《Crown – [Epic Progression Fantasy]》


 Chapter 1 - Last Fight [REWRITE]

    Ruby


    HellsCat Arena, Fight House Club, Toronto, Canada ¨C 6:43 AM:


    The shrill cry of a whistle pierced the air, cutting through the cloud of obnoxious noise that blanketed the dingy arena. My opponent burst forward the moment the sound came, rushing at me with speed that belied his large form. I ducked immediately, having watched enough of his fights to know what opening he would start with. It was always the same: the man would rush his opponent fast enough to catch them off guard and follow with a ferocious jab to the skull, an opener that occasionally wrapped up the fight immediately. He seemed to follow his pattern obsessively, though, never once deviating even when it became a known thing.


    And for good reason, too, I thought as the man¡¯s fist just barely caught the corner of my ear. The speed at which he approached made it hard to dodge, even when I knew what was coming. My ear stung but I stamped on the pain, rolling to the side a second before the man kicked out at me.


    The man undeniably had weight and strength on his side ¨C that much was obvious from appearances alone ¨C and a healthy dose of speed to match, but I knew I had him beat there. And in speed lay my only chance at victory. I hit hard, but I knew my limits. I could not take a straight blow from the man and stay in the fight; I was dancing on a tightrope, where a single slip spelled defeat, but I wasn¡¯t too worried. Being a 5¡¯7, lithe-formed, 17-year-old in a field dominated by massive, overly muscled fighters taught me to dance well. I was younger than most, yes, but I had experience and instinct like the best of them.


    I shot to my feet as I completed my roll, pouncing forward with a hard jab to the man¡¯s ribs before backing off quickly, stepping back just enough for the man¡¯s responding swing to fall short of me. The man stumbled to his right a few steps before catching himself again, one hand clutching his sore ribs, but I was on him immediately. Pressing my advantage, I closed in for another rapid-fire jab and hook combo, one connecting with his chest and the other with the side of his skull, before once again stepping off as he swung wide at my head. This time, however, I retreated fully, putting some space between us and resetting the tempo of the fight.


    I could press again, I knew, but I had come to find opting for caution paid well in fights like these. More than once I¡¯d pushed too aggressively and fallen to a lucky swing.


    The man cleared his head quickly and focused himself back on me, honing in with the intensity of a lion. I gave a taunting grin in response, bringing the jeers and insults of the crowd to a new level. Rarely did I ever appreciate the abrasive and vulgar, not to mention highly intoxicated, crowd, but they certainly worked wonders when it came to angering my opponents, and their anger only played in my favor.


    A smug smile played on my lips as I watched the man rush at me again, spurred on by the pressure of the crowd. Letting the crowd¡¯s taunts influence the fight was amateurish, but I wasn¡¯t complaining. I tried to enjoy most of my fights, but this one was special. This one I wanted to win, and I wanted to win quickly.


    Liquid power thrummed in my veins at the thought, my smug smile turning vicious with excitement. As the man approached, I suddenly shot forward as well, closing the distance between us far quicker than he anticipated. Still, in a show of exceptional reflex, the man swung a hard hook at my head just in time, but unfortunately for him, I slipped under the heavy-handed blow in stride. Bringing my knee up as we met, I let the combined force of our clashing momentum drive my knee deep into his gut, forcefully collapsing his lungs and expelling his breath.


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    I sealed the match with a ruthless uppercut, audibly shutting his open mouth and sending him reeling back, stumbling over his feet like a man drunk on his own pain.


    The fight was all but over then, I knew. The man was in the palm of my hand, and it didn¡¯t take long for me to decide how I wanted to end the fight. I could go the violent, barbaric route that the crowd loved more than anything, but the man and I had little animosity between us, so I saw no reason to ¨C and I gave not a whit what the crowd thought of me anyway. So instead, I simply walked up to the dazed man and gave him a rough kick to the gut, sending him tripping over the thick rope that marked the boundary of the ring and over the edge of the raised platform. The crowd parted swiftly for him, letting the man slump heavily onto the dirt floor instead.


    I couldn¡¯t help but wince slightly at the sound of the man hitting his head against the floor, knowing from personal experience what kind of headache would welcome him when next he awoke. But I couldn¡¯t go too easy on him, either; much as I didn¡¯t care for the opinions of the bloodthirsty crowd, I didn¡¯t want a riot on my hands.


    In fact, kicking the man off the arena was quite a tame end to the fight, compared to what the crowd was used to, and the dirty looks the crowd gave me were testament to that. I silenced the particularly bold ones with a challenging glare, staring them down from atop my raised pulpit of dirt and blood. The men and women of the crowd were dangerous opponents only for the fact that they had nothing to lose ¨C I wouldn¡¯t so boldly pick a fight with them on the lawless streets just outside the club ¨C but up on the arena, where the hired hands of the Fight House enforced some semblance of law, I¡¯d gladly take them on. They had little in the way of training, and even less in the way of meat on their bones.


    Once the discontented murmurs quieted down enough, and it became clear no one would rise from the crowd to challenge me, I gave the people a smug chuckle and leapt off the platform. The crowd parted quickly for me as well, and I ignored their stares as I made for the iron bar doors at the end of the room. Their resentment bothered me little; another pair of gladiators would appear within five minutes and they would all but forget about me. That¡¯s what they were here to do, after all. Forget.


    The thought lingered in my mind as I made my way through the club, souring my mood as I crossed the main dance floor that blared with techno music so loud my head hurt. The heady room was choked with the people¡¯s desperation to drown their thoughts. It was infused into every inch of the gaudy building, from the too-bright lights to the too-loud music. Everything about the club was designed to stop all thought, and as I surveyed the inebriated people swaying mindlessly on the dance floor, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of envy spark within me.


    I quickly shook myself and cleared my head, quickening my step to get out of the seductive building as soon as I could. I¡¯d managed to resist the temptations of the streets for as long as I¡¯d been on them, but that didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t tempted. The idea of losing myself in the mass of people, of numbing the thoughts and memories in my head, called out to me with the sweet tongue of a siren, but I refused to buckle. I knew what all those people would look like in the morning; I¡¯d seen their dead and hollow eyes more times than I could count, felt the pain that echoed in their empty husks. And I refused to let myself become like them, to fall for the glamor they so desperately chased.


    And besides, I¡¯d been taught better than that. I¡¯d seen someone be better than that. And I wasn¡¯t about to disappoint her ¨C and her sacrifice ¨C by living a life of numbness despite it all. I¡¯d never be able to face her again if I did.


    With a determined face, I burst through the heavy metal doors of the establishment and strode out into the brisk air of the early morning, resolved never to walk back into those doors. After all, I¡¯d completed my business with the place, held up my end of the bargain. Now, all that was left was to make sure they held up theirs.

 Chapter 2 - Don Craw [REWRITE]

    The van came to a screeching halt as we arrived at our destination. We were now on the other side of Toronto, but it felt more like we¡¯d traveled to a new planet. Gone were the pothole-ridden streets and the rundown strip malls that lined them; gone were the camps of tents and stumbling drunks chasing their fading numbness. In their place were well-paved roads and shiny skyscrapers that climbed so high they poked through the blanket of gray clouds above us. The sidewalks were choked with droves of well-kempt people, each of whom walked with purpose: a privilege they didn¡¯t even understand to be one.


    The building we stopped in front of looked just like every other in the downtown complex: rectangular and lined with glass panels. But it held a secret that made it different from most others. Within the walls of one specific floor sat nestled the offices of the Fight House Dons: the people who ran the many clubs the Fight House owned around the town. Each Don was the highest authority of their designated club, but there was a hierarchy within their ranks as well. Some of them ran the slummy ones like the one I¡¯d chosen, while the more important ones ran more luxury clubs for the elite circles of the city. But regardless of their relative positions, they all inhabited that singular floor. And that floor was where I was headed.


    I got out of the van without giving a word of thanks to the grubby driver, but he hadn¡¯t been expecting one. My dislike for him had been understood since the day we met, and it was mutual. He was an older man, with a suave tongue that he put to use recruiting people for the Fight House. In practice, that usually meant tricking desperate people into unfavorable contracts with the Don he worked for. In fact, he had been the person to introduce me to the idea of fighting for his don at the club; and the fact that the contract had turned out to be quite the unexpected windfall for me didn¡¯t mean I appreciated the man¡¯s predatory occupation.


    The van sped off behind me as I made my way in through the revolving doors at the entrance, stepping into the artificially cooled lobby. I had an appointment with the Don of my club today, since today was the day I had finally completed my two months of fighting. The excitement of my pending reward sparked in me as I made my way through the floors of the building, searching for a specific room. Lively thoughts swirled in my head as I contemplated the next phases of my plan, the prospect of the money I¡¯d soon make putting a spring in my step.


    Eventually, I came across the room number I was looking for ¨C room 247 ¨C and rapped impatiently on the wooden door thrice. I waited a moment, but I heard no response, no footsteps of someone coming to get the door.


    I knew the man had heard me, and I knew what he was doing. It was a tactic to throw his visitor off, a small and subtle mind trick that did wonders for his negotiations. It put him in control right off the bat, which made it all the more easier for him to work his sly tongue and trap his guests. It should have been my first clue of what was to come, but I was too excited at the time to think of anything beyond my prize.


    I¡¯d always thought his little tactic was annoying, and I was having none of it today. Instead of giving in and knocking again like usual, I lifted up my foot and kicked out hard at the doorknob. The blow threw the door open with a crack, sending the door swinging on its hinges.


    I stepped into the office and did a quick survey of the place. Don Craw¡¯s desk sat straight across from the door, and behind him was an expansive window that showed the rest of the cityscape. The floor was layered with a thick red carpet, and two floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined either side of the room, each shelf packed with books ¨C although I was willing to bet the man hadn¡¯t read a single one of them.


    Craw himself looked exactly as one would expect a man of his sleazy profession to look. His slicked-back hair ¨C drenched in so much product it shone ¨C revealed a receding hairline unbecoming of his relatively younger age. His skin was a sickly pale that craved for the sun, the mark of a lifestyle that spent far too much time indoors. His teeth glowed like little pearls, his face was clean-shaven, and his skin looked far too soft for a man his age; all in all, he was the kind of person who invested far too much in his appearance and not enough in his personality. The kind of person I immediately disliked.


    But all that was the same as the first time I¡¯d come to the office. What caught my eye this time, however, was the lineup of five suited men who stood at attention to my right. Their faces remained utterly expressionless as I entered, though the dark sunglasses they all wore likely helped mask any emotion they did have. Muscle memory honed by years of viewing everyone as a potential threat made me size them up with a cursory look. They were intimidating men, easily over six feet each, and I could tell the dense muscle that stretched their suits was not just for show.


    In short, they were fighters. Dangerous, undoubtedly, but not overwhelmingly so. At least, not for me. Coupled with their attire and posture, I guessed bodyguards by profession.


    Regardless, whatever the reason they were here likely had nothing to do with me, so I didn¡¯t dwell on their presence long. With nothing more than a curious sidelong glance, I focused myself back on the smug face that Craw wore as he studied me. ¡°Three hundred wins, Craw,¡± I said, not bothering with common pleasantries. ¡°Now gimme the rest of my money.¡±


    Craw¡¯s irritating smile only grew at my words. ¡°So impatient, aren¡¯t we?¡± he asked in a coddling voice. ¡°And whatever happened to hi and hello?¡±


    I narrowed my eyes at the man, not wanting to spend a second longer in conversation with him than I had to. ¡°Cut the jokes, Craw. I did my part of the deal. Now you do yours.¡±


    Craw chuckled. ¡°You did hold your end of the deal, didn¡¯t you? I truly am so proud. It was an honor to see you grow from how you were the day we met to the way you are now. Three hundred wins is quite an achievement, especially for a young, untrained girl. I doubt you¡¯re aware since you so rarely stick around in the club, but you¡¯ve made quite the name for yourself among the regulars. At the very least, though, I¡¯m sure you noticed that the crowd around your fights has gotten much larger, compared to when you first began two months ago, no?¡±


    I thought back for a moment, comparing the size of the crowd that had been present for my first fight and the crowd present for my last. As I did, I realized for the first time that the crowd had indeed grown massively over the course of my fights. Well, the crowd wasn¡¯t massive ¨C I wasn¡¯t that popular, I would have noticed if I was ¨C but the increase was certainly notable. The number of people had more than tripled at some point over the course of my fights, and I hadn¡¯t even realized.


    ¡°I guess, I see what you mean,¡± I responded finally. ¡°But I don¡¯t see how that has anything to do with my money.¡±


    ¡°Patience, girl,¡± Craw admonished. ¡°I¡¯m getting to it. Because you were such an anomaly among the fighters ¨C a popular underdog, if you will ¨C you brought in quite a bit more money than I expected from you.¡±


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    ¡°Ah, I see,¡± I cut in, for once happy to hear Craw speak. ¡°So you¡¯re upping my reward.¡±


    Craw barked out a laugh. ¡°Well, in a way, yes. You see, an idea came to me, one that I believe will be beneficial for the both of us.¡± He paused there, likely for nothing more than dramatic effect. ¡°What do you think about entering a full-time fighter¡¯s contract-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I stated immediately, my voice calm but steeled.


    Craw paused for a second, clearly caught off guard. It wasn''t often his sales pitch was denied before he even began. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to hear me out? A full-time fighter¡¯s contract can be quite rewarding, and with your skill, you should have no problem raking in massive amounts of money.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Nothing the contract can offer me is worth what it will cost.¡±


    Craw leaned forward in interest. ¡°Oh? But I haven¡¯t even explained the terms of the agreement. How do you know what it¡¯ll cost you?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Anything you people offer with the words ¡®full-time contract¡¯ is just legal slavery, and no amount of money you can offer with it changes that. At least, not for me. Nothing is worth my freedom.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think what we offer is slavery? Our employees are no more slaves than any other company¡¯s employees.¡± Craw¡¯s sales pitch was not to be denied, it seemed. Despite my clear refusal, he still managed to force the speech in.


    ¡°Our employees are treated very well, I¡¯ll have you know. The prospects for you are endless. Depending on how well you perform, you could even leave the hellhole you live in and join the most elite of the city¡¯s circles. Tyrone the Berserker, Black Cat, and Golden Boy all started out as little street urchins like you, but through their incredible skill in arena fights, they managed to work their way up to famous stars. Now they spend their days partying and drinking, with more money on their hands than they know how to spend. We-¡±


    I scoffed at the man¡¯s blatantly misleading words, cutting his speech off. ¡°And you think those three are any better than slaves in reality?¡± I asked. ¡°Tell me something, if the higher-ups of the Fight House were to ask them to do anything, and I mean anything, do you think they would have the freedom to refuse?¡± Without letting Craw respond, I answered my own question. ¡°No, they wouldn¡¯t. And if that isn''t slavery, then I don¡¯t know what is.¡±


    Craw was silent a moment, and when he finally spoke, it was without the fake coating of a salesperson. ¡°You idiot. If that¡¯s your definition of slavery, then we¡¯re all slaves. Do you seriously think if the higher-ups of the Fight House wanted something from you, you¡¯d be able to refuse it? Anyone from the higher-ups of any first-rate gang could have you killed with a word. You should be grateful I¡¯m offering you a chance to be a slave who gets rewarded with money and riches for following orders. Most people have to do it just to keep their lives.¡±


    I looked at Craw for a moment, the disgust in my eyes so potent Craw visibly backed down a little. ¡°What a spineless way to live your life,¡± I spat out finally. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s true for you, but those of us who value our dignity don¡¯t roll over for the rich and powerful the second they ask us to. I will fight to the death before I let anyone else control me.¡±


    Craw laughed scornfully. ¡°Then you are not long for this world. Surviving in this world means knowing your limits. It means knowing who you can fight, and who you can¡¯t. If you can¡¯t rein in your pride in front of anyone, then it¡¯s only a matter of time before it kills you.¡±


    I shrugged at his words. Unfortunate as they were, I couldn¡¯t really refute them. ¡°Maybe, but at least I¡¯ll be able to live with my dignity until that day comes. I¡¯m gonna die someday anyway, and I don¡¯t really mind when it happens, so long as I¡¯m happy with the way I¡¯ve lived. See, I can honestly tell you, Craw, that if I were to die today, right here and now, I would die with no regrets, because I have never once in my life forsaken my principles for the sake of another person.¡± I paused for a breath, studying the man again. ¡°Tell me, Craw. If I were to kill you today, right here and now, could you say the same?¡±


    Craw was silent again for a long moment, his face a battlefield of emotions. Eventually, he leaned back in his leather chair and blew out a long breath. ¡°No,¡± he answered, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I could say that. But see, for all your lofty words, the day will come that you pick a fight that you cannot win, and that¡¯ll be the end of all those principles you hold so dear. But you see, I am a survivor. I know when to humble myself, I know when I am faced with an opponent I cannot handle. And so while you die defending your worthless dignity, I will work my way up the ranks of the world until I eventually wield the power I need to make all those who stepped on me pay for their arrogance. You understand?¡±


    I shrugged again at his words. ¡°All the revenge in the world won¡¯t wash away the stains on your dignity; you¡¯ll live with those forever, even if you have the power to make everyone around you pretend to forget. But anyway, I¡¯m not here to debate my life¡¯s philosophy with you. I¡¯m here for my money.¡±


    Craw studied me for a moment, taking in the hard resolve in my eyes, before blowing out a long breath. ¡°So you¡¯re certain you don¡¯t want to sign the contract?¡± he asked finally.


    I didn¡¯t deign to answer the man¡¯s question, letting my face do the talking for me.


    Craw quickly got the message. ¡°Very well, then. I didn¡¯t want to do it this way, but I suppose I have no choice.¡± With those words, the man snapped his fingers and the five men at the side of the room began to move, forming a circle around me with an overtly hostile air. It didn¡¯t take a genius to understand what was about to happen. It did, however, take an idiot not to realize it until they finally moved. But I never did pride myself on my perceptiveness, and that was not without reason.


    What I did pride myself on, however, was my ability to fight.


    Not taking my eyes off Craw, I plastered on the most confident smile I could manage. It took everything I had not to let a hint of the momentary surprise and subsequent panic I felt as I finally connected the dots show on my face. ¡°Let me ask you a question, Craw,¡± I said, my voice unbothered and airy, as if I wasn¡¯t surrounded by five men who were going to force me to sign my life away. ¡°You ever wonder how I was able to win three hundred fights in the club, considering my disadvantages?¡±


    Craw looked at me for a moment thoughtfully, carefully considering my words. ¡°Um, no,¡± he said finally. ¡°I just assumed you were a very talented fighter.¡±


    I laughed at that. ¡°You really know nothing about fighting, do you?¡± I asked derisively. ¡°All the talent and skill in the world doesn¡¯t matter when you¡¯re faced with a disparity in strength as massive as the one I face against almost every fighter there. There¡¯s no way I could hope to match up with the raw physical strength of those people with my body alone.¡± I paused there, fixing Craw with a grin. ¡°But fortunately for me, I have more than just my body.¡±


    As I spoke, I called upon the power within me, focusing and gathering the liquid running through my veins in my right hand. As the power gathered, a strange black smoke began to drift off of my fingers. It rose through my skin, like it originated from my very blood, curling and dancing in the air as it climbed up before eventually dissipating into nothing.


    I held my steaming hand in front of me, taking in Craw¡¯s shock with a smug smile.


    ¡°F-Flux?!¡± Craw finally managed. ¡°You¡¯re a mage?¡±

 Chapter 3 - Windfall [REWRITE]

    I grinned at the shocked man before me, reveling in the feeling of having the upper hand. ¡°Yup,¡± I said. ¡°Had my Cleanse at five, and I¡¯ve been training ever since.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. How could a five year old mage have not been picked up already by some organization?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Guess that¡¯s the perk of being a homeless orphan. No one really pays attention.¡±


    Craw went silent then, seemingly finally convinced I was telling the truth, and I could practically see the gears turning in his head as his brain worked overtime, trying to figure out how to best use the sudden turn of events to his benefit.


    Watching him think so hard only served to fuel my smugness. ¡°You wanna rethink your plan to force me to sign the contract?¡± I asked in the silence that followed, the question more a taunt than anything.


    However, Craw did not respond the way I had been expecting. ¡°Hah, you think that¡¯s enough to scare me off?¡± he asked, his mouth suddenly curving into a predatory smile. ¡°No no, there is still no chance that you will leave this room as anything but my subordinate. What has changed, however, is what I¡¯m going to do with you once you¡¯re under my control. See, I don¡¯t think you understand the kind of treasure you are, the kind of potential you have, if you can be nurtured properly.¡±


    Confusion warped my face as the smug smile I¡¯d sported a second ago evaporated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± I asked, having no idea what the man was talking about. ¡°Is that supposed to be a compliment?¡±


    Craw chuckled at my confusion. ¡°Depends on the way you see it, but for you? Probably not.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand,¡± I said again.


    Craw smiled. ¡°Let me explain. Most of mage society ¨C that is, the rich families that have had generations of mages in their lineage ¨C has a set of standards against which they measure the future potential of young mages. And a large part of that measurement comes from how early said mage has his Cleanse. After all, the earlier a mage can start using Flux, the more of an advantage he or she has. But a Cleanse at five years is unprecedented, far earlier than anything I¡¯ve ever heard of.¡±


    I grinned at that. It was nice to finally have someone acknowledge how amazing I was. However, Craw¡¯s next words quickly doused my happiness.


