A man stood behind the counter of the inn, quietly drying the glazed earthen cups before him. His arms were large and his body full, but by no mean was the man overweight. Both his hands were moving in perfect sync, handling his job with a peaceful practiced tranquility.

An eye-patch covered his right eye and along with the many scars and scratches marring his face, it gave him a gruff and aggressive appearance.
The man was preparing for the day’s customers, while watching over the few who were sitting around the tables. In the kitchen, his wife and the few workers in their employ were preparing food for their many guests while his daughter busily ran about, serving drinks to those who were patiently awaiting breakfast.

The door to his inn opened and a young man walked in. Black hair and wearing a cloak of dark red that seemed to flitter with the slightest of motions. The young man carried a small rucksack. On the young man’s waist, was a sheathed sword without a cross guard. “Excuse me sir. Is this the One-Eyed Ducas Inn?” The boy questioned.

“It certainly is.” The man confirmed, leaning forward to show the boy how the name came to be. “Ducas is the name. How can I help ya?”

“My name is Kaidus Paltos. I believe there is something here for me?”

“Ah, so you’re the boy…” He quietly evaluated the young man standing before him then turned to his daughter. “Meryl. Where is Vick?”

“Probably still asleep.” The girl answered as she grabbed two of the clean cups.

“Go wake’m up and tell’im to come down.”

 

—

 

“Forgive my late introduction. I am Ducas Laveranus, the owner of this fine establishment.” The man spoke, taking a seat across from him at one of the tables.

“Pleasure to meet you. Thank you for going along with my father’s selfishness.” Kaidus replied, getting up to make an apologetic bow before sitting down again.

“Hmmm… Now that I’ve seen you up close, I don’t know what your father is thinking, allowing you to travel by yourself.”

“… Do you know my father, Mr. Laveranus?”

“I don’t know him personally, but he did send me a letter of gratitude.”

“You mentioned Vick, and your surname is Laveranus. Might you possibly be related to Vick Laveranus, from the Droxxon mercenaries?”
He wasn’t sure if it was the same Vick he was thinking about. He had never heard Vick talking about his family.

A proud smile appeared on the man’s face. “I am. He is my nephew.”

Suddenly there was a commotion from upstairs and the young lady who had left earlier came running back down.

“Slow down before you hurt yourself Meryl! And where’s Vick?!” Ducas yelled.

“He- He was with- Abbie and Vick were-” The girl’s face was flushed.

“Slow down and tell me what happened.”

“Interrupting me so early in the morning… what do you want, uncle?” A familiar voice came down from the upper floor, followed by an irritable looking man with short brown hair, a handsome narrow face with square jaws, and tired eyes. It was Vick Lavernus, 19^th chair of the Droxxon Mercenaries. “And Meryl. Next time you knock, alright?”

“S-sorry.” The girl began nodding her head but avoided all eye contacts.

“Damit boy. You’re going to scar Meryl for life.”

“Not my fault she barged in on us.” Vick retorted, walking over to them. “Well well, look who’s finally here.” He smiled.

“Have you been waiting for me?” Kaidus himself was surprised to see the mercenary.

“That I have. Expected you four days ago. Was starting to think you weren’t going to show.”

“Sorry. I got sidetracked. Anyways, what was the package my father arranged for me?”

“You’re looking at it. One baby sitter.” Vick replied with a wide grin.

“… What…”

“Don’t give me that look. Just let me go prepare my stuff and we can get out of here.” Vick quickly bolted back upstairs.

“Meryl, go see if your Mum’s ready with the food.” Ducas quickly instructed his daughter and the girl left for the kitchen, leaving them to sit in silence.

 

…

Soon after, instead of Vick, a young woman came down from the stairs.

“Good morning, Abbigail.” Ducas greeted.

“G-good morning, sir. I’m so sorry about earlier.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. But you know… if he’s to your liking, perhaps I could talk with your parents about it. I’m sure Vick’s folks would be delighted.” Ducas offered.

“I-I couldn’t do that to him, sir. Please excuse me.” She replied with a bright red face and left the inn.

“That girl… as indecisive as that fool.”

“Who’s a fool?” A voice interjected from the stairs and Vick descended.

Vick was all dressed up in gray traveling garbs. A brown cloak was slung over his shoulders and he carried two swords with one hand while holding onto a bag in the other.

“My idiot of a nephew, that’s who.”

“Uncle, if you don’t address Kural by name I might take offense with that statement.” Vick grinned, walking over to join them.

“Hah! Act stupid all you want, boy. Perhaps you going on this trip will change your mind about the world.” Ducas smiled, getting up and heading back to the front counter.

“You weren’t joking…” Kaidus spoke, seeing Vick all prepared before him.

“Indeed I was not joking. It’s gonna be you and me, just the two of us again. It’ll be fun like the last time we went to Vanass and Heveston.”

“You mean that time you got drunk and lost all your money on rings? Or were you talking about that time you wasted all your money on women and came to ask me so you could continue whoring?”

“In my defense, those guys were cheating. And whoring is such a vulgar and unattractive word. How about we go with: saving the beauties of Heveston from brutes who dares to call themselves gentlemen?”

“Hah…” Kaidus sighed.

“Not to mention, that was years ago and I’ve grown more responsible since.”

“Heveston was barely a year ago.”

“Hey, people can change a lot in a year.”

‘Then what was that earlier?’ He wanted to ask about the young lady, but decided not to. “If you say so. And this… my father arranged for you to accompany me to Malpaars?” He questioned, changing the topic.

“He sure did. Notified the captain of your plans three turns ago and hired us. We figured someone who is capable and closer to your age should accompany you: thus, I was chosen for the job.” Vick patted his two azurite swords by his side. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”

“Ugh… Is there any way I can rescind the job order? Or possibly ask for someone more responsible?”

“Guh- What are you talking about? NO. Your father paid a hefty sum and called in some favors. If I returned to headquarters now, the captain would kick my ass and send me right back to follow you.”

Suppressing his laughter, “It will be dangerous.” Kaidus warned.

“Do I look scared?”

“It might be a while before we come back to Darsus.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“You might die.”

“If it’s that dangerous, then even more reason for me to come along.”

“What about Abbigail?”

“Enough. I’m coming with you whether you want me to or not.”

“I’m serious here.”

“So am I, Kaidus. You’re not leaving Darsus alone.”

Vick’s tone had changed. It was no longer the sarcastic and spirited tone full of cheerfulness, but one filled with resolve. The resolve of a true mercenary, ready to see his task through to the end. He could see it in Vick’s eyes that any form of persuasion was futile. “… Fine.” He reluctantly agreed.

“Glad we got that sorted out. Have you gone to the harbor to look for a ship yet?”

“Not yet. I was planning to do so after this.”

“Well then, how about breakfast before we head off?”

 

—

 

After giving their thanks to the Laveranus family for the hearty meal, they left the inn and made their way to the harbor.

All around them, blocks of wooden buildings were spewing clouds of smoke into the air. A group of children around his age was running with handfuls of fishing rods and nets, yelling at each other and heading for the shore. The sound of friendly chatters resounded through the streets as residents greeted one another, talking about what to expect of the day’s bounty.

The smell of brine and raw fish wafted over to greet them as they arrived at the harbor.
Large transport and merchant ships were anchored at the docks, along with a number of smaller fishing boats that were still unloading the night’s catch. Across from the docks, a bustling fish market was happening with people yelling and shouting loudly for prices.

With full bellies and deprived of a need for anything else, they squeezed through the throngs of people and made their way to the docks.

…

“The answer is no. None have yet to return from there, and there’s no news.”
“Can’t help ya, boy. The seas have become dangerous around Malpaars.”
“Malpaars? No. It’s Kulis we sail for.”
“There are a lot of pirate activities, and the whole kingdom is unstable. It’s very dangerous there right now.”

Such were the answers he got from asking for passage to Malpaars.
Amongst hardy traders from the other continents, none wanted to make such a dangerous voyage. Even the passenger ships that normally ferried casual travelers, none were heading for Malpaars nor did any of them want to. It was a hitch in his plan.

Not giving up, they continued their search.
Toward the smaller docking areas, they came upon a battered ship. It was a smuggler’s vessel designed to be fast and stealthy. Painted to match the dark colors of the sea, it would blend in with its surroundings especially well when out in the water at night. Upon closer inspection, the dark coloration on the hull were coming off and there were large scratch marks on the front like it had been ramming something.

As they ascended the plank onto the ship, they saw an older man standing on deck and throwing orders around.

“Alvir! Get that down to storage! Zesha hurry up and patch up that sail! We need to get out of here by evening! Cass–” The man looked over in their direction. “What are you two doing on my ship? We don’t hire children here.”

“Actually, we were wondering if we might hire your ship for a little excursion.” Vick quickly spoke, walking toward the man.

“No. Now leave.”

“This is a smuggling ship is it not?” Kaidus quickly interjected.

“So what?”

“We want you to smuggle us into Malpaars.”

“Malpaars? Why in the world would you want to go there?”

“For my own reasons.”

“Hah! Good luck finding a ship to take you.”

“I can pay. 400 up front, and another 400 when we get to Malpaars. It’ll be a one-way trip and you can leave after getting us there.”
The usual fare was quite cheaper, but seeing that transport ships were unwilling to go where he wanted and with very few options left, he had no other choice.

“Hmmm…”

“Kaidus, you sure? That’s a lot of money.” Vick whispered.

“It shouldn’t be a problem for smugglers to do that much, right?”

“Smugglers or not, going there is a death sentence. 800 is too cheap for my life and that of my crew.”

“If you are that scared, 800, and I will guarantee the safety of you and your crew until we get there.

“Scared? You’ve got nerves boy.” The man carefully looked him up and down. “You talk about guarantees, but the two of you don’t even look like you can protect yourselves.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, mister.” Vick countered, pulling back his cloak to reveal the two swords on his waist.

“Hmph. We’ll see about that. Cassius!” The man shouted.

A portly but muscular man walked over to them. “Captain?”

“Teach them a lesson then throw them out. Show them what would happen on the open sea.” The man quickly instructed.

“Gladly.” The portly man called Cassius grinned.

“A test?” Vick smiled and stepped forward.

“No point in throwing your life away in the ocean. We can do that for you right here.” The captain replied as he took a few steps back to allow them room.

Those who had been working on the deck had stopped whatever they were doing and were now watching.

“It doesn’t look like you lot are from around here. Be warned, I am quite well known around these parts.”

“That so? Cassius. You know what to do.”

“Of course.” The portly sailor lowered his stance and put his hands forward, ready to charge.

“Let’s do this then.” Vick grinned as the man dashed at him.
He was surprised at how fast the round man was, but with some quick and precise movements, he was able to evade the two punches thrown at him. Stepping out of the way, he brought up his arms to prepare against a follow up attack. Yet instead of being hit, the man ran past him, heading straight for Kaidus. “Stop!” He cried out, but the man kept running. “Kuh–” He relaxed his body and quickly fell into blade-form, then suddenly vanished.

Using the explosive speed from Rising Talon, he appeared right in front of the sailor. From a low angle, he thrusted his arm forward, planting his palm into the man’s sternum and dropping him instantly. “Haa… That was close.” Vick breathed a sigh of relief.

“… Guess I misjudged you.” The captain voiced with a tone of irritation.

“Do we have a deal?” Not caring about what just happened, Kaidus calmly questioned.

“No. We already have a destination and it is not Malpaars. Now get off my ship.” The man rebuked.

“How about my ship and crew?” A woman’s voice spoke up from behind them.

Turning around, an older woman in her early thirties, wearing weathered clothes and brown traveling leathers was standing on the plank. There were bluish green plates covering her head, and she had long slender powerful arms that went down to her knees. She was a Kovus, and from her physical appearance, a full blooded Kovus.

“What do you think you’re doing Narissa?” The captain questioned.

“As you can see, I am offering my services.”

“Do you know what you’re getting into? Those pirates will shred apart that dingy you call a ship before you can even get close to Malpaars.”

“Maybe so, but I’m sick of doing nothing and waiting around.” The woman turned to Kaidus. “I am Narissa, captain of the Maid Marie. I heard what you said earlier and as it turns out, I too have business in Malpaars. If you can guarantee my crew’s safety as you professed, then we are at your service.”

“I can.” Kaidus calmly replied. The red cloak around him began fluttering as if a draft was blowing through it. Luckily, no one paid it any attention.

“Ugh… you certain about that Kaidus?” Vick questioned apprehensively from beside him.

“Come on, Narissa. Stop fooling yourself.”

“Did you not just see Cas get knocked out with a single strike? I’m willing to take my chances.”

“Argh! Do whatever you want, you stupid woman!” The captain of the smuggling ship shouted. “Everyone, get back to work! We’re getting out of here as soon as we can!”

…

After leaving the smuggling ship, they followed the woman called Narissa and made their way toward the northern side of the docks.

“It’s a little smaller, but it’s fast and will get us to where we need to go. If we’re lucky and we don’t run afoul of pirates or bad weather, it should only take around half a turn to get to Malpaars.”

“Lady Narissa right? Everyone is steering clear of Malpaars. Why are you going there?” Kaidus enquired.

“Kuhehehe! Please, just Narissa is fine. It’s been a long time since I’ve been anything resembling a lady.” The woman smiled brightly. “And to answer your question, I’m going because everyone I know and love are back there. Stuck in the midst of that stupid war that’s still going on…” Her voice trailed off into one of sorrow.

“…”

“What about you two?”

“Well, my friend here wants to go sightseeing. He thought a war-torn country freshly out of a revolution would be a great place to start.” Vick quipped.

Narissa turned around and gave Kaidus a curious glance.

“No, that is not the reason. Have you ever heard of Karugas?”

“Karugas??? Can’t say I have.”

“Large flying creatures that are even larger than Kargalls and Hvarals or any drakalls we know of?”

“Hmm… now that you mentioned it, I did hear about people spotting an extremely large creature when I was younger.”

“Really?” A tinge of excitement unraveled within him.

“Yes. I believe the king even offered a bounty for people to find it. Although in the end, no such creature was ever found- Oh, we’re here. This is it. Welcome to the Maid Marie.”

A small modest ship, two-thirds the size of the smuggling ship sat on the water before them. It too was painted a bluish green color to blend in with the water at night, and two large masts were standing tall in the middle. The sails were rolled up, and a handful of people were lazing around the deck.

“Now let’s talk about the fare. You offered Bastin 800, but since our arrangement is a mutually beneficial one, how about 400 for the both of you? Of course, that money will be used to purchase much needed supplies for the voyage.”

“How long did you say it would take to get to Malpaars again?” Kaidus asked.

“If we’re lucky and there’s wind, fifteen to twenty days. Give or take a few depending on the wind’s direction. If there’s no wind or we run into problems, possibly a turn or more, or never. I guess what I’m saying is, you better remember what you said.”

“Does the fare cover our accommodations and meals?”

“Of course.”

“Alright. You’ve got yourself a deal then.”

…

By nightfall, a small ship pulled away from the docks of Aristolk and made its way westward. Pushed by a nice constant breeze, it sailed over the water quickly and quietly.

-Eight days later-

Over Ferrent’s night sky, a figure descended upon the 11^th ward.
The shadows danced around him in the moonlight, and a dark red cape billowed in the wind as the figure headed straight for the roof of a large mansion.

Upon the roof, he closed his eyes and began dispersing mana throughout the building.

 

—

 

Lord Vatenger awoke to a very strange sensation: indescribable fear, as if every fiber in his body was telling him to run away. To seek protection.

His sleep was dreamless, yet it felt like he had just woken up from a nightmare.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he quickly noticed that the hearth and all the lights in the room had gone out. A cold draft swept through the chamber and he could feel his sleeping wife slightly shivering beside him. His eyes quickly locked onto the open window at the foot of their bed. He was sure he had closed it before retiring for the night.

Covering his wife with a second blanket, he got up to go close the window.
As his foot hit the cold stone floor, his skin began to crawl as the dreadful feeling that had awoken him returned. Even though it was the dead of night, there was someone else in the room with them. “Who’s there?” He spoke, trying to sound as calm as possible.

“Sorry to bother you so late.” A voice answered him in the darkness.

“Show yourself!” As soon as the words left his mouth, the room burst into life. The candles around the room flared up as the hearth once again roared ablaze.
Wearing a dark red cloak, an unassuming young man was standing in the middle of the room. He recognized the boy at once. “You…” His eyes lit up. His attention was instantly drawn to the pair of pale eyes staring back at him and the hair, like fine silver threads that were glowing in the flickering light. To his knowledge, the boy was supposed to have dark eyes and black hair. “Where do you think you are?” He angrily spat out, trying to calm his nerves and not allowing his surprise to show.

“I thought it was time we met face to face, my lord. I’ve given you fair warning, but you refused to respect them, and now, three people are dead because of you.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?!”
He had no idea what the boy was talking about. He did order Raine to put observers on the boy’s family, but the man had yet to report any problems. Instead, Raine’s accounts had noted nothing out of the ordinary. For three people to have died, the boy was mistaken.

“Two attacks on my mother and sister within the past eight days. I will not allow your pettiness to endanger my family any further.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, but if you think I am scared, then you are sorely mistaken! I am Aelod Irusia Vatenger! The blood of kings’ flow within me! You think a commoner- a thief like you, who steals into other people’s home in the middle of the night, can frighten me?! Leave before I call the guards!”

The boy took a step closer to him and he caught a curious glint in the boy’s eyes.

Lord Vatenger unconsciously took a step back. He knew the boy was dangerous, but he could not allow his fear to overcome him. “Leave this instant! Or by my name, you will regret it!” He shouted.

“I will leave, but you are coming with me. Take him outside.” He heard the boy order, and a sludge of black liquid began expelling out of the boy’s hand.

“Guards! Someone!! Get in here!” Lord Vatenger screamed, but not a sound came through from the outside. Even his wife did not stir from her slumber. He stood frozen as the liquid began coming together to form a large arm. Before the thought to run occurred to him, the arm shot forth and grabbed his leg.
His world turned upside down and his vision blurred, as he was thrown across the room and out of the open window.

Something else caught him before he could hit the ground and set him down on the grass. Unlike the dark arm, it swirled about him, fluidly hovering in the air. His heart pounding uncontrollably, he instinctively looked up at the window, at the young man who was descending next to him. The fluid swiftly wrapped around the boy, turning into the cloak he had seen earlier.

It was only the beginning of Fulta, but there was a freezing chill in the air. He recalled how Raine had been immobilized with ice magic, and his body began to shiver as his mind raced about, trying to figure out a way to get through the ordeal before him.
A sudden understanding of why the King had been so keen on staying out of his quarrel dawned on him. “Wha-what are you doing?!?”

“You must’ve heard why I took your son’s arm.” The young man calmly spoke without answering him.

“What is it you want?!” Lord Vatenger retorted, staring warily at the dark cloak on the boy.

“You must realize that such slanderous remarks cannot be overlooked.”

“Tell me!”

“What I did, was but a slap on the wrist. If it had been the other way around, I would probably be in an unmarked grave somewhere.” The boy replied coldly, staring into his eyes. “Because what’s another commoner to you nobles?”

“He is my son!”

