints. She dragged one of the luggage closer to the fire, then began to unpack the luggage. She took out the items one by one, careful not to damage them. Fuyuki could not help but smile at her daughter’s serious look. Seeing that face, she was reminded of the time when she was around the same age as her daughter; back then, she, too, had sported that very same look as her mother instructed her on how to make paper fans. Just as she was thinking about it, Airi carefully picked up a paper fan out of the luggage and placed it to the side. The paper fan seemed old and yellowed, but Fuyuki had still kept it with her. Fuyuki nostalgically picked it up, observing it. With a gentle snap of her wrist, she opened the fan, admiring the artwork within. It had been a painting personally painted by her mother. The artwork was simple yet exquisite, highlighting the scenery of a still pond and lotus flowers. “Mother?” Airi perked up, watching Fuyuki with interest. Fuyuki snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at her daughter. Then she closed the fan and placed it down. “What else did we bring again?” She asked, urging her daughter to take out more things. With a happy grin, Airi continued to pull out items after items, dwindling the size of the luggage. Finally, the very last item was taken out. It was her father’s trusted katana. Fuyuki eyed the item longingly, lightly caressing it. The sword had been given to her by the Head a long time ago, and it had now became the family heirloom. She ran her fingers over the familiar crest engraved on the sword’s sheath; apparently, it had been personally bestowed by the Emperor to her father. “Father, Mother…” Fuyuki quietly murmured. She closed her eyes in prayer, hoping that her parents were resting in peace wherever they were. “Mother?” Airi called out again. Fuyuki had always looked so sad whenever she looked at the sword. Fuyuki wiped away her tears which were beginning to form. Smiling again, she patted Airi’s head. “Come, let’s get ready for bed,” she says. “But the luggage—“ She looked at the remaining bundle. “No matter. We can take our time and unpack that one tomorrow, okay?” Fuyuki says gently. “Okay!” Airi smiled at her brightly. It was now dark, and the young girl could no longer fight off the urge to sleep. Soon enough, she drowsily yawned.

In a world similar but somewhat different to feudal Japan. Two people, a woman and a young girl, sat within a room. The sliding doors facing the gardens were wide open, allowing fresh air to enter the room. Though the sun was out, it was not too hot that it was unbearable. The weather was good despite it being mid-summer. The woman who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties watched the little girl with a slight smile. The girl’s brows were scrunched as she carefully folded the papers. They were making paper fans. The papers they were using to make the fans were made up of gorgeous art pieces. It seemed almost wasteful to use them to make fans. The wooden frames of the fans were already completed. All that was left was to glue the papers to the frames. The woman nodded to the girl as she finished folding a piece of paper. Although it took a while to finish, the woman did not mind as it was the first time the girl was doing it. She passed the wooden skeleton of the fan to the girl. The girl took a brush from her side, then dipped it into the glue jar on her side. It was a strong glue made from tree sap. It carried a faint woody smell. She carefully removed the excess glue on the edge of the jarhead. The little girl painted one side of the left part of the wooden frame with the brush. Before the glue could dry, she immediately stuck the folded paper onto it. Once the step was done, she used her thumbs to make sure the paper was stuck completely. Next, she smoothed out the paper, making sure that it was the correct size and width before pasting the other side of the paper onto the fan. Finally, it was done. She held up the paper fan, testing its usability by opening and closing it. The little girl passed the newly made fan to the older woman, eyes glinting with both hope and nervousness. The woman thoroughly checked the fan, opening it before twisting it around and folding it up with a loud ‘snap!’ The little girl flinched at the sound, but her eyes remained trained on the older woman. Finally, the woman returned the fan to the girl. She smiled, “Well done.” She praised the girl with a pat on the head, encouraging her. Although there were some flaws on it, such as the creases left on the glued parts, it was quite a good product coming out from a first attempt. The girl beamed in response, evidently relaxing at the woman’s words. “Thank you, mother!” The girl proceeded to pick up another piece of art to fold with renewed vigour, smiling from ear to ear. “Madam, Miss! There seems to be a fire nearby!” Suddenly, a maidservant came rushing to their side through the garden, sweating profusely. The maid servant stumbled, but managed to catch herself on the door before falling. One of her sandals were missing, showing just how distressed she was. The lady was startled. She got up, her eyebrows furrowing. “My, that’s terrible! Quick, have all the able-bodied servants help with the extinguishing efforts.” “Yes, madam!” She quickly ran back, passing her message to the rest of the servants. The lady called for another maidservant to assist her. “Fuyuki, stay here and finish the rest of the fans, okay? Mother will go check the situation outside,” she gently patted the younger girl’s head. The younger girl looked hesitant, but still obediently heeded the older woman’s instructions. She went back to diligently making the paper fans as her mother rushed to check the fire. Airi stepped out to the gardens. As she was putting on her shoes, she finally realised how big the fire was. Large, dark clouds of smoke were quickly gathering due to the fire. She was afraid that the fire might spread, so she quickly led her assisting maidservant to the site in hopes of stopping it. Little did she know, she would soon come to regret leaving the house then.

200 years of burning and suffering. Her body regenerates every time she burns to ashes. It was ten times more painful than the usual sinner, all thanks to the demon that occupied half her soul. She could feel his pain. Finally, she was released. Although she had spent 200 years in Hell, to her, it felt like a never-ending eternity. Even after she came out, the pain still lingered, stinging and numbing her senses. Ivory skin, ivory eyes, ivory hair. Her soul was so pure that her appearance changed. No blemish could be seen on her physical body, resembling the most sacred angel. However, the pure white made the ‘criminal’ brand on her soul even more glaringly bright. “Welcome back,” Pathfinder says, smiling affably. He had been waiting for her to come out. Even though she had felt like it had been forever ago since she last saw him, to the Governor, it had only been but a few moments. 200 years may seem long to her, but in actual fact, not much time has passed outside. “You will begin your first lifetime soon. Before that, there are several things I should caution you,” he began. Airi stared at him through her empty, whitened eyes. Pathfinder frowned. Her soul was so uniformed in colour that he could not tell whether she was actually paying attention to him or not. “…But first, get some colour in your eyes, why don’t you?” He sighed, pointing his index and middle fingers to her forehead. With a slight push, he imparted a technique to grant her ‘eyes’. The girl closed her eyes briefly, taking in the new information that was pouring into her mind. With a glance, she could tell that this was some sort of profound teaching. When she opened her eyes again, two light blue orbs shone in her eye sockets. “That’s better,” Pathfinder says with a satisfied nod. “You’re a fast learner, I see.” Finally, Airi opens her mouth, “Thank you,” she croaked. After such a long time of not using her voice, it sounded rather strange. “But why?” She tilted her head to ask. Even without her explanation, Pathfinder could tell that the girl was curious as to why she—a so-called criminal—was getting such special treatment from him. He smiled, “Think of it as a goodwill from an elder to a child,” he merely responded. But of course he actually did have a reason in mind for treating her so well. Even in the higher realms, to find such a pure soul that could remain intact after being doused in hellfire was rare. Most would have already dissipated; when there are no more impurities for the hellfire to burn, the purities might get turned into fuel and get burned as well. Most people at that stage would have already given up and allowed themselves to be swallowed by the flames. Especially since she had spent so long in the lowest tier of Hell, naturally, he was curious; how did she survive? Was it because she had that demon with her? And so, he had already made plans to take the girl in as his disciple; such a pure soul was hard to come by, even if she dabbled in the dark arts, if her soul could remain so pure, then she was really a great find. Simultaneously, keeping her by his side will allow him the opportunity to study her singularity. “I will explain more later. For now, you should prepare to be reincarnated again. Your memories might get a little jumbled up, but that’s normal. The more lifetimes you experience, the easier the transition will be.” “Now, since you are a criminal, there are certain [Restrictions] that you must remember. Everyone’s is different, and here are yours.” Pathfinder held out a thin jade stick towards her, which she gingerly accepted. The words contained within that jade slip, upon making contact with her semi-transparent skin, was suddenly branded in her mind. “—!” Airi sucked a deep breath from the sudden flash of pain, but once she regained herself, she was able to recall a set of words: [Restrictions] Prisoner [Ryuuenjou Airi] must not kill any mortal with one’s own hand—a life for a life; for every life taken, a lifetime of suffering shall be added to the sentence. Prisoner [Ryuuenjou Airi] can only die with one method—voluntary death. Prisoner [Ryuuenjou Airi] is only allowed a maximum of twenty years in each lifetime—an additional 1 year in Hell shall be added to the sentence for every day spent exceeding the deadline. Warning: Failure to adhere the restrictions will cause the Laws of the World to take action. “Do you understand?” Pathfinder asked. “…” Airi paused to study the [Restrictions] again. “What does voluntary death means?” “Hm… well, I suppose, suicide? I heard you committed suicide in your first previous life? Most restriction usually follows precedent. Since you chose to end your life, then that will be the only way you can die. Until you voluntarily die, nothing can kill you, I suppose.” “Hm. That’s… good to know. But, the [Restrictions]…” Airi frowned in confusion. Spending another year in Hell aside, she did not understand the meaning of ‘Laws of the World’. “What are the Laws of the World?” “Well, to put it simply, the Laws of the World is a system that is used to keep the realms in check. In a human’s term, it is Mother Nature itself. It is the laws which governs mortals. Violating any of the [Restriction] can get them to move—basically, they will try, in every way possible, to kill you.” “Oh… but I can only die if I kill myself?” “Yes. In your case, I suppose it will become rather torturous to be hounded by the Laws of the World.” Pathfinder laughed. Airi’s lips curled down glumly. As a criminal, she should know to expect to be treated badly, but these sentences were simply too heavy. She had spent 200 years in Hell, but that was only the beginning of her sentence. In her heart, she resented the demon. But at the same time, she could not help but feel like it is fitting for her, who had failed to protect her children. Even though she could have easily saved them… even though she was strong enough to protect them… she believed in her strength so blindly that she had become so vain and so careless. And this carelessness… it had costed the lives of her little ones. “Are you ready?” Pathfinder asked softly, leading her to the Pool of Reincarnation. Airi smiled with melancholy. She deserved this. She deserved to be punished. “Yes.” And with that, her first lifetime began.