    ¡°Because of that, you are an incredible resource for any organization, assuming that they have utter control over you. Which would be easy for them right now, since you haven¡¯t progressed far enough to stand up to them quite yet. Which means, if word were to spread about you ¨C a young and weak mage with incredible potential ¨C organizations would scramble to get you under their control. Honestly, I don¡¯t think even Fight House has the clout to keep you under their wing; there will surely be Guilds and maybe even Leagues that will want to take you in.¡±


    Craw smiled then, his eyes glazed with anticipation. ¡°And organizations of their size practically drop money with every step, which means it wouldn¡¯t be very hard for me to make a pretty dollar on the side, as a finders fee of sorts.¡±


    Seeing the disgust on my face, Craw¡¯s smile only grew. ¡°If it''s any consolation, they¡¯ll make you very powerful. They have resources that you couldn¡¯t even imagine right now, let alone ever see or use in your lifetime. They¡¯ll treat you well, so long as you obey.¡± Craw cackled at that. ¡°If you think what I was offering is slavery, then you¡¯re gonna hate what those organizations will have in store for you. Should¡¯ve just taken me up on my offer in the beginning,¡± Craw said, shaking his head. ¡°Goes to show what happens when you stupidly resist everything that doesn¡¯t go your way.¡±


    It was finally my turn to go silent, the implications of the man¡¯s words settling in my head. Finally, I spoke again, mustering up as much confidence as I could. ¡°Well, that sounds like a dream for you, but what makes you sure that you have the strength to make it happen? What makes you think you can stop me from just walking out of here with my money?¡±


    Craw grinned at that, a victorious glint in his eye. ¡°Because¡­you aren¡¯t the only mage in the room.¡±


    The second Craw finished speaking, the first of the men finally moved. The other men stayed put where they were, cutting off all escape routes as the man rushed at me.


    Despite the dangerous circumstances, I couldn¡¯t help the grin that grew on my face. The prospect of a challenging fight always put me in a good mood, and the risk only made the thrill that much sweeter.


    Turning to face my attacker, a man easily twice my size, I squared my shoulders and rallied the power within me. The fist traveling towards me was more than half the size of my face, and an odd, gray stream had begun to rise off of it.


    Instead of dodging the oncoming blow though, like they were hoping, I struck my palm out to greet the fist. It was a laughable idea that someone with my lithe form would dare to meet the man in front of me head-on, but when my palm clashed with his fist, we seemed to be evenly matched. The gust created by our clash ruffled the clothes of everyone in the room, sending some papers fluttering into the air. My palm and his fist stuck to each other, both of us pushing with all the force that we could muster. Black steam endlessly swirled up off my hand, drawing intricate and mesmerizing patterns in the air before it vanished.


    The dark color of my steam was a surprise to the man, I could tell. The average mage¡¯s Flux was gray or white, and the black color of mine was an anomaly that even I had not seen anywhere else.


    After our stalemate lasted long enough that it became clear we were evenly matched, we quickly separated. The moment we both took a step back, we instantly jumped at each other, hoping to catch the other by surprise. Our fists met with a bang, the gust of dispersed Flux energy so powerful this time that it cracked the glass of Craw¡¯s desk. Once again, the two of us were at a stalemate, our powers still evenly matched. He clearly packed much more muscle than I did, but I had been a mage for far longer than he had. I had spent countless hours refining my body with Flux, letting the strange power course through my veins endlessly. It got denser and purer with every punch and kick I threw. By now, the power I could render up was far more devastating than any mage I had ever met, few as they were.


    I could tell by the feeling I was getting from the man¡¯s Flux that mine was far more refined. The only reason that the man could match me evenly was because of his raw physical power. However, his physique was obviously suited to explosive power, not speed. And as long as you knew what to hit, speed would always triumph over brute strength.


    While the man was entirely occupied with overpowering my fist, I suddenly brought my heel down on his toes with all the force I could muster. Immediately after, I bent my knee and sunk it into the man¡¯s gut. A groan escaped his lips as he bent over in pain, only to meet the uppercut I had thrown. His jaw snapped shut, with my fist forcing him to stand upright again. The man took a step backwards, trying to keep himself up, but I could tell he was close to being out of the fight. The sudden three-hit combo I¡¯d managed to pull off had caught him off guard ¨C it was obvious the man was underestimating me from the beginning, likely thinking that it was overkill for a mage like him to fight a child like me, so it wasn¡¯t a surprise that I¡¯d managed to slip past his guard. Now, following up with a few more punches would be all that it would take to put him out of the fight for good.


    But unfortunately, in a fight where you were outnumbered, taking the time to finish a person while the rest were still standing was a grave mistake. Something I¡¯d learnt through painful experience.


    So instead, I shifted my focus to the four men surrounding me, searching their faces as I wondered which one would be next to attack. I¡¯d dealt with the only mage of the group, which I hoped would dampen their spirit, but it seemed the men had different ideas. All of them rushed at once, throwing four fists at various points on me.


    My smile widened and my brain kicked into gear, my body coming alive as power thrummed in my veins. With a deep breath, I suddenly leapt towards the man coming at me from behind. His fist was aimed at the base of my spine, and my backwards jump took me just a few inches away from impact. However, I had a plan. Right before his fist could hit me, I brought my knees to my chest and leaned back. My jump had given me enough height that with my body balled up and rotated, I was able to pass just over the man¡¯s fist. With that, the first part of the plan was complete. The second phase was much harder. I continued my rotation until my head was level with his chest, and my knees with his face. Now in the perfect position, I extended my bent knee with all the strength I could offer. The man, whose momentum had kept him still heading in my direction, practically smashed his own face into my knee. A spurt of blood gushed out of his nose as my knee sank into his face. The force pushed the heavy man sailing back into the already broken door. The man crashed into the wall and went right through, leaving a crumbling hole behind. Completing my backflip, I landed in a graceful crouch, still untouched after dispatching two of the men.


    The other three men were still undeterred though, and continued their rush. Two came from the sides while one came from the front. My mind raced as I tried to figure out the fastest way to end the fight, despite knowing I could easily best each of the men in a fair fight. I¡¯d trained with Flux for a long time, but I still couldn¡¯t handle the power running through my veins for too long. Already I was feeling ragged, as the volume of Flux I¡¯d called upon wasn¡¯t something I was used to, and I was sure I wouldn¡¯t last much longer.


    Then, suddenly, the middle one leapt towards me, his arms spread out to grab me. The moment he moved, an idea struck. Pushing the power in my veins down to my legs, I leapt off the ground and high into the air, far higher than a normal human of my build should have been able to jump. Certainly far higher than the men had expected me to be able to jump. The man in front of me had no time to react before the sole of my right foot landed atop his head, pushed down again as I leapt off of him and towards the desk that Craw still sat at.


    I flew through the room, drawing an arc through the air as I closed in on the desk. But, before I could land gracefully on the desk like I¡¯d planned to, I felt a sudden tug downward as someone¡¯s fingers circled around my ankle.


    The yank threw me off completely, and I fell on the desk with a hard oomph, the edge of the glass digging into the soft spot just under my ribs as my head banged against the top of the desk. The pain came at me like a truck, making my head spin and my torso sting like it¡¯d been stabbed.


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    But I was no stranger to pain, and I knew that letting it hamper me at the moment would spell the end for me. So instead, I clamped down on the feeling and focused on the man who still held my ankle in his vice-like grip. A quick glance told me it was the mage, the one I¡¯d assumed would still be out of it. After all, it¡¯d only been a few seconds since I¡¯d sent him reeling, but it seemed I¡¯d underestimated him as well.


    Not wanting to give him a chance to continue his attack, I twisted my hips and brought my free leg over, swinging it like a bat as my heel crashed into the side of the man¡¯s head. It was a masterful kick, with almost every muscle in my core providing power behind the swing, and it showed. The man dropped like a rock, slumping down to the floor almost immediately.


    I allowed myself a small grin of satisfaction at that. As someone of my lean build, I didn¡¯t have enough muscle to bring to bear as much strength as I needed, so I¡¯d gotten exceptionally good at wringing every drop of power out of my body when I hit. And that kick had been testament to the years I¡¯d spent honing that craft.


    With that man dealt with, I spun around on the glass desk and brought myself face to face with Craw. A predatory, bordering-on-evil grin spread across my face as I stared the terrified man down. The three men still standing were too far away to come to his rescue now, and the both of us knew he didn¡¯t stand a chance against me. Electing to stay in the room during the fight had been his folly, but overconfidence was the failing of many an intelligent man.


    After relishing the fearful look in the man¡¯s eye, I shot my hand forward and clasped my fingers around his neck faster than he could blink, forcefully shutting off his airway. The man squeaked as his fingers came to my hand, trying to pry my fingers off, but it was futile. My grip was rock solid, and I wasn¡¯t about to let go anytime soon. After all, I was living out a fantasy I¡¯d had since the first day I¡¯d stepped into the insufferable man¡¯s office.


    Without needing to turn back, I heard the three men behind me attempt to attack me, but I slid off the desk and landed next to Craw before any of them could reach me, making sure to keep a steady grip on Craw the entire time. The three men paused as they saw that their surprise attack had failed, their faces betraying the fact that they had no idea how to proceed.


    I gave them a cheerful grin, before shaking Craw a little by the throat. ¡°Tell them to leave,¡± I ordered.


    Craw didn¡¯t answer, so I tightened my grip a smidge. Immediately, Craw opened his mouth.


    ¡°Ok, ok, I¡¯ll do it. Just let me breathe a little,¡± he squeaked out.


    I loosened my grip a bit, just enough to let him talk properly.


    ¡°Alright men, you can leave,¡± he said after a moment, defeat coloring his voice. For all his resourcefulness, he knew there was no way he could work himself out of the situation now. He had lost.


    The hired men hesitated for a second, before quickly giving up and leaving. I laughed as I watched them leave. ¡°That¡¯s what you get when you think you can buy loyalty instead of earning it.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up. You think you¡¯ve won, do you? Trust me, you won¡¯t live another week after I get the entirety of the Fight House after you. You think stealing from a Don is something they¡¯ll take lightly? And with our resources, we practically run the streets. You¡¯ll have nowhere to hide.¡±


    ¡°Oh please. The audacity to call me taking the money that¡¯s owed to me stealing is unbelievable, even for you. Do you seriously think that you could mobilize all of Fight House just because you tried to scam one girl and couldn¡¯t? That¡¯s just embarrassing for you. Honestly, it might even be in your best interest to make sure no one ever hears of this. You''re already low-ranked enough as it is.¡±


    My words quickly put an end to the man¡¯s posturing. He sagged in my grip as true defeat robbed him of his spirit. It was a pathetic sight, pitiful if not for the fact that I knew the kind of person he was. He¡¯d long had a moment like this coming for him.


    So instead of sympathy, I allowed myself a grin of victory and dragged Craw by his neck to the computer that was sitting on his desk.


    ¡°Now then, transfer all the money in your account into mine,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°And if I say no?¡± Craw shot back, apparently still not quite defeated.


    I gave the man my most dangerous smile. ¡°Say, how much do you like your fingers?¡± I asked in response. And that was all I had to say for Craw to get the message ¨C after all, most men of his profession didn¡¯t shy away from tactics like that themselves.


    Craw met my eye for a second, and we stared at each other for a second in silent challenge. In a secret corner of my head, I prayed the man wouldn¡¯t call me on my bluff. I was used to hurting others, sure ¨C it was a part of life on the streets ¨C but never had I done so like this. And I wasn¡¯t entirely sure I¡¯d be able to, if it came to it. For all my posturing, I was still stupidly soft, and I knew it.


    Thankfully, Craw caved in to the threat of pain. A man like him would, anyway ¨C pain was a terrifying beast to pencil pushers. So, with deft fingers, the man worked the keyboard in front of him and quickly deposited the money ¨C all the money ¨C in his account into mine. He sagged again as he watched his account balance bottom out, going from a five-digit number down to a solid zero. A twinge of pity sparked in my chest as I watched the man lose a massive chunk of his life¡¯s savings in one go. But I snubbed that feeling. No good would come of it; this was simply the way of the world now: we fought for scraps and put everything we had on the line every time we did. And sometimes, we lost.


    And besides, giving credit where it is due, Craw was indeed a survivor. He was resourceful. A setback like this wouldn¡¯t be the end of him. He would surely have emergency funds set aside for occasions like this. Or at least, that¡¯s what I told myself.


    On the outside, however, I didn¡¯t give let on the slightest hint that I felt bad for what happened. With a satisfied laugh, I gave the man a little pat on the head. ¡°Y¡¯know, I¡¯m very happy with the way this meeting turned out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you regret this,¡± Craw spat in response. ¡°Enjoy it while you can.¡±


    I laughed again at his empty threat. ¡°You know, just curious, how¡¯d you get the money you promised me? I imagine you aren¡¯t so generous that you planned on footing the twenty thousand we agreed upon yourself, right?¡±


    Craw seemed confused, no doubt wondering where the line of questioning was headed, but he answered nonetheless. ¡°Of course. Well, I didn¡¯t plan on fulfilling that part of our contract from the beginning, but I still requested the twenty thousand from the Fight House. We Don¡¯s can request money we need for our clubs so long as we have sufficient cause; the contract was enough for me to get the funding approved, since signing on fighters like that is a pretty common practice.¡±


    I nodded in understanding, the gears in my head turning. ¡°And where did you get this money from?¡±


    Once again, confusion flitted across the man¡¯s face, but he still answered again. ¡°The Dons of this floor have a central account that gets a certain amount of money monthly from the higher-ups. The account is used to fund the overall expenses of the clubs around the city, and the salaries of the Dons, and other stuff like fighter contracts.¡±


    I nodded again. ¡°And this central account. All Don¡¯s have access to it?¡±


    Craw nodded.


    ¡°Are there security measures in place to stop Don¡¯s from skimming off extra money for themselves?¡±


    Craw gave a grim laugh. ¡°Yeah, it''s called ¡®steal and everyone who shares your family name dies¡¯. No Don would be stupid enough to try and cheat their system. The higher-ups have a whole team of accountants and specialists who make sure everything always adds up. Not to mention, the process of becoming a Don for these people involves linking your entire life with them; nobody would be stupid enough to throw all that away for a futile chance at stealing some money. And if they were, they¡¯d be found immediately, since the organization knows everything about them, including all the people they care about.¡±


    I nodded again. ¡°That all sounds very serious. But¡­¡± I paused there, letting the crazy grin I¡¯d been holding back appear on my face. ¡°All that seems to apply only to you. Based on everything you¡¯ve told me, I see no reason why I can¡¯t just make you transfer all the money into your account, and then into mine from there. Doesn¡¯t that just sound like a lovely plan?¡±


    Craw¡¯s eyes went wide with disbelief. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. There¡¯s no way that would work. You¡¯d be found out in a heartbeat, and they¡¯d never leave you alone. They would actually hunt you down for that. You won¡¯t survive a week.¡± The man''s voice was frantic as he searched for every reason he could to dissuade me.


    ¡°For someone who hates me, you sure seem to worry a lot about me, y¡¯know? Trust me, I¡¯ll be fine. The city is a big place, and for all your claims, you guys don¡¯t actually run the streets. Sure, you guys have a lot of money and people, but if you think you can find one person in this haystack of a city within a week, you¡¯re kidding yourself. It¡¯ll take at least half a year, if not longer. And by that time, I¡¯ll be well on my way to building up something that can handle whatever you guys can throw at me.¡±


    Craw stared at me for a second in utter shock, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. ¡°You¡¯re insane,¡± he managed finally, seemingly unable to find better words to express himself. ¡°You¡¯re insane,¡± he repeated.


    I laughed at his shock, feeling pure joy course through me. It was honestly nothing short of a miracle that I¡¯d survived as long as I had, considering how desperately I craved that feeling of being on the edge. The plan was wildly dangerous, and more than stupid ¨C I¡¯d known from the second the thought had struck ¨C but once it had, it would not be denied.


    ¡°Well, sounds to me like you agree,¡± I said to the flabbergasted man. ¡°Let¡¯s get down to work, shall we?¡±


    It took a little more cajoling and a slight touch of threatening, but the man eventually caved in, ready to do as I¡¯d asked. But as I stared at the lifeless look in his eye, recognizing the look of a man who knew his life was nearing his end, something inside me refused to stay silent. Sure, the man would¡¯ve done the same to me in a heartbeat and without a second thought, but I was different. I¡¯d been taught better, after all. I didn¡¯t have it in me to sign a man¡¯s death warrant, as surely was what was about to happen. I didn¡¯t know if that made me weak, or stupid, but in the end, it was who I was.


    Before Craw could enter in his details as the account set to receive all the money in the central account, I placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. ¡°You know, since you¡¯ve been such a good sport, I think I¡¯ll take some mercy on your poor soul. Transfer the money straight to my account.¡±


    Craw gasped, turning to me again. ¡°Are you sure? They¡¯ll know exactly who took their money that way. They¡¯ll have so much information on you.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°I¡¯m literally saving your life here. And you''re still trying to look after me? I¡¯m touched, Craw.¡± I knew that if the money was withdrawn first to Craw¡¯s account, even if they knew that the money was stolen by me, Craw would be considered a liability. And in organizations like the Fight House, that meant death. But if the money were transferred right to my account, all the focus would be on finding me. If Craw played his cards right, no one would even know I visited today.


    ¡°Besides, I told you already, right? I have a plan. The only reason I¡¯m keeping you alive is because I want you to personally witness me do everything you say is impossible for me right now. I''m destined for great things, so I don''t plan on dying to some small fry organization like Fight House.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re insane,¡± Craw repeated once again. ¡°But thanks, I suppose.¡± And with that, Craw quickly took every last cent left in the account and put it in mine. I was now officially rich enough to live the rest of my life on some tropical island with absolutely no worries to deal with. But I had other plans.


    ¡°Well then, I really can¡¯t thank you enough Craw, but I should get going. I¡¯ve got plenty of things to do now that I¡¯m almost a millionaire.¡±


    I turned around and swiftly made my way out of the office, leaving behind a shell-shocked Craw. I suppressed the urge to run until I walked through the revolving doors of the building. The moment I made it through, I broke out into a jog, heading deeper into downtown. The upper management of the Fight House had probably already found out that all the money in their central account had been mysteriously transferred out to my account. I would have really liked to see their faces, but the nine hundred thousand and some that I made off with was a nice compensation.


    Once I was a few blocks away, I slowed to a walk again. Casting a look behind me, I let out a giddy laugh as the high of what I had accomplished finally hit. I had made a plan long ago, and with the math that I¡¯d done, twenty thousand had been enough for the first part. But now, with almost a million dollars in my bank, I could speed up the plan substantially. In fact, I was considering completely scrapping the first half of the plan. My mind raced with the possibilities as a wide smile blossomed on my face. Whatever the future held, it was certainly going to be thrilling.

 Chapter 4 - Violin Boy [Edited]

    I made it a few more blocks, mind still in the clouds planning away, when suddenly, the most soul-stirring violin music graced my ear. It was dim, a bit hard to hear over the mundane street noise, but it was undoubtedly beautiful. Following the angelic notes, I walked down the sidewalk for another minute before I came across a small gaggle of random people gathered at the base of a small brick building, with the words ¡®Hotel Hillcrest¡¯ written in golden metal over the entrance. All of them were basking in the music together, looking upward at the roof of the building. Following their gaze, I looked up at the five-story hotel, and could just make out the form of a person standing at the edge of the roof, playing a violin.


    With no pressing matters to attend to, I decided to join the group and revel in the gentle caress of music for a bit.


    Although I was by no means a connoisseur of classical music, the music the person at the top of the roof was playing was incredible. It carried with it a masterful blend of powerful, potent emotions without letting any overtake the rest. There was a gentle happiness, almost nostalgic somehow, but with it mingled a sense of profound sadness and grief.


    Soon, however, the music began to change. The undertone of sadness started to take over the song, growing more and more powerful until it completely drowned out the rest.


    The entire song soon transformed into something new, becoming a searing tale of sorrow that made my chest ache. Tears suddenly threatened to overflow and my vision blurred, the overbearing sadness making my knees wobble.


    A small part of me knew that what was happening wasn¡¯t normal. It was a total overreaction to a song, especially to a song that I was sure I¡¯d never heard before. But the rest of my body wouldn¡¯t listen. I could feel something deep inside me resonating with the music, my bones telling me that there was more to the song than I realized.


    Before I knew what was happening, my feet began to move on their own. Like a spectator in my own body, I watched as I entered the hotel, beelining to the elevator in the corner. The lobby only had a handful of people milling around, and none of them bothered to spare a glance at me. I entered the empty elevator and punched the button with the biggest number.


    The doors soon opened, revealing a lush carpeted hallway with doors on each side. Not wasting a second, I quickly darted down the hallway, only stopping when I reached a door with the words ¡®Employees Only¡¯ written across it in bold red letters. Ignoring the sign, I kicked open the slightly ajar door. The sight of a dark, musty cleaning closet greeted me. Brooms and mops were strewn across the shelves, along with an assortment of cleaning chemicals.


    Not sparing them a second glance, my eyes quickly searched the roof and found what they were looking for: a small square cut into the ceiling with a red handle attached.


    With a small hop, I grabbed onto the latch and pulled down, dragging with it the small square and the ladder above it. The sparkling blue of the sky poked through the small hole in the ceiling, confirming that I had found the right place.


    Ambling up the ladder, I found myself on a bare concrete roof, adorned with only one of those random metal boxes that seemingly every building had.


    Standing right at the edge of the roof was the violin player, a man about my height, wearing a baggy, blackish-blue hoodie and jeans. With the hood over his head and his back to me, that was all I could make out. Beside him lay a wooden pole, with a black gauzy cloth wrapped around the top. His arms moved in a frenzy as he played; a magician casting his spell.


    Whatever it was that had possessed me to come to the rooftop decided then that its business had been completed, leaving me standing behind the man with no idea what to do. But, I figured, since I was up here anyway, I might as well speak to the man a little, congratulate him on his skill. A man of his talent deserved that much, at least. So I remained where I stood, letting the time slip by as I lost myself in a trance, the ethereal music floating around me, wrapping me in its emotion.


    Only when the music finally stopped did I come back down to reality. Even from my spot on the roof, the sound of applause and cheers reached my ears. I couldn¡¯t help but join in, but I made sure to clap softly to not startle the man off the edge. To my surprise, he couldn¡¯t seem to care less about the danger of standing right at the edge of a five-story tall building, even bending into a graceful gentleman''s bow as he basked in his audience''s awe. After a minute or so, the clapping finally subsided as the rag-tag audience finally broke up and went their ways.


    Only after they left did the man turn around to face me, revealing a tanned, youthful face that couldn''t have been much older than I. The kindest smile I¡¯d seen in a long time adorned his sun-kissed face. Two locks of jet-black hair spilled out of his hood and down each cheek, nicely framing his sharp, ever-so-slightly bent nose. I¡¯d seen enough in my day to know that the bend came from a broken nose that had been unprofessionally reset. However, it was his eyes that really caught my attention. Glossed, inky black pools stared back at me, filled with such profound grief it knocked the breath out of me. The intense feeling of loss was palpable, so tangible that I could¡¯ve sworn there was an actual weight resting on my shoulders.