“And she, is my mother.” The boy countered. “Your son ridiculed me. Mocked me in front of others, and I allowed it to go unpunished. What I will not do, is stand idle while he vilifies my mother in front of everyone. To all of you living in the lap of luxury, we may be nothing more than pests feeding upon the wealth of this city. Insignificant creatures that walk on two legs, breathing the same air as you do… but know that we are not without pride. Not without ardor. Not without purpose. Commoners are the lifeblood of this city, and such contempt works both ways.” The boy instantly moved in and grabbed the neck of his robe. An unexpected strength pulled him down face to face with the boy. “I will die before I allow those I cherish to be seen as nothing more than toys by the likes of you all.”

“You-”
He knew his son was in the wrong from the beginning. Ralfus’ arrogance even before becoming a mage had caused many problems amongst the nobles. After becoming one, it had only expanded the boy’s already inflated ego.

“I what?” The boy replied, releasing him.

“You… you think you can do this to me?!”

“Confronting you for scheming? For your flagrant attempts at harming those I love?”  

“You- You threaten me in my own home, then accuse me of something I had no hand in?! This is outrageous!”

“Is that so? You had no part in the attacks?” The boy’s eyes narrowed, as if trying to seek the truth in his words.

“Must I repeat myself?! Where is your proof!?”

“We shall find out. Vishan.”

An orb of light emerged from within the boy’s vicinity. It vanished into the ground and a beam of light shot up into the sky. By the time the light disappeared, there was a bottomless pit in its place.

The boy grabbed him once more. “I would advise you not to lie to me, my lord.” Two emotionless eyes clearly explained what was about to happen.

“Wait! What are you doing?!” Lord Vatenger shouted as he was dragged toward the hole. “It wasn’t me! Sure I sent watchers, but nothing more! I didn’t do anything!” His façade had vanished, and he pleaded to be released.

“Then who ordered it?”

“I don’t know!” The boy jerked him closer toward the gaping hole, and the prospects of being thrown into the abyss terrorized him. In that moment, as he looked into the boy’s eyes, he saw for himself how terrifying mages who had no regards for social structures really were. “Raine! He would know! He’s in charge of observing your family!” Lord Vatenger quickly blurted out. His stalwart and unyielding attitude had been vaporized.
The grip on him lessened, and he quickly pulled away, scurrying away from the mouth of the pit. Before his very eyes, the hole closed up, leaving nothing but a large patch of dirt in the grass.

“For some reason, I believe you. Let us go see this ‘Raine’, then.”

For a brief instant, he thought he saw a smile on the boy’s face in the darkness.

 

…

 

They walked through the manor, moving toward the servant’s quarters. Unlike its usual atmosphere, the mansion was dark and stale, and silence pervaded through the icy gloom like a newly erected tomb.

They eventually arrived at Raine’s room and Lord Vatenger began knocking on the door. “Raine! Raine! Get up!”

“He will not wake.” The young man spoke from beside him.

The boy pressed a hand onto the door. There was a click, and it swung open.

They stepped into the room and the candle beside the bed instant came to life, followed by a dreadful feeling that made him want to run away.

“Huaaahhh!” Raine, who had been asleep, screamed awake up and began breathing heavily.

Lord Vatenger looked at the young man beside him. The boy had done something. There was a reason why no one had come to his aid even after all his shouting.

“Raine!” Lord Vatenger called out.

“Hu… Wha-? What are you doing here my–” Raine turned pale at the sight of the young boy beside him.

“We meet again.”

“Wh-Why are you here?! My lord! Why is he–”

“Someone attacked my mother and sister. The first time eight days ago. The second time was only this morning. I have come to stop this nonsense.”

The boy had replied with the same commanding tone he had heard only half a turn ago. “No! No no no! T-there shouldn’t be anyone lurking around your family!”

“What are you saying?!” Lord Vatenger exclaimed.

“My lord!” Raine quickly lowered his head. “I know you told us to monitor them. I know it was my job, but I just couldn’t do it!”

“All those reports you-”

“Fabricated, my lord.” Raine kept his head low, unwilling to raise it. “I… I could not allow good men to go to their deaths. His demands were… quite clear.” He gestured to the young man standing beside his lord.

“Then…” Lord Vatenger quickly grasped onto the sliver of hope that had been handed to him. “Then we had no part in the attacks.”

“Not yet.” The boy replied, killing his sense of joy instantly. “… I will believe you had no hand in it this time, but I do not believe for a single moment that should the chance arise, you would not act.”

“What are you saying?! First you wrongfully accuse me, and now you are insinuating that I am scheming something?! The nerve!”

“Am I wrong?” The boy replied with a skeptical tone and a look of obvious distrust.

“O-of course!”

“… Very well. Remember your words. Know that I will find whoever is behind this and make them pay for it.” The boy spoke with an eerily calm voice. “If it is discovered that you have been lying to me, even if I have to burn this city to the ground, I WILL find you. And make no mistake, no one will be able to protect you from my wrath.”

A sharp crackling noise came from the room and both the lord and Raine jumped at the noise. In the corner of the room, Raine’s desk had shattered to pieces.

“…” Lord Vatenger stood there, trying to think of anything he could say besides complying.

“My lord. Please.” Raine quickly spoke up.

“… I… I understand…” Lord Vatenger gritted his teeth and hesitantly complied. There were no other options.

“You will stay away from my family if you know what’s good for you. Should you ever be involved, there will be no discussion, and there will be no waking up as you did tonight.” The boy walked to the door and opened it before turning around. “I apologize for my rudeness, but it was imperative that we sorted this out. Farewell, and hopefully we meet each other under better circumstances.”

 

—

 

Kaidus hovered over a small house in the 3^rd ward. His thoughts were with the four who were sleeping peacefully beneath him.

Earlier that evening, Hasen had divulged to him of another incident, forcing him to return to Ferrent as he was passing by. After confronting Lord Vatenger and the man called Raine, it was clear to him that there was another party in the mix. His charade with the pit had worked wonders in obtaining information, but the answers he got had only widened the mystery. Hundreds of scenarios played out in his mind, each with their own culprits.

Recounting the events of the past few days, he knew that such a thing would happen eventually. Whether they be nobles who he had spurned, former classmates who were envious of his rise in the academy, or those he had neglected to help with healing magic. There might even be enemies he didn’t know about from his three years with the mercenaries. His mind quickly thought back to the families of four specific young men he had crossed years ago, before trying to recall anyone else who would have the necessary expenses to hire a mage. In hindsight, his actions against Ralfus had also been quite rash. There were too many unknowns in a city as big as Ferrent, and his family were the ones who would pay the price for his actions.

He wanted to extinguish the problems he had created, but to his family and enemies’ knowledge, he should already be far away from the city. It might be why they were finally making their moves and should they find out he was back, they would surely go into hiding once again.

“…” Kaidus descended onto the roof of the house and took off the metal ring on his finger. “Feziel.” He addressed the elemental.

‘Master…’ A grinding voice replied back in his mind.

“Forgive me, but I must task you with assisting Hasen.”

‘I am your shield, master.’ The voice replied, as if it had seen it coming.

“I know… I understand that the road before us may be perilous and unfamiliar, but I cannot go forward unless I am certain that they are safe. Please.” Kaidus began infusing mana into the ring. “Protect them as you would protect me. Become their shield.”

“… By your will, master. None shall harm them as long as we are here.”

“Thank you.” With his heartfelt gratitude, he walked over to the kitchen chimney and dropped the ring into the house.

 

—

 

-Ferrent. Two days later-

An old man sat at his desk, reading over reports sent to him by the leaders of the Mystiks Guild.
His eyes mindlessly scanned over the dozens of reports, while his marble arm was scrawling notes deftly on a separate piece of paper.

It had been six years since he had lost his left arm, but he had been able to adapt to the new one quickly. He learned to control it with his thoughts as he would with magic, and though it was less instinctive and required him to be more conscious of it, the arm was working wonders.

The papers before him were about the guild’s encounters with Tal’hrus and their subsequent actions. Their eastern forces had already apprehended six agents and killed three, but there was no end to the destruction. To make matters worse, even minor bandits and thieves were beginning to emulate Tal’hrus’ modus operandi, and the guild’s forces were being spread too thin.
Looking at the numbers, excluding the dead and those who had been transported to safer areas, there were over two thousand refugees in Tirasaen alone. The guild and Ferrent were doing all they could to provide help, but now their convoys were being attacked and robbed.

Nylen scratched his bald head, trying to figure out how to deal with the problems. Most of their knights had been sent out to deal with issues outside of the city, and most of their mages were in eastern Darsus trying to fight the infection that was Tal’hrus.

Lost, he began writing down the names of promising students who would benefit the Mystiks Guild.

*Knock Knock*

“Come on in.” Headmaster Nylen quickly answered, glad for the distraction.

“Headmaster. You might want to see this.” An attendant handed him a folded letter.

“From?”

“Master Zaele. He said he got it via an informant.”

“Thank you.” Curious, Nylen took the letter and quickly unfolded it. The handwriting was that of a woman. “…”
As he read it, the letter’s context was about something surprisingly mundane. A mage had apparently used magic in the 3^rd ward a few days ago, and the excitement from the locals had prompted a covert investigation from the guild. They had found nothing besides minute traces of magic.
As he read, he began to sit up as he focused his attention on every word in the letter. A similar incident occurred only two days ago, and around the same area of the 3^rd ward: the shopping district. Those who saw it spoke of brief darkness, like something had covered the sun. The phenomenon would suddenly vanish without any rhyme or reason after a brief period of time. Witnesses spoke of seeing the darkness after hearing shouting, and others of seeing it coming from a young girl, one very well known around the area.

“Ha… Hahaha…” He began laughing dryly as he finished the letter. “Don’t tell me the sister is also another monster…” His marble arm was already trembling with excitement.

Circled at the bottom of the letter were the words: “… has decided to put Anise Paltos under surveillance.”

 

-Ferrent-

By the window of a small residence within the 3^rd ward, a young girl was patiently reading a large book as the sun shone down on her, igniting her usually dark red hair into a fiery blaze.
Undeterred by the size of the tome, she was silently imitating her older brother, doing what he would be doing if he was home.
A small boy, barely able to crawl was sitting across from her and happily gnawing on a wooden toy horse.

“Lance. No.” Anise scolded upon seeing what Lance was doing. Taking the toy away from his mouth, the pudgy boy began to cry. She placed the toy on the table in the living room and took out three wooden blocks from her small crate of toys. “Here. Play with these.” She put them before him and sat down to watch.

Instead of picking up the blocks, Lance got on all four and began shuffling straight for the toy horse on the table.

“Mommy! Lance is eating my toy!”

“Don’t let him! He could get splinters!” Their mother yelled back from upstairs.

“Mommy said no.” Anise scolded again, taking the toy before Lance could get to it. She dashed over to the wall and placed it on a bookshelf.
Lance burst into tears again.

Running back to him, she gently patted his head, trying to comfort him. Instead of quieting down, the infant cried even louder. “Mommy! Help!”

Adalina arrived downstairs to find Anise awkwardly holding Lance in her arms. “Ku-Hahaha.”

“Mommy!” Anise protested, seeing the grin on their mother’s face.

“I’m sorry.” Adalina stifled her laughter and quickly picked up Lance, gently comforting the boy to quell his cries. “You ready to go?” She questioned.

“Uhn! I’m ready!” Anise replied with a wide grin, standing up to show that she was all prepared.

“No you’re not.” Adalina smiled. “Go brush and tie your hair first. I still need to feed your brother. We’ll go after.”

 

…

 

Adalina walked slowly, keeping pace with her daughter’s short strides. She held onto Anise’s hand while Lance was strapped in a sling around her front, sleeping peacefully after gorging himself.
Their purpose was to do the day’s shopping along with a small errand.

“Adalina!” A woman called out as they strolled through the shopping district. It was the fish sales woman.

“Good afternoon, Mae. How are the sales going?”
“Hi Davin’s mommy!” Anise waved.

“Why hello, Anise. You’re looking very pretty today. Is that a new dress?” The woman smiled and waved back.

“Mommy made it for me.” Anise replied with a bright smile.

“Really? It’s gorgeous.” The woman replied before turning back to Adalina. “It’s been going quite well today. The irontails are already gone, and the turgias and rockbacks also going fast.

“Already?”

“Yes, but I knew you’d be coming around today so I saved you one of each.”

“You’re a blessing, Mae. Thank you so much.”

“It’s the least I can do.” The woman grinned.

“I forgot to ask the other day, but did Onille say anything about silver-finned marags and when they’re to be expected?”

“A handful of people have asked me the same thing today.” The woman chuckled. “I believe we can expect the season’s first catch by the end of the turn. Or so Onille said.”

“Be sure to save me a few when you get them.”

“Of course.”

“It’s good to see today’s been going well. How much do I owe you? I can pay for them now, but would you mind holding onto them a little longer? We still have something to do.” Adalina questioned, pulling out a small pouch.

“Don’t worry about it. Take it as thanks for your husband’s help with the constructions the other day. Just come back for them when you’re done with your errands.”

“Really? Thank you, Mae. We’ll be back in a while then.”
“Bye Mrs. Arralton!” Anise waved again as they departed.

They passed by a book store, the butcher, the vegetable stall, and a variety of other shops as they proceeded through the district.

“Mommy can we get some sweet cakes?” Anise questioned, looking over to the bakery as they walked by.

“When we come back.”

“Kay… Ooh! Mommy look!” Anise’s attention had already shifted to a small red foal that was currently the attention of a crowd of children.

“Looks like Mr. Egeron’s mare has finally given birth.”

“Can I go pet it? Please mommy?”

“Make sure you ask Mr. Egeron for permission first.” Before she could finish, Anise had already released her hand and was bounding towards the group of children.

With another two distractions, they eventually made it out of the busy district and arrived at the delivery hall. Unlike the congested shopping district, the street lacked the constant yelling and haggling going on between shopkeepers and shoppers.

After dropping off a letter addressed to her parents in Nultulk, they once again made their way back the way they came from. Lance had already woken up and was looking around, while Anise was hopping alongside her.

“Run woman! Get out of the way!!”
“Lady! Behind you!!”

Shouting came from around them, and Adalina turned around to see that a horse was charging in their direction. She grabbed Anise and tried to run to the side, but her body became heavy and she was unable to move. With little time for an escape, she pushed the confused Anise out of the way and turned, using her body as a shield to protect Lance.

Yet the horse did not send her flying. An otherworldly darkness had descended, and she could feel that her body’s heaviness had returned to normal. She quickly ran out of the way. “Anise!” She shouted frantically in the darkness.

“It’s okay mommy. Hasen will protect us.” Anise’s voice replied, unafraid of the event happening before them.

 

…

 

It had felt their master’s anger and thirst for justice.
Through their connection, it had glimpsed their master’s strength. Felt the power that had once brought the world to its knees, and it longed to be beside its master. To fight alongside its siblings. To keep safe, the one they had all sworn their undying loyalty to.

A small part of it regretted being left behind, but it knew it had an important job to do. It was in charge of protecting its master’s family, and even though such a task was beneath one the likes of itself, it would do so with utmost vigilance.

The spirit had watched over the family as they went about their days. It listened, going along with them and never straying far while its shadows combed for anyone suspicious. Abiding by their master’s will, it had always worked from the shadows, never revealing itself to those around them. Unfortunately, the situation at hand was calling for immediate intervention.

From the ring strung around the young girl’s neck, it burst forth, catching the girl as she was pushed out of the way before turning its attention toward the charging stallion. It flexed its incredible power and darkness instantly fell upon the area, obstructing the views of onlookers and those running in to help. Screams of confusion came through along with cries of terror as day turned into night.

It headed straight for the horse, covering the animal and binding the beast to the shadows. After stopping it in its tracks, instead of dissipating after the ordeal, Hasen expanded the darkness and quickly covered the length of the street. Through the veil of darkness, it grabbed onto two men who were watching and dragged them into an alley.

“Ellit! What’s going on!?” One of the men cried out as they were pulled out of the unnatural night.

“I don’t know but I can’t move my legs! Do something!” The other screamed, desperately trying to figure out what was happening.

“Asiran! VeaTus Gra- AAAGHHHHH!” With a deathly scream, the man looked down at his left hand only to find that it was missing from the elbow down. Blood was spurting out profusely, and the agonizing pain had interrupted his incantation. “Si- Sidd…” A frightened voice came from his partner and the man looked up with a painstricken face. His eyes widened as he spotted the cloud hovering in front of him. “W-what in–”

“AAAAHHHH!!!!” The second man screamed as the cloud split into a multitude of segments and tore through his partner, vanishing into the wall behind them. “Somebody help!! We’re bein- GUAAHHHHH!!!” He began screaming at the top of his lungs as he fell to the ground. Both his legs had been cleanly severed at the knees. Looking up, his partner was gone, replaced by a shadow darker than the darkest nights. “Help me! Somebo–” Before he could finish his words, a spectral arm extended from the dark figure and dragged him into the shadows of the wall.

Having quickly dealt with the two men amongst the chaos, Hasen made its way back to the young girl and quickly dispersed the darkness that was still covering the area.

It had felt the malevolent magic on the horse causing it to run rampant. It had felt the magic binding the woman. There was intent to harm, even kill, and it would not stand by without administering proper punishment.
It had been given permission to do as it saw fit, and for anyone that would dare to harm those in its protection, death was the only option.

 

…

 

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?!” With a frightened face, Adalina embraced Anise with one arm while holding Lance in the other.

“I’m okay mommy.”

Not listening, “I didn’t know what else to do. Please forgive me.” Adalina replied, remembering how she had pushed her daughter aside. She kissed the girl’s forehead before stepping back to make sure everything was fine.

“I told you mommy. Hasen will protect us.” Anise reiterated.

“H-Hasen?”

“Are you both alright?!” A well-dressed young man ran over to them. His voice as terrified as theirs.

“Y-yes. It was quite a fright, but it looks like we’re fine.”

“I’m so sorry madam. My horse started bucking all of a sudden and threw me off. I don’t know what happened to the cursed thing. I’m so glad you’re both alright. Please, if there’s anything I can do-”

“It’s alright. Please lift your head. Nothing happened, and your horse seems to have stopped. Please excuse us.” Adalina quickly replied, taking Anise’s hand and walking away as a crowd began gathering.

“What just happened?” Confused onlookers were staring around, trying to see what changed.
“Was someone using magic?” Others questioned.
“It was her. I saw it. The darkness came from that little girl.” Those who saw what happened were beginning to whisper amongst themselves, while others were coming out to investigate.

With haste, they returned for the three fishes and Anise’s sweet cakes, then quickly finished their shopping.

‘Hasen will protect us.’ Anise’s words were stuck in her mind and as soon as they arrived at home, Adalina sat the girl down and began questioning her about it. “Hasen. Is it… is it your brother’s-”

“Uh-huh.” Anise answered, confused about her mother’s worries, but went ahead and took another bite out of her sweet cake.

“His familiar is with you? It’s what helped us back there?”

Reaching into her shirt, Anise pulled out the translucent necklace with the small black ring on it. “Kai said to always keep it with me. He promised me Hasen would protect us.” She explained with a wide grin.