“Maihime-sama, the bath is ready.” The maidservants respectfully retreated to the sides as a group of people entered the room. The leader of the people was garbed in bright red ceremonial clothing, bowing respectfully to greet the girl. The girl did not respond. She simply stared ahead dazedly, her eyes dull. “Maihime...?” Someone in the group sighed. “She’s not responding. It seems like the shock of losing her children was too much for her to bear.” “All the more reason for her to do the cleansing bath.” The red-clothed person says. “As you say, Head.” Airi was pulled up by a few of the people following the Head. Seeing that the girl refusing to move her legs, they resorted to just carry her. Soon, they arrived at the private bath area. A large pool was built in the middle of the room. The water that flowed in it was from the natural hot spring from underneath the manor. “There’s a little bit of miasma left inside her. Make sure that all of them are cleansed before taking her out.” Instructed the Head. “Yes, sir.” After confirming that the maidservants heard his order, the Head left. The people swiftly undressed the dazed woman, leaving only the thin, white layer of her undergarment. They gently laid her down in the pool of hot water. Clearly, something else had been mixed into it as the water was a peculiar shade of green. As Airi submerged into the water, her skin felt as if it was burning; as if it was touched by acid. However, no scar marked her skin, showing that the pain was not physical. Slowly, but surely, thin tendrils of black smoke began to be released from her pores. The patch of water around her turned murky as the black smoke polluted it. The ever-loyal maidservants pushed Airi deeper into the bath. While it was not enough to drown her, it still caused her to reflexively flail around in a panic. Ignoring her reaction, the maidservants scooped the water and doused her already wet body with more water, carefully washing her every nook and cranny. Airi’s skin buzzed with a numbing tingle, already getting used to the pain. After a while, she finally calmed down, looking as still as she was before entering the bath. Soon afterwards, no more impurities could be discharged from her body, signifying that she was as clean and pure as the day she was born. “It’s time to take her out.” One of the maids said. She had observed Airi’s condition in great detail, and after confirming that no more miasma tainted her, she signalled the rest to carry the precious girl out. With her body and soul having been cleansed thoroughly, she was finally allowed to leave. The maidservants wrapped her in a new set of robes, carefully drying her body. A light fragrance emitted from her, resembling the sweet scent of babies. Basking in the scent helped the maidservants to feel more relaxed and calm. They carried her out of the bath area in the same way as they came. The Head waited for them outside the bath. As he was male, it was rather unbecoming for him to stay in the bath area while she bathed, so he simply waited outside until they were finished. “How do you feel, Maihime-sama?” He lowered his head and cupped his hands, showing his respects. “... ... ...I feel...” Airi spoke slowly, taking long pauses in between each word, “...awake.” “That is wonderful, milady.” The Head almost sagged his shoulders in relief, but stopped himself from doing so as such informality would be rude to the girl. She may have already retired, but she was still one of the most respectable and important people in their clan that even he could not offend. “Will you partake in a meal, Maihime-sama?” He raised his head, eyes concealing worry. The girl had yet to eat anything since she had returned, and he was beginning to grow worried. “...” Airi turned her head away, clearly showing her refusal. She had no appetite. Even if she did, it was better if she just starved herself to death. The pain would surely be more bearable than the pain currently occupying her heart. “...Understood.” The Head stifled a helpless sigh. He bowed once more, gesturing the rest to follow him back to her room. Since she didn’t want to eat, then she should rest, at least. Airi and her entourage returned to her room. After the maidservants laid out the futon, they quietly left the room to the girl, allowing her some peace and quiet to think. However, in the silent night, her thoughts seemed much too deafening. “Kureha,” she softly called out. ‘Yes.’ In the dark room, a pair of blood-red eyes greeted her. “I want to get some fresh air. Distract them for me.” Airi reached out into the air, hoping to touch the spirit for reassurance. The pair of red eyes blinked, and moved forward. Under the dim lighting, a faint silhouette of a man could be seen, inching closer to her. The man caught her stretched out hand and placed it on his cheek. ‘Alright. Don’t wander around for too long. Don’t go too far either.’ Listening to that monotonous baritone voice, she cracked a small smile. “I’m not a child, Kureha. Also, why are you so talkative tonight?” ‘Airi...’ A rare tone of reproach was contained in his stoic voice. “Fine, I won’t,” she quickly surrendered. She knew that the reason he broke his silence was because he was worried. Kureha stared at her deeply. Through their bond, he could tell that she was only saying those words half-heartedly. Though he was worried of what she might do when left alone, it was not his place to tell her otherwise. He could only nod and obey her orders. After a while, he finally nodded and released her hand. He slowly stood up to his full height, passing through the door as if he was invisible and stood in front of it, guarding. If anyone decided to bother her, he would be the first to strike them down. “I’ll be back soon,” she promised him. Airi pulled out a blank-looking talisman and whispered an incantation. Half a second later, the effects of the talisman activated and her presence was concealed. Unless someone had a high level of presence detection ability, she was guaranteed to be able to slip out easily. Airi made her way familiarly to a path that led to a hidden entrance. The 'entrance' was nothing but a barely-noticeable hole on the wall that was hidden by the nearby bushes. When she was younger and still living in the manor, she had used the entrance to secretly leave the manor and explore the outside world. Luckily, the hole was still there. It seems like after all these years that she had been away, no one had found the hidden entrance. Airi crawled through the hole, making her way outside. Since there was no distinct roads, she walked forwards aimlessly, only changing the direction if she happened to be obstructed by something. Without her realisation, she had stumbled upon a dirt road. Airi kept walking. She walked and walked and walked, until the scenery was no longer familiar to her. Hours passed by. She had no idea how far she had walked. Her legs were beginning to feel burdened. Finally, she could not walk anymore. Airi tumbled down, her legs no longer able to support her weight. As if adding insult to injury, the sky darkened and rain began to fall. It felt as if even the heavens was scorning her. She could not stop her tears from falling out again.

Tragedy had befallen the Ryuuenjou household. A group of bandits had devised a terrible scheme that had led to the massacre of the Ryuuenjou family’s heirs. While all the assailants had mysteriously died and the stolen goods had been found, the family did not get out of their predicament unscathed. The once bountifully large and happy family was now in shambles. The very few that survived the attack were in critical conditions. The wife who had discovered the massacre was left an empty husk. Most of the servants had not been present due to a fire in a close building, but those who stayed behind defended their masters to their last breaths. It was also found that the Ryuuenjous were the victims of an organised crime. It seemed that the bandits had done their research beforehand; they knew that the head of the family was away, so they chose to attack at that time. A while later, it was found that the fire had been caused by the very same bandits that tried to rob the house, in an attempt to distract the house’s inhabitants. And they had succeeded. Ryuuenjou Zantetsu was given a pardon by the feudal lord, and he immediately returned to his wrecked home. He returned to the Ryuuenjou manor, gifted personally by the lord himself, in haste. However, it was only three days after the incident did he manage to reach the place, despite his desperateness. He, who had been orphaned at an early age, and through sheer strength and willpower, fought his way from a foot soldier to one of the feudal lord’s strongest and most trusted men, was in a condition where he no longer cared about his wellbeing; only concern for what remained of his family clouded his judgements.  “Airi!” He barged into the room he had shared with his wife, eyes darting around in panic. Seeing not even a shadow of the delicate woman, he searched through every room in the house. A manservant tried to catch up with him, huffing and puffing as he ran out of breath. “M-master!” Zantetsu turned to look at the servant. His eyes were narrowed and a heavy aura emitted from his body, frightening the manservant. He looked as if he was ready to draw his sword and kill people on the spot. “Master, I-I have c-c-come to inform y-you, that the m-madam has...” seeing the man’s terrifying look, the man squeaked. “The madam has re-returned, t-to her maiden h-h-home!” “What?!” “A-an envoy, s-s-sent by her m-maiden fam-family arrived y-yesterday. T-they were very insistent, s-saying something about removing b-bad karma, or something.” “Why did no one stop them?” Zantetsu glared at the servant, anger and worry brewing inside him. He knew how much Airi loved their children. It could be said that she loved them more than she loved her own husband, and that was saying a lot, since she was quite affectionate with him. If her love for him was as high as a mountain, then her affections for their children was as deep as the ocean. Though it was also painful for him to lose his children, he needed to be strong for his wife. She was so delicate; so sweet and gentle. To lose her children overnight... it probably tore her apart. “Prepare a horse! I’ll head there myself.” Zantetsu resolutely ordered the manservant. Afraid of tarrying, the manservant immediately did as he was asked. Within a few moments, Zantetsu was already geared for travelling. Along the way, Zantetsu could not help but think about his pitiful family. He had been an orphan, and it was only after the feudal lord betrothed Airi to him that he finally understood the joys of having a family. Airi was like a ray of sunshine shining upon his gloomy days. Even though she was younger and smaller than him, the amount of love and patience held within the petite figure was almost boundless. They loved each other so much; just the thought of Airi being in pain caused him unimaginable heartache. However, who would have known that his joy would be so short-lived? It had barely been ten years since he wedded his beloved wife but everything had gone south so quickly. He clenched his teeth as he pushed the horse to go faster, thinking, ‘wait for me, Airi!’

The pitter-patter of the rain masked the sound of the girl’s silent sobs. The girl had been too absorbed by her sorrows that she did not even realise the presence of a demon in her vicinity. The demon stared at her as he enjoyed the aura of despair emanating off the girl. Mmm, a good scent. The delicious scent of the girl’s despair paired with her pure white soul would cause any demon cultivating the dark arts like him to salivate. He smiled, causing his already disfigured face to become even more horrid. He approached her silently, then raised the girl’s chin, making eye contact, “I’ll grant you any wish of yours, in exchange for your soul. How about it?” To be honest, he would have preferred a different soul, perhaps one that has blackened completely, but beggars could not be choosers. “Any wish?” She looked at him dead in the eyes. His face reflected in her eyes, but it was as if the girl did not even see him. Her eyes looked lifeless. Empty. “Anything you want, sweetheart,” the demon smiled; he was at least strong enough to grant a mortal’s wish, no matter how weak he’d become. If his situation hadn’t been so dire, he wouldn’t have made the offer to just any passing mortal, though. “Then… can you turn back time? Or perhaps bring the dead back?” “Turning back time is quite difficult. But I can bring back the dead easy,” the demon said. He raised his less injured hand to caress the girl’s tear-stained cheek, “However, those brought back to life will never be the same as when they were alive.” He didn’t know what had gotten into him, to warn the girl of the dangers of reviving the dead. Perhaps it was because he was on the brink of death, or perhaps he found that even a malicious person such as him could still have some compassion left. Well, he was no necromancer, therefore there was bound to be some side effects for summoning the dead. “Then, there’s no point…” the girl placed her hands over his hand that was on her face. Even though the demon was clearly a gruesome and scary thing, she never once showed any fear or disgust. “…” “You are not scared of me, little girl?” He moved closer to the girl, whispering in her ears. Hearing his question, she merely laughed mirthlessly. “You are injured; what can you ever do to me?” She closed her eyes. There was the sound of the drizzling rain. Her clothes were drenched, sticking to her skin. One of her shoes were missing; she hadn’t realised when she had lost it. The bottom of her clothes were stained with mud as she sat on the muddied dirt path. There was only the girl and the demon. She opened her eyes, smiling sorrowfully, “Compared to those humans who are worse than evil spirits from the depths of hell, you seem far more harmless to me.” The demon was speechless. Harmless? This word was never one that people would use to describe him. A simple glance at his track record would show that nothing he did could ever be associated with the term ‘harmless’. “You are quite amusing, girl. I wouldn’t mind giving you a discount; how about I grant your wish for half of your soul?” Suddenly, a spear was thrusted in his face. The owner of the spear jumped back, taking the girl with him. She looked at the new arrival and offered him a smile. “Put it down, Kureha.” She patted the man’s fiery red hair, as if to soften the fury in his eyes. The man with the lower body of a horse looked at her, worry, anger and sadness swirling in his eyes. He was unable to locate her for hours on end, and when he finally did, she was confronting an evil demon all by herself. He could not help but worry. “…” Wordlessly, he withdrew his weapon. “Go back; tell them I’m fine,” the girl pulled away from the man’s embrace. “Go,” she waved him away. The man wanted to stay by her side, but he could not disobey her orders. Their bond would not allow him to. He turned to look at her one last time. His heart was screaming for him to stay, but his body would not follow. In the end, he simply glared at the demon full of hatred, before galloping away to deliver her words. The demon frowned in annoyance. He hated being interrupted, and that unruly spirit just increased his irritation. “Hmph, just a small fry, yet he dares to raise his arms against me?” If he was not trying to conserve his power, the girl’s familiar would have already turned to dust. The girl found the demon’s annoyance amusing. “Demon, I will give you my soul,” she raised her hand to his face, and rested her forehead against his. “In return... ... ... ." Airi whispered her wish slowly into his ears. The demon, receiving her wish, smiled. "I shall grant you your wish, my sweet, sweet dear..."