    I didn¡¯t know what kind of tragedy could make a person feel such potent emotion, but the fact that he still managed such a gentle smile spoke volumes of his character.


    Then, in an instant, the boy blinked and the feeling vanished. Like morning fog under the sun, the oppressive sadness dissipated into the air, traceless, as if it had never been there in the first place. Leaving the two of us simply studying each other.


    ¡°Well, hello there,¡± the boy spoke at last, breaking the odd silence. Although his olive complexion hinted towards a south asian heritage, he spoke with a drawl that marked him as someone who grew up here.


    Quickly recovering, I gave the boy a big smile, mirroring his as best I could. ¡°Hi there,¡± I responded. ¡°Your playing was incredible. It was easily the best music I¡¯ve ever heard in my life.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Well, thank you. That truly means a lot,¡± he said happily. There was a beat of silence as he considered me again. ¡°If I may ask, what are you doing up here?" he asked finally, a small smile playing on the edge of his lips. The question, polite as it was, made me flush in embarrassment, but I quickly hid my reaction. A dozen excuses flew through my head, but they were all flimsy at best. I had no believable reason to be on the rooftop, so I decided to simply go with the truth instead.


    "I''m not entirely sure myself," I said with a smile. "Something about your song, I think. It sounded oddly familiar."


    The boy looked surprised at that, but strangely not disbelieving. "Hmm, that''s interesting. The song is actually an original, so I can''t imagine where you would have heard it before."


    My eyes widened at that information. "You created that song yourself? I don''t know much about music and stuff, but that sounds very impressive."


    The boy laughed modestly, waving the compliment off. "Oh, it''s nothing quite so difficult. The right kind of inspiration can make the most beautiful art as easy as a few strokes." The boy paused to consider me again, before sighing and placing his violin and bow down beside him. "You know, maybe it was fate that brought you up here today. I have to say, I think I needed the company." As he spoke, he lowered himself down on the edge of the building, sitting with his back to me and his legs dangling some fifty feet in the air. "Why don''t you come join me? The scenery is quite breathtaking from up here ¨C or so I hear."


    The choice of words caught my attention, but I decided against questioning it at the moment. "That place doesn''t look very safe," I remarked instead, not moving from where I stood.


    The boy threw a teasing smile over his shoulder at my hesitation. ¡°Oh come on. What are you scared of?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, dying maybe?¡±


    The boy let out a small, merry laugh. ¡°You''ve got nothing to fear. You look like someone meant for something greater than falling from some building. There''s no way you''d die here. It just doesn''t make sense.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at his very faulty logic, but the boy adamantly kept up his self-satisfied smile, as if what he just said had made perfect sense.


    Shaking my head as a chuckle escaped me, I gave in and made my way over to where the boy was sitting, dropping myself beside him.


    And immediately sucked in a breath as I finally, really took in the view. It was incredible. With our vantage point, we could almost see the entire downtown. The cityscape sprawled out in all directions, a concrete labyrinth under our dangling feet. The arrow-straight streets that drew grid-like patterns through the city crawled with the reds, grays, whites, and blacks of cars. The people that clogged the sidewalks seemed tiny as ants as they scurried about, all in a rush.


    It was thrilling, to say the least.


    ¡°You think this is good, you should see it at night. Whole ¡®nother level, I hear,¡± the boy commented as he heard my reaction.


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± I responded, imagining what the sight would look like under the cover of the night.


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    A moment of comfortable silence fell upon us as the both of us soaked in the peace of the moment.


    After a minute or two, I cleared my throat, breaking the silence. ¡°So¡­¡± I began, before trailing off as I tried to figure out how to phrase my question.


    ¡°Am I blind?¡± The boy finished for me, a teasing lilt to his voice.


    I nodded, looking at him curiously.


    ¡°Yup. Blind as a bat, I am. But I¡¯ve long gotten around it.¡± He gave me a small smile. ¡°So don¡¯t worry about me. I can more than take care of myself.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t see and you can still play so well? That¡¯s impressive.¡±


    ¡°I know. And you know what¡¯s even more impressive?¡± He asked in a secretive tone.


    ¡°Do tell.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even run into a wall in almost a week.¡±


    I let out a surprised bark of laughter at his joke, caught off guard. The boy joined in with me, chuckling at his own joke.


    ¡°So how''d you learn how to play, then? If you can''t see,¡± I asked.


    The boy smiled. ¡°You can learn almost anything you want, even if you''re blind. You just need a teacher with enough patience.¡± A tinge of melancholy touched his face again as he spoke.


    ¡°Oh,¡± I responded in a small voice, unsure if the question I had asked was indelicate.


    ¡°So, what are you doing these days?¡± I finally asked, after a moment. ¡°High school?¡±


    The boy shook his head. ¡°No, never had the chance to go to a normal school. As for what I¡¯m doing these days? I¡¯m not entirely sure right now. I¡¯m sort of in a transition phase. I just finished up with something that took up a major part of my life, and now that I¡¯m done, I don¡¯t really know what to do anymore.¡± He paused for a second. ¡°What about you? You seemed very happy when you got here. Something happen?¡±


    I smiled smugly at that. ¡°Yeah, you can say that. You¡¯ll never believe it, but just before I came up here, I stole almost a million dollars from some underground business.¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but again, I saw no sign of disbelief. ¡°You stole a million dollars? From some shady business? You?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did. And what¡¯s that supposed to mean, ¡®you¡¯?¡± I responded, my glare daring him to explain exactly what that meant. But apparently, I didn¡¯t intimidate him in the least.


    ¡°I dunno, I¡¯m just surprised someone as small as you was able to rob a place that certainly has hired thugs, if not worse.¡±


    I snorted indignantly. Although, in all fairness, he was right. I was quite lean in form, and I certainly didn¡¯t boast much in height either. At 5¡¯7, I was dwarfed by most proper fighters. But still, I was irked that he pointed it out.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have you know that despite my size, I¡¯m quite a capable fighter,¡± I said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± the boy said, backing off. ¡°But anyway, let¡¯s hear the story, I¡¯m quite interested.¡±


    I grinned, satisfied now. ¡°Well, it all began three hundred wins ago. I needed some money, and I needed training. So, being the genius I am, I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and made a deal with some low branch managing Don at the Fight House. Thirty thousand for three hundred wins. I got ten grand as a down payment, and I was to collect the rest after I completed my fights. And complete my fights I did. Three hundred wins against various thugs and even some professional fighters. But when I went to get my money, I ran into a little problem. The Don, being the idiot he is, tried to keep the money he owed me for himself¡­¡± I went on, describing in vivid ¨C and possibly embellished ¨C detail how I thrashed the Flux mage and other bodyguards that Craw had thought would keep him safe.


    By the time I was done, the boy was grinning ear to ear in delight. ¡°I gotta say, that was one of the best stories I¡¯ve ever heard in my life,¡± he said, wiping a tear from his eye as he laughed, and I couldn¡¯t help but join in with him. His laugh was infectious.


    ¡°You know they¡¯re never gonna let you go after this right? They¡¯ll throw everything they have at you,¡± the boy said finally.


    ¡°Oh, they can come. I¡¯ve got a plan, and I¡¯m not scared of some second-rate criminals,¡± I said, oozing confidence.


    The boy smiled at that. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. But what are you gonna do with all that money? I don''t get the feeling that you want to use it to spend the rest of your life in luxury."


    I nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve got big plans. I¡¯m gonna make my own organization. I¡¯m going to gather up talented people that I trust and make a global superpower. Something that can go toe to toe with giants like Razacon or Niaz.¡±


    The boy whistled when he heard that. ¡°Ambitious, but I like it.¡±


    I smiled at his reaction. Most people would have scoffed and told me to step back to reality. And I knew that from experience.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll have to start small. Just the streets of Toronto should do for now.¡±


    The boy nodded in understanding, and I couldn¡¯t help but imagine what someone would think if they saw the two of us. Two kids with no connections talking about creating global superpowers, treating the streets of Toronto as a simple stepping stone and not something that countless powerful individuals had dedicated their lives to conquering.


    ¡°What¡¯s your end goal, though?¡± the boy asked suddenly. "Sure, having an organization like that will come with heaps of fame and money, but you can get that a lot of other ways as well. Not to mention, goals like fame and money are hard to define, really. When will you know that you''ve accomplished your goal? When will you be satisfied?"


    Caught off guard by the depth of his question, I stared at the boy for a second, before shifting my gaze down to my hands, thinking. ¡°My end goal, huh?" I went silent again. "I guess what I want is never to feel weak again. I¡¯ll keep working until there isn¡¯t a single person in the world that can force me to do something I don¡¯t feel like doing, or take something away from me that I don¡¯t feel like giving.¡± I took in a deep breath. ¡°I want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no one on the planet who could overpower me.¡±


    The boy nodded thoughtfully at my answer. ¡°That¡¯s a good reason.¡±


    I gave him a questioning look. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s a reason that won¡¯t let you give up. If you were after strength for money or fame, as long as something sufficiently difficult came around, you¡¯d give up. But with a reason like that, setbacks will only increase your drive. It''s the kind of motivation that''ll actually take you far.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± I said, thinking his words over. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about it like that.¡± And he hadn¡¯t struck me as someone who would think like that, either. Not that I would ever say that to his face.


    But then he ruined the effect by continuing, giving me a serious nod. ¡°Yeah, I don''t blame you. Not everyone can be as smart as me.¡±


    I barked a laugh at his unexpectedly narcissistic reply. ¡°You¡¯re an interesting person, I gotta say.¡±


    ¡°Right back at you,¡± the boy replied, gazing off into the horizon with a soft smile on his face.


    Mirroring his smile, I turned forward and took in the view again as we settled back into silence.


    As I watched the people so far down below us walking around, an idea suddenly struck.


    Excitedly, I looked up again at the boy. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you join me? You said you don¡¯t have anything going on right now, right?¡±


    The boy looked at me in surprise. ¡°Really? Even with my eyes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course. I¡¯ll be honored if you would be my First Lieutenant. And you said so yourself, you haven¡¯t run into a wall in almost a week. Clearly, you can handle yourself.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± the boy answered. ¡°It would be my pleasure to be your First Lieutenant. I was looking for something fun to do, and I can tell beyond a shadow of a doubt that anywhere you go, fun is bound to follow.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Although I was through the roof to have found my first member, I still felt like I should warn him about what he was joining. ¡°If you follow me, you¡¯re definitely gonna make serious enemies. I already have the Fight House after me, and I¡¯m just getting started. The enemies we¡¯re gonna make are going to be much more powerful, and just as bent on killing us.¡±


    After hearing my warning, the boy simply grinned. ¡°Like I said, anywhere you go, fun will follow. And as long as you stay fun, you¡¯ll have my undying loyalty.¡± As the boy spoke, he solemnly put his fist over his heart. I couldn¡¯t help but crack up as I looked at the boy¡¯s serious face. Hearing my laugh, the boy quickly dropped his act and grinned at me.


    ¡°Well then, welcome aboard. My name is Ruby. Ruby Redthorn,¡± I said as I put out my hand.


    Still grinning, the boy grasped my hand in a firm handshake. ¡°And I¡¯m Ren. It¡¯s a pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get a move on. We¡¯ve got a world to stun and no time to do it,¡± I said as I sprang to my feet, my excitement almost dizzying.


    ¡°You¡¯re the boss,¡± Ren said as he followed me up, packing up his violin in its case and picking up his wooden pole. ¡°By the way, what is the plan?¡±


    ¡°Simple. Our first step is to find some small, third-rate gang with a stable foothold in Toronto. We don¡¯t want something too big for us to manage, but also not something too small and recent that they aren¡¯t even established. Then we find their leader and beat him till he gives us his gang. And then, we build up that gang until we have undisputed control over Toronto¡¯s streets,¡± I spoke enthusiastically, laying out the plan as the two of us made our way back into the building and out onto the street. ¡°Once we¡¯ve solidified our hold on Toronto, I¡¯ll take the ranking at IOR and get us registered as an official gang. After that, the plan is more vague. We¡¯ll simply keep expanding and getting stronger until we reach the level we need to take on any org on the planet. After that, I have no idea.¡±


    Ren was practically beaming by the time I finished my plan. ¡°I knew I wouldn¡¯t regret joining you, Ruby. I don¡¯t know how it happened, but somehow, you just weren¡¯t made with the same restrictions as most people. Most people won¡¯t even seriously consider accomplishing even a part of what you want to accomplish, but you¡¯re entirely ready to throw yourself into getting it.¡± Ren shook his head in wonder. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know how you do it.¡±


    I smiled at his words. I didn¡¯t know if he meant them as a compliment, but I certainly took them as one.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t see the point in aiming for something less than the highest. And I¡¯m not an idiot. I¡¯m well aware that the chances of me dying on the way are very, very high. But I¡¯m fine with that. I have to die anyway, so I might as well do it on my own terms.¡±


    Ren nodded thoughtfully at that. ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope you don¡¯t die anytime soon, or else I¡¯ll have to find something else to do for fun. And that would be a pain.¡±


    I barked out another laugh, the bluntness of his response catching me off guard. After dealing with people like Craw for so long, it was refreshing to have someone speak exactly what they thought to me.


    Taking a deep breath as the two of us walked down the busy sidewalks, I felt the familiar feeling of anticipation rising up in my chest. This was the beginning of something great; I could feel it in my bones.

 Chapter 5 - Rosefire [Edited]

    The two men stood a meter apart, facing each other. With fierce expressions, they regarded each other in a tense silence. One was much bulkier than the other, standing at over 6¡¯5. He had a barrel chest and arms that looked like they could crack a watermelon in half. His opponent, on the other hand, was much leaner. His bare arms boasted almost no visible fat, but every muscle was packed with power. Although he was much smaller at first glance, something about him screamed danger. There was a lethal glint in his eyes that told me that he was no stranger to the more gritty side of the streets. Over his chest, embroidered into the black tee shirt he was wearing, was a golden crest. The big man also sported a crest, but I could tell that it was a different one.


    Behind the men were rows of thugs, each armed with various makeshift weapons. They all glared at the opposite side, their bloodthirst so potent it poisoned the air.


    ¡°Last chance, Edgar. Surrender now and save yourself a world of pain,¡± the small one said, his tone dripping with arrogance.


    The big one laughed, the deep rumbling sound echoing around the empty parking lot. ¡°You took the words right out of my mouth. I don¡¯t know how you suddenly built up the courage to challenge us, but whatever it is that you¡¯re basing your confidence on will not be enough. The Crowned Tigers have ruled this corner of the city long before you were born, and we will continue to long after you die.¡±


    The small one smirked at Edgar¡¯s words. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. Men, let¡¯s show these pampered princes some real pain!¡± With a rallying cry, both sides charged at each other, starving animals let out of their cages.


    A thundering crash sounded out as the men met, the ringing of metal against metal cutting through the screams of the injured. Steel pipes and crowbars rose and fell as the men battled ferociously. But the most interesting spot in the chaotic battlefield was easily the center. The small man and Edgar had been the first to clash, and so far, they were locked in a stalemate. Although Edgar clearly had the advantage when it came to raw power, the small man was a tricky fighter. He used his speed very well, always managing to dodge Edgar¡¯s blows by mere inches. And with every blow that he dodged, he managed to land at least two on Edgar. Unfortunately for him, Edgar¡¯s defense was as impressive as his offense. Despite the countless blows that he was tanking, Edgar hardly seemed fazed. At least, that was until the small man finally revealed his hidden ace.


    The small man had patiently waited until he was perfectly positioned in front of Edgar¡¯s face, with Edgar¡¯s arms too far to block. With the perfect hole in Edgar¡¯s defense, the small man released a single punch that, at first glance, seemed no different than the rest. However, the power contained within the punch was enough for Edgar to realize that he couldn¡¯t afford to take the blow head-on. Throwing his head to the side in a last-ditch attempt to dodge, Edgar managed to mitigate some of the power behind the punch. Instead of it landing right on his nose, the fist caught the side of Edgar¡¯s jaw. Despite his efforts, the force of the punch still sent Edgar skidding a meter back. Through sheer willpower, Edgar managed to stay on his feet, but anyone could tell that the blow had done its damage. A small trickle of blood leaked out the side of his lips and down his chin.


    The small man grinned as he held up his smoking hand. ¡°Like I said, Edgar. The Crowned Tigers fall tonight.¡±


    ¡°Flux, huh? I didn¡¯t think you were talented enough, Leo. But if you think a little Flux is going to help you win, you¡¯re sorely mistaken,¡± Edgar said as he rubbed the side of his jaw. But despite his confident words, the worry could be seen in Edgar¡¯s eyes. And I didn¡¯t blame him. Fighting against a Flux mage was nigh impossible for someone who couldn¡¯t use it. Even if they had much more power physically; Flux was just that potent. Even a brand-new user, whose Flux veins would be needle-thin, would still receive a massive power-up in their overall strength.


    Leo wasn¡¯t planning on taking it easy, though, even now. He was smart enough to know that even with his Flux, he was better off not getting overconfident. He immediately rushed Edgar, raining blow after blow on him.


    Now that Leo had revealed his hidden ace, I was ready to make my appearance. Ren and I had been observing the battle from the rooftop of the strip mall that lined the edge of the parking lot. It had taken us all day, visiting at least a dozen run-down bars and pubs - and some other, less tasteful places - before we had finally heard promising news. The Crowned Tigers and the Street Lions, two third-rate gangs, were waging a week-long turf war that was rumoured to reach its conclusion today. It had taken some more persuasive ¨C and slightly threatening ¨C questioning before the location of the battle was given up. The poor man Ren and I questioned had directed us to this parking lot, where we had found the scene before us.


    Casting a grin over to Ren, I got up from my crouch and stood at the edge of the roof, overlooking the brawling men.


    ¡°HEY!¡± I yelled at the top of my lungs. The sound cut through the cacophony of the battle, bringing the men out of their craze. Immediately, I felt the furious gazes of around a hundred men, including Leo and Edgar¡¯s, on me. Instead of the fear that they expected me to feel, though, my grin only widened. ¡°Alright, listen up boys,¡± I said after I had the attention of everyone on the field. ¡°I heard that your two gangs have been fighting over this cozy little corner of the city. Well, I¡¯m here to announce that your little argument is irrelevant from now on, as the territory of both your gangs is now under Rosefire.¡±


    Looks of confusion spread amongst the gathered men as they searched their memory for any mention of Rosefire. Understandably, their first assumption was that I was a delegation from a bigger gang that had decided to take their territory. After all, such occurrences were common, and no one would think that someone with absolutely no backing would dare to speak to them like that.


    However, when all of them came up empty with information in regards to Rosefire, Leo finally stepped forward. ¡°If I may ask Miss, what exactly is Rosefire?¡± He asked in an uncharacteristically respectful tone.


    Hearing his tone, I let out a hearty laugh, knowing what was to come. ¡°What is Rosefire, you ask? Rosefire is an organization that is going to change the world. But right now? It¡¯s an unrated gang with two members,¡± I answered.


    A long moment of silence followed my declaration as the men processed what I said.


    The moment they fully realized what I had said, however, each of them broke out in laughter. Even Leo and Edgar joined, the relief of realizing that I had no backing washing over them.


    I watched them laugh for a second before leaping into action. I fell off the roof, landing gracefully on a foot. Seeing me move, the laughter quickly stopped, but before any of the men could react, I was already moving. Racing past the men, I arrived in front of Leo before he even registered that I had moved. By the time he had caught up, my fist was already sunk into his gut, the breath rushing out of him as he curled up, grimacing against the pain. Only then did the rest of the men turn towards me, finally realizing what had just happened. In their eyes, the speed I had just used was simply inhuman. For people who didn¡¯t have the advanced senses of a Flux mage, they simply couldn¡¯t keep up with my speed, even though I really wasn¡¯t very proficient as a mage.


    Only Leo, as a novice Flux mage, was able to see me coming before I hit him, although he still wasn¡¯t fast enough to react.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    With Leo out of action for the moment, I immediately dashed towards Edgar. When Edgar saw me move, he instantly knew I was coming for him, and he crossed his arms out in front of him. Seeing that, I opted against meeting his defence head-on and planted one foot in front of me. The moment my foot touched the ground, I threw my other leg around behind me. The move swiftly converted my momentum into a spin that landed me on Edgar¡¯s side. My leg, still extended horizontally, completed the rotation and crashed into Edgar¡¯s back. The force of my Flux-reinforced foot threw Edgar forward, sending him sprawling onto the pavement.


    A smug smile spread on my face as I watched the realization dawn on the men that I had already taken down their leaders within seconds of my arrival. Although neither of the two were out for good, the speed with which I had knocked them to the ground was enough to inspire fear.


    ¡°Do you still have a problem with being under my leadership now?¡± I asked the gathered men.


    ¡°She might be a Flux user, but there¡¯s just one of her. Let¡¯s get her boys!¡± Shouted a man in the midst of the crowd. Disappointingly, but not surprisingly, none of the men were convinced yet.


    With another rallying cry, all of the men charged at me, their weapons waving madly in the air. I sighed, but I knew I had to teach them properly before they would be willing to become my subordinates. I cracked my knuckles as the adrenaline began to flow through me, my grin as wide as can be at the thought of the impending battle.


    Not wanting to get surrounded, I quickly dashed toward the closest person to me. Ducking under his clumsy roundhouse punch, I sunk my knee deep into his stomach, wrenching out a cry of pain. One down, ninety-nine to go, I thought to myself as I rushed toward the next person.


    The majority of the men were thugs off the street, so while they looked intimidating, their only real fighting experience came from drunken brawls and street fights. Which meant they were graceless and uncoordinated, throwing random kicks and punches with openings a toddler could see through. Only a handful of them seemed to have been through some serious fights, but it was still glaringly obvious that they¡¯d never had any real training. With my heightened senses and strength coupled with all the experience I had, the men stood practically no chance at all, despite their overwhelming numbers. This was what Flux had allowed humans to do, ever since its introduction to humanity over a hundred years ago. Before Flux, even the best fighters in the world would lose miserably if they had to fight more than five trained fighters. But now, it was different. Humans now had practically no upper limit to the strength that they could reach.