The realization that the familiar was something far beyond what they had first assumed finally sunk into Adalina. She didn’t know what it was, only that Kaidus had called it his familiar when he first showed it to them. Unversed in magic, she had thought it was some sort of spirit and nothing more, for it was only a hazy cloud at the time. ‘Master…’ She recalled what the familiar had called her son.
Her eyes fell upon the small black ring in Anise’s hand. Even while away, her son was thinking about them. Protecting them in his own ways.
“Is… Is Kaidus going to be okay without Hasen there?” She managed to question, trying to hold down her surprise and her overflowing emotions.

“It’s okay mommy. Kai has three more with him.” Anise grinned before stuffing her mouth with the cake.

 

—

 

-Eastern Darsus-

Kaidus strolled through the streets of Panelle.
With a supply of spice and salt in his rucksack, he was wasting his evening looking around the town to see if there were anything interesting.
Zion and Vishan were already back with him, and all that was left, was to wait for Feziel.

Their group had arrived in town the previous evening and he had spent the night with Jeor and his family before setting off to explore earlier that afternoon.
Panelle was at least half the size of one of Ferrent’s wards, and had large wooden walls with a north and south gate. From what Jeor had told him, the town had its own militia and was jointly governed by three elders. There was also a mage who resided in the western part of town and would assist whenever they needed her, and a mercenary bar situated near the center of town for travelers who were willing to pay for their services.

The news of what happened in Kerkhill had reached Panelle but from the looks of the bustling street, it didn’t seem to have much of an impact upon the town’s liveliness. People and adventurers went about freely while merchants continued to display their wares openly without worry.

As he was about to enter a bookstore, the ring on his finger began to glow. Instead of entering the shop, he walked around toward the back to where he could get some privacy.

“Kai! Guess what!” Anise questioned as soon as he infused his mana into the ring.

“Keep your voice down. There are people nearby.”

“Kai, guess what.” She repeated in a whisper.

“Did mother buy you more sweet cakes?”

“Uh-huh, but that’s not it.”

“You got a new book?”

“Nope!”

“Lance spoke?” He joked, recalling the chubby little boy.

“Noooo Kai. It’s something else.”

“I give up then. It’s too hard.” He spoke with a defeated tone.

“It’s a horsey! I got to pet a horsey today! It was small, and it was red like my hair!” She exclaimed excitedly.

Hearing her voice picking up, he quickly erected a barrier around himself, isolating their voices. “A horse huh?”

“Uh huh! And Mrs. Arralton gave mommy three big fishies, and I got to hand over mommy’s letter to the man at the desk, and I read to Lance, and then, and-”

“Looks like you had a fun day.”

“Yep!” She happily affirmed.

“Anise. Who’re you talking to?” Adalina’s muffled voice came through the ring.

“No one mommy. I was just telling Hasen my day.”

“Come down then. Your father will be home soon.” Their mother’s voice began trailing off.

“And then…” Anise began to report her day until Adalina called for her a second time. As she stopped, “Master…” Hasen’s raspy voice came through. “Two… dead…” The words resounded in his ears as the connection faded.

“… Such pointless deaths.” Kaidus gritted his teeth. It sounded like his warning had not been heeded. The guardian spirit had reported scaring off a spy only three days prior, and now, two people were dead. He had thought Lord Vatenger to be more conservative, but unfortunately like his son, the man lacked foresight and proper judgement.

His heart ached to return to Ferrent. To drive his point into the man’s skull if only to clarify his words, yet such actions would only cause more problems.
The sound barrier around him shattered and he walked back to the bookstore to find something to calm his agitation.

As the sun began to set, he left the shop empty handed. Kaidus made his way back to the residence of the family that had generously helped him and courteously thanked them for their hospitality before heading toward the town’s south gate. 

A large commotion was occurring as he approached, and he saw three beat up carts laying broken outside of an inn. In front of the establishment, people were pushing each other, trying to get a look inside.

“Scram all of you! There is nothing for you to see here!” An older man with light brown hair and a short stubble burst out, shouting at the gawkers.

“Please sir! I had family in Kerkhill!” A woman was shouting, fighting her way to the front.
“Me too! Tell us!” Another man was screaming from the back.

“Silence! We will be conducting a thorough investigation tomorrow. Until then, no one will be seeing the children! It’s been a rough journey for them and they need to rest!” The man screamed angrily before turning around and shutting the doors.

The man was wearing a dirty brown cloak, but Kaidus immediately recognized the colors upon his back. A red fist encased in an unknown white shape, upon a black diamond. The man was a member of the Mystiks Guild. He didn’t know which order, but not wanting to stick around, he quickly slipped out of town.

Dashing along the road, he entered the first patch of trees he could find. Having ran quite a distance, he stopped and quietly waited. After a while, the ground burst from under him, and a small black serpent bore through the earth. Wordlessly, he held out his hand and the serpent turned back into a dark liquid before entering the metal ring on his finger.

Without a need for confirmation about the completion of the task, he soared into the sky, heading west.

Kaidus’ eyes jerked open as a familiar sensation awoke him from his rest. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out the four metal rings he had confiscated a couple days prior and saw that one of them was glowing brightly.
Picking it up, without injecting his own mana into the communication ring, he sealed the mana coming from it. “Finally.” He spoke, looking down at all four rings. 

Three of the agents had already tried reporting in two days prior—after the decimation of the Tal’hrus base. Their actions had assisted in him locating one of them quickly, and he was on his way north to find the second one, while the third was somewhere in northeastern Darsus.
Holding the newly sealed ring in his hand, he closed his eyes and concentrated on it. Tracing the mana signature he had bound, a weak response came through, revealing that the third agent was lurking somewhere far to the south.

‘It’s in the opposite direction…’ He sighed, wondering if he should head south to deal with it first, or keep going in the direction he was headed.

Looking at the position of the sun, it was still high noon. Hungry and unready to make up his mind, he stood up and surveyed his surroundings.

He had not paid any attention as he descended early at dawn but in the daylight, he saw that the forest was covered in patches of wild evongrass, a type of edible plant that looks like ordinary grass with the exceptions of the red culm on the young plants and its slightly larger size. Even the sleeping spot that he had chosen was a bed of the plant. “Looks like I need something substantial to go with my greens.” He smiled, seeing that he would not have to look far for his vegetables.

 

…

 

A ray of sunlight shone down on him as he relaxed beside the two birds that were roasting on a small flame.
Without a bow, he had used magic to bring down two small pegrils to add to the handful of evongrass he was steaming atop a rock bowl.

“Salt and spices… I have to remember to get some.” Kaidus reminded himself, looking at the bland dishes before him. He had spent the past ten days eating nothing but plain roasted meat and vegetables, and was beginning to miss the taste of Adalina’s home cooked meals.

As he sat, he began twisting the silver ring on his finger.
He chuckled, remember his conversation with Anise a few days ago.

That day, after taking care of the Tal’hrus base and getting plenty of rest, he had contacted his sister.

She began crying upon hearing his voice and started apologizing, asking for him to not dislike her. After calming her down, she explained that she had accidently spilt her drink on one of his books, and thought he would be mad at her. She tried to reach him to tell him and apologize, but without any answer, she thought he already knew. She assumed it was the reason why he didn’t want to answer and had been worried.

He recalled her sniffling tone, half crying, half cheerfully repeating his words of reassurance. He had comforted her, telling her that he was not mad about the book. He also explained to her that he was riding in the wagon with other people, and couldn’t answer.
He had lied to her about his situation, and about why he couldn’t reply, and with her childish innocence, she unconditionally believed him.

Looking at the silver ring, “Never again.” He vowed, speaking the words out loud, engraving them into his very being.

His world was an abyssal darkness, one plagued by death and not a place someone like him could ever hope to escape from. His family were the only lights in that darkness and he was prepared to turn the world against him once again, if only to protect their livelihood.

“…” After long careful consideration, “Feziel. Zion. Vishan.” He called out to the three spirits.

An orb of light appeared before him and transformed into a figure of pure white.
The liquid metal in his ring gushed out, merging together into a pitch-black figure, one that gave the illusion of sucking in all the surrounding light.
The last flew down from the sky, laughing and ready. An entity of wind stood alongside its brothers as a mass of energy, barely visible within the forest.

All knelt before him in their humanoid forms, as if understanding his thoughts.

Without any words, he dug into his pocket and pulled out three rings. The rings floated over to the spirits and were sucked into their bodies. “Follow the mana within those rings. Kill whoever it belongs to.” He commanded.

“By Your Will, Master.” Vishan stood up and reverted back into an orb, vanishing into nothingness.

“Another grand feassst! I ssshall thoroughly enjoy mysssselfff.” With a cheerful tone, Zion took to the sky and disappeared, leaving behind an echo of delightful laughter.

“Understood, Master.” Feziel stood up and transformed into a black snake. Raising itself up, it launched into the ground and burrowed away.

Kaidus sighed, hearing their excited tones.
The idea of sending them instead of doing it himself was a hazardous one, but it would take too long for him alone and could not be helped.

He had not planned for Tal’hrus to be so spread out, nor did he imagine it would take so long. His plan was to quickly root out the master, find the Nyzacus shard, and head to Port Aristolk, to get there the same time as the caravan. Yet with the four rings in his possession, he couldn’t just look away and leave everything to the Mystiks Guild.

If the information he got from the agent in Kerkhill was correct, then the handful that he killed at the base, along with the four agents corresponding to the rings would only equate to a third of those still scattered about. Without any idea of how many the guilds had taken care of over the past half year, he was unwilling to take the chance of leaving behind those whom he could find.

 

…

 

With plenty of rest and a full belly, he raced through the forest, keeping to the ground for a change. Animals scattered in his wake, and the activity reminded him of his countless days spent hunting in similar fashion with those of the mercenary guild.

He ran until he was exhausted.
Resting briefly, he would start again, pushing his physical limits. Without using magic, by the time the sun started to disappear in the horizon, he had already tired himself out and was looking for a place to rest.
With the three spirits doing his bidding, all that was left for him to do, was to wait for them.

The sound of running water came from beyond his position and Kaidus pushed onward, bursting through the forest to arrive at a shallow stream.

“Kyaaaa! Help!” A voice screamed out in fright.

Looking toward the voice, a small skinny girl a year or two older than Anise was staring back at him with a frightened face. Slender of face with dull green hair and wearing dark traveling garbs, she almost blended in with the darkening surroundings. Having fallen back into the shallow stream, the girl was drenched up to her torso.

“Forgive me. I was unaware there were others in the area.”

“W-who are you? Are-are you a bandit come to steal me away like father said?” The young girl questioned apprehensively, frantically standing up while clutching onto the bucket in her hand as if to use it as a weapon.

“No. I am not a bandit. I am just a simple traveler.” He replied cordially.

“F-father said t-that’s what bandits will say! They will lie so that they can steal children away from their family!”

“Then worry not, for I have no wish to steal anyone away.” He reassured.

“Ema! What’s wrong?!” An older boy came running. Around his own age, the boy was carrying a small hunting bow. “Who are you?! Get away from Ema!” The boy shouted, drawing his weapon.

“Wait! I’m just a traveler!” Kaidus shouted back, shooting both hands up to show that he meant no harm. “I didn’t know there would be people here. Can you please lower your weapon?”

“Ema, come here!” The boy barked, and the girl ran to him. “Are you okay?”

“Uh-huh.” The girl confirmed before quickly hiding behind the young man.

“What are you doing here?!”

“Pardon my clumsiness but, the sad truth is I’ve been lost in this forest for the past few days. I was following the sound of running water and somehow found myself here.” He kept his hands up as he attempted to mollify the situation.

“Lost? How does a traveler get lost, and is that a sword I see?”

“Well as you can probably surmise, I am relatively new to this traveling thing. And this? It’s a fake. A deterrent to scare away those who would wish to do me harm.”

“Why are you in the woods in the first place? Wouldn’t it be easier to use the roads?”

“The roads? I’m not sure if it would be any safer. I’ve heard of many bandit attacks and I don’t think I can last by myself in the open.” Kaidus replied, trying his best to convince the young man.

“…” After a moment of careful consideration, the young man finally lowered his bow. “Sorry for the misunderstanding. We have also heard about attacks along the roads. Can’t really blame you for trying to avoid them.”

“Thank you. Say, if you don’t mind, would you point me in the direction of Katilik?”

The young man raised an eyebrow at the question. “If you follow this stream north, you’ll come upon a lake. Once you’ve reached the lake, head east and you’ll eventually reach a road. Katilik isn’t too far to the north once you’ve reached the roads. It’d probably take you about fourteen days of walking from here though.”

“I see. Thank you very much.” He began walking along the stream towards the north.

“Hey!”

Kaidus turned to look back.

“I- for some reason, I feel like you’re just going to get yourself lost again. We’re heading to Panelle. If you don’t mind riding in a cramped wagon and would like some company, why not join us instead?” The young man hesitantly offered.

“Panelle? How far away is that?”

“Not far. Probably two days away by wagon.”

“Really? That would be great.” With a smile, Kaidus walked back toward the two.
After eleven days without anyone to talk to besides his spirits and those he was interrogating, it was a refreshing offer.

“As long as you help around the camp, I don’t think father would mind. I’m Jeor. This is my sister Ema. Nice to meet you.” The young man extended a hand forward.

“I am Kaidus. Honored to be in your company.”

 

…

 

He walked alongside the siblings, carrying Ema’s bucket of water for her as Jeor carried his own.
Surprisingly, barely beyond the stream and a small grove of trees, they arrived at a dirt road. There was a small camp by the roadside consisting of three small wagons. As they got to the camp, he saw that there were barely over a dozen people in the group. There were two men carrying swords, undoubtedly mercenaries hired to accompany the group. A young couple with a small toddler, an elderly couple, a man with his son, Jeor, his sister Emma and lastly, their father.

“Who’s this?” One of the hired guards questioned.

“Found him lost in the forest. I thought he could use a helping hand.” Jeor swiftly replied.

“That so? You’ll have to take that up with your da then. If he’s not willing to pay us more for our job, the boy’ll have to leave.”

“What job? Nothing’s happened ever since we left Katilik.” Jeor retorted.

“It is the price we agreed on with your da. And you should be thankful nothing is happening, boy.” The man spoke calmly like a seasoned mercenary before turning around and walking away to a skinny bearded man.

“I’m sure father will figure out something. Don’t worry.” Jeor reassured as they watched the mercenary talking with the other man.

After a while, the man walked over to them. “I send you both to get water, and you return with another mouth to feed?” The bearded man questioned. He too had a head of dull green hair like Ema and Jeor.

“Well we couldn’t just leave him out there in those woods.”

Ignoring his son, “I am Cohen, the leader of this group. Who are you and what were you doing in the forest all the way out here?”

“His name is Kaidus, father.” Ema was the one to introduce him.

“Quiet, girl. Both of you go and put the water away. I want to hear from our friend here.” As the two siblings left, the man closed in on him. “Well?” The man stared at him suspiciously.

“I’m a traveler, good sir. I was in the woods because I heard I could cut through it from Kerkhill to Katilik. I was hoping to save–”

“You were in Kerkhill?!” The man spoke up, his voice filled with agitation.

“Y-yes… Why?”

“Were you there when it happened?”

“When what happened?” Kaidus questioned curiously.

“You don’t know?”

“Know about what?” He asked, feigning ignorance.

“Kerkhill is no more, boy. A man that passed us earlier this afternoon told us, after buying one of our horses and leaving his. The whole village has been razed to the ground.”  

“I… I didn’t know. I left Kerkhill over fifteen days ago.” He lied.

“You’ve been lost in those woods for fifteen days?”

“Only for the past few days. I began to question my sense of direction after I ran out of food and became disoriented. Been having to eat wild plants.”

“That’s rough…” The man replied, watching him and assessing his story.

“Sorry. Umm… Jeor said Panelle was only a few days away right? I’m very sorry for the trouble. I had originally been planning to walk anyways, so I’ll be on my way.” He made a curt bow before turning to the road.

“… Wait, boy. My son’s already offered you his hospitality. If you’re willing to work… I guess I can pay for your fare. Gods know I can’t allow a young man to wander these treacherous roads.” The man spoke and the suspicion in his eyes faded away. “What can you do anyways?”

“I’ve been taught how to scavenge and hunt, that’s something. If need, I can also help to stand watch at night. Lord knows I’ve been going with little to no sleep these past fifteen days and am ready for it. I’m also quite learned and could help draft or read any letters that may need to be read or written.”

“A scholarly traveler, are you? And the sword?” 

“An ornament, to be delivered to a man in Katilik.”

“Katilik? Should you not be heading in the opposite direction then?”

“There is no urgency for its delivery. Only that I deliver it. I was hoping to get a horse in Panelle for the journey or join a group like this.”

“I see… well, how are you with handling animals?”

“Animals love me.” Kaidus grinned, remembering his first few jobs while at Droxxon Mercenary headquarter. He had been unable to do anything unless he soothed the animals with magic.

“I see. You’ll help feed and brush the horses. They’re to be fed in the morning and again when we break for camp along with a brushing. You’ll also help around camp and gather water and firewood. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes sir.” He gladly accepted the offer.
He was not proud about lying to such honest people, but there were no other options. He was in no rush, and still had to wait for his elementals to return. The job would give him something to do while he waited.

 

—

 

-Southeastern Darsus-

The beam of light moved instantaneously through the air, following the mana from the ring it had absorbed.
Its master had trusted it with a mission, and it would accomplish it without fail.

Arriving at the location where the target was supposed to be, there was already a battle going on and it could not help but compare those beneath it to its master.

It watched as the insects struggled against each other, hiding and slinging bolts of magic at one another while a group of people ran at each other with metal weapons.

It was nothing like that glorious day in Veratoraliz when its master stood upon the corpse of hundreds of thousands, and fought until his dying breath. The terrifying memories of its master’s overwhelming might and use of magic against all those who claimed to be the strongest. The ecstatic and never-ending spiral of blood and gore in that endless slaughter.

Ashamed of those who claimed to be the same as its master, Vishan descended upon the field.

 

…

 

Both sides froze as the mountain they were carving out with magic became a pure white world.  

As blindness faded away, standing in the midst of their magical barrages was something unknown to them. An entity of pure white, humanoid in form, and lacking any features.

The entity strolled through the battlefield, swallowing up all magic that flew at it. Those stupid enough to try and attack it were torn to shreds or cut to pieces as flashes of light erupted around the entity.
With purpose, it strolled over to the bandit’s side, moving toward a man who was casting magic with haste.

“Wha-What do you want?! Get away from me!” The man shouted with eyes filled with disbelief.

“My Master Calls For Your Life. I Have Come For It.” It spoke and everyone froze once more.

With a wave of its hand and a burst of light, the mage was severed in half along with all those beside it.

Without further actions, the entity began to distort like a mirage before vanishing.

 

—

 

-Northern Darsus-

It bore through the earth, traveling through the rich mineral veins untapped by surface dwellers. It assimilated any and all metals into itself and grew as it proceeded toward its target.

Arriving at its destination, the black serpent had gone from a normal looking snake into a majestic Hvaral. It began spiraling upward through the earth, moving without worrying about the quakes it was causing.

Reaching the surface, it loosened its body and began thrashing. The ground easily caved in and before its target could comprehend the danger they were in, it had already sunken their hideout into the earth. A part of the serpent broke off and turned into a smaller version of itself, moving through the building, searching for its target. Countless people scrambled about, shouting and running for their lives, trying to claw themselves out of a live burial.

The small snake headed straight for a chamber within the crude building where a man was already casting earth magic, trying to escape.