Airi instructed her servants to carry all the buckets, empty jars, and pans that they had at home. They first headed to the nearest well to get water to put the fire out. Unfortunately, there were already many people there. Due to it being summer, the well was drier than usual. The situation was hectic with people passing off buckets after buckets of water as the men struggled to fish for water in the nearly-empty well. “It does not seem like we’ll get our turn soon. Go find another well; I’ll head over to the fire to see if I can help with anything.” Airi said, nodding to her servants. “Yes, madam,” the servants uttered in compliance before scurrying over to the next closest well. Just as she arrived at the scene, she was greeted with startled and frantic faces. “Your Grace, what brings you here?” One man came forward to greet the woman. He bowed his head respectfully. “You musn’t stay. Please, do not come closer; it is far too dangerous!” Though he was much older than the girl, her status was high and her person was considered more precious than gold. He was worried that the delicate woman might get hurt, coming to such a dangerous place with only a maidservant. Airi shook her head, “I will be fine. Is there anything I can help with?” The old man continued to refuse her, “Your Grace, please think about your safety!” He begged. Airi sent a strange glance to the man. Did he think of her as some kind of helpless woman? That was no good. She needed to show her might. She took out a talisman paper from her bosom. Though she had been married off and no longer practised the family teachings, she still carried some for protection. With a whisper, she summoned her familiar. The neighing of a horse could be heard. The sound of hooves followed suit, and in the blink of an eye, a large horse that was as red as blood appeared. “Kureha, diffuse the fire as much as you can, and search for any survivors within the building,” Airi instructed the horse. She patted its smooth, velvety mane before it dashed away to execute her orders. The horse was born from the ashes of war, thus it was compatible with fire. The horse could easily weather through the hot flames and bring the trapped people to safety. The man’s eyes were wide and mouth agape. The horse appeared from out of nowhere! “Do not worry. I am, though retired, still an onmyouji.” And she was one who was strong enough to allow her supernatural familiar to materialise itself in a physical form. “Y-yes, as you say so, Your Grace,” the man stuttered. He moved out of the way, avoiding the horse. Within a moment, the fire no longer spread, looking as if it was focused on the initial burning building. A loud, almost surreal sound of a horse neighing could be heard from within the flames. The warsteed familiar Kureha came back, two people unconscious on his back. ‘I could only sense the presence of these two. If there was still anyone inside, they are probably dead by now,’ the horse says through their bond. “Good work, Kureha.” Airi turned towards the frazzled old man. “Please identify the two survivors. I’m afraid that... the rest of the inhabitants of that house is... gone.” The old man sighed, “Let their souls rest in peace.” He placed his hands together in a prayer, bowing towards the still-burning building. “Water! Water has come!” Half a beat later, one of Airi’s servants who came to help rushed to the fire along with a crowd of people. They each carried a container filled with water. The people splashed water to the fire in turns. Within an hour, the fire had been reduced to a non-threatening level. Airi heaved a breath of relief. Her house had been quite close to the fire so she was happy that it was easily controlled. Now that things were fine, she made her way home with relieved and light steps.

The courtyard was fairly quiet and empty, making one feel unsettled. Airi stepped inside the entrance, an ominous feeling enveloping her heart. She could feel a slight buzzing in her arms, making them tremble slightly. “Poor girl, poor girl...” Airi turned her head to look back at the gate where two spirits were whispering and giggling together. There was a barrier around the family home so no spirits nor demons could ever hope to trespass. But even with the barrier in place, it still could not stop the spirits from lingering in the vicinity. “Hehehe, she didn’t even notice a thing! Hehehe...” She frowned. “Madam?” The young maidservant by her side respectfully called out to her. Airi ignored the two spirits and turned to look at the girl, “Let us go inside.” The girl nodded in agreement. With careful and meticulous care, the girl supported the madam into the house. It was unusually quiet. Airi strained her ears. Usually, the sound of light footsteps could be heard. Including Fuyuki who was the eldest, Airi had four other children; all rambunctious and energetic boys who could not sit still even just for a brief moment. The house would be filled with the noise from their rowdy fights, but today, all was peaceful. “Something is not right,” Airi remarked, her eyebrows drawn together. The other girl raised her head in surprise. She looked around cautiously, as if searching for answers. “It is as you say, madam.” The girl agreed. While most of the servants went out to help with the fire situation, that did not mean that the house was left empty. Out of the ten-odd number of servants in the household, three remained: two nannies and the gardener. However... it felt as if nobody was home. Airi’s nose twitched. She froze. Her eyes widened in panic. She had smelled a familiar scent, and it did nothing but send chills down her back. It was the scent of blood. She was very familiar with its smell. Her husband was a warrior, after all. Every time he came back from the battlefield, this scent would follow. Airi’s hands tightened into fists as she sprang on her feet. Her blood ran cold and her face was pale. “Madam?!” The maidservant cried. She was so surprised by the sudden movements of the madam that she was two beats slower in chasing after the lady. “Fuyuki?!” Airi stormed into the room that she had left from earlier. It was empty. Incomplete paper fans laid on the floor haphazardly, as if a tussle had occurred in the room. The other sliding door facing the interior of the house was wide open. It was clear that whoever broke into their house had also taken her daughter with them. Airi quickly followed the trail of wreckage, even forgetting to take off her shoes. “Madam! Please wait for me! Don’t go alone!” The maidservant cried from behind her. “Misa, go and find the boys! Hurry!” Airi had no time to waste. She must secure her children. Airi pulled out two talisman papers from her bosom. She muttered the necessary incantations in one breath then threw both papers forward. Instead of falling to the ground, one of them burned, and Kureha the familiar materialised. The other one flew away like a bird, looking as if a life had been breathed into it. “Kureha, how many presence can you sense?!” Airi asked hurriedly. Her short and frail legs could not carry her for long, and her dwindling stamina began to impede her speed. Without a word, Kureha pulled the girl on top of him. With his help, she could easily travel the distance. ‘Airi, I sensed eight presences from the left, five of which contain malicious intent. There’s also three on the right. Which way should we go first?’ “To the eight. Eight means there’s three innocent people still alive. My children, we have to save them!” ‘As you wish, Airi.’ The horse neighed, then increased his speed. In the blink of an eye, the two had already broken into the room with eight people. The sliding doors were sent flying, hitting the men hiding inside and startling them. “Shit, the broad is back!” Airi got off from the Kureha’s back, her face serious. She had not recognised the voice. A thick scent of blood invaded her nostrils. The sliding doors were thrown aside. She could finally see what was going on. Airi felt as if her stomach had dropped, and her heart stopped for the briefest moment. Time seemed to pass by impossibly slowly. It felt as if the moment was stretched into an eternity. “—YOOoOoOOOUuUUuUuuuUu!!!” Airi let out a shrill scream, enraged. “HOW DARE YOUUUUUUU—!” Her eyes were red, looking as if she could spit fire. “BURN, WITH THE HAUNTING FLAMES OF WAR!” She swung her arms savagely, bending her back at a difficult angle as she gathered the spiritual energy around her. “LET THEM TASTE THE DESPAIR AND THE ANGER OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SACRIFICED!” Hearing Airi’s order, Kureha dashed forward, throwing his head back as he neighed. A layer of flames engulfed him, and he miraculously morphed into a creature with the body of a man and the bottom half of a horse. It was his second form: the centaur. A spear materialised in his human hands. Kureha swung it thrice, and for every swing, his targets began to burn from his spiritual flames. The burning intruders screamed painfully, begging for mercy. “Leave that last one alive.” Airi raised her dainty arm and pointed to a figure at the very back, one hand holding a sword while the other was grabbing his victim’s head. Her voice sounded eerily calm, and with her eyes half-lidded, no one could tell what she was feeling inside. “Mother!” The victim raised his tiny head, tears streaming down his face like waterfalls. “Mother~!” His face showed both relief and fear. He reached out to her with his feeble arms, sobbing. “Y-you! Don’t you dare come closer! Or else—“ the intruder pointed the tip of his sword to the young boy’s neck. Its sharp edge nicked the boy’s delicate skin, and a small wound was made. The boy cried harder, but did not dare to struggle anymore as he was afraid of the sword. Airi paused her steps and tilted her head, “You dare.” Her eyes were wide, but it was neither out of surprise nor fear. Instead, an almost savage and crazed look replaced her normally gentle expression. Then, another one of his accomplices fell to Kureha’s flames. “Hiiiii—!” The intruder screamed. In his scared state, his hands accidentally jerked. His sword impaled through the young boy’s throat as if it was cutting through tofu. “Masaru—!” Airi instinctively moved towards the boy. “No! Nonononononononononono!” Fresh tears flowed from her eyes.  She held the little boy close to her chest. “No! I’m sorry! Masaru, mother is very sorry! No, don’t leave me! AaaaaaAAAAaaaAAAAAAAHHHH!” Airi watched as the light faded from her son’s eyes. The boy struggled to speak even to his last breath, but the wound that blocked his throat caused him both immense pain and the inability to speak. In the end, he left without leaving any last words. Airi cried as she clung to her youngest son’s lifeless body. He was only three years old that year. He was so, so young. Why? Airi thought, she was still not satisfied with the time she spent with her cute children, so why? Why did the heavens have to take them so quickly? Airi raised her empty eyes around the blood-splattered room, scanning it for any signs of the living. “M-madam...” A hoarse voice could be heard among the pile of corpses. “...” Airi expressionlessly stared at the figure who was struggling to get up. It was one of the children’s nannies. The middle-aged woman shakily sat up, tears and blood running down her face. “T-the young masters... I’m sorry, madam.” The woman buried her face into her hands, sobbing painfully. “Those men toyed with the young masters and killed them in cold blood! I couldn’t do anything... I couldn’t save anyone...” Close to the surviving woman, the corpses of her eldest and third son laid in a puddle of blood, the elder hugging the younger as if protecting his brother. Several visibly vicious gashes could be seen on their cold bodies. “...!” Airi’s sorrow intensified. Her heart felt as if it was being ripped apart into a thousand pieces. She opened her mouth, letting out a small sound filled with bitterness and anguish. “Toshi, Chikatsu...” “No...” Airi’s gaze drifted to another small body. She had not been able to notice him due to the boy’s small size. The small body was headless. A tiny, severed head hidden by his long hair lied just a few feet away from the body. “Aaah...” Airi gently placed down Masaru, and crawled over to the other body. “Not even in one piece...” Airi picked up the child’s severed head, cradling it in her arms. Her tears made the tuft of hair wet, but it was barely noticeable due to the large amount of blood that had drenched everything. “My poor, poor Yoritaka...” “...” “...” “...” “Kureha.” She called out her familiar with a low, dreadful voice, thick with killing intent, “Find the last of them... and give them hell.” ‘Yes.’ Airi stayed inside the blood-soaked room for a very long time, only coming out when someone had dragged her out.