    Almost five minutes after it began, the battle was already over. All except two of the men lay crumpled on the ground, most groaning in pain. Although they were all out of the fight, I made sure that there were no broken bones or fatal injuries among them. After all, it wouldn¡¯t make much sense to instill hatred in the people I planned on making my subordinates.


    Leo and Edgar were back up now, but they were clearly wary of me now. Neither of them made a move to attack me, their gazes fixed on me, warily watching for any movement or warning of attack. I simply returned their stares, giving them a small smile to keep them on their toes.


    ¡°Now, are you ready to surrender to Rosefire yet?¡± I asked them.


    Leo and Edgar shared a look, coming to an understanding. Finally, Leo took a step forward. ¡°What would joining Rosefire mean, exactly?¡±


    I grinned at his question. Finally, they were listening. ¡°Well, like I said, Rosefire is gonna change the world. It might just be two people right now, but mark my words, one day we will stand atop the world, with strength that no one will dare to question.¡± I paused for a second, making sure that they knew I wasn¡¯t joking. ¡°But for now, I plan to make you lot the best fighting force this city has seen.¡±


    By now, the thugs had begun to awaken, grumbling in annoyance at the remnants of pain they still felt. My last statement had been addressed to all of them, and the bold claim made them perk up.


    ¡°Of course, if you really don¡¯t want to join, I won¡¯t force you. Rosefire has no need for cowards or the ambitionless. But if you choose to remain, Ren and I will personally oversee your training. By the time we¡¯re done with you, you will all be fully-fledged Flux mages with the collective power to bring this city to its knees. However, we will not take it easy on any of you. You¡¯ve all lived a life that allows no space for weakness, and Rosefire is not here to save you from that life. Rosefire is not a shelter for you. We all start with weakness, but if you are content to let it control you, this is no place for you. But if you are willing to put in the work to conquer your weakness, then I will personally guarantee that I will take you further than any of you have ever dared to dream. That is my promise to you. Now, make your choice. Leave now and the world will forget you ever existed. Stay and make a mark that will leave the world no choice but to remember.¡±


    With my pitch over, I sucked in a deep breath and waited in silence as I watched each and every man think over my words. Although I kept up my confident smile, I was incredibly anxious inside. I knew most of the men would likely leave, but I desperately hoped that at least some of them would stay.


    After a long moment, a man who looked to be about fifty finally stood up. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your words, little girl. But I¡¯m simply not made for the things you speak of. I do not wish for the world to remember me, nor for strength to make others bow. As you said, I am of the ambitionless. I wish for the best of luck in your future endeavors.¡±


    Then, the man turned to Edgar, his gang Leader, and gave him a respectful nod. Edgar wordlessly returned his nod, symbolically giving him permission to leave.


    The moment that man left, another stood up and spoke. ¡°Pah! I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re all actually considering this naive child¡¯s words. She clearly doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s talking about. Just because she¡¯s a little stronger than the rest of us, she thinks she can go rule the world. She¡¯s an idiot, and if any of you are actually thinking of following her, then so are you. You¡¯re dooming yourselves to a dreamer''s death: penniless and with no real achievements to their name.¡± With that, the man angrily turned away and stormed out of the parking lot, disappearing into the darkness of the night.


    A murmur of assent rippled through the crowd after he finished, people nodding as the fervour my words had created finally vanished, clearing up their minds. Five more men stood up, angrily muttering as they also stalked off.


    I was itching to say something, but I held myself back. I had said my piece already. It was for the best to let them make their own decisions without interfering anymore.


    Seeing their comrades leaving, more and more men snapped out of their daze, the pessimism that the world had drilled into them squashing their daydreams of rising to power. I could do nothing but watch as the men got up and dejectedly left, shaking my head at their tragic inability to follow what they truly wanted.


    Thankfully, Leo and Edgar both seemed to be content to stay for the moment.


    Finally, after a gut-wrenching five minutes, only thirty-some men remained. I watched and waited for another minute, but not a single other person left. The silence was soon broken by Leo and Edgar, who finally made their move.


    The two wordlessly made their way past all their men, stopping right in front of me. I stood my ground as I watched the two of them, wondering what their next move would be.


    Their next move caught me entirely by surprise. The pair suddenly took a knee, their fists held in front of their hearts.


    ¡°I, Leo Whiteworth, pledge my allegiance to Rosefire.¡±


    ¡°I, Edgar Rake, pledge my allegiance to Rosefire.¡±


    Shock rendered me speechless for a moment. I stared dumbly at the pair of them, with no idea what to say.


    Before I could gather my wits, the rest of the thirty some men also took a knee, copying the pose of their old leaders.


    ¡°We pledge allegiance to Rosefire!¡±


    The men loudly declared, their voices finally bringing me out of my daze. A warm smile spread over my face as I regarded the first group of people to join me.


    ¡°Not a single one of you will regret this decision, of that I promise on my life,¡± I declared, emotion slightly shaking my voice. ¡°Tonight is a night that will be recorded in the annals of history, to be remembered for eons to come as the night the greatest organization first formed.¡±

 Chapter 6 - Sword Deity

    In a far, far away land, on a planet long forgotten by the human race, a fierce battle was waged. Countless men and women, clad in shining knight armor, clashed on a massive grassy plain. Rivers of blood flowed from the smoking swords of the warriors. The ground shook under the bombardment of arrows of fire and ice. Mages stood in the rear of both sides, waving their staffs as they cast cataclysmic spells of fire and water, causing earthquakes and gargantuan tornados. In the air, countless flying beasts warred as their riders cast spell after spell.


    In the midst of all the chaos stood a single boy who seemed to be in his early teenage years, with striking cobalt hair that matched his eyes. He wore no armor; only the simple, rough clothes of a village boy. At his side, he loosely held a blade made of shining blue metal. Despite his apparent youth, he radiated a power that inspired fear in the souls of warriors on both sides of the battle. Huge plumes of dark blue vapor seeped through his sword. His every move dripped with grace as he danced through the legions of soldiers. With each step he took, the lifeblood of dozens of warriors painted the ground. He was a being who had stepped into the ranks of the Higher Deities, which meant that there were few existences in the universe that could match him.


    However, close as he was, he was still not invincible.


    As he slaughtered his way across the land, a lone figure stood to face him. A bulky man, with flowing golden hair that fell to his waist, finally stepped forward and caught the boy¡¯s seemingly unstoppable sword with his bare hands. The boy¡¯s swipe had been casual, but the collision of sword and palm still rocked the very planet to its core, knocking the powerful warriors around them to the ground.


    The boy grinned as he saw the man, excitement glimmering in his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve waited long for this day, Deity of Lions. I hope you don¡¯t disappoint me,¡± the boy spoke, his powerful voice resounding across the plains.


    The man with golden hair mirrored the boy¡¯s grin. ¡°Do you really think you will win this pointless war? A single Higher Deity cannot hope to march upon these plains, to challenge the army of a Primordial Deity and make it out alive. What is the point of this futile resistance, then?¡±


    ¡°One does not make it to our rank without the tenacity to see a fight through to death, no matter how futile it may seem. His Majesty may have ordered my execution, but I will not bend to his will without a fight. Now come, I¡¯ve had enough of these words. Let me see how much you¡¯ve grown since my last lesson, Young Prince.¡±


    A glimmer of sadness appeared in the man¡¯s eyes as long-buried memories resurfaced at the boy¡¯s words. Cupping his hands in front of him, the Greatest of Beasts, the King of the Wild, the Prince of a Primordial Deity, bowed his head in respect. ¡°As you will, Teacher. Let me show you what I¡¯ve learnt, one last time.¡±


    With those words, the two ancient beings lunged towards each other. Claw met blade as a massive amount of Flux dispersed at their clash, traveling across the surface of the entire planet. Any other planet would have been reduced to nothing more than broken rubble from the force.


    Thousands of blows were exchanged within seconds before the two finally backed up. Neither of the two suffered any injuries, but the man was clearly at a disadvantage. The force of every blow that he blocked shook his very bones. Despite that, he still bared his fang-like teeth and once again rushed at the boy.


    The two fought for hours on end, their clashes shaking the heavens above them. The man was soon reduced to a bad shape, with dark blood leaking out of the corners of his mouth. The boy had, on more than one occasion, seen the opportunity to end the man¡¯s life, but he could never bring himself to swing his sword at the crucial moment. Even then, the constant barrage of attacks had left the insides of the man damaged and bleeding, despite his otherworldly strength.


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    Around them lay hundreds of thousands of bloody bodies, bent and broken. Millions more still fought on, unfazed by the death that surrounded them. However, it was clear that one army was far more disadvantaged than the other. Although they fought valiantly, the numbers stacked against them were simply too much. For every man they cut down, ten more stepped in. Slowly but surely, the invading army was being thinned out. It was a losing battle, yet not one soldier swung his sword without firm resolve, for they all knew before they had stepped onto the battlefield that retreat was never an option.


    Suddenly, as the two deities were locked in a clash, the pair felt the presence of five more beings like them descend onto the planet.


    ¡°You are not going to win this battle, Young Prince,¡± a voice sounded out from the sky, forcing the boy and the man to stop their fight. ¡°It would be best to let us handle things from here. Battles like these are beneath your status.¡±


    The boy turned to face the five beings that descended from the sky with a grim expression. The five retainers of his king. Although they were still weaker than him, it was not by much. Fighting them five against one would not be easy, not by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, there were exactly nine existences in the universe that could prevail against the combined assault of the five who had been given the moniker ¡®Retainers of Hell¡¯. And the boy was not counted among them.


    ¡°Deity of Swords. You have fought nobly, and have made it farther than any other invader has in the eons that this palace has existed. Nothing less should be expected of you, as the being closest to stepping into the ranks of the Primordial. It will be our honor to have your last battle,¡± the eldest of them continued, turning to the boy. His hair was a pristine white, his ancient age evident in the wrinkles that cupped his sad smile.


    At his side stood a youthful woman, with flowing purple hair and sparkling golden eyes. Behind the pair stood three men, who casually eyed the fierce battle that waged around them. All five were clothed in shimmering golden armor, giving them an air of nobility.


    The boy, in his simple village clothing, with his simple blue blade held at his side, finally let loose the aura that he had been holding back. With the small, kind smile that he faced the five men with, no one would guess that the sinister pressure that suddenly weighed down on every being on the planet originated from him. The war that was being waged immediately came to a halt, as every warrior on the field was forced to take a knee against the crushing weight on their shoulders. Magical beasts and their riders came crashing down to the floor. Only the old man and the woman at his side seemed unfazed by the terrifying aura of the boy. Even the three men behind them, and the prince, struggled to stay on their feet.


    The boy moved his sword in front of him, pointed it at the five warriors, and uttered a single word.


    ¡°Come.¡±


    With that began a legendary battle, the last of the epic saga of the Sword Deity. The only being in history that dared to challenge the Celestial Army; the being that reduced the planet that housed the palace of a Primordial Deity to nothing but rubble and rock. The entire planet ceased to exist after the battle, shattered to pieces by what became a legendary blade. The majestic palace of pure Soul Diamond ¨C the home of the Primordial Deity made of a material said to be unmatched across the universe in toughness ¨C was mutilated beyond recognition.


    Of the five ¡®Retainers of Hell,¡¯ only two remained. Three perished in the battle, and the lives of the other two might have as well had not the Primordial Deity finally stepped in.


    Simply being able to make a Primordial Deity rise to battle is a feat not many in history can claim, but rumor states that the Deity of Swords even managed to wound his opponent, despite the unfathomable gap in strength.


    The conclusion of the battle was unsurprisingly the crushing defeat of the Sword Deity and his army, but with no remains left, it is impossible to say whether he truly perished that night.

 Chapter 7 – First Mages

    I stifled a yawn as I lifted up the garage door of the rundown warehouse that had become the base of operations for Rosefire. Inside, under the harsh white of the low-hanging light bulbs, around thirty men continually drilled into brand-new punching bags. With the ridiculous amount of money that I had, investing in the training of our men was one of the first things I had done. The only reason our base was so drab was because I wanted to keep Rosefire lowkey until we made a proper debut.


    In recompense, I made sure not to skimp out on meals, clothing, and housing when it came to my men.


    Ren had offered to take charge of the basic training of the men, while I would take five at a time and help them with their Cleanse. The first batch I took included Edgar and Leo, obviously, and three of the best fighters after them.


    While the main reason I had asked Ren to join Rosefire was because he seemed like a fun person to have tagging along, I also had the tiniest hunch that he was no stranger to fighting. And thankfully, that hunch turned out to be right. Although he wouldn¡¯t give up exactly who trained him, he had informed me that he¡¯d had proper training. He¡¯d even had his Cleanse already, but I hadn¡¯t had the time to see how strong he was, exactly.


    I took a moment and studied the men as they planted punch after punch on the cloth in front of them. Only a week had passed since their recruitment, but they would already demolish their past selves in a fight. They were still far from professional, of course, but they had most certainly improved.


    Quelling the pride in me, I made my way over to where Leo and the others stood, practicing their punches as well.


    ¡°Alright boys. You ready?¡± I asked as I walked up to them.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been ready. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s late,¡± one of the men, Brian, responded immediately. I chuckled at his response. I had quickly learnt that Brian had a very quick mouth that seemed to act all on its own. But I knew that Brian had meant no disrespect, and I took none. On top of that, Brian¡¯s limbs were as quick as his mouth, which was what had earned him a spot in the first five.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, Brian, that I was doing some very important Leader business, which took longer than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Brian asked, his skepticism clear as day. ¡°And what was this very important business of yours?¡±


    ¡°Sleeping, obviously,¡± I responded with a smile that dared to him to complain. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get this party started.¡±


    With that, Nick and Ian immediately lined up, their backs facing me. ¡°We¡¯re ready, Miss,¡± they said in unison. The two were twins and it showed in every aspect. From looks to words to actions, the two were practically identical.


    I smiled and placed my palms on their backs, right in between the shoulder blades. I closed my eyes and channelled the Flux around me into my body, through my arms and into my palms. Black vapor began to rise from my arms as the power flowed through my veins. When I felt that the power gathered in my palms was enough, I suddenly shoved it all out, right into the bodies of the two.


    There were two known ways of going through a Cleanse. One was to simply meditate for hours on end and attempt to sense the Flux in the air. That itself could take up to years. After that, one would have to absorb enough of the Flux around them to trigger a Cleanse. Although that method could take very long, it was by far the most common method when it came to mages that you could meet in second and third rate gangs.


    The second method was much more painful, and required much more skill. First-rate gangs and anything more powerful would only accept people who became mages through this method, since they were practically guaranteed to be better than mages that used the first method. Their Flux veins were simply cleaner and more powerful, which meant that the same amount of Flux would be much more refined in the hands of a mage who went through the pain of the second method.


    Both Ren and I had our Cleanse triggered through the second method, so the decision for the rest of the gang was a no-brainer.


    The second method required a Flux mage to inject Flux directly into the spine of the mage-to-be. Once the Flux was in them, they would have to control and direct it to the center of their body, to form their Flux Core. Since Flux could only be injected once a day ¨C lest the nerves be damaged, which could kill or paralyze the person ¨C it usually took around a week for enough Flux to gather in a person to fully form the Flux Core. Only after the Flux Core formed would the Cleanse begin, marking them as a true mage.


    Today marked a week since I had begun this training with the five, and I was hoping that I would get to see at least one trigger a Cleanse. Of course, it was still early, so I didn¡¯t have very high hopes.


    However, the moment the Flux entered their bodies, Nick and Ian fell to their knees, groaning in pain. They clutched their chests as they hunched over, the commotion immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the room.


    ¡°Alright, guys. We¡¯ve been through this. Spread the Flux in your cores around your body,¡± I instructed immediately, feeling a pang of excitement bubbling in me. But I kept my happiness in check and made sure to guide them through the process properly. As someone who¡¯d had a Cleanse through this method, I understood the pain they were currently feeling, and how disorienting it could be. ¡°The pain is just the Flux cleaning your body¡¯s impurities. Get through this and you will have taken the first step to achieving the strength of your dreams.¡±


    As the two began to move the Flux through their bodies, a reddish-brown vapor began to rise off them. The vapor carried with it a foul, but strangely, nostalgic smell. Leo and Edgar, as well as the rest of the men, gagged at the horrendous smell, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the memories their reactions brought.


    After a solid five minutes of steaming, Nick and Ian finally started feeling the pain subside. By now, we had carried the pair out of our warehouse to keep it usable. The pair had been dutifully revolving the Flux in their bodies throughout the pain, and were finally nearing the end of the ordeal.


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    A minute more passed before they were able to move their bodies again, and another minute before they were completely back to normal. Half a minute more and the true effects of the Cleanse finally kicked in.


    Ren and I chuckled as we watched the two run around in circles, jumping and waving their arms like madmen.


    ¡°I feel so light!¡± Nick yelled in happiness. ¡°I feel like I¡¯d fly away if someone sneezed on me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all you get,¡± I told them. ¡°Ian, try punching Edgar¡¯s palm.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Ian said as Edgar stepped up, his palm held out in front of him. Ian stood in front of him, fists up. With a twist of his hip, Ian let loose the strongest punch he could muster. At first glance, everyone present could tell that the punch was different from every other punch that Ian had thrown before. Everyone here, with the expectation of Leo, Ren, and I, felt a sense of mortal danger from the punch. I instantly knew Edgar would not fare well after taking the punch, and its speed was far too much for Edgar to dodge.


    Suddenly, a gust of wind hit me from the side as Ren lunged forward. In the blink of an eye, Ren appeared in between Edgar and Ian, his palm intercepting Ian¡¯s fist. A loud clap sounded out, with another gust of wind buffeting our clothes.


    Only now did Edgar hastily remove his hand and step back, the fear clear on his face. All the other men stared at Ren and Ian, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. They had all sensed they would not have stood a chance against the force behind Ian¡¯s punch.


    With a smug smile, I spoke to the shocked men. ¡°That is the power of Flux, in its weakest, least refined form. Within three months, I expect all of you to have this power. In the fourth month, we will move on the Hellwalkers and assume control of their territory. I¡¯ll tell you more once you¡¯ve all gotten a little stronger.¡± I stopped for a moment to let the information sink in. Now that they were fired up, it was the perfect moment to inform them of our goal. A goal none of them would have dared to believe possible a week ago.


    ¡°On another note, congratulations to Nick and Ian for becoming Rosefire¡¯s first mages. To celebrate, tonight will be on me.¡± I paused as the men hooted and cheered. Since our group was made of two originally separate gangs, I had decided to foster as many relaxing situations as I could, to reduce friction and problems. Thankfully, there had been no disagreements among the men yet, and I¡¯d even spotted a few friendships blooming, surprisingly including Leo and Edgar, which was great news for me. Rosefire was aiming for greatness; it had no time for petty squabbles.


    ¡°Now, off you are. We¡¯ve all got training to do,¡± I said as the lively talking subsided.


    ¡°Alright gentlemen, the boss has spoken,¡± Ren took over, rallying up the men he was training. ¡°Let¡¯s get to it, shall we?¡±


    As his group walked back, chatting and laughing, I quickly glanced at Ren, who was currently wrapped up with a lively conversation with some men. With his laid-back personality, he''d had no trouble getting along with all the members, and everyone had taken a liking to him. However, that was not why I was watching him with curiosity. Although none of the others had noticed, I most certainly had. When he stopped Ian¡¯s punch, Ren had used no Flux at all. Which meant that he had simply taken Ian¡¯s punch with nothing but his own body, which was a feat I would¡¯ve most certainly would''ve had trouble achieving. I didn¡¯t show it, but I was completely at a loss at how he had managed to take it absolutely unfazed. After all, Ren couldn¡¯t possibly have had the raw physical power it would take to do that.


    But as the men disappeared back into the warehouse, I shook my head and focused myself back on the matter at hand, motioning for the Brian and Edgar to line up in front of me. We all had secrets, and I would respect Ren¡¯s. If it was important for me to know, I trusted that he would tell me.


    With that settled, I placed my palms on Edgar and Brian¡¯s backs, going through the process again.


    After the two had fully absorbed the Flux, I repeated the process with Leo, except that both my palms were on his back. Although Leo was already a mage, he had done it through the first method. In order for him to not fall behind his comrades in the future, I decided to inject Flux into Leo to help him clean out his Flux veins. That way, the remaining impurities would be flushed out and not become a hindrance down the road. Every time I injected Flux into him, he would go through a mini version of the actual Cleanse, and every time, it would get weaker; which meant that he was getting cleaner.


    After that was done, I would train the men and often have them spar. Now that Nick and Ian were mages, Leo and I could finally spar against someone else. Over the week that we¡¯d had, Leo had lost every single fight. Although he had improved by leaps and bounds, I could tell he was excited to finally be fighting someone who he could actually win against.


    -


    Like sand through my fingers, a whole month had slipped away before I knew it. Rosefire produced a total of seventeen mages in that time, which was far more than I had been expecting, and as a whole, the fighting ability of the group had grown wildly.


    I was finally settling into the role of running a gang, which was far more complicated than I had imagined. I was expecting that capturing the loyalty of the men was the only hurdle I would face, but I was sorely mistaken. The territory of the combined gangs was small, relatively, encompassing no more than a few streets. But even then, there were a good number of businesses that relied on us for protection from bigger, more predatory gangs.


    Since I was in no need of extra money, I had decided to simply buy all the businesses, twenty-three in total, and add them as sources of revenue for Rosefire. Of course, I paid a reasonable price for them, and I let them run just as they had before. The only changes were that the salaries of all the employees were all footed by Rosefire, and all the profit would also find itself in Rosefire¡¯s funds.


    Aside from that, I also bought out the largest apartment building in my territory, Millcrest Apartments, and fixed it up as much as I reasonably could. I got each room cleaned out professionally, patched up the leaky piping, and installed proper heating and cooling. I reserved the top two floors for Rosefire¡¯s members, and rented out the bottom eight for a much cheaper price than the surrounding housing options. Although I still ate a loss, it ensured that all the rooms were filled up with the people who needed it the most. There were still homeless in my territory, of course, but I had done all that I could for now. I resolved to find ways to help them out as soon as I could.