Without moving any further, the small snake’s eyes began glowing blood red. Its main head pierced through the walls and crushed the target before swallowing her whole. The small snake slithered over and fused back into its body.

Having accomplished its task, it coiled around the building, crushing it until there was nothing left before returning back the way it came from.

 

—

 

-Northeastern Darsus-

An eerie wind blew through the cavernous mountain, moving through the hundreds of caves and channels until it found what it was looking for.

Hidden deep in the mountain was a small passage. Beyond said passage, was a secret hideout dug by magic. A single man was panicking, pouring magic into a small ring in his hands. In the room, he had stockpiled enough food to last him for quite a while.

“Found Youuuuu.” Something spoke.

“Who’s there?!” With a paranoid face, the man’s eyes quickly darted around.

“Your masssterrr issss no morrrre.” Something hissed.

“Show yourself!” He shouted and began chanting an incantation for a fire spell.

“Too Late.”

Something slammed into his chest and pushed him against the wall of the cave.

“My masster ssssends his regardssss. It issss time you perisssh.” An unknown voice hissed and began cutting him with razor wind.

“GUAAAAH!!!!” The man screamed, but there was no one to hear as he was eviscerated and cut to pieces.

With an impassive mask, Kaidus bent down and grabbed the man’s neck.
Repairing the shattered jaw with healing magic, he lifted the man up to eye level with him. “I will not ask again. What is the incantation for the mirror shard?” He questioned as the vivid memories of Kerkhill’s devastation raced through his mind.

“You… I- Kuh… I will never tell you!!” Even in shock, the struggling man refused.

Suddenly, something else caught his attention. The silver ring on his finger was glowing.

“That ring- Why do you–!”

With a thought, he silenced the surprised man.
The multitude of reasons why he was there in the first place flooded him. Without hesitation, he strengthened his grip on the man’s throat. “GUU- UK- GUUAGH!! AAG!” A stifled scream came out along with a warm viscous liquid as his fingers dug deep into the man’s neck.

Interrogating the other members of Tal’hrus earlier that day had not gone well either, and he was sick of their endless screams and having his time wasted.
Even without the unsealing incantation, even without understanding how Tal’hrus was using the Nyzacus shards, his end goal for the organization remained the same. The other six masters were living on borrowed time, and they would eventually get their due.

A crushing noise followed, and Zavon went limp, falling to the ground. Lifeless.

Having crushed and tore out the man’s throat, he looked at the glowing ring on his finger. Anise was calling to him but with bloodstained hands, he did not dare answer.

Watching the glow fade away, his eyes scanned the body before him and fell upon the man’s hands, upon four metal rings. He willed it, and they flew off of the dead man’s fingers up to him. Four communication rings. Four more agents who would perish before he left Darsus.

Pocketing the rings, he sent out a thin wave of mana to see if there were any survivors.
Not sensing anyone else in the area, “Feziel” he called for the spirit and it quickly obeyed, transforming into a sword. Though his purpose had been accomplished and his rage somewhat appeased, magic that had been dormant within him for the past 14 years begged to be freed. To be given life once again.

Feeling the limitless mana swirling about him, he closed his eyes and opened his mind. ‘Ti-vaas’ the first part of a destruction spell molded itself in his thoughts. Immediately, the air around him began to distort and a sense of familiarity overcame him. ‘Nu’ar Eave!’ With the second verse, he began channeling his mana into Feziel. *PSHAAA!* A crackling sound came from the weapon and resonated though the air as he held onto it. Twisting the sword into a back-hand grip, ‘Irs, Vixlain!’ As soon as the final verse came into being, he shoved the sword into the ground. His mana within Feziel instantly vanished, and forked lightning erupted from the point of insertion—traveling along the ground erratically in all directions.
“Zion!” He cried out and the wind quickly wrapped itself around him.

A crackling sound thundered through the air, echoing into the distance as the ground shook and became a sea of white lightning. 

By the time it was over, there was nothing left but a devastated landscape around the area of the Tal’hrus base. The surrounding trees had either turned to ashes or been torn to shreds. Deep scars ran along the ground like cracks, digging deep into the earth. What used to be the base had been obliterated, and its foundations were nothing more than chunks of sand and pebbles. The corpses of the Tal’hrus agents were nowhere to be seen.

*Haaa… Haaa* Taking deep breaths, Kaidus took a good look around. The only place that had not been destroyed was the small area where he was standing, and the surroundings too far from his position. His hands were a little numb, and he was still holding onto the sword that was embedded into the ground.

‘The Frayed God’s Wrath’ as it had once been called, was one of few spells in his repertoire that required extreme concentration, and not one he could mindlessly invoke. A lightning destruction magic, it consisted of thousands of minor lightning spells combined into a single devastating attack.

“Masssster.” The wind spoke, its voice containing a hint of worry.

“I’m fine…” *Haaah…* Kaidus answered, taking another deep breath.
Even after using Feziel as a conduit to channel his mana, he was unable to endure the torrent of magic as it manifested into the physical plane, forcing him to call for the wind spirit.
‘Not yet…’ He thought to himself, feeling the physical toll the spell had exacted on him. A smile crept onto his face.
For too long his power had been locked behind a body that could not withstand it. But slowly and surely, the shackles were coming off.

Having recognized his limits, he commanded his mana and changed his hair color to black once again.
“We’re leaving.”
Feziel, still in its blade form liquefied itself and immediately returned to the metal ring around his finger. Without waiting for his command, Zion picked him off the ground and carried him into the sky.

 

—

-Ferrent-

It was evening, and in a mansion within the 11^th ward, three men—still in their early twenties—were sitting together, talking over a jug of wine. One wore a red cloak that concealed his missing right arm, while the other two wore plain brown training garbs.

“… I don’t like him either, but I will not be an accessory to your plan.” Vion answered as he set his cup down on the small table separating them.

“That’s it? A no? Do you still remember telling us how much you despised him? Whatever happened to that?” Ralfus argued.

“You are proposing we harm a little girl because of something her brother did to you. You don’t see what’s wrong with that? If you haven’t forgotten, I am a knight. I am sworn to protect the people.”

“They’re fucking peasants!” Ralfus shouted. “Swear all you want! Swear to the four gods for all I care! We all know you don’t give two shits about those fucking commoners! Don’t try to change now that you’ve become mister fancy knight!”

“Be that as it may, my dislike is toward the brother alone. Not his sister.”

“Kuh… is that because you think you have a fighting chance against him? Against a mage?!”

“So what if he is a mage?” Vion glared at Ralfus.

“Well, you did lose to him during the competition.” The third person who had been silently listening interjected.

“Shut up Elsh.” Vion retorted with a friendly tone.

“Because he’s not right, you fucking idiot!” Ralfus threw back the flap covering his right arm. “Do you see this?! I couldn’t do anything to stop him! You think you can get back at him without going around him? Think a little!”

“Ralfus. I may not be a mage like you or my sister, but call me an idiot once more, and you will be going back without your other arm.” Vion threatened, tapping the sheathed sword leaning by his chair. “As your friend I’ve agreed to hear you out, but don’t think you can say whatever you want just because of your relations to the crown.” 

“Are you fucking serious?” Ralfus turned to look at the other man. “What about you Elshin?”

“Shout louder won’t you? I don’t think the servants in the kitchen can hear us conspiring through the walls.”

“Fuck your servants. Just answer the question. If Vion is out, will you help me or not?”

“I… am going to have to agree with Vion. What you’re planning is very juvenile and vindictive. I could understand getting revenge on the person who did that to you, but hurting a little girl? You are taking it too far. Not to mention I’ve got no problem against the kid in the first place.”

“Wha–”

“If even our king didn’t intercede on your behalf, it’s a clear sign to not involve myself.” The one named Elshin interrupted, making his point.

“You-… you guys are fucking useless.” Ralfus angrily got up and headed towards the door.

“Ralf. Come back and let’s think about it together man. Your anger is driving you. You don’t need to do something like this.”

“Fuck the both of you!” Ralfus Vatenger exclaimed as he exited the room, slamming the door behind him.

 

…

 

“Some fuckin friends…” Ralfus spat out as he stormed away from the mansion.
Elshin was right, but there was no way to get back at the one who wronged him in the first place.
Angry and frustrated, “Take me the Arforus House.” He ordered the coachman as he got to his carriage.

Stepping inside and sitting down, something was off. The window covers had been pulled up, and the carriage was dark. He looked up to see someone else in the carriage with him. “WH–” Before he could scream out. A strong hand covered his mouth.

“Quiet now. I wouldn’t want to be discovered if I were you.” A man’s voice whispered.

“MMMM!!!”

“Don’t worry, I’m here to help. I am going to let go of your mouth to show that I mean no harm, and you will not shout or do anything stupid. You hear me?”

Ralfus nodded compliantly.

“Good.” The man released his hand and held them up. “See? Easy right?”

“W-What do you want?” Ralfus nervously questioned.

“It’s not what I want, master Vatenger. It’s what I can do for you. My master knows of your plight. He knows you’ve been trying to convince many people to align themselves with you in a personal crusade. He would like to give you his blessings.”

“Who… who are you? And who is your master?”

“I am but a shadow. As for my master, you shall meet him soon enough.”

“My driver.”

“Don’t worry about him. He knows where to go.” The man gave him a smile.

They rode in silence, traveling toward a destination unknown to him. After what felt like hours, the coach finally came to a stop.

“This is…” Stepping out of the carriage, the sun had already set. It was a cloudy night, but with the full moon, he saw that they were standing on a grassy plain.

“Come with me.” The stranger beckoned, and Ralfus nervously followed.
 
They walked through the grass until they reached a paved trail, which led to a small flower garden. A man was standing over the garden, quietly admiring the beautiful night blooms. The man turned to them upon their arrival.

Shrouded in shadows cast by the clouds, “Your father was but a test. He fails to understand the gravity of a commitment, and lacks the resolve to follow through with his decisions. I have seen your determination. I understand your justice. I will not condone you harming a child, but if it is someone else, I am prepared to turn a blind eye.

“W-Who are you? And what do you mean?”

“I know that I am one of the few reasons holding you back. As long as nothing is traced back to me, I give you my permission to follow through with your revenge.”  

“!!” As the clouds moved away and the shadows receded, Ralfus saw the face of the person he was talking to. His luck had finally changed. “T-Thank you.” He knelt.

 

—

 

-Eastern Darsus-

“Rig. Get Marlin and two others, and see if you guys can find any food. The rest of us will make camp for the night.” Prim instructed, standing up and looking at the group behind her.

They had left the ruins of Kerkhill three days ago.
After giving the survivors a day to mourn their loved ones and another to gather food for the long trip, they had been on the road towards the town of Panelle ever since.

Her mages had been able to catch a large oriv deer and three foxes, but with nearly thirty mouths to feed, the food was quickly disappearing.

“Lisin that’s enough. You can stop now.” Prim patted her friend’s back, and Lisin released her magic on the cart they were riding.

They had constructed three carts to be pulled with earth magic since many of the survivors were children, and could not keep up. Thankfully, one of Lisin’s contract spirit was an earth elemental, so one of the carts was left to her while the others took turns with the other two.

“It beats having to walk, but it really is tiring.” Lisin made a tired smile as they both got off the cart. “You said they’d be waiting for us in Panelle with proper transportation right?”

“I told Narvin to prepare transportation and lodging on his way to Tirasaen.”

“Great. I can’t wait for a proper bath and a comfy bed. If only for a night.”

“You and me both.” Prim smiled.

 

…

 

In a large hut constructed with earth magic, the survivors were huddled together and sleeping peacefully. Surrounding the hut were five smaller ones with blazing fires next to them. Three mages stood outside, watching and listening.

As they vigilantly kept guard, they began to hear something. The sound of screaming far off in the distance.

“Put out the fires and wake the others.” Prim immediately ordered. Extinguishing the flames surrounding her hut, “Sorry to wake you Lis.” She apologized as she woke up a drowsy Lisin.

“Hmm-?”

“I know you’re tired, but something is happening. I need you to get up.” Prim quickly answered, grabbing her guild cloak from her sleeping spot and throwing it around herself.

“Prim. What’s going on?” Lisin enquired, her face showing signs of alertness.

“I don’t know, but there are cries coming through the wood. Could be another attack, could be wild animals. Come outside as soon as you can.” She replied, leaving the hut.

“Banahr, Turlin, Rig, with me!” She shouted, and they quickly ran to her side. “The rest of you, stay here and don’t let your guards down. If we are not back by dawn, proceed to Panelle without us.”

“If that’s the case, then more of us should be coming with you.” Lisin objected.

“No. I need the five of you to protect the villagers.”

Without further commands, they quickly vanished into the dark forest, heading in the direction of the screams.

 

…

 

Cleaving through the forest unconcerned about the noise they were making, the group of four ran with haste, afraid they would be too late once again.

Through the darkness, they spotted something glowing in the distance. As they moved toward it, the screams became louder, and an eerie and unsettling feeling overtook them.

“NO! NO!! PLEASE NO!!!” Someone was begging for their life.

As they neared the light source, they spotted another camp hidden in the woods. Tents had been shattered, and the light they saw was from the burning tents.

Prim held out her hands to motion for her team to stop. Without revealing themselves, they all took a moment to register what they were seeing.

In the midst of the broken camp was a lone figure.

“Three more to go.” A frightening voice without remorse or pity cut through the air.

Wearing a hooded cloak, they could not see his face, but his right arm was grasping the hand of a man, pulling him up.
With a flicking motion, the hooded man easily threw his victim up into the air. There were three quick flashes, and the man in the air split into four segments, falling to the ground. The hooded man was unfazed.

Prim’s stomach turned, and her dinner threatened to come back out.
Turlin tried to move forward, but she quickly grabbed onto the man, not letting him go. She knew that whatever was before them was beyond their combined capabilities.
Her eyes adjusting to the light, she saw that there was something else there with the hooded man. Something dark and red, swirling around him like a formless fluid.

“Is that all of them?” The man questioned.

“Yes.” A voice like rocks grinding together answered the question.

Looking around, there was no one else there with the man.

“Then we are done here.”

“Whhhhhat about thhhem?” A third voice spoke, and the darkness that had been swirling around the figure dashed through the air over to where she and her group was hiding.

“?!” In shock, she couldn’t even prepare an incantation.

“Leave them.” The hooded figure swiftly replied without turning to look in their direction. The unknown liquid circled them once, then flew back to the figure. Wordlessly, the man began floating off the ground before shooting into the distance.

“No… that’s… Impossible.” Banahr uttered, not taking his eyes away from the sky.

“Flying magic…?” Turlin managed to express what they were all thinking.

Many great mages had dreamt of flying magic, but none had ever accomplished it. She could only stare at the empty sky as her body began trembling.

“C-captain.” A frightened voice came out of Turlin, and his face showed his realization. “H-He’s headed in the direction of our camp.”

 

…

 

Arriving back at the camp, nothing felt out of place.
They were greeted with faces filled with worries, asking about what they found.
The only thing that had been unusual, was that they saw an orb of light materializing in the air and flying to the north.

No one had been killed, nothing was broken or missing, and none of them had a clue about what happened.

“Pri- Captain, do you see that?” A young woman spoke, glancing cautiously at their surroundings before focusing on a plume of smoke in the distance. Her long brown hair flowed outside of her hood, and her two hazel eyes looked on with worry.

Cloaked in red and black and red and white, they were members of the 12^th ward Mystiks guild. Their team of ten had been tracking a vicious group of butchers for the past turn and while the trail begun in southern Darsus, it had led them north and was now cutting through the logging village of Kerkhill.
Arriving at the edge of the forest, it was already late afternoon but the telltale signs of destruction they had been following were prevalent.

“Yes… I don’t like this.” Another hooded young woman also cloaked in the colors of the Mystiks Guild replied. She too was staring at the dark smoke rising in the horizon. “Banahr, Tyhis, Narvin, go through the woods and circle around. Lisin and Turlin, you two are with me. The rest of you, fan out and await my signal. It might be our target so be prepared for anything.” She promptly instructed.

The others quickly dispersed and vanished into the forest. Some disappeared underground with earth magic, while others took to the trees.

The three of them cautiously approached the village from the front.
Upon entering the burnt remnants of what was once Kerkhill, they began hearing indistinguishable voices.

“This is…” Turlin, a man in his late thirties muttered.

“Survivors?” Lisin questioned, unable to believe what they were hearing.

She was Lisin Rhonorus, the second daughter of the Rhonorus house. A former student of Zorin academy, and now, a member of the 12^th ward Mystiks Guild. Bordering the magical strength of a Malgin, she was a promising mage, and had already bound her third spirit. Because of her summons and powerful abilities, she was transferred from the 11^th to the 12^th ward guild to become a seeker: one who hunts rogue mages.

Quickening her pace, she moved forward to try and settle her doubts. “Lisin wait. We don’t know what is up ahead.” A voice from behind halted her steps. “Sorry.” Lisin apologized, taking a few steps back to hide with them. The previous village and two settlements they had come across were bereft of life. She had not expected Kerkhill to be any different.

The three of them moved carefully through the ruins of the village, keeping to the shadows and scorched walls. As they closed in on the voices, it became clear that it was the sound of mourning. Through a broken window they spotted a pyre spewing black smoke. Out in the open, the scene of a grisly sight.

“!!” Lisin couldn’t help but look away as the spectacle of her curiosity came into full view. She had glimpsed a young lady crying and holding onto the lifeless body of a bloody young man. She caught sight of a young girl sobbing and lying next to the body of a man with a gaping hole in the side of his head. She could not bear to look and averted her eyes, but such actions did nothing to stop the cries of anguish that were clawing their way into her ears.

“… I’ve always wondered what could be worse than the charred bodies that we pull out of the houses and rubbles, but this… this has got to be it…” Turlin spoke out loud and lowered his head.

“… Signal the rest and bring them in. There is work to be done.” The captain ordered with a disheartened tone and stepped into the open. Pulling back her hood, it revealed a beautiful young woman in her early twenties with a head full of emerald green hair and two radiant green eyes. “I am Prim Ashlin Lithius of Ferrent’s 12^th ward Mystiks Guild! Someone, please tell me what happened here!” Prim yelled, addressing the group of survivors as they turned to her direction.

She was Prim Lithius, a prodigy the likes of which the world had not seen in decades. Her spells were potent, her casting swift, and was gifted with a mind for magic. Those in her age group and many before her could do naught, but resign in the face of her power. She was the youngest in over a decade to be sought after by the Mystiks guild, and not only could she control wind magic freely, she had also become adept with lightning and nature magic.

“S-Stay back!” A terrified woman shouted and quickly stood up. In her shaking hands was a short and crude spear made of sharpened wood.

“Please, we mean no harm,” Prim spoke, holding her hands up, “we are a unit from a larger investigation force sent out by his majesty. We are after whoever’s been destroying these lands, and are tasked with bringing them to justice!” She shouted loud enough so that everyone present could hear here before taking another step toward the group.

“How- how can we believe you?!” Another young lady ran forth to stand with the other woman. She too held a sharpened stick in her hand.

“As a guild mage, I have sworn to protect the livelihood of Darsus’ citizens. The same goes for these two behind me. This symbol upon my cloak is proof enough.” She turned around, revealing the symbol emblazoned on her back.
A red fist encased in a white crystal, set upon a black diamond. The order of the Frozen Fist.