“Kujou Fuyuki, explain yourself,” a Kujou clan elder asked calmly, his eyes narrowing into slits. The woman had committed a great sin. To hide such a matter for so many years, if she remained unpunished, then the clan would really be damned. “…” The woman did not respond. She merely hugged her trembling child tightly, hiding her away from those angry men. “Why did you hide this from us?” The clan head asked tiredly. He rubbed his wrinkled temple with his hand, sighing. The girl was someone he had personally raised, so he was feeling quite sorrowful. He did not want to persecute her. The woman raised her eyes to gaze at the elderly man intently. “This child has done nothing wrong. Please spare her. I beg you… Grandfather.” Hearing her mother address the man. The girl in her arms raised her face to look, her eyes gleaming with confusion and disorder. The moment she raised her head, though, an extremely noticeable birthmark could be seen on her neck, resembling a gash. It looked as if someone had slashed her neck. “…!” “That birthmark…!” Someone gasped. “So the curse… it has manifested…” The Head sighed once again. He could remember the events which had transpired back then. Back then, the Maihime had taken her own life, slicing her neck on the very same spot and angle as the birthmark on the girl’s neck. Those who had been present in the situation at that time would immediately be able to recognise the wound-like birthmark. “!” The woman, noticing the gravity of the situation, hurriedly took the girl into her arms and squeezed her tightly. “Please, she is innocent!” “I’m sorry, Fuyuki, but she must not—“ The Head swallowed his words. He simply could not bear to finish his sentence. “Grandfather, I beg you—!” “Such a thick demonic aura. She is a monster, indeed,” an elder remarked. “She must die!” Another says. “Monster!” The woman, Fuyuki, glared at the heartless people, “To think of killing such a small child, the monsters here are all of you!” She covered the little girl’s ears so that she would not hear any more of the malicious remarks, but the girl somehow knew that the people around her did not want her around. “M-mother…” she whimpered, clinging closer to the older woman. “Enough!” The clan head yelled loudly, trying to restore the order in the room. “I’m sorry, Fuyuki, but that child… she is cursed. She has borne the curse which your mother has inflicted to us all. And for that, she must be… kept away.” “Grandfather!” Fuyuki shouted desperately. “Rest reassured. I will try to find a way to lift this curse. But for now, that child… shall be banished to the Secluded Manor. I am truly sorry, Fuyuki,” the Head spoke firmly, but softened at the end. “This is the price we have to pay.” “…” Fuyuki swallowed her grievances. To be exiled was perhaps her granduncle’s biggest show of mercy. “Head! We must kill that thing before it brings us ruin!” An elder hastily ran his mouth. The child was an abomination; a stain to their clan. To make matters worse, she was a descendant of that woman who had long became a taboo to the clan. “Silence!” The Head viciously glared at the elder. “I will not tolerate any more mentions of killing anyone and that is final!” With the Head’s words, no one could utter any disagreements. According to the clan rules, his words were the law. They could only silently bear their grudges. However— Just because the Clan Head had said so, it does not mean that there was nobody among the elders who were not thinking of sending assassins to kill the child. For the honour of the clan, these elders could do anything. And that child—the biggest shame of all—must be removed.

The entire manor had been in an uproar since the moment they found out that the Maihime, Airi, had gone missing. "M-M-Master!" A servant hastily ran to the Head's side. His face was pale and he was covered in cold sweat. The Head recognised him as one of the servants who were supposed to be guarding the gate. He narrowed his eyes, displeased at the interruption. He was too busy working to find Airi and did not appreciate having any time-wasting conversations with a mere servant. "Speak." "M-Master, that man—Maihime-sama's husband—he has come to fetch his wife!" "What?" The Head's face changed. "Then what are you doing over her?! Go block him! Don't let him inside!" "Y-Yes!" The servant saluted and hurriedly went off to relay the Head's order. Before the Head could have any time to breath, the presence of a familiar spirit took him by surprise. "?!" Recognising the spirit, he scowled. "You! Just what have you been doing?! Where is Airi-sama?!" "..." The spirit merely shook his head expressionlessly. 'She is heading back soon,' the air around him seemed to say. Receiving no other response from the red spirit of war, the Head clenched his jaw helplessly. He resolved himself to ignore the spirit, but as if he had sensed something, the spirit took off to somewhere else. "Hey, where are you going?!" The Head called out. He immediately tried to catch up with the spirit, though it was futile. The spirit had the lower body of a horse, and a speed that was even faster than one. It was impossible for a normal human to catch up with such supernatural speed. "Master!" The panicked voice of his servants brought him to attention. His head snapped to his back, where another unreasonable Deity of War was making his way to him. "Where is Airi?!" The deity asked. From his expressions alone, anybody could tell that he was both impatient and angry. The Head hid his annoyance and instead bowed respectfully in greeting. "General Ryuuenjou, please calm—“ "Where is my wife?!" The angry man grabbed the Head by the collars, raising him above ground. The servants around them gasped in horror, eyes wide as they witnessed how easily the man had lifted the Head. "General! I beg you to please ca—" "My wife! Where is she?!" Despite the Head's efforts to recompose the man, it did not have any effect. Rather, the man had taken it as if the Head was stalling and was instead angered. There was no way he could tell the already-furious man that his wife had gone missing, so he lied, "T-The Maihime is currently resting in her room. I humbly beg you to not disturb her rest." The Head looked away. If not because he could not afford to offend the man who happened to be Maihime's husband, he would have already called out his familiar and thrash the bastard. Since no one wanted to show him the way, Ryuuenjou Zantetsu threw down the red-garbed man and drew his sword. He waved it around threateningly, repeating, "Where is she?!" The people around him backed away, afraid of being the target of the sword's tip. Ryuuenjou Zantetsu was not one who was so impulsive, but because of current circumstances, it was impossible for him to not lose his mind. He had scared off everyone. No one got up their courage to lead them to his wife's room, so he simply decided to open every door he saw until he found the right one. The Head followed behind him, his heart beating thunderously. Who knew if the man might end up massacring the whole manor when he found out that his wife was gone. As they closed in on the room which had always been designated for Airi, the Head's anxiousness began to become more apparent. "Airi!" Zantetsu threw open the eighth door he had encountered. "Airi!" He exclaimed, partly surprised and partly relieved. He had finally found her! The girl sat in the middle of the room, her back facing the door. The girl, upon hearing his voice, slowly turned around. "Zantetsu-sama..." she called out softly. Her eyes displaying her grief, pain and longing as she stared at him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She smiled sadly at her husband, her apology containing countless regrets. "Wh--" Zantetsu did not have any time to question her at all. The girl raised the short blade she was holding in her hand. Then, as if in slow motion, she stabbed herself. Airi slit a deep, long slash on her neck, causing blood to spill out endlessly from her wound. "!!!" Zantetsu's eyes widened. He could not believe what had happened. He watched disbelievingly as the girl crumpled to the ground, the wound still oozing blood. "--AIRI!" Zantetsu's body moved before he could think. His sword slipped out from his hand, clattering uselessly next to them, stained by her blood which had pooled below them. He quickly held her in his arms, calling her name numerous times. "Airi!" He said her name again, his voice full of anguish. He did not pay any mind to the blood that had stained his clothes. He quickly applied pressure to her wound, trying to stop the bleeding. But, his efforts were futile. The wound had been too fatal. She could not be saved. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He roared. He was unwilling to simply watch his wife die in his arms. "Airi! Airi!" Tears pooled in his eyes. He had not cried when war took away his father and brothers. He had not shed a single tear as his mother left him behind to join her husband on the other side. He remained stoic as he cut down one enemy after another in the battlefields. Even as he heard the news of his children's passing, he still did not cry. But the thought of losing Airi simply broke his streak. Airi. The love of his life, the mother of his children, and the sole reason why he did not turn into a soulless monster even after so many years of unstoppable bloodshed. "Airi!" Hot tears rolled off his cheeks. It had been so long since he had last cried that he did not know what to do. "Don't go, Airi!" He begged. "Don't leave me!" But, the girl was already gone. The light had faded from her eyes. All that was left was her lifeless body. She was gone.