    By the time I was done with all that, my bank account had plummeted to three hundred thousand and some, which was still far higher than it had ever been before. But I was sure that it wouldn¡¯t be long before that number soared to heights I didn¡¯t know were possible.


    Ren had been incredibly helpful throughout the process, from price negotiations to getting information around to picking up valuable information off the street. Although he was as clueless as me in the beginning, he had thrown himself into every challenge that popped up with his customary amused smile. As far as I was concerned, he had cemented his position as my First Lieutenant.


    With all my responsibilities to my people dealt with, I threw myself back into training, and another two months passed in what felt like mere minutes.

 Chapter 8 – Theos Report

    ¡°Gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that the first phase of Rosefire¡¯s plan is officially complete. In terms of fighting ability, I can assure you that Rosefire is up there with the city¡¯s best. And soon, the people will see that. Within the week, Rosefire will announce itself to the city with the biggest splash Toronto¡¯s seen in a long time." I paused there, surveying my men as pride welled in my chest. "But that¡¯s for later. Tonight, we enjoy ourselves! Tonight, we celebrate the hard work of the last three months, and the beginning of the greatest gang that this world will see! Cheers!¡±


    ¡°CHEERS!¡± The thirty-one people around me all happily shouted, clinking together their glass mugs.


    I watched with a happy smile as the men around me downed their mugs and dug into the lush feast in front of them, all the while basking in Ren¡¯s heavenly violin music. Just a few days ago, the last member of Rosefire had undergone his Cleanse and had officially become a mage, marking the end of the first phase of Rosefire''s development.


    Thirty mages with basic combat training wasn¡¯t exactly an unbeatable army, but with the right moves, it was more than enough to unleash chaos upon the powers of the city.


    Time flew as the members of Rosefire enjoyed themselves, chatting amongst themselves and the residents of our territory. The occasion was special, so I''d decided to make the celebration open to the whole community. With my sizable funds, it wasn¡¯t hard to arrange a proper party for a hundred or so people.


    Around an hour or so into the party, Ren suddenly appeared in front of me, walking stick in hand.


    ¡°Theo¡¯s back. He¡¯s got the info you asked for,¡± he said. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    I nodded and he quickly turned around and dove into the crowd again. Keeping my eyes on his back, I followed him as he made his way through a maze of dark, run-down back alleys. As I did, I marveled, not for the first time, at how well he could handle himself despite his blindness. Aside from his closed eyes and walking stick, you¡¯d never know that he couldn¡¯t see. The way he could respond to nonverbal actions and find his way around places, it was like he had some extra sixth sense that the rest of us didn¡¯t.


    After a series of twisting turns, we finally arrived at an empty dead end. No matter how much my eyes searched, I could find no trace of another person, and if not for that feeling of being watched I would think that we really were alone.


    Ren gave the ground three raps with his stick, and we waited in silence for a moment. Finally, a scrawny boy appeared behind us, seemingly out of nowhere.


    ¡°Ah, my favorite little scout. How¡¯ve you been, Theo?¡± I asked as I turned around, dropping a little hard candy in the boy¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been good, Leader,¡± he said, as a small, shy smile adorned his childish face. With the swiftness of a cat, the boy had the candy wrapped and popped into his mouth within the second.


    An eleven-year-old boy, he¡¯d always had a knack for getting around unnoticed. When the Crowned Tigers were still a thing, Edgar had often used him to gather information on other small-time gangs. I immediately knew when I was told that Theo would be invaluable to Rosefire¡¯s rise in Toronto. I was fully aware that Rosefire couldn¡¯t possibly brute force its way to the top in such a short time, so I would have to rely on precise planning. And the first step in a good plan was gathering information.


    When I had mentioned Theo''s skillset to Ren, he''d immediately said that he was going to take him under his wing. In his words, he ''knew a thing or two about discreet information gathering,'' and Theo would make the perfect student.


    Under Ren¡¯s teaching, Theo quickly became more than adept at his job. And today would be the result of all his hard work. Two weeks ago, I had sent him out with the order to get me a list of Toronto¡¯s powerhouses, and a general outline of their resources.


    ¡°Alright, Theo, let¡¯s get you some proper food and a nice bed. You can tell me everything tomorrow morning,¡± I said as I grabbed his small hand in mine, and began to lead him out.


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    ¡°Actually, I¡¯d prefer to tell you right now. I¡¯m not that tired or hungry, and I have a lot to tell you,¡± Theo said, stopping me.


    I glanced at Ren, eyebrow raised, but he only shrugged, leaving the decision to me. Not for the first time, I spent a second wondering how it was that Ren had known what I was saying with my face, but I knew it was useless. I¡¯d find out when Ren felt the need to tell me, I was sure.


    Shifting my attention back to Theo, I studied his eyes for a moment, searching for any signs of exhaustion or hunger. Finding none, I sighed and motioned for Theo to take a seat on the ground. Ren and I quickly followed, forming a small circle.


    ¡°Alright then, Theo. Let¡¯s hear what you¡¯ve got.¡±


    ¡°Well, to start with, I took a look at the IOR¡¯s Leaderboard to rule out every organization that wasn¡¯t in the top ten, since every org not in the top ten isn¡¯t allowed to hide their name. After I knew all the names of the orgs that weren¡¯t in the top ten, it was pretty easy. I just had to find orgs that weren¡¯t on the Leaderboard, and as long as they weren¡¯t just starting out, it was a pretty good bet that they were in the top ten. These are the names that I got.¡± As he spoke, he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and began reading out. ¡°The Diamond Rebels, The Fight House, The White Fangs, The Flame Cobras, The Copper Jackals, The Brown Swords, The Destroyers, and The Immortals. As for their resources, I¡¯ve only managed to get a rough area of their territories. But all their money should be coming from the businesses in their territory, so you can make an educated guess as to how much money they¡¯re making.¡±


    He handed me the paper he was holding, which held a crude drawing of the map of Toronto. Eight circles of red dotted the map, each with a name inside. Together, the circles encompassed almost half the map, which was incredible considering the fact that there were at least a hundred other gangs that were fighting over the rest of the city.


    ¡°Theo¡­ this is incredible. I¡¯m speechless. I had no idea you were so capable,¡± I said as I patted the boy¡¯s head. Theo flushed and shyly dipped his head.


    ¡°Honestly, you¡¯ve done better than I was expecting. You have a very promising future, Theo,¡± Ren joined in, agreeing with me.


    ¡°I mean, I still didn¡¯t manage to get the names of the top two gangs though. I think they were hiding their traces through false names and businesses. Whatever they¡¯re doing was done very well, because I couldn¡¯t find a single lead that wasn¡¯t a dead end,¡± Theo finally said, disappointment coloring his face.


    ¡°Of course, the top two most powerful gangs in Toronto practically run the city. They¡¯ve got connections and influence everywhere. It¡¯s amazing you were able to find out the names that you did,¡± Ren cut in, comforting the boy.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± I agreed, nodding. ¡°Now then,¡± I said as I stood up, carefully creasing Theo¡¯s map and placing it in my pocket. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the party. Theo, go to Mark¡¯s store and tell him that I said you have anything you want.¡±


    Theo looked up excitedly at that. ¡°Really?!¡±


    I nodded with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve earned it.¡±


    ¡°K, thanks!¡± Theo yelled over his shoulder, already making his way out of the dank alleys.


    I chuckled at his enthusiasm, feeling a strange but pleasant warmth in my chest at the sight.


    ¡°He¡¯s gonna leave you penniless, y¡¯know,¡± Ren said with a small smile as he finally got up too.


    ¡°I know,¡± I sighed, having first-hand experience of how expensive Theo¡¯s candy-eating spree could get at Mark¡¯s if he were left unchecked. After the first time, I had made sure to only let him have one a day, and told Mark that he wasn¡¯t allowed to have any more than that unless he had my explicit permission. ¡°But, he deserves it. With the information he¡¯s given me, and the potential he shows, he¡¯s already one of the most valuable members of Rosefire.¡±


    Ren nodded. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m surprised you value information as much as you do. You didn¡¯t strike me as the kind of person who understood the importance of planning.¡±


    I laughed. ¡°I understand how important it is ¨C I¡¯d have to be an idiot not to ¨C it''s just that I¡¯d much rather just go into every fight guns blazing. All this information gathering and secret plotting is so boring. Unfortunately, we have no other choice right now, since we¡¯re so weak. But trust me, once we have the manpower, the only plan I¡¯ll ever make is ¡®pummel anyone who gets in my way¡¯.¡±


    Ren shook his head. ¡°Now that sounds more like the Ruby I know.¡±


    ¡°You really ought to respect your Leader more, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°A person truly worthy of respect wouldn¡¯t need to ask for it.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut-¡±


    Both of us were stopped in our tracks by the sudden sound of steel and wood crashing that carried on the wind. But the graveness on our faces wasn¡¯t due to the sound, but the faint trace of Flux it carried.

 Chapter 9 - Silver Fox

    In the highest office of the highest skyscraper of a major and affluent city, sat a very special man. He was the Guild Leader of Silver Fox and was undeniably the most powerful person in the city; for all intents and purposes, he was its mayor. His richly decorated office ¨C with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a panoramic view of the sprawling city, a bubbling artificial waterfall in the corner, and a wide oak table in the center ¨C proudly showcased his vast wealth. The man himself, comfortably seated in his supple leather chair, oozed with opulence. His form-fitting suit was personally crafted by the best tailors in the city, his sleek blonde hair styled by the most expensive salon, and his teeth gleamed white. But past the money-drenched appearance was muscle packed with devastating power. His explosive physical prowess had dominated the city and paved the path for his small-time gang to grow into the successful Guild that it now was.


    Currently, he sat with papers strewn across the rich brown of his desk, head in hand as he pondered the future of his Guild.


    He was brought out of his thoughts by a soft knock on the tall, double oak doors of his office.


    ¡°Come in,¡± he called out, not bothering to look up. The soft whirring of a motor sounded in the silence as the doors slowly opened up, revealing a young woman dressed in a simple pencil skirt and blouse. In her hands was a steaming cup. ¡°I brought you some coffee, Guild Leader.¡±


    The man finally looked up at that. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a godsend, Kelsey,¡± the man said gratefully, rubbing his eyes.


    Kelsey swiftly brought the cup to him, standing with her head dipped in respect. The Guild Leader took the cup and took a deep sip of the swirling golden brown liquid, sighing in satisfaction.


    The man put the cup down, and slowly, a strange light entered his eyes. Kelsey held her position, unmoving with the perfect mask of respectful obedience.


    Neither spoke for a long moment, content in their silence. The Guild Leader¡¯s face gradually seemed to change, the weight of years of worry melting away, replaced by a comfortable calm.


    Finally, the man broke the odd silence that had descended upon the room.


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    ¡°Why?¡± he asked simply.


    Kelsey had no trouble understanding the man¡¯s question, despite its vagueness.


    ¡°It had to be done. Your decision was not going to be made in time, so I decided to make it myself,¡± she said matter-of-factly.


    The man nodded, content with her answer. ¡°You better be right, then,¡± he said, giving a small chuckle.


    Kelsey remained motionless, but a flicker of sadness passed over her face.


    With a resigned sigh, the man stood up and walked over to the window behind him, surveying the bustling city under him. A desolate, but oddly companionable silence settled over the two.


    The silence seemed to stretch into eternity for Kelsey, but when it broke, it felt all too soon.


    ¡°Take care of them for me, k?¡±


    A single tear slipped down Kelsey¡¯s face as she nodded, her throat suddenly too tight for words.


    The man finally turned his head back, taking one last glance at Kelsey¡¯s emotion-choked face, and gave her a small smile.


    Kelsey dipped her head lower, unable to watch as the forgiving light in the man¡¯s eyes dimmed until it finally flickered out.


    With a thud, the man fell to the floor, eyes rolling back into his head. The deadly liquid within him had finally reached his brain and was currently wreaking havoc. Any normal human would have lost consciousness within seconds of ingesting the poison mixed with the coffee and would have long passed away in the time that had elapsed for the man. It was only his incredibly refined Flux and body that had slowed the effects, but even his strength was not enough to protect his life.


    Having personally witnessed his inhuman resilience and power, Kelsey knew better than to leave it there. Reaching into her blouse pocket, her nimble fingers retrieved a small glass flask, filled with a clear, viscous liquid. She made her way over to the man¡¯s motionless body. Uncapping the flask, Kelsey gently tilted the man¡¯s face up, carefully pouring the vial¡¯s contents down his throat. Making sure not to lose a single drop, she waited until the entirety of the liquid had been emptied into the man¡¯s mouth.


    Content that she had done all she could to snuff every last flicker of life from the man¡¯s body, Kelsey respectfully laid her two fingers upon his eyes, tenderly pulling his eyelids closed.


    Tightening her grip on the grief that flared up in her heart, Kelsey steeled herself moved on to the next part of her plan. After all, there was still much to be done.

 Chapter 10 – Declaration of War

    The two of us showed up at the source of the commotion within the second, and were greeted by a scene that made my blood boil. Anne, a long-time resident of the community and a unanimously agreed upon angel, lay cowering on the floor as she embraced her sobbing daughter, Charlotte. Around her lay the wreckage of her candied apple stall; splintered planks of wood peppered with sparkling red apples lay strewn over the asphalt floor.


    The culprit for the destruction was not very hard to find. A burly man stood right in the middle of it, sporting a grimy white tank top with sweatpants and smoking fists, and a smug grin resting on his stubble-encased lips.


    The man¡¯s arrogant eyes quickly found mine, the challenge in them obvious.


    ¡°Ah, so you must be Ruby. I¡¯ve been looking for you,¡± the man said in his rumbling voice.


    ¡°Destroying property in my territory? There are easier, less painful ways to get yourself killed, y¡¯know?¡± I responded, a deathly light in my eyes.


    The man laughed uproariously at my words. ¡°I knew you¡¯d be gutsy, but you really are something, huh? Tell me, little girl, are you sure that you can back up those words?¡±


    I smirked. ¡°If I can¡¯t deal with some lowly thug then I hardly deserve to aim for world domination, don¡¯t you think?¡± But inside, I knew the truth. The man in front of me was no lowly thug, despite his appearance. I could feel the strength emanating from his bulging muscles, and the Flux rising off of his fists was very refined. He would undoubtedly be my most challenging opponent to date, and I knew enough to know that a man with his strength would not be low on the food chain. Which meant this was not a random encounter, and that he represented a bigger enemy.


    ¡°He looks fun. Ruby, you mind if I take care of this?" Ren suddenly spoke from my side, his voice cutting through my musing. "There¡¯s no need for you to dirty your hands with this street urchin.¡±


    Surprised, I looked over at him, about to ask if he could handle it. However, his completely unperturbed face stopped me. Not even the slightest trace of worry could be seen on his face, and I knew Ren enough to know that he wasn¡¯t hiding anything.


    On top of that, this would be a good chance to find out how capable he really was. His training had been top-notch, but I¡¯d never seen him really push himself. And it would be nice for the members of Rosefire, who had all now gathered around, to see his strength as well.


    Deciding to trust him, I nodded with a smile. ¡°Knock yourself out, Ren.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope I don¡¯t,¡± Ren said with a smile as he walked over to the man. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, or why you¡¯re here," Ren began, facing the man down with his face uncharacteristically serious. "And frankly, I don¡¯t care. But you really should not have broken this stall.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± the man asked in a patronizing tone.


    ¡°Cuz I liked it,¡± Ren responded simply.


    ¡°Oh really? Well, in that case, I sincerely apologize,¡± the man said. As he spoke, he brought his foot over a nearby apple and crushed it, grounding it into the ground. ¡°Oops.¡±


    Then, turning to me, the man continued. ¡°Also, on another note, is he blind?¡± he asked, gesturing at Ren and his closed eyes. ¡°Because I won¡¯t be sparing your little play gang out of pity, if that¡¯s what you were hop-¡±


    Before he could finish his taunt, Ren¡¯s walking stick came crashing into the man¡¯s chin, shutting him up. The force of the attack pushed him a few steps back, face turned to the sky.


    The man audibly sucked in a breath, his chest puffing out. Shifting his gaze back to Ren, the man rubbed his chin roughly. ¡°Now you¡¯ve done it. You¡¯ve officially sealed your fate, blind boy.¡±


    Ren let out a ridiculing laugh. ¡°You¡¯ve got me trembling in my boots, musclehead.¡±


    Instead of responding, the man¡¯s fist suddenly shot out, so fast it whistled. Aimed at Ren¡¯s head, the punch seemed impossible to avoid. But, just in the nick of time, Ren leaned his head just enough to the left to let the fist pass harmlessly through the air. Instantly, the man¡¯s second fist shot out as well, even faster than the last. With speed so great it blurred, even I would be hard-pressed to dodge the man¡¯s approaching fist. But Ren, in the fraction of a second that he had, simply ducked under the man¡¯s arm, before calmly stepping out of his range.


    ¡°All that talk, and you throw punches like that? That¡¯s just embarrassing,¡± Ren taunted with a crooked smile.


    Instead of responding, the man studied Ren intently, seeming to realize finally that Ren wasn¡¯t up there for show. Making the decision to start treating him like a proper opponent, the man shrugged and stretched his arms, loosening up his muscles. The gray vapor shimmering out of his arms grew stronger, the danger emanating from his body a physical weight on the shoulders of everyone present.


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    Strangely, Ren¡¯s expression remained unchanged, still as unfazed as always. With his casual stance and arms loosely held at his side, it hardly looked like he was ready for a fight.


    Still, when the man charged forward, the eruption of power from his feet carrying him at frightening speeds, Ren smoothly ducked under his punch without batting an eye. The man followed up with another five lightning-quick jabs, but Ren managed to slip through every attack without even using his feet. Like water, he was formless, gracefully bending and weaving through the man¡¯s blurring attacks.


    After a futile few seconds of attacking, the man finally seemed to realize that he wasn¡¯t going to catch Ren anytime soon. Backing up a few steps, he took a break, chest heaving from the exertion. Suddenly, Ren exploded into movement, appearing in front of the man in the blink of an eye. Before he could react, Ren had already sunk his knee into the man¡¯s gut. With an umph, the air in his lungs rushed out, adding on to the disorientation that the man was already feeling.


    Not letting the man have a break, Ren immediately extended his foot straight upwards. The sole of his sneakers crashed into the man¡¯s chin, lifting him off the ground a good inch. The move asked for incredible flexibility, requiring his legs to stretch into a straight vertical line, but its effectiveness was unarguable. The twofold combo was very disorienting, with the unusual order of its attacks. An ordinary mage would¡¯ve been out of the fight already.


    Still not satisfied, however, Ren quickly brought his foot back down and spun around, bringing his knee crashing into the man¡¯s spine. The force threw the man against the ground, but somehow, the man managed to use the rebound to bring himself back to his feet. The momentum carried him forward, making him stumble. Despite the pain coursing through his body, the man kept himself upright, gritting his teeth with the effort. Then, suddenly, a loud whack echoed out as Ren brought his walking stick hard against the man¡¯s calf, forcing him down to his knees again.


    Leaning on his stick, Ren simply watched the dazed man, lips curled into a small, amused smile as he slowly walked around to the man¡¯s front.


    ¡°Now, then, why don¡¯t you get talking, little man,¡± Ren asked, his voice dripping with terrifying politeness. ¡°Who are you, and why are you targeting Rosefire?¡±


    The man defiantly stared at Ren, unwilling to give in so easily. Seeing the unyielding look in his eyes, Ren¡¯s smile grew, taking on a ruthless air.


    Dropping to a crouch, Ren tilted the man¡¯s chin until they were at eye level with each other. Finally, Ren opened his eyes, locking gazes with the man. Neither spoke for a moment, but the man seemed to grow increasingly uncomfortable as the seconds ticked by. Eventually, beads of sweat started to roll down his face, but still, the man seemed unable to look away from Ren¡¯s eyes.


    From my angle, I couldn¡¯t see Ren¡¯s eyes, so I had no idea what the man was going through. Still, a small part of me couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for the poor man. At least, until he opened his mouth.


    ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll tell you,¡± the man finally gave in, tearing his gaze away from Ren¡¯s. ¡°Fight House found out about you and Rosefire, so I was sent to break some stuff and beat up a few people, before letting you know that Fight House intends to make an example out of you. You are going to be Fight House¡¯s number-one enemy. The humiliation you caused them crossed a line.¡± The man laughed, an ugly, smug laugh. ¡°We¡¯re going to tear down everything you¡¯ve spent the last three months building. This is war.¡±


    Absolute silence descended on the dark street. The faces of the people gathered ranged from horror to disbelief, and I could understand what was going through their heads. Hellwalker was a second-rate gang, and even they were something just barely attainable for Rosefire. Fight House was on a completely different level.


    Third-rate gangs ran neighbourhoods, each one unique and usually community-based. They weren¡¯t even on the food chain, only considered organizations created to keep their people safe. Second-rate gangs were a step above, usually encompassing three or more neighbourhoods. On top of that, they also had to own a company valued at a minimum of five hundred thousand dollars, according to the standard set by the International Organization Rankings. Even then, second-rate gangs were at the bottom of the food chain, bought and traded by bigger organizations like poker chips.


    First-rate gangs, however, were different. Every major city was usually run by two or three first-rate gangs, each vying for the top seat. The standard for first-rate gangs was to have at least five second-rate gangs as subsidiaries, and have their own company valued at five million. They usually balanced each other out in terms of strength, a balance so delicate that the slightest slip could result in their destruction. More than one had fallen through kidnapped children and spouses, assassinations, and other underhanded tricks of the like.


    Fight House was the only known first-rate gang in Toronto. They ranked third on the IOR¡¯s Leaderboard, though, meaning that there were at least two more who were even more powerful.


    A gang like Rosefire, a gang just barely above third-rate in terms of resources, would be squashed under a first-rate gang¡¯s foot. Waging war was like using a rocket launcher against an ant, when a simple stomp would suffice.