 

…

 

Through the sobs and pained cries, they were able to obtain some information about what transpired.

The survivors told them that the village was attacked the previous evening.
After being corralled into the tent and constantly beaten, many of them did not know what really happened but by morning, dreadful screams and begging were all they could hear. Then everything went quiet and a young man cut open the tent to ask them where he was before leaving. Afraid to leave the confines of the tent in fear of a trap, they had waited until noon before doing so, only to find blood splatters everywhere and their captors in pieces. Pulling out their loved ones from the pile of corpses, they had burnt the monsters who destroyed their lives.

“Lisin.” Prim spoke as they were in one of the tents drawing up a report to be sent back to the guild.

“Yes?”

“What do you make of what happened here?”

“My only speculation is that they were saved by someone.”

“Let’s hear it Lis. Tell me what you are thinking.”

“If what the villagers said was true, I’d say we just missed whoever had done this by half a day. From what I can see, I can’t tell how many there were, but whoever saved the villagers must have been extremely skilled. At least enough to fight against a group of armed bandits. If I have to guess, it was probably a group of swordsmen. Perhaps a militia or better yet, the mercenary guild.”

“And why do you think that?” Prim looked curiously at her friend.

“The villagers said their tent was cut open from the outside.” Lisin stood up and walked over to the side of the tent that had a large hole in it. “Judging from this cut and the other, it looks like a sharp blade was used. A knife, perhaps a sword. The villagers also said they found their captors in pieces. With the bodies burnt to ashes it’s hard to tell, but I’m willing to bet someone skilled with the sword could dismember a body easily. If it was the knights we would know, but the mercenary guild, I’m not so sure. They operate on their own agenda and they have no obligation to divulge their actions to the Mystiks guild or the knights.”

“Hmmm… true, but something still bothers me. What about the one who spoke to them? If it was a group, why didn’t anyone else check on the survivors after him? Most curious of all, why didn’t they stay to claim credits or a reward? A militia or a group of passing mercenaries wouldn’t have just left like this.”

“I’m still trying to figure that out.” Lisin replied, walking back to where Prim was sitting. “How are you going to explain it in the report?”

“I don’t know… I won’t, I guess. I’m going to write down what we’ve heard and let those at the top figure it out for themselves. We have enough to worry about here as it is.” Prim answered, looking down at the piece of paper in front of her. She then got up and walked over to the tent’s entryway. Looking outside, “Narvin!”
A tall man a few years older than herself hurried over to the tent. “Yes captain?”
“Get some rest. You are returning to the main group first thing in the morning to deliver a report, and to let them know we will be returning with survivors.”

“Understood.”

 

…

 

It swirled in the air, hidden by the light.
It watched as the new group of people came into the village. It listened as words were exchanged between them. Thoughts about intervening crossed its mind, but it chose not to. It had seen their colors before, and recognized that they posed no threat.

Its job was to keep the survivors safe, and without any impending danger, there was no need to show itself.
The entity gazed eastward, yearning to be at its master’s side. Yearning to partake in the slaughter that was to come.

 

***

 

-Two days later-

Seven figures quietly stood together side by side.
Their faces were hidden underneath hoods and masks, and only their eyes were visible in the darkness. They did not speak to one another, nor were any of them sitting on the chairs scattered about the room. For some time, they stood, quietly staring at the single light source in the room.

The sound of footsteps could be heard echoing through the large underground tomb and soon enough, an object of fear emerged through a door in the opposite wall.

A bearded old man with a head of white hair. One who should be lying in bed and awaiting the kiss of death. Yet the old man was neither hunching nor limping, but walked with a healthy gait and a refined posture.

““Master.”” The seven figures immediately greeted as the new arrival walked into the light.

The old man scrutinized them before opening his mouth.
“Narshon. I assume the new position is suiting you favorably?”

One of the hooded figures stepped forward. “Yes master. Thank you for the privilege.”

“Do not fail me like your predecessor. You know full well what happens if you do.”

“Of course.” The man bowed respectfully.

“Well then, let’s hear it.”

“The mining town of Tolvuntir is now ours. We have purged the Lurustin family along with their supporters, and to hide our involvement, the Evurin family will be taking over the operations. The ores will be shipped to Gravner as usual, but a third of the profits will be coming to us.”

“Impressive. I was thinking it would take you another two turns to subjugate the Lurustin family, but to have done it in half a turn, it looks like I was not wrong in putting you in charge.” A grin appeared on the old man’s face.

“Your words are too kind, master.”

“And what of Altha?”

“My spies in the capital reports of discord between the Kithorian church and the ruling monarch. From the looks of it, the city is already corrupted. With a few more years, I’m sure we can bring the church to our side.”

“Very well. Keep me up to date on any significant changes.”

“Yes master.”

The old man dismissed Narshon before turning to another. “Kaval…”

“Yes master.” A woman stepped forward and bowed.

“What is this I hear about you being unable to complete your task?”

“It is not a problem, master. Just a minor setback.”

“Not a problem? Please enlighten me.”

“The boy seems to have slipped my grasp, but fear not, for it is only a matter of time until we find him.”

“Fear not?” The old master glared at Kaval. “You are wasting manpower from the others because of your incompetence, and you tell me to relax?”

“Forgive me master, I did not mean it that way. We’ve found out that the boy has escaped to Malpaars, so I am borrowing Eril’s strength to find them. I assure you, it will be taken care of.”

“Why should Eril be involved with your blunder? The boy should have never been able to leave Unotus in the first place. Take care of it yourself, or someone else will.” The old man snarled.

“Yes master…” Kaval bowed deeply before moving to stand with the others.

“Zavon.” The old man called out.

 

…

 

“Fuckin old man. Gives me the chills every time I see him.”

The man called Zavon tried to steel himself by talking out loud as he walked through the desolate forest of white.
Only a turn ago, did he witness the true disposition of the man he called Master. The late Narshon never stood a chance, and before they knew it, the man was a bloody pulp before them. He had never seen voiceless incantation before, and was not prepared to witness how devastating it was. Even including the late Narshon, none of them could have defended against such a spell.

Cutting through the fog, he made his way back to the portal that had brought him there in the first place.
Ever since becoming Zavon, he had been privileged with many of Tal’hrus’ secrets. The White world was the most amazing of them all, and he could barely convince himself that such a world exists.
He had trekked the path dozens of times, but every time he saw it, the world amazed him. He was thankful to have become one of the seven masters, and he would not fail, nor would he die like an insect because of some stupid mistake. Everything he did was bordering perfection, and the powerful role suited him perfectly.

In only half a year, he had recaptured the attention of the denizens of Darsus, reclaiming it for Tal’hrus. A third of Darsus was already under their control, and even the Mystiks Guild could do nothing but run around like idiots chasing the wind.

His report had been nothing but good news about his conquest, and the thriving slave trade he was coordinating. Adhering to the old master’s orders of not getting too close to Ferrent, he had felt nothing but positive expectations from the old man, and it invigorated him. After a decade of serving the organization with undying loyalty, he had finally risen to the top.

Having walked quite a distance from the meeting place, he came to a stop. Before him was a distortion in the white world. With a spell, the portal opened up and he stepped through it.

He was expelled into an underground sealed chamber, hidden beneath his bedroom. A mirror shard hung on the wall behind him. “Asiran. Gelnos Pleiss Vayn Torgall Zucet! Delovus Tretos Vaas!” The chamber ceiling opened up and the walls began sliding out, creating stairs for him.
Looking up, light was shining down into the underground chamber and he could see the sky clearly from where he was standing. “What in the world?” Ascending the stairs, his eyes fell upon a shattered world. One very different from the last time he had laid eyes upon it.

Their temporary base had been destroyed, and the top half of it was missing. Large scars created by who knows what, ran along the ground, cutting into the walls and pillars. Slabs of stone that had been the ceiling of the building were on the ground, and everything was broken or crumbling. Nearby, his two subordinates who had been tasked with guarding his chambers—while he was gone—were lying in pools of their own blood. They had been cleanly sliced in half at the waist.

He began shaking with anger, seeing what he had worked so hard for in ruin.

He spotted bits and pieces of what looked like body parts as he moved about, and saw that the ground was dyed in blood. “Who!? WHO WAS IT?! WHO DID THIS?!” Zavon angrily shouted, trying to find an answer.

A thick and suffocating atmosphere suddenly befell him as an eerie wind began to blow. From the unnatural wind, something else was pouring into the world.
‘Lagus.’ The name of the spirit plane came into his mind and like an illusionary dream, primal mana burst forth and swirled about him.
“What?!” Power unlike any he had ever felt before wrapped around his body and bound him in place. Before his very eyes, a tempest erupted around him, picking up the rubbles and flailing them into the air.

“Masssster.” A hissing voice resounded in the wind, and Zavon’s eyes locked onto a figure ahead of him.
A young man with long black hair and a sheathed sword at his side was walking through the lashing winds, moving against it. Looking closer, it was not the boy withstanding the force of the gale, but that the wind and debris were avoiding him.

Without any words or introduction, “You’ve kept me waiting…” The boy spoke, holding out his left hand. From a ring on his finger, dark liquid began oozing out onto the ground. “Bring me the shard.” The boy commanded, and the liquid immediately turned into a pitch-black arm.

Zavon could only watch as the sealed chamber that had taken him a whole day to create was blasted open with a single strike. “You! You did–” This! He tried to shout but before he could finish, he was on the ground. His jaws felt like they were broken, and he had bit his tongue. There was a ringing in his ears and he could not push himself up as he began spitting out blood.

“I did not await your return to hear your blabbering. If I didn’t have a use for you, you would already be dead.” The young boy coldly stared at him with two dark eyes.

Struggling to get back up, Zavon saw a dark blob rise out of the sealed chamber. The blob stretched toward the young man, then transformed into the black arm once again.

“NO!!” Zavon shouted angrily as he saw what it was holding—the shard that the old master had personally given to him. A part of the arm deformed and stretched over to him, slamming into his chest and knocking the wind out of him.

“What is the unsealing incantation?” A voice devoid of compassion questioned him.

“Asiran! Devous Giane Nuiva— Guagh!!” He began summoning his light spirit as soon as he could breathe again but instead of finishing his incantation, his face had been kicked.

“The incantation.”

“Do you know who I am?!?! I am the–” *KRACK!* Once again, excruciating pain tore at his jaws, and the boy stood over him. Attempting to talk, there was nothing but agonizing pain. His lower jaw had been crushed and he could not even scream.

“You are a parasite. A plague upon these lands and I will no longer tolerate your existence. You do not know it, but you are already dead.”

Looking up, two silver eyes devoid of any emotions stared down at him. The young man’s black hair was now a lustrous silver, glistening in the sunlight.

-Darsus-

“…” Lord Vatenger stared at his spy with a doubtful face. It was too unbelievable for one of his best to have retreated because of a mere threat. “Raine, are you sure it was not some sort of deception with magic?

“I am, my lord. There is no doubt that my life was in the palm of his hand, and I don’t believe the boy was bluffing either. If I may make a small suggestion, I implore you to take this up with the king once more.”

“That coward will not assist us. He refuses to even hear me out about it.” Lord Vatenger replied with a voice full of frustration.

“Then what should we do?” The man named Raine questioned, remembering what happened only two nights ago. “If not even his majesty will involve himself in our ordeal, then I see no option other than to stop. The next time, we might not be as fortunate…” A deathly chill ran down his back as his mind recalled the two pitiless eyes that stared back at him, along with a voice that demanded absolute obedience and left no room for negotiation.

“For now, put two men on his family at all times and watch the city gates for the boy’s return. If we cannot watch him, we shall observe his family and await our chance.”

“Wha- But my lord, the boy–” Raine spoke up to remind his lord but was quickly silenced.

“If he is outside of Ferrent, what can he do?” Lord Vatenger countered.

“Now we’re going to watch his family?!” Another voice that had been silently listening on the side cut into the discussion.

“I did not allow you into this meeting to hear you talk. You will be quiet and listen.” Lord Vatenger quickly reprimanded his son.

“No father! I’ve been quiet long enough! What about me? What about what he did to me? You’re just going to let that go?! If he’s outside of Ferrent, wouldn’t that be better for us?!” Ralfus angrily exclaimed.
Three turns of doing nothing was beyond what he could take. He had waited long enough, and the stump on his shoulder ached for revenge.

*SLAP!*
“I will not repeat myself. Shut up.” Lord Vatenger coldly replied, rubbing the back of his hand. “Do not presume to think that the fault lies elsewhere for what happened to you. I know it was because of your arrogance and cocksure attitude that landed you in this mess. As your father I will pursue the necessary punishment for what was done to you, but on my own terms.” Lord Vatenger glared at his son. “You will wait for as long as needed until I have sorted everything out.”

“My lord, I don’t think we–”

“I don’t pay you to think, Raine. I pay you for the information you bring in. Just do your duty and make sure the men knows what to look out for.”

 

…

 

“What are you looking at?!”
Ralfus shouted at the few servants who looked in his direction as he walked past them.
“Get back to work before I split your lips, you damned bitches!”
With a throbbing and swollen face, he quickly made his way back to his room.
“Each and every one of them! Looking down on me! Those bitches must be laughing right now!”
He cried out angrily.

His father had pulled him out of the academy after losing his arm, opting for a private instructor in the divine arts of magic instead. The pain of the lost had disappeared a long time ago, but the disgrace and indignity he suffered that day were still burning strongly within him. The stump was a constant reminder of the humiliation he suffered, and every time someone looked at him, he could see that they were sneering at him.

For three whole turns he had waited for his father to bring the boy to justice, but the old man was taking his sweet time.
His two older brothers were impartial to his problems, and neither of them had bothered to care. They were jealous of his awakening, and he knew it.

It was up to himself to exact his own revenge.
“Just you wait, you filthy peasant.”

 

—

 

Untethered by the laws of the world, Kaidus soared through the air under the cover of night.
It had been six nights since he left the caravan, and his destination was revealed to be somewhere in the swamplands of Eastern Darsus. Veiled in his gray cloak, a thin layer of mana swirled around him like a suit of armor, protecting him from the crushing force of the wind as he cut through the sky alongside Zion.

After six nights of travel, he had already passed the Frosted Peaks of the Tavalig Mountains and the stretch of inland sea that separated the Southeastern half of Darsus. His speed was beyond what it was before, and he reveled in the power that was coursing through him, slowly becoming more and more stable with each passing year as his physical body matured.

As dawn broke through the horizon, he began his descent into the forests to rest and reinvigorate his weary body. Yet before submerging himself beneath the covers of the trees, through the corner of his eyes, he spotted a large plume of smoke.

‘Tal’hrus.’ The word came to his mind, remembering that burning villages and towns were how they went about their businesses. Forgoing rest, he turned toward the direction of the smoke with haste.

Emerging through the forest, he noticed that many trees had been felled, yet all were left untouched with axes and lumbering tools lying on the ground next to them. As he neared the origin of the smoke, he saw that the surrounding forest had been harvested and new saplings were emerging in their place. It was obviously the work of a logging village and he was about to turn away, but the thick smell of blood and pitch black smoke kept his attention.

…

The houses had all been burnt to the ground as the village came into view. Patches of blood-soaked earth were everywhere, and the sound of shouting and laughter entered his ears along with the smell of burning flesh.

“STOP!!” A voice shouted at him as he entered the outskirts of the village.
Turning to his right, a man wearing shabby leather armor and holding a bow emerged from the shadows of one of the burnt houses.

“Mister, what happened here?”

“Move and I put an arrow through you!” The man shouted, drawing his bow. “One of you idiots get over here and tie up this bastard before I bleed him with an arrow!” The man hollered loudly afterward.
Shortly after, two others appeared. In similar garbs to the archer, their appearances showed signs of battle.

“Another? But I was sure we got everyone.”

“Kid must’ve been out of the village last night. It just means his luck has ran out fer him to be back so soon.” The other grinned.

“Shut up. Tie’m up and put’im with the rest. The boss wants to leave as soon as we finish burning the bodies. Don’t want to have to add another body and prolong our stay.”

Bandits. Kaidus easily understood. “What happened to those living here?” He questioned, wondering why bandits were killing and burning villages.

“Shut yer face and don’t move if you don’t want to be gutted.” One of the men sneered, moving over to him with a rope. “Blame yerself fer coming back at such a bad time.”

He angled his eyes up at the approaching man. “… Blame yourselves for having crossed my path.” He replied, easily catching the man’s arm that came in to grab his. Flames immediately erupted from his fingertips and instantly covered the man.

“Mage!” The bowman cried out, releasing the arrow he had been holding back.
The arrow aimed true, but before it could pierce Kaidus, a beam of light flashed towards the archer. Swallowing the arrow whole, the light tore out a large chunk of the archer’s right torso before vanishing.

Seeing one of his comrades burst into flames while the other was trying to hold onto the entrails that were sliding out of the gaping hole in his side, the third man tried to scream but a metal arm had taken hold of his face and lifted him off the ground.

“Crush him.” Kaidus commanded mercilessly, and Feziel obeyed.
The sound of bones cracking could be heard over the man’s muffled cries before a limp and lifeless body was dropped to the ground.

“Surround the village. Kill anyone that dares to flee.” A voice filled with anger and a cold unforgiving calm echoed through the air.

“At once.” “By Your Will.” “Massster.” The three spirits simultaneously obeyed.

Without any further words, he stepped over the lifeless body of the man that Feziel had crushed.

 

…

 

“Why the fuck is that little shit not tied up?!” A man shouted as he walked into the midst of the camp situated within the center of the village. 

As if noticing him for the first time, all the others turned to look in his direction.

“By the four gods! What in the world are Nabaras and those fools doing?!” A woman exclaimed, picking up a dagger and readying herself for an ambush.

While the bandits were clamoring about, he was calmly watching.
There were roughly about fifteen people, each with a weapon in their hand, and all of them were looking around for phantoms. A large tent was set up by the edge of the village center, and another one almost as large right beside it.

In front of him, a bonfire was burning brightly with a pile of bodies next to it. His eyes fell upon an old woman who had been pierced through the neck. Half of her body was in the pile, while the upper half hung on the side. The old lady was laying with her face up, and two glazed eyes were staring up at the sky. Anger flared within him, but he quickly held it down.
Staring at the pile of corpses he quickly noticed that it comprised of mostly elders and men, and a thought briefly flashed through his mind before being cast aside. Kaidus slowly gritted his teeth, “Tell me what happened here and I shall grant the first person to do so a swift death.” He offered, eyeing the confused group.

Instead of complying, “Tie him up before the boss comes out!” A woman shouted and
a trio of armed men hastily stalked toward him, jabbering about this and that and blaming those who had been on look out.

Before they could reach him, like a massive serpent moving in on its preys, a bolt of lightning zipped along the ground and engulfed the three men. Kaidus stepped over to one of the bandits. Grabbing the man’s throat, he lifted the man up. “Ordinary bandits don’t attack villages as big as this. Who are you people?”

“I- Guuu—- d-d… Nghhh–.” The man tried to speak, but his body was still contracting from the shock.

A concentration of mana could be felt from one of the tents. Kaidus immediately dropped the man before jumping out of the way as three blades of water slashed at where he had been standing.

“You useless rats can’t even handle a child!?” A half-naked man was standing at the entrance of one of the tents.