"—!” When the Head reached the room, the heavy scent of blood and thick miasma invaded his senses. He covered his mouth with his sleeve, braving into the room. He feared that Ryuuenjou Zantetsu might have did something unimaginable, but that did not explain the existence of the heavy miasma currently overflowing from the room. The Head was met with an unexpected scene. To his surprise, Airi was there. Lying in her husband's arm, eyes closed, a pool of blood forming underneath her. What was more surprising was, that the source of the miasma had been the girl herself. At the corner of the room, a holy barrier had been erected. The talismans used to erect the barrier had traces of being burnt, but ultimately, it was still standing strong. Strangely, the barrier was empty. As if the thing it had been containing simply disappeared into thin air. The Head quickly erected a barrier around the room, intending to contain the miasma. It would be bad if it spilled elsewhere; other spirits and demons might get attracted by it and gather at the manor. The Head did not see Airi's wound until he approached the pair of lovers.  "Maihime-sama!" He rushed to her side. But, just like Zantetsu, he was too late. Airi's body was already growing cold. "You, what happened—" He was about to unleash his rage to the other man, but was abruptly stopped by the empty expression on Zantetsu's face. It looked as if the man's heart had died alongside his wife. The Head looked away, unable to watch it any longer. He took out multiple charms and talismans, muttering incantations after incantations, trying to banish the miasma from Airi's body. But, it was too strong. No matter what he did, the miasma would not fade away. If all else failed, then he had no choice but to burn her body. He called for help. Soon enough, the room was crowded by exorcists. “Dispel!” The group collectively chanted. “Dispel! Dispel! Dispel!” The Head summoned his familiar, fuelling his spells with the familiar’s power, “Oh water of the sacred spiritual spring, lend me your strength to purify this pitiful child of man!” After countless hours of purifying the girl, they finally managed to contain the miasma so that it would not spread out from her corpse. Once the miasma was cleared, the Head could finally relax. “Maihime-sama—!” one of the assisting exorcists gasped in shock. Slowly but surely, Airi’s corpse was turning into black; an obvious sign of miasma poisoning. Soon enough, the miasma would eat away her body until nothing but ashes remain. “…!” The Head gritted his teeth, his eyes reddening. The girl was already dead. There was no way to stop the body from rotting away into nothingness. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, supressing his sorrow. The star which had shone so brightly, has now faded. Zantetsu’s eyes widened as his wife began to disintegrate. “W-what’s happening?! Airi?!” He hugged her body closer, his eyes full of panic. He wanted to do something to stop her from falling apart, but there was nothing he could do. Slowly, her body caved in until only a pile of ashes laid on the floor. “Ah… ah—!” He made an incorrigible but sorrowful noise as he tried to gather the ashes into his arm. Fortunately or unfortunately, Airi had once given him a protective charm that protected him from any spiritual harm which he always kept on his person, so the miasma did not affect him in the slightest. He was forced to watch as his wife faded from existence. The Head fell down to the floor, his face pale. With Airi gone, that became a major loss to the exorcism world. “Airi…!” He called her name mournfully. Putting formalities aside, he was still her uncle, the closest relative she had.  However, none of them had any chance to grieve as the earth shook. From the pile of ashes, a short sword, which had been used by Airi to commit suicide, shot out to the ceiling, creating a beam of dark aura. “A curse!” Someone shouted out in alarm. “The Maihime has been cursed!” The Head raised his head in surprise. Suddenly, in unison, everyone in the room coughed out blood. “Bloodline… bloodline curse?!” The Head muttered in shock. “What have you done, Airi?!” The short sword which had been floating in the air suddenly began to crack. Then, a cackling that seemed to have come from the depth of hell began to resonate in their ears. “Ahahahaha… Sinner… Heretic! AhahahaHAHAHA!” “Wh-what was that?!” “A demon?!” “A strong demon is in our midst! Be careful!” The Head wiped away the trail of blood from the corner of his mouth, raising his guards. He pulled out a stack of talismans, throwing it haphazardly around the room. “Weaklingsssss…” The dreadful voice whispered tauntingly before disappearing. Once the short sword broke apart into a hundred pieces, they fell down lifelessly into the puddle of blood. “Hurry, take the General outside! Everyone, get ready to cast more purification spells!” The Head ordered, gathering his bearings once more. Several stronger men came over to drag Ryuuenjou Zantetsu out of harm’s way. With no more will to live, he did not fight back nor move as they pulled him out from the room. After the man had been brought out, more sounds of chanting came out from within the room.

Gathered in limbo, many dead souls congregated around the courtroom, watching with interest and anticipation. There were less than ten people present in the room: the larger-than-life judge sitting on his dais, several court officers, and the young criminal. “Prisoner of the Sin of Heresy, Ryuuenjou Airi. Guilty for selling her soul to a Demon God, becoming his accomplice by helping to hide him, fusing her soul with the Demon God, and other charges. You are hereby sentenced to 900 lifetimes of misfortune and suffering, and 200 years in the lowest level of Hell.” The solemn voice of the judge resonated in the dank hall with tall ceilings as he read the glowing words written on his scroll, reading off the judgements. His eyes flashed brightly as he settled his gaze on the girl. He raised the judge’s hammer on his desk and hit the desk, creating a deafeningly loud sound. Before the noise settled, a glowing ‘Criminal’ seal branded itself deep into the girl’s soul. “AAAAAAAHHHHH!” The girl screamed loudly as she bore with the mind-boggling pain. The girl collapsed on her knees. The watchers observed the goings inside the court in silence. It was the first time they had seen such a pure soul become a criminal. The sound of clanking chains broke the silence as the girl was ushered out of the courtroom. On the other end of the chains, a stone-faced court officer led her out. The heavy chains visibly contrasted with her ivory skin. “What a heavy sentence,” a voice murmured. “Didn’t you hear? She killed her children.” “How scary, how scary!” “So terrible.” “She deserved it.” “The Abyssal Demon, of all things!” … .. . She closed her eyes and kept walking at a slow but steady pace, her ears buzzing with the murmurings of the bystanders. “You. Go through this pathway. The Governor of Heresy will meet you.” The girl followed the stone-faced officer’s instruction without a word. Airi walked for what felt like ages, dragging her chains behind her. Her whole body felt heavier with every step, as if her sins were trying to crush her. A blinding light. When she came to, a vast green world appeared before her. It was entirely different than the dark and dreary world of limbo which she had just came out from. The air blew, as if in greeting. A figure appeared in front of her, smiling slightly in greeting. Even without him introducing himself, Airi somehow knew who he was; his name popped out in her mind. The Governor of the Sin of Heresy, Pathfinder (道しるべ/Michishirube). “Welcome, to the Garden of the Lost Lambs,” he greeted. “Is that really the name of this place?” Airi asked, tilting her head with a tinge of tiredness. Pathfinder chuckled, “Kidding, it’s just called Garden.” Airi laughed dryly in response, “Ha-ha.” Then, the Governor assumed a serious expression. “The normal length of sentence for a person who committed heresy is usually nine lifetimes, but yours is a special case. In truth, it should be much longer, but the Governor of Grievance and Regret pleaded for you, so your sentence became shorter.” His face softened, “In actuality, this punishment isn’t your fault. It’s because of the demon in your possession.” Her mind drifting to the demon within her. Unfortunately, the demon was sealed with a complete Thousand Senses Sealing Formation of the highest degree, rendering him into unconsciousness. Even if she wanted to scold him for taking her down with him, she could not. In any case, she was also at fault for selling (half of) her soul to him in the first place. “The demon, nicknamed the Abyssal Demon, is a world-destroying entity. Before he came to you, he destroyed two worlds, and brought another to a point of near-ruin. We sent reinforcements to chase him down, but before we could eliminate him, you found him. Therefore, you bear his sins, if only due to your connection to him,” the Governor explained. She was truly unlucky to have met him. Even such a pristine white soul became tainted because of him. Even though the demon was currently dormant, it did not change the fact that her soul was slowly being overwhelmed by his. If left alone, sooner or later, her soul would disappear. He felt that she really did not deserve such a punishment. But alas, all he could do was lighten her burden. At the very least, he could teach this pitiful girl some methods to prevent the stronger demon’s soul from devouring hers completely. He patted her head comfortingly, “Your souls have become muddled together, and separating his soul from yours is simply too risky. I will impart some techniques to you later to keep his soul from completely devouring yours.”  Airi watched the Governor’s kind gesture with a complex gaze. For someone who governed criminals, he sure was generous. She did not know what to make of it.  “For now, cleanse and refine your soul in Hell. Once you return, your real sentence will begin.”

The exorcists of the Kujou clan persevered for two days until all the miasma disappeared. The sound of dawn breaking accompanied by singing birds and rustling wind accentuated the peaceful moment that had finally come upon the exorcists who had toiled for a long time in a particular room at the Kujou clan’s manor. The Head sat down in the room alone after having chased off his helpers. After working so hard, everyone was exhausted. They all retired to their rooms, leaving the Head all alone. He looked at the now-dried puddle of blood in the centre of the room. “…” He closed his eyes, mourning for his loss silently. That girl, not even a body was left behind, he thought. Then, he opened his weary eyes slowly. Because of the taint remaining in her blood, they would have no choice but to burn the tatami mats which covered the room, or perhaps the whole room itself, in order to cleanse the manor from the residual miasma. He sighed before removing himself from his position. He stretched his body, reminding himself that he had a clan to run and that it was not the time to be grieving. After refreshing himself, he went to visit Ryuuenjou Zantetsu who had been confined in a secluded room far from Maihime’s room. “How is he?” The Head asked the physician who had come to inspect the wounded. The physician shook his head pitifully, “He is nothing but a broken, empty husk. While he had some physical wounds that had reopened due to stress, it is the pain in his heart that is destroying him. The way he is right now, we can only watch as he withers away.” The physician went on to add, “The illness of the heart is incurable. This man will die soon.” “…” The Head paused. He mirrored the physician’s grave look and sighed again. “So be it,” he says quietly. “Perhaps, in the afterlife, they would be reunited.” “Highly improbable,” A new voice suddenly interrupted. “Kagerou-sama,” the Head greeted politely, though he was frowning. “The Maihime ‘graced’ us with a bloodline curse,” he sneered, looking highly disdainful at the mention of the girl. “Clearly, whatever sin she committed was not light. If they ever see each other, it would probably be in hell.” “Kagerou-sama!” the Head barked. Even if the man in front of him was one of the Kujou clan’s esteemed elders, he would never allow anyone to badmouth his niece whom he raised like his own daughter. “What? Am I not right?” He tilted his head, a mocking smile on his face. He had long hated the Maihime, who, despite being a girl, shone brighter than his son. Although his son was current heir for the position of the next family Head, it left a bad taste in his mouth knowing that the only reason his son managed to get that spot was because the Maihime retired and married out. “…!” the Head gritted his teeth. But the man was right. One can only receive a bloodline curse if one committed a taboo. Though he did not know which one the Maihime had committed, all of them were equivalently terrible. “The way I see it, that little girl does not deserve even a funeral,” Kagerou added. “And what of her daughter? What are we supposed to do with that thing? Take it in?” He spitefully said. “Daughter?” The Head looked at the man suspiciously. “What? Could it be that you didn’t know? The Ryuuenjou girl—the eldest daughter of that woman—she survived,” Kagerou stated with a ridiculing tone. He was clearly looking down on the little girl. After all, it was obvious that Airi had not taught any of the family teachings to the girl. She barely had any spiritual energy inside her, unlike her mother, and was thus seen as useless. To take her into the family was an act of charity. “Maihime’s daughter—!” The Head sucked in a deep breath. Hope was not lost. Although Maihime was gone, her bloodline could still be passed down. “Where is the girl?” The Head asked the accompanying servants. “Take me to her.” A maidservant by the door bowed down in response, “The young miss was left at the Ryuuenjou manor due to her severe wounds. Shall I prepare a cart to fetch the young miss?” The Head thoughtfully paused. Since she was injured, it was not suitable for her to be moved, and especially not on a rough journey with a cart. “Forget it. Have our best healers attend to her. We’ll bring her back once she is sufficiently healthy. It would be best if she could make it to Maihime’s funeral, though.” “As you command, sir,” the woman bowed again, moving out of the room to execute her orders. “Hmph!” Kagerou harrumphed. “It is not good for the Clan Head to be clouded with personal sentiments. Just because that sinner was your niece, it does not mean that she deserves better treatment,” he rebuked. The Head’s expression hardened at the word ‘sinner’. It seems like he had been too lax to the point where a mere clan elder could step all over his, the Clan Head’s, head. “I am the Clan Head, and you are just a normal Elder. Do not overstep your boundaries,” he coldly spoke. Elder Kagerou and the Head glared at each other before looking away, both of them storming off into different directions.