    Curious as to what Ren¡¯s reaction would be to the man¡¯s claim, I moved to stand in front of the man, beside Ren. Just a glance was enough to confirm my suspicions. Ren¡¯s face was completely unchanged, lips curled into a small smile with a hint of glee that I just barely caught.


    We really are birds of a feather, I thought to myself. There was no fear on his face, only anticipation at the prospect of fighting impossible odds.


    Nodding to myself, I crouched down to the man¡¯s level and looked him in the eye, giving him a smile.


    ¡°When you wake up tomorrow, lying on the concrete sidewalk in front of Fight House¡¯s building with your arms broken, remember to tell your masters that,¡± I paused for a second, finally letting the anger in me surface in my eyes. ¡°Rosefire. Fears. Nothing.¡±


    My hand struck out, so fast he only saw a blur of movement before being plunged into darkness.

 Chapter 11 – Like the Stars

    The gloom in the air was almost tangible, the sense of impending doom putting a sour expression on everyone.


    I shook my head as I studied the faces of the men gathered around me, all sitting in a circle. After tying up the man, all Rosefire members had come together for an emergency meeting, right in the middle of the parking lot. The merry mood of early tonight had entirely vanished with the news of Fight House declaring war against us, and for good reason. No matter how I looked at the situation, there was no easy win for Rosefire.


    Most of the residents of my territory had also gathered, although they sat in the back. I was touched by their concern for the fate of Rosefire, so I didn¡¯t bother asking them to leave.


    ¡°Alright men. You might be thinking that this could be the end of Rosefire. However, I would like to remind you that Rosefire is actually going to be a global superpower soon, so I don¡¯t really think there¡¯s any reason to be worried,¡± I declared with absolute confidence.


    Immediately, everyone gathered turned to me with incredulous gazes, wondering if I¡¯d lost it under the pressure.


    Upon seeing my teasing grin, however, they all breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Look at you lot. One little obstacle and you¡¯ve lost all hope. I made it quite clear when you all signed up that we would be making enemies at every turn, each one an insurmountable mountain. Fight House is only going to be the first of many. And each time, we will make it through, despite all opposition. As long as we trust each other, and keep our wits about us, Rosefire will be unstoppable. I know there¡¯s a voice in your head telling you that it''s impossible, that it''s better to give in instead of fighting those who are so much more powerful. That voice is the embodiment of what has been drilled into your mind since the day you were born, to make sure you don¡¯t follow your true nature as humans and upset the balance that the strong have set. But all of you are here because you beat that voice, because you understand that humans are born to be free, and to live a suffocating life under the rules of the world is to not live at all.¡±


    By the time I finished, my face was flushed with passion, but it had done its job. The fire of determination glowed in each and every person¡¯s eyes, their fighting spirit emanating out of them. The melancholy of the atmosphere had completely vanished, the men now eagerly chatting with each other.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan, then?¡± Ren finally asked from my side, after letting the chatter settle down.


    I smiled at his question, having been waiting for a chance to show off my idea. ¡°They may have the advantage when it comes to numbers, but having more people doesn¡¯t always mean victory. A large group of people is hard to maneuver and organize, and that¡¯s where our advantage lies. Now that we know about their attack, we can launch a preemptive strike. I¡¯m thinking we split ourselves up into small groups and strike at key places, immobilizing them before the war can even start.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as the men absorbed my idea, weighing its pros and cons.


    Ren was the first to respond. ¡°Just like how you would fight a person bigger and stronger than you: with quick jabs at weak spots. I like it,¡± he said with a grin.


    The people gathered nodded thoughtfully at his words, seeming to come to the conclusion that it was a good tactic in fighting this battle.


    ¡°But, there is one problem,¡± Brian spoke up. ¡°How are we going to get the information we need? If Fight House had such easily identifiable weak spots, they wouldn¡¯t have kept their seat in the top three for long.¡±


    I frowned at his question. Caught up in the excitement of coming up with a good plan, I appeared to have overlooked a slightly crucial factor. However, before I could admit that, Ren piped up, a smug grin on his face.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple. After all, we have something that all those other gangs don¡¯t.¡±


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    ¡°Really? What¡¯s that?¡± Leo asked, asking the question that was on all of our minds, mine included.


    ¡°Me, obviously,¡± Ren responded, his grin unperturbed.


    A collective sigh was heaved at his answer, as the hope people were beginning to feel was once again squashed.


    ¡°What?¡± Ren asked indignantly. ¡°I¡¯m actually quite talented at reconnaissance. I¡¯ve spent the better part of my life training for that, I¡¯ll have you know.¡±


    Everybody perked up at that. ¡°Really?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Yup. Give me a day, and I guarantee I¡¯ll have the information you need,¡± Ren claimed, oozing confidence.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s one problem solved. Anything else, guys?¡± I asked, turning to the men.


    ¡°So the plan for Hellwalker is going to be put on hold then?¡± Edgar asked.


    I laughed. ¡°Hellwalker? By the time we¡¯re done with Fight House, Hellwalker would pay to merge with us,¡± I proudly declared.


    Ren raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°I thought we were just defending ourselves?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What? Why would we do that? Those guys have the audacity to declare war on us, and you think I¡¯ll stop at just fighting back? I don¡¯t know who the owner of Fight House is, but he¡¯d better enjoy his position for now, because it¡¯s not going to last long.¡±


    Ren laughed at my response. ¡°Of course. How could I forget who I¡¯m talking to?¡±


    I nodded, smug now that I could imagine the wonderful turn that Rosefire¡¯s path could take with this war. Of course, I was not delusional. I understood how difficult it would be to usurp a first-rate gang with a group of thirty people. But I was ready to give it everything nonetheless.


    ¡°Alright. Everyone, go get some rest. Your lives are going to get real messy from tomorrow, one way or another. In the morning, we¡¯ll hammer out the details of how we¡¯re going to deal with these people,¡± I said, signalling the end of the meeting.


    The men around me got up, making their way to their respective homes as they buzzed over the uncertain future that lay ahead of them.


    Watching their retreating backs, I felt a strange weight on my chest as I realized for the first time that their futures were now irrevocably linked to mine. My failure would be their failure, and my success would be their success.


    A hand patted my back, bringing me out of my sudden and worrying realization.


    ¡°Not so easy to be reckless when they¡¯re other people who¡¯re counting on you, huh?¡± Ren asked.


    Once again, I was at a loss as to how Ren had managed to read my expression so well without being able to see, but I was quickly realizing that it was something I was better off simply accepting.


    I sighed at his question. ¡°I¡¯ve never cared about when or how I die, as long as it happens while I¡¯m fighting for what I want. But now that there are people who¡¯ll be there fighting beside me¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± I sighed again. ¡°It¡¯s not so simple anymore.¡±


    Ren smiled softly. ¡°Life rarely is. Doesn¡¯t change one thing though. Only thing you can do is fight as hard as you can to protect your dreams, and theirs.¡±


    I mirrored his smile, his words bringing me some relief. No matter who or what I was fighting for, it didn¡¯t change the fact that all I could do was give it my best.


    ¡°Speaking of which, are you really confident in finding out everything you need about Fight House in one night? It won¡¯t be easy, considering they¡¯ve managed to survive for quite some time.¡±


    Ren¡¯s smile grew into a grin. ¡°Trust me. The shadows are my home. And nothing can hide from the dark.¡±


    His confidence was more than assuring. I let go of a deep breath, letting the tension that I hadn¡¯t realized I was holding seep out of me. The dark stillness of the night around me was calming, and before I realized it, my thoughts drifted as I studied the twinkling stars far above me.


    With a light pat on my shoulder, Ren eventually got up and walked away, his walking stick lightly tapping against the gravel until he vanished into the dark.


    I hardly noticed him leaving, my mind already occupied, not with the precarious future that lay ahead of me, but with the vast heavens that sat so far above me.


    A promise, made long ago, more symbolic than actually meant, drifted into my mind.


    One day, we will soar through the sky, looking down on the world. We will never bow our heads to anyone, never say anything we don¡¯t want to, never do anything we don¡¯t want to. We will be like the stars at night, unbound and unchained, free in its truest form.


    I smiled at the stars, wondering just when I¡¯d finally be able to join them.

 Chapter 12 – OlRusty

    I stifled a yawn as I walked into ol¡¯ Rusty ¨C the epithet that my men had fondly bestowed upon the rusty warehouse. The golden morning sunlight filtered in through the dirty windows, bleary in my sleepy eyes.


    Between spending a few hours reminiscing at the stars and personally taking care of the man who¡¯d been sent by Fight House ¨C exactly as I¡¯d told him I¡¯d take care of him ¨C I hadn¡¯t managed to catch much sleep last night.


    Inside, everyone had already gathered in a circle, idly chatting. Ren sat happily in the middle, casually listening with his usual smile.


    As I walked in, all the men eventually turned to me, expectant and burning with anticipation. I smiled at their enthusiasm, making my way to Ren and sitting beside him.


    ¡°So, how¡¯d it go?¡± I asked as I sat down.


    Ren smiled, smug. ¡°Exactly like I said it would. It was so easy it was kind of embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, surprised.


    Ren laughed. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m kidding. It wasn¡¯t all that easy. But I did get enough for what we need.¡±


    Applause erupted from the men, and I didn¡¯t blame them. Although Ren downplayed it, the fact that he got an ample amount of information out of a first-rate gang was nothing ordinary.


    Ren basked in the applause for a moment before reaching into his hoodie and removing a pack of Polaroid pictures. He spread them out on the ground in front of him, carefully laying them in a line.


    There were seven pictures in total. Each one depicted a well-dressed person, money practically dripping off of their outfits. Five were men, while the last two were women.


    All the pictures were taken at a club or casino type of environment based on the backgrounds, with some drinking or gambling or simply talking. What all of them shared in common, however, was that it was clear that none of them knew that their photos were being taken, which was a testament to Ren¡¯s skill as all the people in the pictures were undoubtedly powerful mages with much higher perception and awareness than regular people.


    Ren pointed at the first picture, which depicted a woman in her mid-thirties wearing a blazing red dress.


    ¡°This is Tia Todd. She¡¯s in charge of the popular bakery ''Sweet Tooth.'' Most people think that they¡¯re separate from Fight House, which is purposefully done so that they would have a big name in the public eye to use for any above-the-table deals they want to make. Aside from all the benefits her company provides Fight House in terms of manipulating the public and authorities, just the unholy amount of revenue it rakes in for them makes it a prime target for hitting Fight House.¡±


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    Leo whistled as Ren finished, his reaction echoing the sentiment of everyone present.


    ¡°Wow,¡± was all I could get out.


    Ren laughed modestly at the praise, as close to flustered as I¡¯d ever seen him.


    ¡°Next up is Oscar Day,¡± Ren continued on. ¡°He¡¯s the head accountant for Fight House. From what I heard, he¡¯s incredibly talented when it comes to numbers. Without his mathematical genius, the finances of Fight House would not run nearly as smoothly as they do. Also, due to his eccentric personality, he¡¯s the only one who knows how to run some very crucial parts of Fight House. He is, in the words of some very important people, ¡®practically indispensable.¡¯ Were he to go missing for some reason, it¡¯d be a huge blow to the daily functioning of Fight House.¡±


    -


    By the time we finished the majority of our planning, the sun had already risen to its zenith. Ren had fully cemented his reconnaissance ability; the detailed and crucial information that he had managed to get in one night was absolutely astonishing. Each target he had chosen was perfect as far as I was concerned. Each was in some way critical to Fight House, and the loss of all of them at the same time would have ramifications that would crush any chance of Fight House keeping its seat at the top three. In fact, I doubted they would be able to even stay in the top hundred after all of their enemies got wind of their weakness.


    Of course, this was all the best-case scenario, assuming that we managed to make every target disappear. Even with all his capability, Ren could not gather intimate information about each target''s strength and level of protection.


    However, I was not disappointed in the slightest. If Rosefire could not even handle the challenge after having such an advantage delivered to their doorstep, then we hardly deserved to aim for the global stage.


    Hammering out the details of how the operation would go down took up the rest of the time we spent. We decided to split ourselves up into teams of five, plus one team of two made up of Ren and me. We would launch our strike in a maximum of four days, giving Ren enough time to find the most optimal time to attack, while also not giving Fight House enough time to begin the war they were so sure of winning.


    With everything more or less figured out, I let my men out to go relax for a bit, as they wouldn¡¯t be getting much more time once we doubled down on our training.


    As they slowly trickled out, I finally turned to Ren and asked what had been on my mind since the beginning of the day. ¡°So, how¡¯d you do it?" I asked, my eyes sparkling with curiosity. "There¡¯s no way you figured all that out just by lurking around them, not to mention they were surrounded by people in a well-lit and well-monitored place. My guess is you somehow got people to think you belonged there, and then got the information you needed through talking to them. But how, exactly, did you manage all that?¡±


    Ren gave me a wide, smug grin. ¡°A magician never reveals his secrets.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, disappointed.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Fine, whatever.¡± I was quiet for a moment again. ¡°Looks like things are finally going to get interesting around here, huh?¡±


    ¡°This is exactly why I joined you," Ren agreed with a wide smile. "Who else in the world would have the nerve to wage a war against a fully established first-rate gang with a force of thirty fresh mages.¡±


    I grinned, taking his words as a compliment. ¡°And things are just going to get wilder, mark my words.¡±


    Ren¡¯s smile morphed into a grin that mirrored my own. ¡°I can¡¯t wait.¡±

 Chapter 13 – Monster of the Ancient Woods

    Azure eyes glowed in the thick darkness, poking holes in the blanket of night that had taken hold of the ancient woods. The coldness contained within the ice-blue gaze would send shivers down even the most seasoned of soldiers.


    The eyes surveyed the prostrated heads of the men in front of it, the men who had, just seconds ago, been so proud. Mere ants rearing their heads in front of him; the idea was laughable.


    Now, however, these ants carried none of their usual arrogance. Sweat fell off their brows as they begged and pleaded for their lives, offering up all the wealth that they had gathered in all their lives. Meaningless trinkets in his eyes.


    With a bored sigh, the being shrouded in darkness waved his hand, extinguishing the worthless lives of the men before him. None of them were worthy of his benevolence. Spineless, weak-willed, and stupid: the kind of people he hated most.


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    ¡°Your Majesty, why kill these people when they could be turned into puppets?" a woman asked, suddenly appearing out of the darkness beside the being with blue eyes. "With their vast resources, they would make great strides in completing Your Majesty¡¯s mission.¡±


    She wore a pencil skirt and blouse, much like an office lady; an outfit at odds with the somber ambience. A sliver of fear flickered in her eyes, only there for an instant before her face returned to its passive state. The men whose lives had just been erased with the wave of a hand were some very prominent people in the country, each in charge of vast swathes of land. Their strength was unmistakable, even on the global stage. And yet, a simple wave was all they were worth in the end.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather take a few months longer than have these kinds of people under me. They¡¯re better suited to helping me recover my strength.¡± The being answered without even glancing at the woman. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going to absorb their cores in peace again. I trust you¡¯ll be able to handle the matters of my mission, yes?¡±


    The woman lowered her head obediently. ¡°Of course, Your Majesty.¡±


    The being smiled, before dispersing into the darkness.

 Chapter 14 – Owen Roderick

    Brisk, artificially cooled air hit my face as I stepped through the thick redwood doors, its gilded handles automatically pulling away from me when Ren and I approached. The receding doors revealed a lobby dripping in opulence, with gold and white mingling in an exotic blend that breathed an angelic charm into the room. Marble pillars held up the cavernous space, three on each side, and a winding staircase rose up from in between them.


    People milled about, casually conversing over flutes of champagne or admiring the eye-catching adornments of the room; priceless sculptures handcrafted with meticulous skill and expensive pieces of art ¨C that looked more like random splatters to me ¨C decorated the walls of the lobby.


    The people themselves were draped in some of the most exquisite silks and clothing I¡¯d ever laid eyes upon, a stark difference compared to the worn jeans and one-size-too-big hoodies that Ren and I wore.


    I glanced at Ren and caught his eye, already knowing his thoughts on the people in front of us were the same as mine.


    ¡°Dolls,¡± Ocean used to say. ¡°Pretty as can be on the outside, but no life on the inside. You can see it in their eyes. Dead and hollow, glazed and bleak. You think they¡¯re the lucky ones, that they¡¯re the ones gifted by fate. But always remember, the ones who are really lucky are the ones who can live; who truly know what it means to live.¡±


    I smiled as I studied the luxury before me, knowing it was I who was lucky, not these occupants of the dollhouse, puppets for the amusement of those greater. I was lucky, for I knew what it truly meant to live. For I had seen someone truly live.


    We strolled through the lounge, enjoying the sights, as we made our way to the little desk at the side. The lady who sat there, and quite a few of the patrons in the lounge, shot over disdainful looks as we walked, obviously taking offense at the fact that people of our class would dare to enter such a place. It was an unwritten rule that people like us would stay clear of these settings. In fact, this whole corner of the city had been taken up by these snobs. Mages though we may be, Ren and I would still never be considered on the same level as these people who had generations of powerful mages in their lineage.


    We pointedly ignored the snide glances that were cast at us, adopting the most arrogant air we could, simply for the fun of it. Turning up my nose at these people scratched an itch I hadn¡¯t even known I had.


    Ren wordlessly slipped the receptionist a small green card when we reached her. The woman didn¡¯t even bother to try and hide the contempt on her face. At least, until she properly saw the card Ren had passed. Immediately, her face morphed into a solemn one as she stood up and bent in servitude, passing over a golden, old-fashioned key that she fished out of her chest pocket. The key glimmered and was beautifully engraved, clearly of great importance.


    Within the receptionist¡¯s actions was contained everything I disliked about these people: disdain for any considered lower, blind submission in front of any considered greater. People who based their pride on their status would forever be doomed to such a fate, for there will always be some higher than them.


    Shaking my head to clear it, I put the woman''s actions out of my head and focused back on the objective. Room 99. The room was an entire floor of the building, the highest floor. The place was the headquarters of Fight House, but it was usually just used as a party room for elites; or anyone who had enough money, really. After all, for a gang as dominant as Fight House, there were rarely any pressing matters for the top dogs to attend to.


    I had no idea how Ren had managed to get his hands on an access card, and I didn¡¯t bother asking.


    We made our way up ten winding carpeted flights before we finally reached the end. The stairs led straight into a hallway, but unlike the rest of the floors, there was only one door, right at the end. As we made our way to the door, I sucked in a deep breath, calming my nerves. Ren was grinning ear to ear in anticipation, and I couldn¡¯t help but mirror him. After four months of preparing and building, now was the moment we could finally show ourselves to the city.


    With a soft click, the golden key slid into the keyhole on the door and, with another, rotated and unlocked it. A slight push swung the door out, letting out the cacophony of music and chatter of the room. In the center of the room was a dance floor, with a mess of bodies swaying under a dazzling silver ball. Everywhere else, people talked and laughed, drinking seemingly every kind of alcohol known to man.


    No one batted an eye at our entrance, most too caught up in their own little worlds to notice. The ones who did simply nodded or didn¡¯t even bother to acknowledge us.


    It was just as Ren had said. This place was open to anyone with enough money, regardless of allegiance or affiliations. And being here should be proof enough that we had the money, so no one questioned our clothing.


    Breathing a sigh of relief, I quickly dove into the crowd and made my way to the bar, grabbing a stool for myself and Ren. The bartender looked at us, ready to take an order, but I simply shook my head. Drinking had never been my cup of tea, so to speak. Instead, I pulled out a silver flask and, unscrewing the lid, took a deep swig. The sweet, tart flavor of apple filled my mouth, pulling my lips into a smile before I knew it. Apple juice had been my favorite drink since as far back as I could remember, and I still relished its taste.


    Ren chuckled beside me as he watched me enjoy myself, before nudging me and slightly nodding to my left. Following his gaze, my eyes landed on a man, easily five decades old, likely closing in on six. His weathered face was hawkish, giving off the bearing of a predator. Despite his age, the feeling of danger he gave off was unmistakable.


    When my gaze fell on him, his wrinkled skin was stretched into a wide smile, showing off his perfectly straight white teeth. His salt and pepper beard, neatly trimmed close to his skin, curled around his smile. But even laughing, I could still sense the power behind his eyes. I couldn¡¯t imagine what his aura would be like if he was actually fighting.


    He sat on a red leather chair that was studded with gold, clearly expensive beyond belief. To his side sat a young man and woman, and a meter across from him sat yet another old man.


    ¡°That¡¯s Owen Roderick. He¡¯s the Gang Leader of Fight House. He¡¯s ruthless and stronger than anyone you¡¯ve probably ever met before. Definitely stronger than anyone else in the gang.¡±


    ¡°Stronger than anyone I¡¯ve ever met? What, have you met stronger?¡± I asked.


    Ren laughed. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve certainly met stronger. But don¡¯t underestimate him because of that. There are very few people in the world stronger than the people I¡¯ve seen.¡±


    ¡°No way. In the whole world? You¡¯re joking, right?¡±


    Ren shook his head. ¡°You know the Guild Leader of Razacon? He¡¯s considered one of the top five strongest people on the planet. I¡¯ve seen people he¡¯s had to bow towards.¡±


    I barked with laughter at that. ¡°Now I know you¡¯re joking. That¡¯s not even possible. How can one of the top five strongest people ever have to bow to anyone? There can¡¯t be that big of a difference between him and the strongest person, right?¡±


    ¡°I said he is considered among the top five, not that he is. In the public eye, he might be, but there are countless people who operate from the shadows, and those people wield power far beyond what people like us can comprehend.¡±


    ¡°And you know this how? How could a seventeen-year-old possibly be in the company of people like that?¡±


    Ren flashed me a grin. ¡°I told you already. They operate in the shadows, and the shadows are my home.¡±


    I chuckled, shaking my head. It seemed Ren¡¯s origins were even more mysterious than I had thought. My questions had only left me more confused.


    ¡°Anyway, he¡¯s the one we¡¯re gonna have to keep busy for exactly fifteen minutes, and that¡¯s gonna be anything but easy. Especially if we have to deal with his cronies while we¡¯re at it,¡± Ren went on, switching back to the topic at hand.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say you sound scared, Ren,¡± I teased.