“But boss, the boy took out Millen and the others with magic!” Another man who was standing beside the half-naked man informed.

“Is the Mystiks Guild here already?” The half-dressed man questioned, looking around before focusing back on Kaidus. “Doesn’t look like it… Hmm… A kid like you? A mage? Don’t tell me you’re with the guild?”

“So you’re the leader here? I WILL have you answer my questions.” Kaidus replied, turning and walking over toward the man.

“Hahaha… you all hear this stupid kid? AHHAHAHA!!! Kill him.” The man commanded with an unamused face after making a show of his exaggerated laughter.

Yet nothing happened. Their camp was frozen, and he could no longer move his mouth or any part of his body. Looking at his men, they too had also stopped in their tracks. Even the raging pyre had been extinguished and was now revealing the charred bodies that had been burning.
“You will speak when I want you to.” Something spoke from beside him and he tried to move his head, but it too was locked in place. ‘No… A frost field like this… This can’t be… A Malizur? Here?!’ The question rang in his head, but no one else came out into the open. He could only watch as the young man walked toward him, and then past him into the tent.

As soon as Kaidus stepped into the tent, a burning rage tore at him, begging to be freed.
A naked woman was sprawled on the ground at the foot of a makeshift bed. Blood was oozing from her nostrils, mouth, stomach, and he could see that she was dead. A young lady barely older than himself was huddling to the side of the tent, holding her legs together and shuddering with fear. She too was naked, and her eyes looked like they had given up on the world. On the bed was another young lady who was also shuddering with fear. Like the previous, she too had one hand holding her knees to her chest while the other was on her swollen face. Taking a closer look at all three, there were cuts and bruises all over their bodies. Another look at the dead woman and he saw that the blood around her stomach was because of a laceration originating from her crotch to her belly.

The woman suddenly burst into flames and within moments, only ashes remained. Without any words, he turned around and left the tent.

Stepping up beside the frozen half-naked man, he looked toward the others. “You have all overstayed your welcome.” He spoke, and each of them began shattering into pieces. He then turned to the man. The mage. “The responsibility lies with the leader. The one who gave the commands. For you, death will not come so easily.”
His voice was no longer that of an adolescent child, but of a man who had seen the world burn before him and in turn, added to the very flames of destruction.

 

…

 

The sound of agony and pleas for the sweet release of death echoed through the scorched village.

In front of him, the man’s flesh was being flayed piece by piece before being put back together and healed. In the man’s chest were two small holes that he had punctured earlier as an incentive for the man to keep talking. Every time an answer was satisfactory, he would allow the man to bleed out a little more, quickening the embrace of death.

“Where is your base?” Kaidus sternly questioned.

He had been able to “persuade” the man of some vital information, but the man was proving to be quite stubborn.

As his luck would have it, the man was indeed a member of Tal’hrus.
From the info extracted, he understood that after his previous encounter with Tal’hrus, their manpower had dropped significantly when it came to Darsus.
The new group numbered only thirty mages, and had resorted to the forceful recruitment of brigands around Darsus to do their dirty work for them—burning and slaughtering villages and towns that refused to submit to their demands.

Instead of running with a team of only mages, they had separated themselves into teams consisting of one Tal’hrus agent as leader, and bandits and mercenaries as their team. Each were free to raze Darsus on their own terms with none of them concentrating their efforts to a specific area. They were hitting quick and fast to throw off the Mystiks guild.

The plan was riskier, but from what he had heard and could see, it was very effective and would cost Tal’hrus less if their agents were ambushed.

“Ki-Kill Me!! GYUAAAAHH!!!!!!” The man screamed as his skin slowly ripped itself away from his flesh.

“Your base. Where is it?” He questioned again with a voice devoid of pity or emotions.

*Hah…Hah…* “You will never find it! GAAAAHHHH!!!”

“I will, for it is only a matter of time. When I do, they will wish they had never returned.” Kaidus glared at the man. “So talk. Your answers help no one else but yourself. Answer my questions, and I shall consider ending your miserable life.”

“You… You think you’ll get away with this? You think- *hahhh…* you think you’ll be safe after making an- an enemy out of us?!” The man took another deep breath. “Your family, your friends, *Kuh…* we will take everything! They will die a thousand deaths!”

Kaidus stepped forward to whisper into the man’s ear. “Wrong. You will take nothing from me. After I am through, the terror that was known as Tal’hrus will be nothing but a memory to those they have scarred. A nightmare that has finally come to an end. The world will wonder what became of you all, but none shall miss you for you are vermins who can only oppress those too weak to fight back… cowards hiding behind an idealistic hallucination of an age long past, an illusion that you mindlessly try to rectify by depriving others of their peace.” He stepped back and stared at the man. “Am I wrong?”

“W-Who are you…?”

“You have yet to obtain that privilege.” His left hand shot forth and tore itself into the man’s right chest. “I will ask once more and you will answer me. If not, you will have wished you did. Where is your base?”

“Guh… I don’t know– *haaa…* it mo- it moved roughly thirty days ago… I- nghhh… *hah…* have… have yet to learn of its new position.”

“Is that so? One last question. You should have a ring that allows you to communicate with your master. Where is it?”
The man’s eyes lit up with surprise at his words.

“H-how do- Guhh!! *Hah…* How do you know of… the rings?”

“I am the one asking the questions.”He twisted his hand.

“GRAAAAHH!!!! *haaaah… hah…* It… it was you… five years ago…” The man was breathing heavily now.

He could see the change in the man’s eyes at the realization. “Correct.”

“Master Zavon… thwarted by a fledgling. Kahahah!! Guh!” *Haaa…* Taking deep breaths, the man’s face began to turn pale. “I do not have one… you are out of luck!”

“… and mercy.”
Sealing the man’ mouth shut, Kaidus pulled out his hand and healed the gaping hole. “He’s all yours, Zion.” At his words, the wind swept in and grabbed the man, throwing him into the air.

“MMMMM!!!” The sound of muffled screams slowly faded as Zion whisked the man further into the sky and began to slowly slice him apart.

Entering the tent with the two young ladies, he grabbed two sheets of cloth and covered them. With his knife, he sliced open the side of the tent and moved to the other larger tent. He had sensed the presence of people from it earlier, but did not want them to see what he was doing to their captors.

As he sliced open the second tent and peered inside, eyes filled with fear stared back at him. Women and children that had been captured and were undoubtedly going to be used for some nefarious scheme or transported out of Darsus—to be sold to slavers—were huddled together.

“P-please don’t hurt us anymore.” A woman prostrated herself on the ground and begged with tears in her eyes. Those around her started to cry, calling for their parents or loved ones.

“I am not here to hurt you.” He replied, looking back at them. “Forgive me, but might I enquire as to where I am? I have been lost in the woods for quite some time and luckily stumbled upon your village.”

“K-Kerkhill…” One of the women managed to answer.

“I see. Thank you very much.” Kaidus politely replied. His ploy to distract them seemed to have worked. Instead of fear, they were looking at him nervously with eyes of curiosity and confusion. “Would all of you mind coming out? It looks awfully cramped in there.” A few of them shuffled and huddled closer together at his words. “My apologies. I will leave this open so that you may come out when you wish. There are two young ladies in the other tent, so please check up on them as soon as you can.”

Without further actions, he walked back to the center of the village. By his will, his three spirits converged on his position. “Vishan. Stay here and make sure the village is safe. I will be back for you.” Searing the image of the pile of corpse and charred remains into his mind, he rose up off the ground and promptly left the vicinity of the village.

A caravan of nine wagons and thirty-six people were traveling on a road toward western Darsus. Being a merchant caravan, it was conducting its annual rotation: West to Aristolk for the sea’s bounty, then South to Cabalut for ores and jewels—trading with the villages and towns in between—before ultimately circling back to Ferrent.

Riders moved to and from the caravan vigilantly, making sure the road was clear and safe.
For the journey, the caravan master had hired two skilled knights, a mage from the 10^th ward Mystiks Guild, and eight mercenaries from Ferrent to help guard them.

Sharing a wagon with a family of four, an unassuming young man slept peacefully through the noises of the caravan.

 

…

 

Laying in the shaky and uncomfortable wagon, his eyes were closed, but his mind was wide awake. Try as he might, sleep had eluded him.

He worried over troublesome thoughts even though he knew them to be trivial.
Before the trip, he had even considered kneeling before the King to protect and keep his family safe, but a part of him loathed the idea.
He wondered if he had made the right choice in departing so soon, and questioned himself about his complacency after the incident at the academy, pondering if he should have pursued it to a conclusion.

He thought about those he left behind without so much as a goodbye, and about his family.
He regretted leaving, but the decision has been made and it was a sacrifice he would have to make sooner or later.

Yelling and the sound of hooves came through from the outside and the wagon soon rolled to a halt.

Still laying down, he began dispersing a thin wave of mana outward.
Instantly, his mana honed in on three very distinct and familiar presences.
Before a curious smile could surface on his face, he pretended to yawn and got up to see why they were stopping.

“I’m amazed you could sleep through all that.” A gruff looking man holding two large poles smiled at him.

“I didn’t get much sleep last night. Was too anxious about this trip.”

“This your first time away from Ferrent?”

“First one alone.”

“That so? It gets easier and less exciting the older you get.” The man grinned. “Say… if you’re free, would you mind helping us set up the tents? You’re welcome to share one with my sons if you would like. As you have probably felt, the wagon isn’t really the most comfortable of sleeping places.”
The man was the owner of the wagon and the husband of the family he was sharing it with. They had briefly introduced themselves and exchanged simple pleasantries earlier.

“Just tell me what to do. As for where to sleep, as long as you can spare a blanket, the wagon will do just fine.” He smiled and got up.
Picking up two tent posts, he followed the man out of the wagon.

The sun was setting and they were in an open camp area along the roadside. Scanning the group, everyone was busy preparing to settle for the night.

His eyes quickly fell upon three men who were deftly constructing a large tent.
The three men had followed him from the 3^rd ward and coincidentally also joined up with the caravan. Undoubtedly, they were the ones observing him over the past few turns, for he had seen their faces and felt their presences on multiple occasions.
Being constantly observed was nothing new to him. What intrigued him the most, was the extent they were willing to follow him to. He didn’t know what their objectives were, but he was dying to find out.

“You can set those over here.” The man ahead of him instructed, pointing to where two poles were laying.

As they set up the tents, the man’s wife and youngest son began cooking.

 

…

 

The camp consisted of multiple tents in a circular formation with the nine wagons making a large half circle and shielding them from the road. Small cooking fires sprung up on the inside of the formation, and four guards dutifully patrolled the camp’s perimeter for wild animals or enemies, while the mage kept the fires burning.

By the time people started retiring for the night, with a belly full of meaty soup as thanks for his help, Kaidus made his way to the wagons.

Instead of climbing in and going to sleep, he walked past them.
Crossing the road, one of the patrols called out to him but with the excuse of needing to relieve himself, he was able to pass them and enter the woodlands on the opposite side.

By moonlight, he made his way deeper into the forest. After making sure that he was far enough from the camp, Kaidus stopped at a small clearing. Bathed in moonlight and visible to his surroundings, he took a moment to confirm the presence that was following him. “Come out. I know you’re there.” He called out.
… Nothing but silence.
“Would you mind telling me why you’ve been watching me?” He spoke cordially and listened, waiting for an answer. Once again, there was nothing but silence.
“I will not ask a third time. Show yourself.” He threatened.
Instead of a voice, the night answered him with a soft and chilling breeze.
“…” With no sign of progress, “Zion.” He commanded.

A gust of wind tore through the trees, stirring up leaves as if to kick up a storm.
Vanishing from his spot, Kaidus reappeared in the darkness behind a large tree an earshot from his initial position.

 

—

 

Hiding behind a large tree, a man silently watched and listened to his target from the shadows of the forest. Suddenly, something incomprehensible occurred before his very eyes.

One moment he was spying on a paranoid child yelling out into the darkness. The next, a storm was blowing through the area.
As he tried to shield himself from the sudden gust, the boy disappeared and before he knew it, a displeased face with two glowing eyes were staring at him from behind.
A strength unknown to him locked him in place and a dreadful chill had begun invading his body.

A servant of the Vatenger house for the past decade, he had prided himself on being able to seamlessly blend into any situation and being impossible to detect. Out of the three who had been dispatched for the job, he was the most masterful in the art of stealth and had been chosen to be their target’s shadow.

Their job was to simply observe the boy without being noticed and to report any suspicious behaviors to their lord.
After three turns of watching the seemingly ordinary boy going about his mundane life without noticing or being aware of them, he had mindlessly followed the boy into the woods to keep an eye on the child. By the time he realized his mistake, it was already too late.

“To have followed me from Ferrent, what are you and your companions after?”

A powerful voice wrapped itself around his body, threatening to strangle and rip him to shreds. The man opened his mouth, but quickly held his tongue.

“Speak, or I leave you here for the korgas and wolves.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He spoke with fear and surprise in his voice. “I heard voices a-and came to check if someone was in trouble.”

“Not the answer I’m looking for.”

Immediately ice began covering up his arms and legs, starting from his fingertips and feet. “Wh-what are you doi–!” ‘-ng to me?! Uaahhh!!!’ He screamed in his head, for his voice had suddenly stopped.
Shocked, the man kept trying to scream but his voice refused to come out. He tried to defend himself, but his arms refused to move as the ice was already up to his shoulders. He willed himself to run, but his legs were frozen stiff.
An agonizing sense of doom crept over him and he quickly understood the severity of his situation. Shaking his head incessantly to plea for his life, his face twisted with pain as he took unstable breaths.

“Who sent you?” The boy questioned.

*Hah… ha…* He breathed heavily, trying to come up with a plausible excuse. “I,” he spoke and heard his own voice, “I d-d-don’t know what you are ta-talking about…” At the pace it was going, he would freeze to death. “I-I swear… I’m just on my w-way to see f-f-family near L-lake Vanass.” He stuttered as his lips began stiffening.

“I feel like I’m being taken for a fool. Do not assume that I am ignorant of what has been shadowing me for the past three turns.” Two pitiless eyes glowed back at him. “What is it that lord Vatenger wants?” The boy questioned sternly.

“…” He could not answer but only shiver after hearing that the boy had known of their activities and their lord all along.

“… If you do not wish to speak, allow me to suggest something.” The boy stated, taking a step back as the thick layer of ice encasing his body began shattering. “I don’t care what your orders were, but here is what you and your companions are going to do. Tomorrow at dawn, all three of you will return to Ferrent. Go and tell your lord that as an apology for disciplining his son in his stead and out of respect for his noble decisions, I have permitted this intrusion on my life. I don’t know what he is after, but let him know that this has gone on long enough and it is past time we ended this bothersome business. As he can clearly see, I am neither a menace nor do I wish to flaunt my strength without provocation.”
In the darkness, a golden glint flashed in the boy’s glowing eyes and the boy’s hair also began to glow with streaks of silver. “But be warned. The next spies sent after me or my family will be returned in pieces. Provocation or not, I will not have my family living their lives under constant observation. To be scrutinized like prisoners.” The boy’s tone had suddenly changed and the chill of the night turned into a biting freeze once again.

“…” He could not find words to reply. As if tangible, a deathly aura, one the likes he had never felt before could almost be seen swirling around the young boy like a thick coat of death, ushering for its next prey.

“Did I make myself clear?”

“… Y-yes… Very.” He could do nothing but lower his head and comply. The dreadful feeling was not something he wished to encounter a second time.

Come morning, three of the caravan’s passengers decided to give up the journey, opting to return to Ferrent.

 

—

 

As night fell on the second day of the trip, the caravan made camp outside of a small guard outpost, similar to that of a proximity village.

As the world slumbered around him, Kaidus slipped out of the camp, slipping past two patrols and made his way into the woods. Unlike the previous night, with no one following him, an orb of light guided his path through the dark forest.
Once he was far enough, he reached into his rucksack and pulled out a gray cloak. Having donned the cloak, with a thought, he took to the skies and flew southward.

In the darkness, he continued until he came upon a dense forest. An orb of light once again manifested itself to illuminate his surroundings as he descended to the forest floor.

Closing his eyes, Kaidus dispersed a thin wave of mana outward, making sure there were no people or anything that could impede him nearby.

After confirming his situation, he reached into a hidden pocket on the inside of his undershirt and took out a small translucent shard, barely the size of his palm. He had kept its overflowing mana sealed to be used for his own purpose, and tonight was one such night. “Valathiirvanux.” The word of unbinding came out of his mouth, and the forest shook as the shard exploded with power once again. A soft mist-like fog began oozing out and the translucent shard solidified, reflecting his glowing eyes as he stared at it.

“Vishan.”

From one of the rings underneath his gloved hand, a different orb of pure white emerged. Expanding and stretching itself, the orb transformed into a figure of light before kneeling. “Master.”

“I am positive there is another one of these in Darsus. Find it.” He presented the shard that was overflowing with mana to the spirit. The mist began flowing toward Vishan like it was being sucked up and in moments, the overpowering aura from the shard vanished. “I will be heading east. Come back to me once you have found its location.”

“By Your Will, Master.” The entity obeyed, instantly vanishing in a flash of light.

“Masssterrr. I ssshould have gone.” A voice hissed, clearly dissatisfied at his decision.

“Vishan will be faster. If you wish to play, do it while we’re moving.” He replied, shooting out of the forest and back into the sky. It would be long nights of flight, and days of sleeping again.

Tal’hrus already knew his name and place of residence. To hope they forgot or wait and see what might happened was unthinkable. It was imperative he dealt with them before continuing his journey.

 

***

 

-Malpaars-

The armor stared back at him, ridiculing him for all his failures. Four times he had put it on, and four times he had felt unworthy of wearing it. To still call himself a knight after all his failures, it was quite laughable. Thinking about how they got to where they are, Biran could not help but laugh at himself, seeing how powerless he was.

When they first got ambushed, the other knights had sacrificed themselves to allow him to escape with the prince. It had been hunters who saved them from that forest, and the kindness of the citizens who helped them get to his father in Port Vetias. 
He had failed to help defend the ship from pirates, and could do nothing while those around him were slaughtered. It was not he who protected the prince, but the people around him. To have been given a set of armor and sword all because he could fight, he was ashamed of himself.

“Biran. Are you going again today?” A young boy’s voice questioned from the doorway.

“Yes. Forgive me for leaving your side again.”

“It’s okay. They need your help more than I do.”

“Thank you… Will you be alright alone?”

“I won’t be alone. I’m staying with Eshi and Vil until you come back. We’re going to fish again today.” The boy replied cheerfully.

“I see… Be careful.”

“You too.” The boy replied, leaving him to his shame.

Children were amazing.
Before he knew it, the prince had already acclimatized himself to their new life. The boy had grown energetic and gotten along quite well with many of the kids his age. The idea of continuing their lives as refugees in Vilute had crossed his mind whenever he saw the boy so happy, but such actions would be a betrayal to everyone they lost in their path. Their place was not in Malpaars, but Unotus.

He on the other hand, had made very few connections with those around him. The thoughts of returning to Unotus were always there, telling him to go back.
He had asked around and learned which roads and directions would lead where, but they had neither the resources nor strength to make a safe journey back home to Karathas.