One month have passed since the passing of Maihime. On the 32nd day of her death, a funeral was finally held. The clan members who lived in the main house all gathered an item that once belonged to the Maihime each, placing them into the Maihime’s maiden bedroom. Although the venue was different, the funeral rites were roughly the same as any other funeral. “Head,” one of the retainers whispered as he came up next to the Head. “What of the katana?” He asked furtively. The sword, which have been found in Airi’s bedroom, which had been Zantetsu’s personal sword, was now wrapped in silk cloth. The current bearer of the sword looked at the Clan Head with a distressed gaze. With the owner of the sword practically on his deathbed, the sword had become ownerless. Nobody knew what to do with it. “It has been soaked in the blood of the Maihime. It is only fit for it to be burned along all the others,” the Head replied evenly. He did not know whether the sword held any sentimental values to the General, but the man was not in his right mind, so it did not matter. “As you said, Head,” the retainer nodded. With a flash, he had already scurried to add the sword among the pile of belongings inside the room. “Everything has been prepared,” another retainer informed. The Head looked around at all the familiar faces. With pursed lips, he took a deep breath and muttered, “Burn it down.” With his signal, everybody picked up a lighted torch and threw it towards the room from all sides. With experienced personnel watching by the side, none of the flames managed to get past the designated area. Within minutes, Airi’s room, and all her memories, were now gone. As if sensing the closure of Airi’s death, Ryuuenjou Zantetsu closed his eyes for the very last time. Ryuuenjou Zantetsu, a famed general of the Emperor’s, unable to handle the grief of losing his wife and children, passed away quietly in a small quiet room in the Kujou territory. “…!” The maidservant who was in charge of caring for the man was not immediately alerted by his death, but after two hours of stillness, she had gone to check his breathing. Upon discovering his passing, she immediately informed the physician and sent a servant to inform the Head who was still overseeing the funeral rites. After hearing the news, the Head closed his eyes again. He heaved a heavy sigh, rubbing his face with his palm slowly. “What do we do with the deceased man, sir?” “…” The Head mutedly exhaled. “Those soldiers outside—they are still clamouring to see him? Have someone bring a few of them inside through the backdoor. It is bad karma to have two funerals in one day. Since he is the Emperor’s retainer, have the Emperor deal with his funeral.” “Yes.” “And the orphaned girl… Ryuuenjou Fuyuki, was it?” The Head looked up at the sky tiredly. “Allow her to accompany her father on his last journey. After that, bring her here.” “Yes, Head.”

Finally I arrived at kindergarten! Free from those girls! "Well then, I will go first father" "Have a nice day A-chan, I'm going to work now" he patted my head. "Good morning Akari-chan!" one of my classmate greet me. "Good morning.." I replied, and went to toilet tidying my hair in front of mirror. It reflected a five-years-old girl, a pair of blue eyes, black hair with red ribbon, my current appereance as Akari Shujinko. Even though I look like this I'm actually way more older I think?, I don't remember much about my past life beside I'm an avid reader of manga and light novel with their content and terms, and I have older brother. Okay, let’s organize my thought from my past knowledge, every people that was reincarnated to other world were either summoned to become a hero, giving second life by god because he made mistake, reincarnated becoming a villanous lady, they have a grudge so their willpower make them reincarnated, becoming protagonist of a story that has been published, but...I'm not in that typical plotline, Hm.. From what I learn a few days ago, I think this world isn’t fantasy or RPG like. Peaceful one? One for sure I'm not the villain and I don't think I'm a protagonist of a story neither, I never read story with this type of reincarnation.. What I consider normal becoming absurd after I recovered my memory past. There’s no tutorial, introduction, or ‘I’m sorry I killed you by mistake’ plot neither? I don’t know my role in this world, nor purpose being here. My family contain: mother who is a tsundere, younger brother, and a father attract lots of female like typical protagonist with ecchi genre. Wait..typical protagonist? And I’m his child? Come think of it, I have conversation about it with my big brother! "Here it goes another girl! Is Kurumi the next one who fall?" "I think the next one is Erika, look at her eyes." "But I'm pretty sure it's Kurumi, shall we bet?" "Sure, 2 pudding?" "OK!" "Hey big brother" "Hm?" "I wonder why those girl fall for that guy, he's kinda remind me of n*bita but worse, he's a coward, good for nothing on top of that a delusional pervert who want to built a harem, how can she fall in love with that disgusting expression? how can that thing loved by beauties? there's plenty of fish in sea why bother insist on that puny fish?" "Hmm.. maybe because he's earnest?" "Well I think there's another male more earnest and reliable than him?" “That’s true, maybe she like oddball ?” “They’re all have the same taste??” “That’s kinda difficult..” “Did he implant some of black magic behind the scence?” “Lil sis, The most easiest way to explain all of it is” “Love is blind isn’t it?” “Hahaha, you got me!”  “I wonder about their child” “Hm?” “They’re so unlucky to have him as his parent, look at the way he attract all those female with that ecchi scene, it’s not good for child growth” “You’re complaining so much, what if you’re the one becoming his child?” “Ew! Don’t jinx me!, this is real life not fantasy!” “Hahaha” Aaaaaa is it karma for always mocking of protagonist with my brother?? Big bro, your little sister have become his child, it’s your fault!! Curse you for jinxed me!!

"I love you Rin-chan!! You're the best!" He smiled like a pervert(?).   "S-stupid! I dont like you or anything li..like that!" Yet she said it with full blush.   Sigh.   They're at it again.   "Shouta don't be like our parent okay?" I said it to my little brother.   "Un?" Yea he's still a one-year-old, maybe he probably doesn't get it.   "I have some leftover so" the blushing twintail woman said so while giving a lunchbox, that she actually made for us this morning   "Rin-chan!"   "Don't..don't misunderstand you idiot!"   Can I skip this scence already?   I want to yell at them, "YOU'RE ALREADY MARRIED AND HAVE ME WHY ARE YOU STILL ACTING LIKE A TSUNDERE?!", you think its rude to yell at your own parent? Yeah, I know that, but they do it all the time! After seeing it so many times how can you not?   Pip pip pip    Uh oh my alarm clock is ringing, I'm going to be late.   "Mother, Shouta" I give my little brother to the blushing woman.   "O..okay A-chan" she was kinda startled but held him carefully.   I tugged my father's shirt "Father let's go, we're already late"   "A-chan, why are you calling me father not daddy anymore?"    No I dont want to call you daddy after I recovered my past memory, who wants to call you daddy again?!   "Next year I will be an elementary student father"   "But..--"   "Lets go" I walked away.    "A-chan is so cold Q A Q, and its not late, still early" he mutter.   "Mother we will be going now"   "Take care" she said as she patted my head.   If we are any later than now, 'they' will be coming, and I...   "Kya!!" A highschool girl fell into my father   "Wha--" he tried to grab her by the shoulders so she didn't fall.   Oh for goodness sake, they're already here.   "I-i'm so-- kya!" She slapped him because rather than her shoulders, he grabbed her breast.   "I'm sorry I didn't mean to!" He panicked but I bet he's like 'Oh lucky me! Hehe' look at his face.   "Uuu...I-It's okay! It's my own fault I'm sorry for slapping you even though you tried to help me" she cast down her head feeling guilty.   "Are you alright?" He said while checking on her, his face is in 100% ikemen mode, did you just forgot about your own child and wife, father? What's with this pink aura?!   "I..im alright" she started blushing, oh no, did another victim just fall for father? I need to end this.   "Father.."   "Oh- umm" she stared at me awkwardly, yes he already has a child.   "Yes, I know, Well then, be careful and don't run" he nod and taking care of the girl.   "Y..yes!"    Finally!!! She's gone!!, I hope there's no second accide--   "Kya!!"   .....Are you kidding me?   Author note: Thank you Ophious and Fuble for correcting the grammar and typos.

  Finally after arriving in front of the building with stacks of coins as their logo. Opening the door what appears doesn't really fantasy-esque. My hope of there would be a floating person with wings or something more has been crushed at least the lobby structure is pretty neat with most of it made of wood and the floor is shiny like a bald head person in the middle of a scorching desert. Looking around a middle age man come to me with a smiling face he's not bald but he had an offside belly. The man asking me what I'm looking for and I said my purpose of opening a registered vault. Following the man, he led me to a room with one table and two chairs with lamp post on the wall. It is a simple room with no decoration. "I forgot to introduce myself it seems, haha, when you were old you start to be forgetful anyway I'm Hodwart a manager here. So you said before that you want to access a vault. Correct? You only need to enter the ID and the password after that I will give you the item inside the vault." A panel with ID and password shows up after inputting the ID and password fatso sends me. Hodwart smile and told me to wait for him while he goes get the item. Few minutes after that Hodwart come in with a book and said "this is the card inside the vault Mr. Vain. you can take your time I'll be tending the other customers and you can leave the card on the table after you were done." then left. Picking up the card I see a picture of books, a weapon, and armors plus a stack of vials with red liquid inside. The card itself has a wavy gold frame at its sides and black colored at back with gold coins as the logo. That bastard didn't tell me how I can access the items inside. It's hard being a newbie I need to learn everything again. Sigh. maybe saying openly will make the item come out. I don't know, I guess I need to call him again. Walking outside the building I felt my noob-i-ness is becoming my biggest problem here. Opening the menu I select the other option and choose the forum. Lots of sections appear and searching for tutorial and tips as the tag. I navigate around the sea of thread to search for my immediate problems and the one that catches my attention was about a warrior that finish his training on the training center and received a skill and art because his final rating is 7.8. So my target should be finishing the training, allocating my attributes, and hunting monsters. The training center is not that far away from the bank if I go straight I probably need only a 15-ish minute because of browsing the forum it took me 2 hours to get here. The training center gate has this statue of a man carved out of a tree, a living tree with leaves as its hair, not ordinary leaves but a spiky one. The statue probably reaches tens plus meter with his arms crossing and the life-like eye looking down on people that want to pass the gate gives the passenger an imposing feeling. Passing the gate I saw humongous open fields with dummies, people shouting, hitting dummies, small statues made of stones, etc. From the thread, I found they said I need to report to a 3-meter tall human to get a trainee profession and no matter from which side you are standing on you would know where he is from his lion-like roar. Speak of the devil I heard a roar from the center where people swinging their sword. "Mister I want to get stronger so that I may take control of my life." without greeting I talk to the big guy with the naked upper body. Showing my determination. I don't even know myself why I said that but his muscular body with his 8 packs and scarred chest trembling slightly. With him over-shadowed me I somehow can see him smile at me. It looks innocent but brutal at the same time. "I've been here more than eighty years and it's the first time I heard that since I left my tribe in the north. I'm Ax Frostborne. What is your name lad?" "I'm Vain" [Your profession has been changed into Trainee.][Please select your job from the available jobs on the list.][Thief: Job that may make you rich with medium damage, low defense, and high speed. Requirement: Agi 12+Knight: Job with medium damage and high defense their oath is to protect the weak. Requirement: Con 10+ Vit 10+Berserker: The angrier you get the stronger you become. Have high health and damage with low defense. Requirement: Str 12+ Vit 12+Magician: Job which controls force to bring a phenomenon to their cause with low health and high burst magic damage. Requirement: For 14+Assassin: Job for the killer that relied on their high-speed and high-burst physical attack but with Low health and low defense. Requirement: Agi 16+Healer: ….] Lots of jobs show up in front of me but based on my status and items I receive from Big Rude I probably should choose assassin. Opening my status this is what I see. Character: VainRace: HumanGender: MaleProfession: TraineeStrength: 8 (1 health, 0.5 attack power, 0.2 defense power, and influences your strength)Agility: 15+3 (0.25 attack power, influences your ability to dodge, reflexes and dexterity)Constitution: 5 (5 stamina, 3 health and ability to resist attacks)Vitality: 7 (5 health, 3 stamina, and 1 life force)Force: 10 (2 aether, influences the power and accuracy of your spells and ability to resist force attack) Life Force: 7Health: 58 / 58Aether: 20 / 20Stamina: 45 / 46Fatigue: 98% / 100%Satiety: 100 / 100 (+10 per level)Attack: 8 - 20Defense: 6 - 8 Racial Characteristics Kin: Obtain +10% prestige inside human territories. Raises social ability. BloodlinesXsve: +3 agility and another 1 every 6 levels. Gain additional experience related to daggers. Profession Trainee: none (A trainee without redeeming feature.) JobAssassin: Deal 5% bonus damage when attacking from behind. (One who works in the dark and assassinate their target.) TalentsNone InventoryBone dagger (common)Category: weapon (one-handed dagger)Requirement: noneDamage: 3 - 7Durability: 16 / 16 Hunter's boot (common)Category: light armor (shoes)Requirement: noneDefense: 2Durability: 19 / 19 Hunter's pants (common)Category: light armor (pants)Requirement: noneDefense: 5Durability: 23 / 23 Stealth (uncommon • skill)Enter an invisible state for 10 minutes. You can't be seen visually but the skill will get canceled if you attack or touch someone. Cost: 5 stamina and 2 aether Cooldown: 30 seconds ~A/N Cooldown here is a bit different from the other games. Here it means CD only when they failed or get interrupted while doing so. Impact (uncommon • skill)Gather force in your palm and release it to your target. Dealing 80% damage and a small chance of knockback.Cost: 7 aetherCooldown: 10 seconds Health potion (poor • T1 • consumable) x10Heal 10 of your health for 30 seconds. (Effect decrease by 8% after each consumption. If the value reaches 100% you won't get any benefit from it.)Resistant: 1 minutes | 8% Cleanse potion (poor • T1• consumable) x1Remove the effect of potion resistant within your body gradually for 3 minutes. (If the value reaches 100% you will get into poisoned and weaken state. The effect would be removed after the value decrease by 20%.)Resistant: 10 minutes | 67% "Mister I chose assassin as my job and I don't think I get any stronger after choosing my job though." "HAHA! Of course, you don't! That's not how the world works lad and call me instructor from now on." while laughing he pats my back with his gigantic arm. Its hurts and even decrease my health by 5. What a dangerous pat. "Anyway, I'm hungry go get me 10 chicken from old man Bars farm and 5 lambs from his daughter barn as well." [You received the quest "Hungry instructor". Quest: get 10 chicken and 5 lambs for the instructor. Reward: unknown.]