    ¡°Oh please. I¡¯ve been itching to go against someone on my level since forever.¡±


    ¡°Really? I recall you always turning down my invitations to spar.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Notice I said someone on my level?¡±


    I laughed. ¡°Someone¡¯s talking big. Better not disappoint when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, we¡¯ve still got about ten minutes till showtime. Let¡¯s go eavesdrop on that conversation over there. My gut is telling me that the guy sitting across from Owen is important.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? What gave it away, the fact that he¡¯s sitting across from the most important guy here?¡± I asked sarcastically, smirking. ¡°I gotta say, your gut¡¯s quite the detective.¡±


    ¡°Oh leave me alone,¡± grumbled Ren, getting up and motioning for me to follow. I smiled to myself, marking this one down as my win.


    I followed behind Ren as we snaked our way through the crowd, the blaring music getting louder the closer we got to the sweaty dance floor. By the time we walked past it, it was loud enough to make my ears hurt. I would never be able to understand how people could enjoy themselves in these environments. Maybe you needed a few intoxicants in your system before you could really understand. Most people there certainly had more than a few in them, that much was clear.


    Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take long before we made it past the center and found ourselves within two meters of Owen. It was as close as the crowd was willing to get, so I figured it was a safe bet to assume that no one was allowed any closer.


    Unfortunately, it was too far to properly hear the conversation Owen was having, probably by design, especially with the din of partiers around us. Or so I thought, but Ren seemed to be intently focused, leaning slightly towards them in an effort to listen. Confused, I nudged him with an elbow. ¡°You can hear them? How?¡± I asked.


    Ren silenced me with a wave, before gesturing towards his eyes. It took a moment, but I eventually assumed that he was telling me that his blindness had enhanced his hearing. I¡¯d heard that was something that happened, so it made sense that he could hear better than normal humans, especially considering Flux had been added to the mix.


    With nothing else to do, I decided to practice circulating Flux through my body while I waited. Like blood, it ran along my body through some sort of special vessel, although I didn¡¯t know what the vessels looked like exactly. I knew they were there, though, because I could feel them. From my Flux Core, the proverbial heart of the system, the strange power ran along its arteries all the way to my fingers and toes, branching off into each nook and cranny of my body, before making its way back. With each circulation my vessels became purer, allowing the Flux that flowed within them to be purer. It worked better if done while actually moving, like in a fight, but every little bit helped.


    After about five minutes, Owen finally wrapped up his conversation. He stood up, buttoning up his tailored blazer as he did. Owen and the other man shook hands, all sharp and business-like. The young man and woman were much closer, standing shoulder to shoulder. The man had an arm around the woman''s waist, making it quite clear that they were a couple. A new couple, judging by their looks of infatuation.


    I slipped out my phone and checked the time. Five minutes to showtime, I thought to myself, calming the excitement flowing through me. I glanced at Ren, and he motioned for me to follow him. He took us to a corner of the room, where it was thankfully quieter and much more sparsely populated.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get the details, but it looks like Fight House is allying with another gang. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re going all the way and merging gangs, or if it¡¯s just an alliance, but I definitely felt an undercurrent of¡­something. It was weird. There was a desperation, especially from Owen¡¯s side. They sounded real spooked. They brought up something with Vancouver. Apparently the Guild that had unified it had its leader die under some weird circumstances. And there¡¯s been some more disappearances of very high-class people, too.¡±


    I raised my eyebrows in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Maybe that¡¯s what¡¯s got them spooked. Maybe they¡¯re joining together for some sort of protection against whatever trouble seems to be brewing in the country.¡±


    Ren nodded slowly, thinking. ¡°Makes sense, I guess. You think that has anything to do with us?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. Seems like it''s a very high-profile thing. A first-rate gang falling might be big news in the city, but it¡¯s hardly anything on the scale of what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. All of the people who¡¯ve gone missing are either guild leaders or higher. That means they¡¯re all people who were in charge of at least an entire city.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, nobody¡¯s gonna bat an eye at a change in power on the scale of gangs. Especially if there¡¯s really something worrying going on for the higher-ups.¡±


    Ren nodded, absentmindedly pulling up his hoodie sleeve and scratching his cloth-wrapped forearm. It was an interesting quirk of his, the white cloth bandage that he always had wrapped around his right forearm. I¡¯d first seen it when he¡¯d once come to training without his hoodie on, on a particularly warm day. As with everything, he managed to sidestep any questions on it, and since my concern didn¡¯t reach beyond a bored curiosity, I¡¯d given up on it too.


    I slipped out my phone again, checking the time. Three minutes. It¡¯d been quite some time since I¡¯d been so excited, and nervous. But even in my nervousness, I didn¡¯t for a second doubt my people. Having personally brought them to the level they had reached, I knew better than anyone just how driven they were. Even if they were outnumbered and not trained professionally, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they would all give their best. And that was all I asked for. After all, it was all I could do myself.


    ¡°They should all be at their places by now, right?¡± I asked Ren, more out of nerves and a need to talk than to actually ask.


    Ren smiled, knowing exactly why I was asking. ¡°We¡¯d better hope so, ¡®cause we¡¯re up right away. Focus on doing your part. Don¡¯t worry about them. It won¡¯t help them and it¡¯ll only make it harder for you.¡±


    I nodded, taking in a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    Ren pulled out his own phone, deftly setting up a timer for fifteen minutes. His finger hovered over the start button, eyes glued to the clock.


    As the seconds ticked by, I concentrated on clearing my mind as much as I could. A fight was something that had always felt like home, and I¡¯d noticed that I fought better when in an almost meditative, trance-like state.


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    ¡°Now,¡± whispered Ren.


    I opened my eyes, a grin plastered on my face as Flux flowed fiercely through my body. Owen was currently wrapped up in a conversation with some rich looking businessmen, and the young couple had drifted off into a corner of the room with a group of similarly aged people, all engrossed in themselves. The last man, the one who had been negotiating with Owen, seemed to have already left.


    I walked out of the surrounding crowd and stopped two meters away from Owen. ¡°Hey, Owen,¡± I called out. ¡°Does the name Rosefire ring a bell?¡±


    Instantly, a hush fell over the entire room. At least, all conversation immediately stopped. The DJ in charge of the music was a beat slow, but he quickly shut it down when he noticed the sudden change in atmosphere.


    In the dead silence that followed, I refused to cower and kept up my small grin, my posture relaxed with one hand stuffed into my pocket.


    Finally, after studying me for a moment, Owen frowned and made a small gesture, prompting a scrawny man to run up and quickly whisper to him. All the while, not a single partier moved a muscle, fear rooting them to their places. While they were all undoubtedly rich, Owen was still by far the strongest of the people present, and likely the most well-connected. If he were to wish for some sort of punishment on any of them, nothing could save them, and there was no one who could properly seek revenge. In short, they were at his complete mercy.


    The scrawny man was interrupted by Owen soon, who waved him away like he would a fly. ¡°Ah, yes I remember now. That little daycare for thugs caused me quite some embarrassment, I must say. The gangs of Toronto lost a lot of respect for us because of their thievery.¡± He paused, looking at me once again. ¡°I take it you¡¯re Ruby, the perpetrator of that crime.¡±


    ¡°Hole in one, Owen. Care to take a guess as to why I¡¯m here?¡± I responded.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think there were still people out there with the audacity to, but I suppose you¡¯re here to fight back.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed Owen. I was hoping that you would have some humility, some understanding of how the world is after climbing up to the level you have. But I guess after spending so many years coddled by spineless people who follow your word like cultists, you must¡¯ve forgotten that there are still people in the world who can still challenge you.¡±


    Owen let out a laugh at my scathing words. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯d forgotten. I¡¯d say it''s more that I had given up hope that there were still others out there.¡± He paused for a beat, his eyes taking on a dangerous light. ¡°After all, I¡¯ve lost count of how many I¡¯ve crushed over the years.¡±


    ¡°Even the thickest of trunks will split with enough swings,¡± I said, raising my fists in front of my face, boxer style. ¡°And I will have the honor of being your last swing, Owen.¡± Without giving him a chance to respond I burst out with lightning speed, appearing in front of him in the blink of an eye. My fist, smoking black, sprung like an arrow launched, aimed directly at his face.


    However, the satisfying feel of a face warping under my fist didn¡¯t come. Instead, the rough texture of a palm met my knuckles. Immediately after, Owen¡¯s fingers clamped around my wrist, vise-like in their grip.


    ¡°For an ax? Maybe. But a feather couldn¡¯t cut down the most withered and weak tree in the world, even if it was swung a million times,¡± Owen¡¯s gravelly voice sounded in my ears.


    I knew right away that my arm wasn¡¯t going to budge an inch in the grip Owen had it in. But I didn¡¯t panic. I¡¯d long since known that Owen was a more powerful mage than I, so I hadn¡¯t been banking on overpowering him in this fight.


    Suddenly, I wrenched my hand back as hard as I could. As I expected, Owen¡¯s grip didn¡¯t let up, but my tug brought him stumbling forward, close enough for my bent knee to dig into his gut. Not giving him a break, I straightened out my leg, the sole of my foot crashing into Owen¡¯s chin.


    I had shamelessly stolen the move from Ren, and I couldn¡¯t help the smile on my face when I heard him cackle from the crowd. It had taken me a few tries, but I had eventually nailed it during my spars with Leo and the others.


    The move worked well, forcing Owen into a backwards stumble. I brought my foot back down to the ground, letting my smugness show in my smile. I had won the first exchange, even if it was because he underestimated me. It was a blow to his pride, more than anything.


    It showed on his face, too. Evidently, Owen hadn¡¯t been hit in quite some time, if his grimace of pain as he rubbed his chin was any indication. His face darkened in anger, the embarrassment twofold given the number of witnesses.


    His eyes not leaving mine, he grunted out a command to the crowd. ¡°Hold her.¡±


    Immediately, two burly men dressed in semi-formal clothing, like the rest of the partygoers, stepped out from the crowd. They came at me, one from each side, but I didn¡¯t spare them a single glance, not backing down from Owen¡¯s glare.


    I caught a flash of surprise in Owen¡¯s eyes when he saw that I wasn¡¯t making a move to dodge the incoming hands bent on restraining me, but it quickly cleared up when Ren¡¯s walking stick came hurtling through the crowd, colliding directly into the head of the man closer to me. It came with surprising force, instantly knocking the man out. He and the stick fell to the floor with a thud and a clatter, echoing in the following silence.


    Ren stepped out from the crowd, at last, a grin plastered onto his face. ¡°Three v one-ing a girl? Really Owen? I¡¯m beginning to think you''re not actually a respectable guy after all.¡±


    Owen growled in anger, before wordlessly launching himself at me with sudden ferocity. It was unexpected, but I hadn¡¯t let my guard down for a second in the exchange, so I was prepared. Immediately, I dropped down into a low crouch, before rolling to the side. Simultaneously, Ren also burst into action.


    After missing his original target, Owen was thrown slightly off balance. Given a second, he could have switched targets and carried his momentum into an attack on Ren. However, Ren didn¡¯t give him the chance. As if foreseeing what would have happened after I dodged, he immediately went on the offensive, taking advantage of the fraction of a second that Owen was off balance.


    With a thud, Ren¡¯s fist landed square on Owen¡¯s jaw, followed by a kick to the gut that sent him skidding backwards.


    Owen was well and truly angry now. ¡°Everyone, OUT!¡± he roared, immediately spurring the partiers into action, who all stampeded out of the room. ¡°MEN, GET THEM!¡± Owen added on at the end, referring to the twelve mages who currently stood around in the room. Twelve, including the one that Ren had already knocked out, so really, it was eleven now.


    Ren¡¯s scouting had yielded information about these mages too. They were Owen¡¯s personal guard, with him almost anywhere he went. Professionally trained and Flux mages for at least half a decade, they were quite the fearsome bunch. They had played a crucial role in the undefeated streak that Owen was so proud of, especially in the latter half of Owen¡¯s rise to power. At this point, Owen rarely fought any of his battles himself, a fact evident in his rusty movements.


    ¡°Alright Ruby, you know the plan,¡± Ren said as the mages slowly encircled us, leaving Owen out so that he could watch the show comfortably. ¡°Are you sure you can handle it?¡± I asked him as he walked over to where his walking stick lay. I had already asked him a hundred times, but I wanted to make sure once more.


    ¡°Ruby, I¡¯ll be fine. Worry about getting your job done.¡± Ren said, his tone slightly exasperated.


    Shaking my head, I sighed. ¡°Alright, fine. Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Crucial to the plan was Owen not finding a second of rest in the fifteen minutes we had. If a messenger were to come and let Owen know that some of the most important members were either kidnapped or caught up in an ambush, he would immediately realize what we were doing and send help to his people. And our success hinged on making sure that did not happen.


    As the gathered mages watched, Ren walked a few steps in front of me, before raising his stick a meter off the ground, parallel to the ground.


    Under the confused gazes of the eleven mages, I ran two steps and leapt onto the stick, before launching myself over the wall the mages had formed. Ren swung his walking stick upwards as I jumped, giving me more than enough air time to clear the encirclement.


    I landed with feline grace, dropping into a low crouch to cushion my fall. Owen, who had just begun to relax, was instantly on alert again, but he was a beat too slow. Using my crouch to spring me forward, I was in front of Owen before he could even blink, my knee perfectly positioned to collide with his chest.


    With an oomph, the air rushed out of his lungs as he flew backwards a few meters, stopping only when he crashed into the panoramic windows of the floor. Cracks spiderwebbed across the glass, but it did not give.


    With a cough, Owen stumbled forward before dropping to a knee, breathing heavily.


    Before I could celebrate, however, my gut screamed to dodge. Instantly, I dropped to the ground and rolled to the side. The wind that lightly buffeted my face was all the evidence I needed to know that I had narrowly dodged a dangerous attack from behind.


    ¡°Ren!¡± I called out in annoyance, not sparing my attacker a glance.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, zoned out for a bit,¡± Ren said, his tone apologetic. With a leap, he swung his stick in a horizontal swipe at my attacker, but the man was quicker. He ducked under the swing and whipped around, ready to counter.


    Ren reacted instantly, changing the direction of his swipe. When the stick was right above the man¡¯s head, he brought it straight down with the entire force of his body behind it. It struck the man¡¯s head with a crash that made me wince in sympathy. The man likely wasn¡¯t out of the fight for good, but he was going to take a while to get back.


    Ren¡¯s momentum carried him past the man, landing with a soft thud in between me and the now ten mages.


    Turning around, he faced the mages. ¡°Ten v one, the odds should be about balanced now, right?¡± I couldn¡¯t see him, but I could practically hear the grin in his voice.


    Not rising to his bait, the ten mages kept their professional calm and split up into two groups, with three rushing Ren and the other seven moving to circle around him.


    Ren, faced with the task of keeping ten mages busy, stood still for a second, his bearing as relaxed as ever. However, I caught an almost imperceptible change in his posture, but suddenly his entire aura morphed into something I had never felt before. My instincts, honed by years of street scraps, were quite proficient at detecting danger and people stronger than me. Knowing who you could and could not get into a fight with was a life-saving skill growing up.


    Owen had given me the same kind of pressure, unsurprisingly. But it was nowhere on the same scale as what Ren was giving off at this moment. I knew right away that I had been far underestimating the level of strength that Ren had.


    Everyone in the room had been through enough fights to feel what I could feel, including the three mages who were rushing Ren. They were undeterred, however, maintaining their attack. However, Ren struck first.


    Moving at an incredible speed, he covered the distance between them in less than a second, sending out three viper quick jabs with his walking stick, each perfectly aimed at their solar plexuses.


    Winded and in pain, the three were immediately knocked back to the ground, gasping for breath as they fell. Immediately, Ren turned to the seven who were coming for me and launched a kick at the face of the closest one. The speed and efficiency in his movements were unmatched by anything else I had ever seen. He may well have been a completely different person at the moment.


    The mage reacted quickly, putting both his forearms up to take the kick. Still, the force of the kick pushed the man back, knocking him into one of his comrades. Both tumbled to the floor in a mess of limbs.


    Keeping his momentum going, Ren swung his stick at the next one¡¯s head, but this one reacted faster. With a firm grip, he caught the wooden pole mere inches away from his head. With the stick in his grasp, he would hold the upper hand for a few seconds, but Ren saw through that. Instantly, he abandoned the stick and rolled off to the side, facing the five standing mages with a fierce smile.


    Everything that had happened had not spanned more than five seconds, and yet of the ten professional mages, half had been knocked to the ground. The fight wasn¡¯t over yet, obviously, but Ren¡¯s skill had been clearly established.


    ¡°Take care of that runt, you useless idiots,¡± Owen¡¯s voice called out from behind me. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the girl myself.¡±


    Evidently, he had realized that Ren posed more of a risk than I did, and decided to deal with him first.


    I smiled and turned to face Owen, my smug face completely undeserved considering that it was Ren¡¯s skill that was making him nervous. ¡°Getting scared, Owen?¡±


    Owen grinned dangerously at me. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you found such a skilled fighter from, but even if my men can¡¯t take care of him, he still has a weak spot. All his skill can¡¯t save you from this fight.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Owen, you might have a scary reputation, but so far, I¡¯ve gotten in two hits of the three that you¡¯ve taken today. And you''ve yet to land a single one,¡± I said with a smug tone, intentionally riling him up. ¡°Keep in mind, I am at least a few decades younger than you, too. Can you imagine when word of this gets out? Man, it''s gonna be embarrassing for you.¡±


    ¡°Not if I make an example out of the two of you. Just wait till I get-¡± Owen began to retort, but I cut him off by suddenly rushing at him.


    Owen immediately swung out his fist to meet mine, and I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to take the hit head-on. Instead, at the last possible moment before our fists collided, I ducked and rolled forward. With how close we had gotten, by the time I had rolled onto my back with my legs hanging in the air, my feet were perfectly positioned to deliver a fierce kick to Owen¡¯s gut, just as I had planned.


    I extended my bent knees fully, with as much force as I could muster. My feet crashed into Owen¡¯s ribs, forcefully decompressing them and stealing all breath from him. He flew backwards a meter before crashing into the same window as before. The window groaned and cracked, but still did not give.


    Despite being winded and hurt, Owen still managed to counterattack before I could bring my feet back down. His two rough hands grasped my ankles in an excruciating grip, before he swung me with all the force he had, throwing me like a trash bag. I flew farther than I thought was possible, long enough for me to feel weightless for a few seconds, before the gentle caress of the wind was replaced with the pummeling of wood as I crashed into the wall. Pain assaulted me, blacking out my vision for a moment as I fell to the ground. Every bit of my body hurt, my skin stinging and bruised.


    As I basked in the excruciating bliss of the pain, I faintly registered the sound of thumping, heavy footsteps coming my way. Dimly, I realized that I had to move, or else more pain would be coming my way.


    In the midst of the disorienting flood of stimulation, I felt the rise of memories. Moments of the past appeared in front of my eyes, just the sight of them coloring my chest in bitter and sweet emotions.


    Suddenly, I felt a hand on my calf, its large and rough fingers like worms circling my leg. Slowly, the hand lifted me up, every minuscule movement sending waves of pain through me. Soon enough, I was hanging upside down - I could tell from the blood rushing to my head. I still hadn¡¯t had the sense of mind to open my eyes, still lost in memories, my mind mired in the past.


    With a grunt, Owen threw me again. I knew only because of the rush of wind I felt on my face. Once again, however, that bliss only lasted for a moment before the monster that was pain returned in full force, agonizing in its intensity.


    As I heard Owen once again making his way towards me, a smile bloomed on my face. The smile quickly morphed into a small laugh, sending another jolt as my chest heaved painfully.


    I heard the footsteps pause, uncertain, before continuing again. Perhaps he thought I had gone mad, or that it was a laugh of acceptance. Of defeat.


    He had no idea.


    Calming myself down, I sucked in a few deep breaths, ignoring how much it hurt and the fact that I was undoubtedly making the injuries worse. On my fifth breath, I was ready. All my muscles instinctively tensed, my body ready for the pain it had come to learn would follow.


    Flux suddenly rushed into my body from the surroundings, bulldozing its way into me and forcefully setting right all my injuries. Hot, blinding pain followed, but I was ready. Not to mention, this level of pain was something I had felt more times in my life than I could count, although admittedly it never got easier.


    This was Flux¡¯s secret; its blessing and curse. Any injury, any wound, anywhere on the body could be immediately fixed and made stronger, at the cost of intense pain. So long as it wasn¡¯t fatal, Flux would instantly set it right and leave it at least twice as durable. It was how Flux worked. Even training and sparring were based on the same principle, just taken in microdoses. As muscle fibres tore themselves apart with strenuous exercise, Flux would come and remake them, only much stronger.


    Eventually, after what felt like years, the pain finally faded, replaced by a familiar cool sensation in my body, the feeling of rejuvenation.


    In reality, the entire process hadn''t taken more than a second, meaning Owen had yet to reach me. He was still walking over, confident and arrogant now that his ego had been restored. After all, he probably assumed that I hadn¡¯t been banking on getting tossed around like a rag doll.


    But, in all honesty, I had been. I wasn¡¯t blind, I knew what I was getting into when I decided to challenge a mage with decades more experience than I. The pain I had felt so far was certainly just the beginning. The thing was, I was quite experienced in dealing with high levels of pain, something I had come to find was invaluable in the dynamics of fighting that Flux had created.


    Although, even with the advantage it gave me, I would never in a million years choose to walk through the hell that tempered me ever again, no matter what benefits it promised.


    Now completely refreshed, I lay still for a moment as Owen got closer to me. The second he stopped right in front of me was the second I moved, leaping up with all the force I could. Before Owen could react, my fist crashed into his chin with a smack. I instantly followed up with a kick to the gut, sending Owen stumbling back.


    His eyes shone with a fierce glint as he overcame the pain and surprise of my attack and realized what had happened. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you had the grit in you to Revive. That¡¯s not something everyone can do.¡±


    I could hear in his voice a begrudging respect, which was surprising. Although doing what I had just done - what he referred to as a ¡®Revive¡¯ - was unspeakably painful, I had never considered it an accomplishment, or something that some mages couldn¡¯t do.