His life was dull and unfulfilled, working for a cause he knew nothing about. He was free to leave, but there was nowhere to go, and his honor would not allow him to leave without paying his debts.

Picking up the breastplate, he began equipping what he could.
He had obtained the armor while on a gathering expedition two turns ago. Having assisted the guards in taking down a small team of slavers that attacked his group, he had caught the eyes of one of the knights and was awarded the crude set of armor—taken from the slavers. Ever since then, instead of helping gather or transport provisions, he had been reassigned as a guard to help those who were venturing out of the city for food or trade.

 

…

 

A large group of people were already standing in front of the city’s gates as the final preparations were being made, and people were in the midst of talking about what to expect for the upcoming expedition.

“Biran.” The knight in charge of their group saw and called him as he joined them. “The Princess has returned and wishes to speak with you. Please head over to the barrack.”

With a puzzled glance but not questioning the order, Biran quickly nodded and stepped away from the team. Turning around toward the city’s center, he made his way to the large building that the knights were occupying.

The barrack as they called it, was more of a fortress.
Built as a circular structure in the middle of the city with the capacity to house over two hundred people, it was four stories tall and made of stone reinforced by magic. Three tall towers stood on the inside of the structure and acted as watchtowers that overlooked the entire visible zone within the protective barrier of the fog. Being circular in structure, the inside of the building was open and had a large courtyard.

“I heard Princess Vernera wants to talk to me?” Biran asked a knight that was standing guard.

“She is waiting in the war room. I shall escort you.” A female voice replied, and the woman began walking away.

The war room was a simple room within the Barrack. No decorations adorned the walls, nor was there coloration in the room. It was nothing more than a couple of chairs around a large table with a map in the middle. As he walked in, the princess and two other knights were already sitting and waiting for him.

“You wish to speak with me?” Biran questioned, not sitting down.

“Yes. Please sit down.” Princess Vernera politely motioned for him to do so. “I have seen you going with the hunting groups a few times, but I’ve never had the chance to talk to you. For that, I apologize.”

“There is no reason to apologize. You need not make time for one such as myself.” He promptly took a seat, unsure about the royal customs of Unotus.

“Biran Newfeld was it? If I’m not mistaken, you joined us eight turns ago with your son.”

“You are not mistaken. We are forever in your debt.” He replied cordially.

“I see.” The Princess’ mouth curved into a soft smile. “Komor here has told me many things about you. He says you are a very capable fighter.”

“He overestimates me. I am but barely competent.”

“Being able to hold your own against a knight is not an overestimation.” The man named Komor interjected.
It was also the knight, Komor, who allocated the armor and sword to him in the first place. He had also had the pleasure of dueling the man multiple times over the past two turns.

“Komor says you have a very refined fighting style. Can you tell me who you are and where you’re from?”

“I am very sorry, but I can’t. Having given my name is already enough of a detriment to myself.”

“… Then I will ask no further on the subject.”

“Thank you for understanding.” Biran replied, lowering his head in gratitude.

The princess took a long moment to stare at him. “I know you must be curious about why I wished to speak with you.”

“I am.”

“Well the truth is, I would like for you to join us. Malpaar’s liberation army. I know it is sudden, but I would very much appreciate it if you could lend us your strength.” Princess Vernera lowered her head.

“I hate to be an ungrateful man after saying that I am in your debt, but I cannot join your cause.” Biran replied, not looking the princes in the eyes. “There is something I must do at all cost.”

“Biran–” The man named Komor stood up but was quickly stopped.

“… I understand. It was selfish to have pushed it on you like that.” Princess Vernera calmly replied.

“Thank you.”

“By the way. How are you and your son faring in Vilute?”

“We are doing fine. There is nothing we want for. Thank you for allowing us to take refuge.”

“Is that so? I’m glad to hear that. I’m sorry for taking so much of your time, but before I let you go, there is one last thing I wish to discuss with you.” The Princess’ face changed into a hardened and more political one. “You see… I’ve ran into some very strange rumors lately. Something about a kidnapping from Unotus.”

He could feel his body stiffening. “Kidnapping?” Biran replied, self-conscious of his change in composure.

“Yes. Word has it, that a knight mercilessly slaughtered his brethren while they slept and kidnapped the youngest son of the Vatius Empire.” Biran’s face began to pale.
“The rumors also stated that he might have fled with the prince to Malpaars.” Upon finishing her statement, the Princess’ two knights stood up.

“LIES!” Biran shouted, hearing the fabrications and seeing their suspicions.

“Why should I believe you? Biran Naingart?” The beautiful and sympathetic Princess was gone. In front of him, sat a proud and dignified Queen ready to pass judgement.

With no other options, he began explaining his situation in the hopes that they would understand his plight.
Starting from the attack by the group of cutthroats and the unknown mage. To being on the run from various people, all the way to how they were captured by pirates, then sold to the slavers.
The truth was the only thing he had that could save him, but it was all up to them if they believed him or not.

A smile appeared on the Princess’ face after he finished. “Thank you.”

“Ha…” He tried to calmly sit back down on his chair, but his heart was beating sporadically. He had entertained the thought of fighting, but there was no way he could have fought all three knights in the room along with the princess, who was a mage. “Now that you know the truth… what do you plan to do with us?”

“Nothing. In fact, I wish to offer you a deal and my assistance.”

While waiting for all the guests to arrive, he occupied himself in the Varath Library.

“I figured you’d be here.”

Looking in the direction of the door, Larant was already moving toward him. “Sorry, just kind of made myself at home.” Kaidus gave a wry smile. “You just got back?”

“A little while ago. Had to freshen up first.” Larant moved to the center of the room, joining him in one of the four seats. “Tell me. What in the world were you thinking?”

“About?”

“Ripping off a man’s arm, obviously. The whole academy is talking about it. There are even rumors that the issue will be brought to the king.”

“Ah… well, he was asking for it. I merely complied with his wishes.” Kaidus answered indifferently, returning his focus back to his book.

“No one simply asks for their arm to be torn off, Kaidus. Do you even know who it was that you attacked?” Larant replied with an anxious look.

“I do not.”

“That was Ralfus Vatenger, the youngest son of the Vatenger House. His grandmother was a member of the royal family. Their house still has very close relations with the royal court.”

“That explains a lot.”

“I’m being serious here.”

“So am I. I know it is a little extreme, but you would think that coming from such a distinguished family, he would know the importance of holding himself with dignity.” He quickly reasoned, staring back at Larant. “Tell me. Did you hear why I did it?”

“Something about vicious and false denigrations toward your mother?”

“What would have been my fate if I were the one voicing such a statement to him and not the other way around?”

“… Maybe your tongue, possibly a public display of discipline…” Larant hesitantly answered.

“And if it had been toward the king or a royal family member?”

“Death is a possibility…”

“And why is that?”

“… You know why…”

“Then I suggest that you don’t insult my intelligence by asking such rhetorical questions.”

“Yea, but while that may be the case in serious offences, wasn’t this done in friendly provocation?”

“Does the words ‘She must’ve seduced a wealthy lord. You commoners are all the same, spreading your legs to get further ahead’ and ‘Maybe next ryes I can borrow her’ sound like a friendly provocation to you?’ If so, by all means, please enlighten me about the inner ward’s humor and sense of friendliness.” 

“I… I didn’t know…”

“Of course you didn’t.” Without looking at Larant, he turned back to his book.

“…” After a moment of silent deliberation, “Have you already consider the consequences? What are you going to do? What about your family? You must know that the Vatenger house will not let this go.”

“I’ve already discussed it with my father. He wasn’t too thrilled, but what’s done is done. I will accept and bear all responsibilities.”

“Hah…” Larant made a show of his sigh and stood up. “If you say so. Clearly, you’re not worried about your own situation. Makes me feel stupid to be the only one. I’m heading back downstairs, you coming?”

“I’ll be down in a bit.”
His outward appearance was calm, but his mind was conflicted.

Without thinking twice about the consequences, he had taken a nobleman’s arm as payment for besmirching Adalina’s virtue.
He wanted to take the tongue that had spouted such defamatory statements, but being a mage, the man would need his vulgar tongue for magic.
He thought about taking both legs, but the fool would burden others if he could not walk.
Thinking back on it, an arm still felt too little for such an offence.
It did not trouble him whether they insulted him or ridiculed him, but to involve his mother and drag her reputation through the dirt because of her status, it was a very different matter.

There will definitely be repercussions as Larant had stated, but what kind, he could only imagine.
The silver lining in everything was that there were also plenty of witnesses who heard the insults and could testify on his behalf.
If they wanted to charge him for any sort of crime, he was ready to defend his actions. Whether it be verbally, or if it came to it, through force.

After Larant left the library, he set his book down and took out something from his pocket. It was the seed he had received from Zeeke.
The strange seed had hardened and changed into a smooth metallic object by the time he got back to the Varath manor. Although metallic in appearance and texture, the item was warm to the touch and brimming with mana.

Curious to see if he could use the seed by fusing his own mana with it, he had poured mana into it on the way back, only to have his strength rapidly sucked up.
Twice he had attempted afterwards, but both results were very much the same, with the exception of the third time where the seed began to glow dimly before returning back to normal.
He had no idea as to why his mana simply vanished after being absorbed, or why it glowed. Even his spirits had no answer.

Recalling his relationship with Zeeke, it had been one of him giving and the spirit taking. To have received something in return was quite the surprise even if he had no clue why it was given to him in the first place, or how to use it.

Putting the seed back in his pocket, he got up to put away the book and vacated the library.

 

…

 

As if to contradict Troyle’s worries, the celebration progressed without a hitch.
Wearing one of Larant’s old outfit of black and blue, with his hair combed and slicked back, he seamlessly blended in with those around him.

The guests were all acquaintances of Lord Varath and included both commoners and those of the nobility.
Young children ran amok as the adults conversed and engaged in forming relations with the hopes of mutually benefiting each other through trade or favors. Business partners and merchants from out of Ferrent were also in attendance.

None paid any attention to him or his sister as they situated themselves by the wall of the dining hall.

“… and then Lance cried, and mommy almost dropped all of it.” Anise giggled.

“Really?” He chuckled.
His sister was regaling him about something that happened earlier that day while they were out shopping.

“Uh huh. I had to help carry some of it back.” She replied proudly as she grabbed a piece of fried treat and nibbled on it blissfully.

As they stood there, tidbits of gossip seeped into his ears from the various conversations happening in the hall.
Something about the royal ward and an assassination attempt that had been hushed, a lord’s frustration at having lost a cache of ores because of bandits, the latest fashion trend of the upper class and the royal court, and triumphant business transactions.

Observing the crowd, he spotted Larant mingling with a few of the more notable lords in place of his father. Jillian was also in the hall talking with a group of young ladies, and beside her was a familiar girl with long brown hair.
Taking another gander around the room, he quickly picked out lord Huin and lady Kellian amongst the guests, sitting together at one of the tables.

With Troyle managing security and Adalina putting Lance to sleep in one of the guest rooms, their parents were nowhere to be seen.

“I think you’ve had enough, Anise.” He told his sister as she reached for another treat.

“But I’ve only had six.” She countered, taking another.

“Only six huh?” He smiled and relented.

“Kai. Did you get Sylvie something?” Anise enquired curiously.

“I didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because then I’d have to get you something too.” He grinned.

“No fair.” She pouted, puffing out her cheeks.

“Hahahaha. Come on, let’s go find a place to sit down before it starts.”

Eventually, the hall went quiet and Sylvia entered alongside her parents, signaling the beginning of the festivities.

 

***

 

A man rushed through the dimly lit palace of the 13^th ward. He was old and graying, but his pace and the strength of his strides showed purpose.
Livid and filled with vengeance, the man attempted to storm into the King’s chamber against his better judgement.

“Your majesty!” The man shouted, not caring about proper procedures as guards quickly stopped him. “Your majesty, please!!”

King Sarjace opened the door and glared at the man. “Lurus, what are you doing here? Can’t you tell that this is neither the time nor place to be shouting for an audience?”

“I know it is late, but please, I must have words!” The man shouted, quickly kneeling.

“Must it be now?” The king replied with a weary tone.

“It must! If not, I fear I may end up doing something unthinkable.”

The king stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Three guards stepped in between them. “Speak then. It is cold and I wish to return to bed as soon as possible.”

“Your majesty.” The man lowered his head. “It is my youngest son, Sire. Someone savagely attacked him and took his arm. Those dogs at the academy would not tell me who did it when they brought him back, but my boy claims it was done by a commoner. I beg you–”

“Who? Who did it?”

“A commoner boy by the name Kaidus, your majesty. If I am not mistaken, he is also the recent champion from this year’s arms competition. I beg you, please amend this injustice or I will be forced to take matters into my own hands.” The man pleaded with his head to the floor.

The king’s face distorted into one of wakefulness. “Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

“… Go home Lurus. Speak no further of this, and try not to do anything stupid.” King Sarjace calmly replied.

“But sire! How can I just–”

“Lurus. Go home and see that you find out the truth from your son before you make any irrational decisions. I will have no hand in this.”

“The truth? What truth?! My son has been mutilated!” The man angrily shouted back.

“We are done here. Guards, escort Lord Vatenger to–”

“You can’t be serious! Your majesty, please!”

“If you have any complaints, see me after you’ve found out the truth. I’m sick of ruling on your behalf because of your children. Guards, get him out of here.” The king ordered before retreating back into the room. 

 

***

 

As the days passed, the issue at the academy simply disappeared as if nothing ever happened. No trial, no summon from the king, no request for an apology, nothing.

What did sprout from the incident, was something very peculiar.
Wherever he went, there were always eyes focused on him. Unknown faces that flickered in and out of the crowd, shadows from the side of buildings, and vague presences that watched him everywhere he went in Ferrent.

Though it was intrusive, after thinking about the lack of actions against him, he decided to put it out of his mind. As long as they didn’t make a move on him or his family, he had no reason to do anything.

As the day of his departure approached, each day was spent in the company of his family.
And like every year prior, his birthday was celebrated at home with just the five of them in their modest house within the 3^rd ward.

 

—

 

Kaidus’ eyes jerked open and he quietly got out of bed.
In an instant, it was already Fulta and the fated day was upon him. 

Beside his bed was a rucksack containing two sets of clothes, some paper along with writing utensils, a water skin, a knife, an extra pair of leather traveling boots, and his crude map of Malpaars. All packed the night before.
The two swords he received on his 9^th birthday were not among them, and were instead leaning against his night table.

He quickly dressed and grabbed the pack before heading out of his room.
“Anise?” The young girl was standing outside of his door with a lonely expression.

“Kai. Do you have to go?”

He knelt down to eye level with her. “I have to. I need you to stay strong alright? Keep Hasen with you at all times.” He told her.

“Uhn…”

“Protect them for me Hasen.” He told the spirit.

‘By your will… Master… I shall await… your return…’ A raspy voice echoed back in his mind.

“Thank you.”

“Kai…” She embraced him, trying to hold back her tears.

“I’ve kept my promise. Now you need to keep yours.”

“Kay…”

He placed his hand on her head and stroked her hair. “I won’t be gone long. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“… You always say that…”

“That’s because it’s true. Come on. Let’s go downstairs.”

 

…

 

A pudgy Lance was looking around curiously as Adalina him fed pieces of food she had chewed up. The boy had already teethed, and Adalina was trying to ween him.

While Lance was greedily swallowing whatever Adalina put in his mouth, Anise quietly and sullenly ate her food.

“… Steer clear of any dangerous individuals you hear? Even if you are a mage, you don’t know what they are thinking or might do. Don’t follow others without reason, try not to–”

“I got it father. You’ve told me twice already.”

“Really? Well, like they say. Once to know. Twice to see. Thrice to remember. At least now, you’ll recall my words if something happens. Oh, and watch out for–”

“Troyle.” Adalina interrupted. “Let him eat. You can give him all the advice you want after.”

Afterwards, breakfast went by as usual.
His parents had already accepted that he was going to leave, and neither attempted to persuade him otherwise.

 

…

 

In the living room.
As he was going over his items one last time before leaving the house, Troyle came down from the stairs and walked toward him.

“Not bringing your swords?”

“I thought about it, but decided not to. Don’t think I’ll need them.”

“A swordsman without a sword? No. We can’t have that. Here.” Without another word, Troyle handed him an elongated bundle.

“Father?”

“Take it. I had it sharpened two days ago.”

Taking the bundle off Troyle’s hand, he unfolded it.
Underneath was a beautiful silver blade. The sword was long, but it was not a longsword. It was slim, but not fragile. Forged specifically for the Formless Blade Style, it had no guards, only a little curvature in its design. It was sleek and graceful, and he had known it for most of his life.
“This… this is your sword…” He held the weapon sideways in his hand, unwilling to pick it up.

“It’s yours now. Take care of it.” Troyle replied.

“But father-”

“You’re going to need a weapon if you are thinking about traveling. I don’t care if you are a mage or have a spirit at your side. Take it and protect yourself.” Troyle reach out and brushed the side of the sword. “Do you remember when I had it forged?”

“… Eleven years ago. I remember, because it was exactly four turns before the annual arms competition that year.”
He could still vividly remember seeing the sword for the first time and thinking to himself about how beautiful it looked. It was also the only year that Troyle had participated in the Arms Competition.

“That’s right. Go ahead, pick it up and see how it feels.”

“I can’t. If I take this, what about you?”

“I’ve already ordered another sword to replace that one so don’t worry.” Troyle smiled.

“Kaidus, please take it. Don’t worry about your father. He will be fine.” Adalina who had been silently watching pleaded.

He hesitantly grabbed the sword and held it in front of him. The sword was quite light, and comparing it to his steel swords, it was about the same weight even though the blade itself was the length of one of his smaller swords.
As he fell into blade form with it to test his control, the sword began to flicker with a green light from catching the sunlight coming through the window. It was something he had seen many years ago while Troyle was fighting in the ring.

“That light is because of the xeberite.” Troyle spoke, seeing his surprise. “The sword was forged from rare minerals found in petrified xeralbas trees. It is stronger and lighter than traditional metal, but very costly. How does it feel?”

“Almost perfect…” He made a weak smile, unable to confess that it felt like it was made for him.

“Here. This is also yours.” Troyle took something else out of his pocket.

Looking at it, he could see that it was a dark piece of metal with something engraved onto it.
Taking a closer look, the engravings were that of a hat.
“Mine?” He questioned, confused at his father’s words.

“Yes. The league of the Feathered Hats. I’m sure you’ve heard of them from the Captain. This was a gift of gratitude for saving one of their leaders. It was through connections made by using this token that I was able to procure the rare xeberite ores, used in forging that sword.”

“…” He was speechless.
He had heard a lot about the league of the Feathered Hats during his stay with the mercenaries and knew what they were capable of. He knew that with the token, roads that would previously be closed to him could be pried open.

“From the day I commissioned it, that sword has always been yours. Along with this token.”

Without hesitation, he accepted the obsidian token from Troyle.

“Now then. What about money? Do you have enough?” His father questioned as he was putting the gift away.

“I’ll be fine. If I need more, I’ll find some way to work for it.”
Also inside his rucksack, was a small pouch containing eight hundred and thirty-seven erns. It wasn’t nearly enough to sustain anyone for two to three years, but if he used it sparingly and sold the animals he hunted or plants he gathered, he could make do. There were also plenty of people who would pay handsomely for the services of a mage.