"Hey! You there, yes you Mister with the gimpy leg. Uwahh~ your hand looks weird as well. Did you not go to a doctor?" "What? You were the rudest person I've ever met this month." "Ehh? So there is one that ruder than me last month? That's new, anyway, I'm Rudy." "Rudy, from rude right? Just like your name you really represent your name perfectly. So what do you want?" "Did you believe in superpowers? Tell you what. I have one of those so-called superpowers and my power is Future Sight. Awesome right? I know I'm awesome from birth. Oii! Don't just walk away while someone is talking. That's rude you know." "Rude!? That's super weird coming out of your mouth. What do you want?" "Didn't I tell you before that my power is future sight and it means I can see the future be it close to our time or far. You see that traffic light there?" While pointing at the traffic light on the other side of the road the chubby looking man said. "Wait for it in a few second a bird will crash into the yellow light." "Okay I'm waiting and what will you do if that doesn't happen?" *Bang!!* "See that? Now you believe me right?" "Yes, but didn't you said within a few seconds? Look at that clock it's been 14 minutes since you said in a few seconds and I feel I got your weird-y-ness on me. So tell me what do you want and fast!" "It's like this; in my vision, I saw you wearing an awesome looking black armor facing a huge black dragon and there is my great self of course beside you standing grandly with an aura of royalty with my retainer and not only that. I see myself within a huge villa watching tv with a beautiful lady. In conclusion, you were the man who would pull me to my future glorious days." "Dragon? What the hell. There is no dragon in this world. I think you need to get your head check who knows maybe there is a big piece of tumors in your head. Are you sure you were not thinking too deeply about seeing things? Who knows maybe it's just you being a gigolo and scratch that lady and change it into old madam. One more thing, what aura of royalty, you were the embodiment of conman from what I see it." "Come on don't be like that mister-""What? I don't want to give my name to a conma-n, okay, okay, don't get too close. My name is Oura." "Mister Oura, of course, there is no dragon in this world but what I'm talking about is the game in the virtual world. You know the hype this month right? And what do you mean by tumors? with one it would kill a person you know, and what would happen if there is more of that thing in the head to boot." "Yea, yea. Tell me your plan I'm listening." "How about we talk while walking to the central park and we can discuss it there more thoroughly. So the plan is we bought a game helmet for you with my saving and then we can just play as our life depends on it. Even tho it really is." "O--kay, so how much saving did you have? And you still didn't tell me how can we make money from that." "11 and 489 credits. Well, there is an exchange system gold to credits on their website and it legal though they take 10% of it as a tax. Actually, I heard a different country has their own different tax so I guess it's probably not going to go to the company but instead go to the country or alliance whatever. Yesterday I sell 5 gold for 135 credits already taxed." "Hmm... the lowest gaming helmet gear is 10k so you would only be left with 1.489 credits and don't forget the monthly bill thingy. I've got no money and that means you need to pay for two which is 1.5k. So did you really think it would work? What would happen if it's not? I tell you this once again. I have no money so I can't reimburse you for your losses." "It's okay even if we fail I can just go laboring myself for a month and go gambling to raise the funds again." "What the- you got all those money from gambling?" "Of course not. All of that is from me playing since the game goes online, but the fund for buying my helmet was from gambling." We didn't realize that we talk for hours until sunset. Mostly it's about the game or his deeds in the game but from that, I can get a glimpse of what the game truly is. ❁❁❁ It's a hot boring Saturday and it's the day the game helmet arrive or it should be. While I was thinking what would I do first thing in the game. A bell for drone ringing from outside the house. "Yes, I'm coming." "A PACKET FOR MISTER OURA. SECURITY VERIFICATION REQUIRE." "PIN VERIFIED! FINGERPRINT VERIFIED! IRIS RECOGNITION VERIFIED!" "Thank you." "VOICE RECOGNITION VERIFIED!" "YOUR WELCOME SIR. DID YOU WANT TO LEAVE A TIP?" "No, sorry." "OKAY. NO PROBLEM SIR. WE HOPE YOU ALWAYS USE OUR SERVICES." After the drone flies away I took the packet and unboxing it with expectation. I mean it's ten thousand credits for one helmet. Let see how beautiful u were ohh expensive helmet. Well… this thing inside the box it doesn't really look beautiful but it's kinda broke my expectation for my first expensive stuff and there is only two-piece inside one is the plain looking helmet aka gaming gear and the second one is a metal board. Should I use it now or later and where the heck is the guide paper for installing this thing. Is it this board? Did I need to connect it to the power port? Ahh! Heck yeah, I'm genius now let's put this thing on. [Welcome! We don't have a database about you so we need to scan your full body. Please wait for a moment:1% 10% 30% 70% 100% Done. Did you want to configure the setting here manually or inside the game sir? All done preparing to dive. Have Fun.] "Ugh, I felt like I want to throw up, this is ain't a good start." "Hello Sir, I'm Alte the character fairy and I'm here to help you to create your character in the game. There are 5 available races that you can choose from and you can preview it by clicking on it after you were sure that you want to choose the race that you want to play as please tell me." There is 5 race on the board that I can choose from the first one on the list is human and the second one is elves followed by werebeast, orc, and dwarves. I should try each race then, let's start from the bottom one dwarves after I clicked the dwarf an avatar that looks like me appear with a big rip muscle but short man the height probably around 140cm to 150cm. Well next is the orc, a big guy with a height that surpasses 2 meters with a bodybuilder physique but when I chose werebeast lots of variety shows up like a weretiger, werewolf, werebear, and so on. Okay, what about elves? elves indeed has variety like werebeast but it doesn't have as much as they only have a few that can only be chosen from, there is: elf, dark elf, wood elf, moon elf, and sun elf others are only grey silhouette with no name on it so I guess it is not available or something I don't know about. The last one is human and the one that shows up is an exact copy of myself with VR this advance I probably need to adapt and get used to it which means less time for me to grind for money in the game. "Alte I chose human as my race can I get in the game right now?" "Done! You can't sir, first you need to choose a name for your character, second, you need to choose a type of energy you will use from: magic, rage, aura, aether and etc. and each energy have its own unique characteristics." "Hmm.. is that so? Vain that will be my name then and Aether sound good to me." "Okay, mister Vain you get 20 free attributes that you can freely distribute by your own gameplay. Did you want to hear the story of our world mister Vain?" "A summarize would be great." "Once upon a time the world was shared by the intelligent races, it wasn't exactly peaceful but with a seed of madness everything change. Magic beast become stronger, some individual fall into madness as well. Not long after that mass destruction follows as every race unites for their survival. A touch of Madness they named it. Just a touch from it you will lose your mind in exchange for power and destruction. No friend, no mercy, no sense of self, only destruction. Little did they know those things happen because of themselves. It manifests from greed, hatred, lust, basically, all the negative energy got absorbed by one person now known as Lord of Chaos. That person was the purest heart that chosen by Lady Gaia. he wants to save all he can people start calling him a saint. He was the only person that can go to any races without discrimination but one time, he sees the dark side of the humanity, their greed, their ambitions, knowing and feeling it was two different thing so he left the human and travel to another place without one. Still, he sees it again and again from different races, then he comes to a conclusion that those races were the one that polluting these beautiful home of his so he decided to exterminate them with his power. So he starts his mission of extermination with his sight clouded by darkness. Nothing is good in front of him. When he can only see darkness, but few years after his conquest he sees light. A light from kindness. That makes him start to question his choice again, was his choice a good or a bad one. Then he starts to think, can he just heal the world by taking in all the negatives in the world and purify it. Indeed he was right but, his body can't withstand it so he explodes into particles, one is Chaos and the other one is Order. Seeds of Order turn into what people know as world tree while the Seeds of Chaos manifest itself by consuming miasma and turn into a Lord of Chaos. The two are working oppositely yet with the same mechanism. World Tree absorbs miasma and turns it into a magicule, while, Lord of Chaos eat the magicule in the air and release the fog of madness. Mr. Vain world tree is in danger or rather the life on the planet will cease to exist. Lord of Chaos is an extension of his predecessor desire plus to the extreme side. So you probably know your mission right Mr. Vain? That's it! Farewell Mr. Vain have fun and enjoy your new world!" While watching the movie with Alte narration I come to realize that the meaning of "The higher you were the harder you fall." is applied in the game as well. After Altes' farewell, I appeared in the middle of ruins that makes me feel small. I mean just look at that fallen pillar I don't even reach a tenth of its diameter. Oh wow. This game just feels too real. I'm speechless it doesn't feel like I'm inside the game rather it felt like I've been transported into a different world altogether. The sound of the grass, the winds, even the fishy and metallic smell of the blood seems real. it overwhelms me. "Wait. Blood?" [You've been killed by player Domawensele!][Did you want to resurrect now? Y/N] Dafuq. I don't even pass 5 minutes yet since entering the game and already get killed. What a drag, but I remember you Dama-something I would get my revenge soon. Sigh. how do I call the menu again? Put some pressure on both palms and pull it for a few inches and the menu shows up. At the top is status followed by friendship, probably guild or community, chat, and others. Selecting the friendship menu it gives me a text box kinda thing to search for the name of a player that I want to add. [King Glory has accepted your friend request.][King Glory sends you a message. Do you want to read it? Y/N] "Hola brother how are you? How's the game?" "Got kill by someone and it's not even 5 minutes after I'm in the game." "Lol. anyway go to the bank and put these ID and PASSWORD to get access to the vault that I rent before. Inside there is skills, equipment, and few miscellaneous items. Right! Don't forget to put your attribute so you don't get killed easily next time. You still remember what effect each one had right?" Shutting off the chat I start to walk leaving the resurrect point which is just a light pillar if I'm not wrong Strength for attack power, agility for speed and dexterity, vitality for Life Force and stamina, constitution for physical defense and stamina, while energy|aether is for magical defense and aether. Adding each of my free attribute I see that the fatigue bar doesn't change so is there something I miss previously or was it made like that? I'm confused.