 

…

 

With a new sword and everything accounted for, the family was outside the house, giving their last goodbyes. A carriage was ready to take him to the 1st ward gates where a caravan heading west was waiting.

His plan was to go as far as he needed to with the caravan before heading off on his own, as there was still unfinished business in Darsus.

“Kai. Come back okay?” Anise spoke, trying her best to see him off with a smile.

“I will.” He knelt and kissed her forehead. “Remember what I told you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good.” He got up and stepped over to Adalina. “Mother. Than-”

Having already given Lance to Troyle, Adalina embraced him. “We’ll be here, so please be safe and come back.”

“I will. Thank you for everything.”

She released the embrace and looked at him. “Are you sure you don’t want to say goodbye to the others in the market? Mr. Genum and Mr. Larson are going to be sad not seeing you again for such a long time.”

“It’ll be fine. I’ve troubled them enough as it is.”

“Have you already told Larant where you’re going? Did you see if anyone wanted to come with you?”

“No, but I’ll be fine by myself. Please don’t worry.”

“Kaidus,” Troyle spoke, moving over to them. “When you get to Port Aristolk, head to the One-eyed Ducas Inn. I’ve made preparations and there’s something I want you to pick up before your voyage.”

“Preparation? What kind of preparation?” He questioned.

“You’ll find out when you get there.” Troyle replied, staring at him stoically.

“Understood, sir.” He grinned.

“S-Sir?” Troyle’s façade shattered.

“You were being so serious that I couldn’t help it.”

“Gah… Get on with it, you brat. Go and don’t come back until you’re done with whatever it is you are after. Don’t worry about us.”

“Got it. You be a good boy alright Lance?” He grinned, pinching his brother’s cheek before picking up his bag. “I’ll write when I get to Malpaars and see if I can find someone to get it back here.”

“We’ll be waiting.” Troyle answered him with a smile.

With heavy steps, he began moving toward the carriage.

“Kai!” Anise cried out.

He stopped and turned around. His sister looked as if she was about to cry. With a big smile on his face, “Don’t worry. I’ll bring you something good when I come back.”

A smile crept onto Anise’s face, and she ran over to him, giving him one last hug before letting him go.

A cloudy and chilly morning with nary any sunlight.
In the thick fog, a coach was moving through the 11^th ward streets and making its way toward the center of the ward.

Although a familiar event had just occurred not too long ago, the whole Paltos family was returning to the Varath residence where another celebration was to be held.

“Good morning.” Two guards greeted them as they arrived at their destination.

“Morning Hal. Morning Ruvis.” Troyle cordially replied, helping his wife and daughter out of the carriage. “How many guards?” He inquired, turning around to face the two.

“The ones we called from the outskirts arrived last night. Twenty-two altogether.”

“Perfect. Let’s hope it doesn’t get out of hand this time.” Troyle grinned.

“Hahaha. Don’t count on it. Nobles and wine don’t mix very well.”

“Father,” Kaidus called out from the carriage, cutting into their morning chatter. “I’m heading off. I will be back around noon.”

“Alright. Just make sure you don’t miss the celebration.” Troyle replied, giving his son a curt nod.

“I won’t.” Turning from his family, “To the academy please.” He instructed, and the coach began moving again.

“Bye Kai!” Anise cheerfully shouted, waving her brother off.

 

—

 

Alone in the carriage, he was headed elsewhere.

In his possession was a letter from Zorin Academy’s headmaster Nylen Gvius Das Jozion. It was delivered by one of the old man’s assistant a couple of days prior, stating that they needed to discuss something important.

Not far from the Varath residence, the silver ring in his pocket began glowing and exuding a weak mana signature.
With a thought, he poured mana into the ring and the glow vanished. “Yes?”

“Hehehe. Sylvie asked about you.” Anise’s voice whispered.

“Is that so?” He smiled, hearing the cheerful girl.

“Kai. Are you going to give Sylvie something?” She questioned.

“Hmm… I don’t know. What do you think? Should I?”

“Uh-huh! And something for me too!”

“You too? But it’s not yet your birthday.”

“But you’re leaving before that…” A soft and sullen voice argued back.

“How about the ring? I just gave you that.”

“No. That’s fo– Uh-oh, momma is calling me.” She lowered her voice.

“Then I’ll see you later. Go and stay with mother and Lance.” 

“Kay. Bye Kai, I love you.” A giggle came through as the ring went silent.

He chuckled.
Ever since he gave Anise the ring, her mood had brightened up exponentially. She had also forgiven him for planning to leave, under the condition that she could contact him whenever she missed him.
Without a choice he accepted, but told her to keep the ring a secret.

By infusing his mana and the magical residue from the mirror shard into two identical rings, then binding them together as one with a powerful sealing spell, he was able to recreate the communication rings used by Tal’hrus.

The moment his eyes fell upon the reflective shard and felt its magical power, he already had an idea of what it was.
Nyzacus Mirrors as they were called, were ancient artifacts created by powerful mages and spirits before the two worlds separated, or so the legends said. The mirrors were known to be able to bend time and space, and worked in pairs as portals for mages to travel the vast world instantaneously. Though they were merely magical objects, the mirrors were also known to have wills of their own and could be bound by those of great power.

During his war, the only mirrors left in existence belonged to the now: Unotus, Darsus, and Rovtoss region. For one of them to have survived all this time, it was incredible.

He had spent a large amount of time over the past few years trying to breach the shard’s protective enchantment, but all his attempts had ended in failure. The only other way to reveal its secrets, was to kill whoever it was bound to.
Though that was the case, and he was unable to enter the shard like Zavon claimed, he was able to extract its essences for his own purpose.

Thoughts about making another two sets of rings were there, but his parents were neither mages nor had one of his spirits with them. Knowing Vishan, Zion, and Feziel, if he were to leave any of them behind, the three spirits would undoubtedly cause problems if given any excuse to do so.

It was best to leave everything to Hasen, and let the faithful spirit continue protecting his family from the shadows.

“We have arrived, young master.” A man’s voice called out to him as the horse drawn carriage came to a stop.

Getting off the carriage, he stood in front of a familiar gate. “Would you mind waiting? I won’t be gone long.”

“Understood. I shall await your return then.” The driver replied and moved the carriage to the side of the paved road.

Walking up to Zorin’s gates, he infused mana into the letter from the headmaster. The paper began glowing with a blue light before dissolving as a familiar sensation and a symbol appeared on the back of his right hand.
With the enchantment of passage, he pushed open the gates and entered.

Unlike his first time there, the Gate seer Zeeke sprang toward him.
Metal rods suddenly erupted from the ground and a soft breeze swirled about his vicinity.

“GRRRR!!” The nature spirit hastily jumped backward and growled, transforming itself into a large cat with long flowing steel-grass manes, a body of dark green Iron bark, and three long tails of razor vines. It snarled and lowered its body, prepared for battle.

“Stop!” Kaidus shouted, halting all three spirits. “You too Vishan. Any actions without my consent, and none of you will be leaving your rings again unless I expressly permit it.” He warned the three spirits.

The metal rods and swelling wind instantly vanished, along with any signs of confrontation.

“GRRRAR!” The nature spirit snarled and observed him cautiously.

“You too Zeeke, please.”
The large cat watched him warily before reverting back to its smaller slender feline form. After staring at each other for the span of ten breaths, the spirit made small cautious movements over to him once more.
“How are you doing Zeeke?”

“Rarr!! Gararrrr Raararrrrar!!!” It made the usual noises and started sniffing him.

“Sorry. I did not bring anything for you today.” Upon his apology, the beast gave an inquisitive frown and Kaidus smiled at the disappointed look. “How about I buy you something from the shops when I’m done here?”

“RRRRRar!” It voiced happily as it sat up straight.

“I’ll see you later then.” Having greeted the spirit, he continued toward his destination.

The school year had already begun, and he could see students coming from the eastern facilities. Being midmorning, the first class had probably just finished.

As he made his way toward the northern grounds, four students spotted him and began walking in his direction. One watched him curiously while the other three were smirking.

“Who are you, and what are you doing in Zorin?” One of them queried.

“I have to ask. Which house are you from, and did your parents have to sell all their assets to send you here?” Another young man not yet in the 20’s sneered as if such questions were normal.

“Forgive me. I have urgent business with the headmaster.”
Without paying attention to the provocation, Kaidus kept walking past the four.
It was understandable. He was wearing commoner clothing and the students probably enrolled after he withdrew from the school.

“Now now my lord, how about we–”

“Sorry to bother you.” A different voice interrupted.
Turning to the side, the young man who was inspecting him earlier held onto the other’s mouth.

“What the heck, Croeld.”

“I apologize. Sorry for my friend’s rude behavior. Please excuse us.” The young man gave an apologetic bow and stopped his friends.

“Don’t worry about it.” Kaidus replied, walking away from the four boys.

 

—

 

“Hmm… this one… and this… A Strusaend… Ah, that’s right.”
Headmaster Nylen recalled a prodigious young man years ago who was the first chair of the Academy’s Small Council. “She’ll be fine.” He smiled, looking at the profile of a young woman of the same family name. With a quick incantation, his mana flowed into the paper along with two others, marking them as candidates for the Council.

“Headmaster. Someone’s here to see you.” A voice called through the door.

“Huh? Who is it?”

“A young boy. Said his name is Kaidus. Should I tell him to wait?”

Nylen looked up from the papers in front of him. “Bring him at once.” He ordered.

Not long after, a young man came through the door into his room.
The young boy from their first encounter all those years ago had nearly doubled in size. A single glance at the unassuming young man, and his marble arm quivered under his robe as if remembering the fear the child had induced.  

“Headmaster.” The boy gave a respectful bow.

“Thank you for coming to see me. Please,” Nylen calmly gestured to one of the chairs across from him. “How have you been these past few years?” He questioned as the boy sat down.

“Enough of the pleasantries, headmaster. Your letter sounded quite ominous. Mind elaborating?”

He sighed. He regretted ever testing the boy so crudely all those years ago. “Ahem. Then I’ll get straight to the point: Tal’hrus, the organization that attempted to recruit you has returned to Darsus. Do you know what that means?” He scrutinized the young man, making sure not to miss anything that might answer the nagging feelings of doubts in him.

“What do you mean by returned? Did they leave?”

‘Hm…’ He could not discern anything from the boy’s answer. The reply sounded honest enough and even had a hint of surprise.
“Ah, that’s right. That information was never made public,” he calmly replied as if mistaken. “It was shortly before you left the academy that we started getting words of Tal’hrus agents fleeing Darsus. From what we gathered, something or someone had destroyed their base. The scene looked like a large scale battle had taken place, and to this day, the guild still has no idea who or what did it.” He explained, notifying the young man of the past events. He had emphasized ‘someone’ to see if he could get any reaction out of the boy, but there was not so much as the raising of an eyebrow. “It was only recently that we got words of Tal’hrus’ return. Since then, they have gone right back to doing whatever they were doing with even greater fervor. Within the short time of their resurgence, this new group has already devastated two small villages and taken the lives of over a hundred victims.”

“Over a hundred…” The young boy silently muttered.

“The Mystiks guild have been doing all they can, but they’re already stretched thin as things are.”

“… Headmaster. Did you call for me because you believe I will be targeted since they approached me before?”

“Yes. I figure you should know about it, seeing how it concerns both you and your family.”

“I thank you for your consideration, but couldn’t you have written everything in the letter? Was there really a need for me to come to the academy?” The boy stared back with an intrusive and sharp gaze.

“I wanted to talk to you and see if you’ve noticed anything suspicious lately. That, and to ask something of you.” Nylen quickly explained.

“Nothing that I know of. Everything is rather uneventful actually. Just the way I like it.” The boy gave a curt reply.

Looking at the young man, his assumption that the boy might have been the cause of Tal’hrus’ dispersion was beginning to collapse. “Hmmm… I see…” He took a moment to sort through his thoughts. “I also wanted to ask. Would you like to return to Zorin? Or maybe reconsider joining the Mystiks guild? They can certainly use you.” He spoke with a solemn voice and stared into the boy’s eyes.

“No.”

A swift answer and exactly what he had expected. “I see… It was worth a try.” He gave a defeated smile.
The boy would be a powerful asset, but it seems his mind was already made up.

“Headmaster. If that is all, I have an appointment to keep.”

“Yes, of course. Sorry for making you come all the way here for such a pointless thing.”

“Then I will take my leave.” The boy stood up.

“Oh, wait Kaidus. Remember what I told you? Tal’hrus will go for your family if they cannot get to you. Remember that. It’s how they control their targets. It may be just unwarranted fear since our latest reports stated Tal’hrus were moving towards Eastern Darsus, but be on your guard even inside the walls of Ferrent.” He quickly added.

“Thank you for the warning headmaster. I will be careful.” The boy bowed and left the room.

“Hmmm…” He still wasn’t sure about what to think.
Judging by the boy’s words or lack of words and reactions, the only thing that stuck out was that the boy was too calm.

There was never any need to call the boy there to the academy. His reason for doing so was to see the boy’s reaction to the news, and to give away hints about the threat.
If his instincts were correct and the young man was the one who had disrupted Tal’hrus, then leaking the information about their general location would bring about a similar result.

His thoughts kept cycling back to the time between the boy’s first contact with Tal’hrus and the organization’s extermination. The timeframe was too close together and too much of a coincidence.

Having waited until he was sure the boy left the building, he rang a bell on his table and an assistant quickly arrived. Nylen took out an already sealed letter from under his desk. “Bring this to the Mystiks Guild.”

The seeds have been sown. All that that was left, was to see if they bear fruit.

 

—

The headmaster definitely had an ulterior motive and he knew it.
The way the old man was studying him, watching him carefully ever since he entered the room. The way the old man notified him of Tal’hrus’ deeds and nonchalantly pointed out their general location. Even throwing in a casual invitation back to the academy and the Mystiks Guild to distract him.

It couldn’t have been any more obvious. ‘Really do have to watch myself around him.’ Kaidus chuckled as he thought about it.

Although the meeting was mostly a sham, it wasn’t completely pointless.
He was not surprised to learn that Tal’hrus had actually fled after his encounter with them, seeing the inactivity around him and his family. What he was surprised about, was finding out that they had returned and were causing havoc again.

A part of him burned with anger, having heard what happened to the countless helpless people. It was something he would have to take care of. Eventually.

 

…

 

Remembering his promise to Zeeke, he made his way toward the western grounds where the student shops were located.

“Ciscut leaves? Uncooked?” A male Gveril student working the shop looked at him with confusion.

“Yes please. Four kuis worth if you may.”

“I… I can give you the cuttings if you want. They’ll be thrown out but they’re still good. Free of charge of course.” The student gave him a look filled with compassion. 

He couldn’t help but graciously accept. Seeing how he looked with his plain clothes and asking for raw leaves, the student probably thought him to be too poor to afford lunch.
With a small handful of ciscut cuttings, he made his way to the southern gate where Zeeke and his ride were waiting. 

Three familiar young men saw him and began running over to him. The one who stopped them earlier was not with them. ““Hey! Kaidus!”” They shouted his name.

Those who heard turned to look in their direction. “Him?” “You can’t be serious. That plain kid?” “But it fits. Don’t you think?” Whispers were already going around.

“May I ask how you know my name?” He questioned curiously.

“So you really are him. Hmm… Not what I was expecting.”

“If you’ve no business with me, please excuse me.”

“Ah, wait.” Another of the young man quickly blocked him. “We’ve heard a lot about you. How you were a former student and a talented one at that. Would you entertain us with a couple of matches?” The young man quickly replied.

“My apologies, but I do not have time for this.” Kaidus stepped aside and began walking away.

“There’s a rumor that you couldn’t handle your classes so you left during your second year. That you were nothing but a fake who spread the rumors about being in the advance classes yourself.” Another of three shouted.

Kaidus stopped and turned to look at them.

“Croeld may be scared of you but now that I think about it, what’s there to be afraid of?”

“Certainly. There is nothing to be afraid of. It is as you said.” He replied with a smile then turned back and began walking again.

“I told you guys. Croeld was obviously mistaken. Coward even admitted it himself.” One of them sneered. “I wonder how you even got into Zorin. Ah wait, I know. It must’ve been your mother, huh? She must’ve seduced a wealthy lord. You commoners are all the same, spreading your legs to get further ahead. Maybe next ryes I can borrow her?”
The young man started laughing.

In the blink of an eye, the student was on the ground. The back of the young man’s head was buried in the dirt, and Kaidus knelt upon his chest, his right hand firmly grasping onto the student’s face.

“Say whatever you want about me, but you are sorely mistaken if you think I will allow such a comment to slide.” His casual and unassuming tone had vanished, replaced by a commanding and unforgiving one.
The woman who raised him with love and care. She who had accepted him while the world shunned her for doing so. His mother was being slandered, and her honor tainted. It was inexcusable.
He tightened his grip.
“AHHHHHH!!!!” The student under him screamed out and those around them started shouting but he didn’t care. The boy’s two friends quickly ran in to help, but they were instantly swallowed by the earth up to their chest. “Wealth and status have made you ignorant and proud. Allow me to teach you some manners.” With a thought, the boy’s right arm began twisting until it ripped right off the boy’s shoulder and blood began gushing out.

“GUYAAAAH!!! M-MY ARM!” The young man screamed.

Immediately, the wound closed and the bleeding stopped. “Your arm is a small price to pay for your offence. Be grateful.” He angrily spat out the words as he got up. Looking around, a wall of students had already encircled them.

“Move! What is going on here?!” A man’s voice came through and one of the masters broke into the circle. “What in the world?!!!” The master gasped, seeing the screaming student, the blood and severed arm, and two students bound in the earth.
But what stood out to him the most, was the young man in the middle of everything.

“Master Zaele.” Kaidus curtly lowered his head to the man who joined them.

“K-Kaidus? What did you do?”

“I merely reciprocated the slanderous insult upon my mother’s good name.”

“I-insult?” The master voiced incredulously.

“An unforgivable one.” His tone made sure the master knew that he wasn’t playing around.
Without looking at the disrespectful young man on the ground, he released the other two out of their earth prison and walked away.

The students surrounding them shuffled about and tightened the wall, as if to stop him.

“Let him go! All of you!” The master quickly shouted before the students could do anything stupid. “Get him to Master Borus! Bring his arm with him and see if the master can do anything about it!”

 

—

 

“Here Zeeke.” Kaidus handed the handful of ciscut cuttings to the spirit.

“Gaaararr!!” It yelped happily as tendrils erupted from its back and grabbed at the cuttings. The spirit quickly ran back to its shack before coming back out again.

“Gaaarr!! Garaaararar!” It voiced happily as it leaped onto his shoulder.

“This may be the last time I see you for a very long time. Stay safe alright?”

“Rar??” The cat tilted its head as if asking why.

“I don’t belong here.” Kaidus replied with a wry smile, remembering what he just did.

“GAAR!” Zeeke let out a sharp cry and jumped off, running back to its shack.

His task over, Kaidus made his way toward the exit.

“GRRAR!” Zeeke cried out as he neared the gates. The spirit quickly ran over to him and regurgitated a seed the size of his thumb in front of him. “Raar!” It motioned for him to pick it up.

From within the seed, he could feel an enormous amount of mana. Mysteriously, it felt very similar to Zeeke’s own presence.