In the void space of the Aquatic plains, the world of ice created by Ye Yuyan slowly healed as the spatial rifts became filled with Lunar Qi. Ye Yuyan and the Lunar woman stood facing one another at the center of the world of ice. Ye Yuyan's pupils returned to their circular and dark color, exuding a mysterious and dark aura. Behind him, his Moon Demon aspect became increasingly translucent as it dissipated into motes of light, each mote of light fused into his body sealed deep into his red lotus. The red lotus mark on Ye Yuyan's forehead shone releasing an all-consuming crimson light, the world of ice rumbled as if listening to the command. The drifting frost laws decomposed transforming into individual truths. Ye Yuyan's red lotus took command turning the truths into a cyan beam of Qi. The beam zoomed shooting into his body and disappearing as if entering a black hole. Thousands if not tens of thousands of cyan lights shot into his body from all around the world of ice. Venerable Moon watched silently as the lunar forces entered into Ye Yuyan's body. The whole world of ice disappeared as a prism of cyan lights formed around Ye Yuyan's body. The truths of frost shone of Ye Yuyan's body as cyan veins of energy, the truths fused perfectly back into his body completing his first lotus leaf. Deep inside his body, the red lotus spun as the first lotus leaf released a demonic aura, inside of the lotus leaf existed a world of blue lotuses and frost. A massive Moon Demon traveled the plains howling frost Qi into existence, at the core of this world was a blue moon that was the genesis of all frost! "Your proficiency in Lunar laws has stepped into a new realm, you're truly a terrifying man." Venerable Moon commented with a sly smirk, her eyes shined like stars. "I must say I appreciate your 'instruction', without that attack, it would have taken me longer to derive your complete law." Ye Yuyan chuckled as he felt the powers of Venerable Moon's attack flow through his body. When Venerable Moon released that sky rending beam to save Chen Li, she unveiled her full law of the stars. Although Venerable Moon mastered many Daos, her Blue Moon code's true power laid in the stars but even with two of her volumes, she never included the rules for absorbing the power of the stars. "Not long until I usurp your realm..." Ye Yuyan joked as the veins in his body cooled, the laws settled into his body increasing its strength and durability. Once a cultivator reached rank 4 and accessed the power of laws, they could manipulate truths to a new level. Most secret arts for a rank 3 expert would be fusing with a truth to boost their strength to a new level. Maven did this when he burned his sword force while fighting Illathar, this kind of technique mimicked rank 4 powers at a great cost. A rank 4 expert was automatically a condensation of truths. Their body could rival divine metals and they could soar to the skies moving heaven and earth. "Fellow immortal has truly let time corrupt his heart." Venerable Moon's expression turned from jovial as she frowned. "What can I say, it becomes me." Ye Yuyan responded in a flat and emotionless tone, displeasing Venerable Moon. "I'll have to ask you to lay down your arms." She said politely in a pleasant and warm tone, her lips pursed slightly as her lipid and blue eyes gazed at Ye Yuyan. Suddenly Ye Yuyan's body lurched slightly, his knees bent unwittingly as if a mountain had fallen on his back. The weight of planetary bodies bore down in the void, twisting and curving gravity as Ye Yuyan felt his back almost get crushed. Ye Yuyan's back knee started to give out as his body attempted to lunge forward but failed. The crushing weight kept adding as Venerable Moon wished. "Regardless of your past standing, you lack the prerequisites to act in front of me." She said as her blue piercing gaze stabbed into Ye Yuyan's core forcing the void distorted increasingly. The intense ripples transmitted through the void ripping apart the fabric of space, this was the true prestige of Venerable Moon's lunar dao! "Arrogance does not be fit the weak, now kneel!" She said as the weight of her gaze grew even more. "Scram!" Ye Yuyan growled as he stomped onto the void, the red lotus mark on his head shone with an intertwining of a dark and lightning auras. Ye Yuyan's eyes glittered with light as his left eye turned darker than black, his abyss like gaze lit up with a shimmering light coming from a time immemorial. His right eye crackled with electrical intent as hundreds of heavenly thunders burst in his eyes transforming into lightning marks turning his gaze electrifying. Suddenly the weight on his back disappeared as he stood up forcing away the gravitational forces. The void space suddenly stabilized as Ye Yuyan stomped once again slashing away at Venerable Moon's powers. "I can say the same for yourself, you are merely a will, unable to truly show the prestige of a Throne Bearer." Ye Yuyan said as he met Venerable Moon's gaze, his red lotus leaves all superimposed as his cultivation rose from the first revolution all the way to the fourth! His aura grew without limit as it ascended to the firmament, pushing faintly through Heaven's Realm and entering into the real world. His cultivation right now could faintly rival the power of a Rank 5 expert! "But of course, I am a reasonable man. I can spare your juniors at a price, otherwise, I'm more than willing to slaughter to my heart's content." Ye Yuyan threatened as cyan, crimson, black, and blue auras swirled around him in a four-colored vortex. Venerable's Moon expression turned grim as she saw a vague red silhouette flashing behind Ye Yuyan's form. The aura of the silhouette far surpassed the feeling of an aspect, it was as if it were an extension of the heavens. If she had her true body she would have nothing to fear, even now she could still fight Ye Yuyan. But once the silhouette was added, then the odds become unpredictable. Sadly she was just a partial will that resided in the blue moon that possessed Su Xinyue's body. She couldn't even show a millionth of her true power in her current form. Venerable Moon furrowed her brows in contemplation for a moment, then she sighed as she tapped on her forehead releasing a translucent jade bead. Inscribed along the bead were various nomological lines that shone in red text, she sent the bead towards Ye Yuyan who caught it with his right hand. He inspected the bead for a moment and put it into his robes. "That will be more than enough." Ye Yuyan chuckled as he diffused his revolutions, decreasing his aura until it returned to Rank 4. "Just leave." Venerable Moon said in a displeased tone as her body flashed away back into the aquatic plains. Ye Yuyan stood still in the void with a vague semblance of a smirk on his face. The red silhouette flickered intensely as it took the form of a young man dressed in red lightning robes. The young man came closer standing next to Ye Yuyan, but Ye Yuyan didn't respond instead his gaze was centered on the limits of Heaven's Realm. His perception traveled to the ends of the void, at the edge of Heaven's Realm was gathering a fog of nine-colored auroras. If one looked closer they could see faces inside of the fog, the faces writhed and squirmed as the aurora grew. 'Foglord's will was first to enter, when will he hear that I've returned?' Ye Yuyan wondered as a sinister smile bloomed from his lips. He extradited his perception and turned to the young man. "Now's my cue to leave, I'll have to trouble you, Lei Sheng." Ye Yuyan smirked as Lei Sheng's red body turned into a sea of red lightning, the red lightning exploded out filling the void with red light. The red lightning coiled and seethed around Ye Yuyan forming a matrix of hundreds of different symbols, it formed into a stellar circle that filled the void space. From the spellcircle lightning bolts arched and spread throughout Heaven's Realm flying through the void towards the Blood Plains. In the blood plains in front of the temple, a congregation of Ye Yuyan's followers gathered with the help of Nesilia, Maven, and Alister. The three stood leading the troops as red lightning struck down around them forming an array. Both Ye Yuyan's and the blood plains array resonated together as both Ye Yuyan's and his followers' bodies turned translucent as if disappearing. The matrix of lightning increasingly lost energy as Ye Yuyan and Co dissipated into nothingness. At the array center, the lightning crackled as the array collapsed. Finally, at the moment Ye Yuyan disappeared the nine-colored aurora crashed down into Heaven's Realm, a sea of wills rushed into the realm! ******************* Author's thoughts: The next chapter is the last chapter of volume 2, after that I will take a 2-3 day break to work on my Volume 3 outline. Thank you for reading up to hear and please comment and review if you have the time.

In the extreme void where no life could sustain itself a young man in black robes appeared. He held in his hands a bamboo umbrella which he slung over his shoulder. The umbrella had pink at the top as a nine colored light occasionally shone on it like a beacon. He trod on the void with proper posture as if walking through a personal garden. Around him, planetary bodies flew past orbiting around a massive sun at the center. Asteroids and comets danced amidst the darkness, following the gravitational rhythm of the heavenly bodies. He strode towards a zooming comet, a thick layer of frost and planetary dust shined on the comet. He approached it sitting in lotus form atop it as it zoomed across the void. The young man sat quietly atop with his eyes closed when suddenly his eyes flashed open and he spoke: "How long have you been watching?" The void remained silent as the young man sat on the comet. He shrugged his shoulder and then he reached out picking an asteroid with one gigantic palm. His palm rivaled a small moon as he picked the asteroid crushing it. "Fine, be like that. You stalk me this long, but don't even say anything." He said pout into the void in an irritated tone, but there was still no response. "Have some common courtesy and at least make conversation." The young man smirked while he said this, he retracted his palm leaving only rubble in the void. "Well anyway, keep following me. In this next journey, I plan on revealing my demonic heritage." As he said this, the young man's left eye turned black with only his white pupil shining through the darkness. "Let us journey into the psychology of a demon!" He laughed uproariously as he spoke, the comet shot through the void with the young man still chuckling off into the distance.