    ¡°Well then,¡± Owen continued, ¡°let¡¯s see how many more times you can handle it, shall we?¡±


    I grinned in response. ¡°Bring it, old man.¡±

 Chapter 15 – Razacon

    The horns and beeps of cars filled the crisp morning air as people walked to and fro on the whitened cement of the sidewalks. A young man stepped out from his small apartment building, dressed in a sharp trench coat draped over a silvery three-piece suit. He took a deep lungful of the brisk air before making his way down the street, savouring the early morning ambience of his home city.


    Soon, he arrived at the foot of a massive skyscraper, a building so tall it truly lived up to its illustrious description. The spire-like peak seemed to really be poking through the gray blanketed sky. The glass behemoth was the headquarters of the world-famous guild, Razacon. People streamed in and out of its revolving doors like ants, though even the weakest of them was strong enough to run a first-rate gang in any other city.


    The young man walked through the door and into the spacious yet bustling lobby, where immediately a youthful woman in office clothing ran up to him.


    ¡°Sir, where have you been?" the woman asked immediately, exasperation flushing her face. "It¡¯s been half an hour since you were supposed to be in a meeting with Guild Leader Von and his allies."


    The man did not react at all to her hurried manner, his calm smile unfazed. ¡°Hannah, how many times have I told you not to call me sir? It''s so stiff.¡±


    ¡°Apologies, Guild Leader. I was in a rush and I forgot. But please, Guild Leader Von is going to blow a fuse if you make him wait any longer.¡±


    The Guild Leader of Razacon, a young man who looked no older than twenty-five, chuckled at the response of his personal assistant. ¡°Ok, now you¡¯re just messing with me. Guild Leader is even worse. I told you, just because you work for me now doesn¡¯t mean our friendship has disappeared. As for Von, I think he can handle waiting for another few minutes. Let¡¯s get coffee first, shall we?¡± the young man said with a smile, starting to move without even waiting for a response.


    The woman spluttered a little, but eventually shook her head and followed him, knowing the man well enough to know there was no point in trying to persuade him further. And she trusted that the man knew what he was doing; after all, he had proven himself time and time again.


    And so the pair went, one begrudging and the other cheerful, to the small cafe across the street.


    By the time they had finished and come back to the building, making their way halfway up the building - a total of fifty floors - and into the meeting room, it had been another fifteen minutes.


    The men inside were furious, but none of them had the guts to show it. They might have been bigshots outside, but in this building, they didn¡¯t dare make a fuss.


    When the young man and woman entered, the men inside all respectfully stood up, like soldiers greeting a general. One man stepped forward, obviously the leader. With rich dark skin that denoted an African heritage, he was obviously not a man with roots in the city he was in currently: London, England.


    And indeed, this man was Guild Leader Von, leader and founder of the famous guild ¡®Saber¡¯s Edge.¡¯ As a guild that had unified a large portion of Africa under its banner, it had been ranked seventh on the IOR¡¯s worldwide guild ranking. With the raw power that brimmed in the man¡¯s body, there were not many in the public eye that were his match.


    The young man stepped forward with his usual calm smile, unfazed by the thinly veiled annoyance on Von¡¯s face. The two men shook hands, each with a grip that would crush the bones of a normal human.


    Collected as ever, the young man gestured to the luxurious leather couches. ¡°Please, sit down,¡± he said with a decorous smile, putting on the airs of a gracious host.


    Ignoring the flash of indignation in Von¡¯s eyes, the young man sat down on the couch opposite him.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve got my attention, Von. Razacon is listening. Do you really have something of enough importance that it warranted invoking your fifth and final favor?¡±


    Von smiled mysteriously. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s important, alright. In fact, I would say its importance is beyond our treaty. It may even have global consequences.¡±


    The young man raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? Quite the dramatic statement, Von.¡±


    ¡°Dramatic?¡± Von laughed. ¡°Not at all. I speak nothing but the truth.¡±


    With a soft slap, Von dropped a thin file onto the glass table in between the two, sliding it over to the young man. Curious, the young man leaned forward and picked up the crisp, off-yellow file and flicked it open. Inside, he found only one single piece of paper, containing a photograph of a darkened, foreboding cave. It was cleanly cut into the pale yellow rock of a small mountain, obviously manmade.


    ¡°This little cave was found by one of my guild¡¯s patrol squads. They radioed into the tower when they did, just to let them know that they were going to check the cave out since it did not appear on any record or map that we knew of. Neither they nor the tower staff thought much of the cave; it was nothing more than an exploration trip born of boredom. That was the last contact we had with them.¡± Von paused for a moment, his composure intact but shaken. ¡°We lost six good men that day.¡±


    The young man lowered his head for a second, a genuine respect coloring his face. ¡°My condolences.¡±


    ¡°We followed up with an elite squadron, some of our top men, wanting to thoroughly squash what we had assumed was a rival organization''s attempt at establishing a foothold in our territory.¡± Von continued, burying any sign of emotion that had risen in his face. ¡°They found the patrol squad, laid out in single file on the ground. Each had a single, clean cut across their throat, and a hole in their chest where their Flux Cores used to be. There was no other wound on their body.¡±


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    A somber silence settled over the room as Von paused again. Taking Flux Cores from a dead body was a big taboo in mage society. Not only that, but the fact that the squad was killed in such a clean fashion meant that next to no fight must¡¯ve taken place. Meaning that their opponent had been that much stronger than them.


    ¡°The elite squad had body cameras on them that were streaming back to the tower, meant to be used as footage to warn off any other potential invaders. After finding the patrol squad, the men went in deeper. They walked in the darkness for a bit, until they came across a pair of glowing blue eyes floating in the dark. Mere seconds after its appearance, we lost all contact with the elite squad,¡± Von paused again, before emphasizing his point. ¡°A single pair of eyes. Do you know what that means? A single person was able to deal with an elite squadron of my men. Now, my elites may not be at the level of Razacon¡¯s, but they¡¯re some of the best my continent has to offer. There are not many people on the planet capable of that kind of feat, and I¡¯m sure you know just as well as I do that none of those people would be lurking in a cave somewhere in Africa.¡±


    By now, the young man¡¯s face had become suitably grave, no longer containing the mischievous smugness that it had in the beginning. ¡°The appearance of an entity at that level of strength is certainly a concerning thing, but I don¡¯t think that it should have global consequences. An unknown mage stepping into that level is unheard of, but it isn¡¯t impossible. And I don¡¯t see evidence that this mage, whoever they are, necessarily harbors ill intent. At that level, he could¡¯ve wreaked havoc on the continent if he wanted to,¡± the young man said.


    Von shook his head. ¡°We thought so, too, but we did a little more digging before coming here. I¡¯m sure with your information network, you¡¯ve heard of the recent incidents in North America?¡±


    The young man nodded. ¡°You mean the disappearances of mages throughout Canada and the U.S.? What about it?¡±


    ¡°The mages who have been disappearing have all been leaving behind powerful organizations. You would think that infighting and invasions would have started all-out wars, or at least bloody conflicts. However, there has been no indication of any fighting at all. According to the information gathered by my men, it would seem that each of those organizations has been brought under the leadership of a single entity. And the ability to bring down such powerful empires so cleanly is perfectly in line with the strength that this cave-dwelling mage must possess.¡±


    ¡°So your deduction is that this mage has been secretly amassing multiple guilds in North America? For what, world domination?¡±


    Von laughed. ¡°Coming to a conclusion with the information is not my job. My job is to bring you the concerning news. Without a powerhouse at that level in my guild, this matter is now out of my hands. Your guild is now responsible for the response of all in our alliance.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. But that can¡¯t be all. You are oathbound to bring me this information by the terms of our treaty. So why would you invoke your last favor?¡± the young man asked.


    Suddenly, the shadow of rage cast itself over Von¡¯s face, a seething hatred boiling in his eyes. ¡°What I ask of you is simple. When you find the waraabe who is this blue-eyed mage¡­kill him for me.¡±


    -


    Fifteen minutes later, the young man stood at the foot of a floor-to-ceiling window, looking down a dizzying height of at least fifty floors. As he solemnly gazed at the bustling city under his feet, he spoke to the young woman who stood at his side. ¡°Do you know why Von felt so strongly about that blue-eyed mage?¡± he asked.


    The young woman nodded. ¡°From what I heard, Von¡¯s son was among the elites who went in. Von wasn¡¯t going to allow him to go, but his son was friends with all the mages who were going in, and he was quite strong in his own right. Eventually, I assume he managed to convince Von to let him go.¡± The young woman sighed. ¡°I really do feel so bad for him. Are you going to fulfill his wish?¡±


    ¡°Who do you take me for, Hannah? Not only am I duty bound to complete his wish, but I would never turn away a man asking for revenge for his son without good reason,¡± the young man paused for a moment, thinking. ¡°Although, whether or not I have the capability to fulfill his request is another story entirely.¡±


    Hannah nodded. ¡°True. From what it sounded like, the only way to deal with this mage would be to ask your father to come out personally.¡±


    The young man smiled. ¡°Exactly. And now that he has no responsibilities tying him down, who knows if we can even contact him, or if he would be willing to make a move for Von¡¯s sake.¡±


    Suddenly, there was a knock at the door of the room, interrupting the conversation.


    ¡°You may enter,¡± the young man called out over his shoulder, not bothering to glance back.


    With a soft swish, the gray steel door swung out to reveal two men, each dressed in formal, white military clothing. Draped over their shoulders were inky black capes, and pinned to their chests was a small, silvery white sword.


    Immediately, the young man whirled around and dipped his upper body into a shallow bow, a gesture of respect not many were worthy of, coming from the Guild Leader of Razacon himself. But these men undoubtedly were. The young man had recognized them without even needing to see them, merely from the sense of danger that he had felt from behind him.


    Of course, his mind knew he was safe from these men, but all his instincts knew was that the men he faced were absolute monsters, demons he wouldn¡¯t even be able to run from.


    ¡°General Lee, General Yang, to what do I owe the pleasure?¡± the young man asked respectfully, clearly happy to see the two middle-aged-looking men.


    The two men mirrored the young man¡¯s happiness. ¡°Look at you!¡± Lee exclaimed in mock anger. ¡°Only five months away and he¡¯s already treating us like strangers, huh?¡± he said to the other.


    ¡°Whatever happened to ¡®Uncle Yang¡¯?¡± Yang said, agreeing with his comrade. ¡°Feels like just yesterday we were teaching a little baby how to say those words, and now he¡¯s too embarrassed to say them!¡±


    The young man smiled sheepishly, flushing a little. ¡°Very well, Uncle Lee and Uncle Yang, I¡¯m sure you have a reason for stopping by so suddenly?¡± The young man was undoubtedly glad to see these non blood related uncles of his, but he could vaguely sense that there was an urgency in the air.


    The two men were silent for a moment, their faces warping into a solemn mask tinged with darkness. ¡°His Honor is expecting you in the grand hall,¡± Lee finally said.


    Surprise colored the young man¡¯s face. Although, in name, the two men in front of him were the personal guard of his father, a man like his father did not need protection in the slightest. Not to mention, any entity that truly posed a threat to his father would be able to squish the two generals like ants. Instead, the two men were more like weapons of his father: employed to move in his name when his power wasn¡¯t personally required ¨C and his father¡¯s strength was hardly ever required.


    Thus, even though they had shown up, the young man had not expected his father to have personally shown up as well.


    The young man nodded as the ominous feeling in his chest tightened. He was right. Whatever was going on was certainly something very important.

 Chapter 16 – Revive

    With a grunt, I crashed into the entrance of the room, the weak wooden door immediately splintering open. My back stung, but I was used to the pain now, boxing and shelving it in my mind to make sure it didn¡¯t distract me. I quickly shot to my feet as Owen lumbered into the hallway, raising my fists again.


    Owen was unrecognizable now, his face painted black and blue. His nose bled a little, and one eye had visibly begun to swell. He was holding off on Reviving though, and I didn¡¯t blame him for it. The kind of pain that Reviving put you through was something anyone would want to avoid as much as possible. Although any thoughts of finishing this fight without a Revive had surely left his head, he was probably still gathering the courage to go through it.


    Knowing this, I taunted him for it. ¡°Come on Owen, this is getting embarrassing. At this point, it looks like I¡¯m just bullying you.¡± And it was true. Although I was the one mostly being thrown around, after three Revives I looked as fresh as a peach compared to Owen, who looked more like a bullied schoolboy who had just lost a fight.


    ¡°I¡¯ll Revive when I need to,¡± grunted Owen, before rushing at me. The hallway didn¡¯t give me a lot of room to work with, and Owen¡¯s large frame took up much of the meager space available. Still, I could make do with what I had.


    I turned and kicked against the wall as hard as I could, using the boost it gave me to get my knees on the same level as Owen¡¯s face. However, Owen was used to this by now, and instantly reacted by crossing his arms in front of his face. My knee crashed into his forearms with the entire weight of my body behind it, but that wasn¡¯t my actual attack. With my knee stopped my momentum carried me into a rollover Owen¡¯s head, allowing me to swing both my fists into the base of his spine like clubs. As he stumbled forward, I completed my roll and landed on my feet, my back facing Owen¡¯s. Immediately, I dropped into a crouch and swept my foot behind me, knocking his feet out from under him.


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    Owen fell with a thud and rolled a bit. With how short this final hallway was, he had already reached its edge. I grinned, already knowing what my next move was.


    Owen slowly rose to his feet, his bruises no doubt aching after taking another fall. Mere moments after he had stood up, my feet came flying at his chest. The poor man had no time to react. With a thud, he fell backwards onto the carpeted stairs and rolled down almost a quarter of the way before he could stop himself. I heard no commotion, which meant that no one had seen the old man rolling down the stairs, but I knew that it wouldn¡¯t be long before everyone found out now that we were out of the room.


    Relishing the pain that Owen was currently in, I let my smugness show as I leisurely walked down the stairs, making sure to thump against them so that Owen could tell that I was coming, much like he had. However, by the time I stood in front of him, Owen himself was also standing, his face completely restored to its original state. Of course, his clothing and hair were still ragged, just like mine, but his body was emanating a powerful strength ¨C like he had just returned from a vacation, not rolled down a flight of stairs.


    I smiled to cover up my irritation. ¡°So, you finally found the nerve, huh?¡±


    Owen matched my smile, but his was actually real. ¡°I had forgotten how painful that was. But I thank you, Ruby. You were right, all those years without a challenge had left me soft.¡±


    Immediately he jumped towards me, fierce and faster than ever before. Acting as quickly as I could, I still just barely managed to sidestep his fist, the gust of wind it created buffeting my clothes. Following up his attack, Owen spun on his foot, the other extended out as it came for my head like a scythe.


    Acting more on instinct than conscious decision, I ducked underneath his foot and rolled forwards, landing more than five steps lower than Owen. This is just great, I thought tiredly as I readied myself to fight again. As if this fight wasn¡¯t already hard enough.

 Chapter 17 – Three Powerhouses

    In a dim but grandiose room, full of quiet luxury, sat three aged men. Their chairs were decorated like thrones, so opulent and magnificent that no ordinary king would dare spend such wealth so frivolously. And indeed these three men had reached a level worthy of sitting on such a throne.


    In front of them stood the Guild Leader of one the strongest Guilds in the world, Razacon, and in his own right a powerful fighter not many in the world could match: Arthur Goodwill. Arthur was currently bowing, his back ramrod-straight so that his body bent to make an upside-down L.


    The old man in the center smiled with fatherly pride as he studied the man in front of him, his wide and toothy grin stretching the rich white of his beard. ¡°You may rise,¡± he said, his rumbling voice containing in it an immense power. From it alone one could discern that this man was not to be trifled with.


    Arthur straightened himself out, but his bearing remained acutely respectful, not even daring to breathe too loud. Arthur considered himself a man who knew his place in the world. He knew who was his equal, who he could demand respect from, and who demanded the utmost respect from him. And before him sat three men who fell firmly into the last category.


    Not many people would recognize these three - in fact, the public would pay more respect to him than to the three old men - but only because they did not know who these men were. But Arthur was well aware. In front of him sat his very own father, Maximus Goodwill, but he was better known as the ¡®Divine Ax.¡¯ A domineering name, but a deserved one. As a righteous man, he had garnered a reputation of being just, a man who stayed within the limits of his principles. A trait worthy of admiration, considering that, with an axe in his hand, the number of people in the world that could restrain him could be counted on one hand. He was the man who had built Razacon from the ground up, the creator and former Guild Master. However, Arthur had always been the public face of Razacon, even though the masses were aware that the true powerhouse behind it was the being known as the ¡®Divine Ax.¡¯


    To Arthur''s left sat the IG Chief of Europe, a member of the Five Continent Council. The International Government was a behemoth of an organization that traced its roots all the way back to the beginning of the Flux Century. Rising from the chaos that the world had been plunged into, it claimed to be the policing force of the world, enforcing law and order everywhere. The man who sat beside Arthur¡¯s father was the man in charge of all of Europe, occupying the highest seat one could in the organization. And he wielded the power to match his title. As an Ice Elemental Mage, his ability to condense Flux into ice had reached a horrifying level. Even now, Arthur could feel the slight chill in the air from the Flux that leaked off of the man¡¯s body.


    And lastly, to his right sat the scariest of them all. Known far and wide, spoken of in hushed tones in even the most elite of circles, woven into the horror stories of children, the man was the notorious ¡®Assassin King.¡¯ As the head of the shadowy Guild, Sin, the man was known to be able to kill anyone he wished. No one would be safe should they incur his wrath, no matter how strong they were, or how tight they made their security. As a guild that accepted commissions, Sin had made a name for themselves for never having failed a mission, no matter who the target was. Arthur had once heard his father admit that if Sin and Razacon were to go to war, although mutual destruction would be guaranteed, he himself would be the one to die at the hands of the Assassin King. Not because he was stronger, but simply because he was better versed in the art of killing.


    The fact that three of these world-shaking powerhouses were gathered in one room itself was a glaring sign that something was horribly wrong.


    ¡°You called for me, Father?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Yes. I heard you were recently in conference with Von, no? Tell me about that.¡±


    Surprise sparked in Arthur¡¯s chest. Although the matter with Von was important, he had completely tossed it to the back of his mind after coming here. Never would he have guessed that it was important enough to be discussed in the present company.


    ¡°Yes, I just finished talking to him. His men have recently found an undiscovered cave in his territory. Residing within seems to be some sort of extremely powerful mage. Capable of dispatching an elite squadron from his guild in a matter of seconds,¡± Arthur quickly recapped his meeting, bringing up all the relevant information.


    ¡°And how powerful would you say the members of Von¡¯s elite squad are?¡± his father asked.


    Arthur thought for a second before answering. ¡°An elite squadron in Saber¡¯s Edge reports directly to the Guild Leader, meaning that they are usually just below him in terms of strength. And since Von is comparable to me, I would say that the men in the elite squadron are likely just a little weaker than I.¡±


    Maximus nodded, his face pensive. Even he would be forced to admit that he would have trouble dispatching a squad of men at that level of strength within seconds. Of course, the squad would be completely unable to fight back against him, and even a joint attack with all of their power would likely not scratch him, but the fight would still be messy. To deal with them all in a matter of seconds? He was not so conceited as to think that he could pull that off, especially if they were fully on guard and alert.


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    ¡°Von believes that the disappearance of mages throughout North America is related to this mage as well, although he has no conclusive evidence for it,¡± Arthur added.


    The IG Officer nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to Aman about it. He has confirmed that every single case of disappearance has only one common denominator. There is an office worker, a low-level mage from Vancouver, who has been seen in conference with the mage within a week before their disappearance. He has determined, based on that and other information, that these cases must all be linked.¡±


    Arthur searched his memories and quickly found mention of Aman. He was the IG Chief of North America.


    ¡°More worryingly,¡± the officer continued, ¡°is that the members of any guild that is targeted seem to be unconcerned about the fate of their guild leader, even in guilds with high levels of loyalty.¡±


    ¡°This matter has reached a level of importance beyond your capabilities, Arthur," Maximus cut in then. "You may leave now, and don¡¯t worry about handling this.¡±


    Arthur bowed deeply once again, before turning around and starting to walk out, his face relieved. After all, facing pressure like that was nerve-wracking for him, despite all his social training as a Guild Leader.


    However, before he could make his way out, his father''s voice stopped him. ¡°Also, get us in contact with Von. I think this cave warrants a visit, at this point,¡± Maximus said.


    Shock colored Arthur¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re going to go personally?¡± he asked, turning around. After all, each of them likely had plenty of powerful men under them who could scout in their place.


    His father¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Yes. Evidence that I cannot share with you suggests that this matter must be dealt with personally.¡± He paused and smiled, his face losing its ominous heaviness. ¡°And besides, it¡¯d do these old bones some good to stretch a little.¡±


    Arthur nodded, his gaze troubled. Quietly, he turned around and walked out of the room, picking up that there were words that still needed to be spoken among the three without his presence.


    A beat of silence followed Arthur¡¯s departure, before the King of Assassins finally spoke, his quiet nature evident in the roughness of his voice. ¡°The boy has such potential. It is such a waste that he was born to you.¡±


    Maximus scoffed. ¡°To be at the level he has reached at his age? I don¡¯t believe any of us can claim that feat for ourselves.¡±


    The King nodded. ¡°Exactly. He reached all that raised in your care. Imagine then what I could have made of him.¡±


    ¡°A mindless killing machine is what you would have made him. Just like all the rest of your so-called ¡®weapons¡¯¡±.


    The King grinned, lips dripping with malice. ¡°A killing machine who would have struck fear into the hearts of mages across the globe,¡± he said, a fanatical light slowly entering his eyes as he spoke. ¡°A machine that would have reached heights no one could imagine.¡±


    Maximus shook his head in disgust, but he knew exactly how to knock the man down a peg, the best way to get under his skin. ¡°And what of that one boy? The one whose potential you flaunted to the world? Who you were convinced would make you untouchable?¡± He still remembered that boy, whose eyes were so starkly lifeless, a vicious abyss so deep even he feared what lay at the bottom. He didn¡¯t think he would ever be able to forget, in fact, not after having looked that boy in the eye once.


    Immediately the fire of passion in the King¡¯s eyes was doused, replaced by a burning anger. ¡°That useless toy refused to live up to his potential,¡± he hissed. ¡°He ran the second I gave him the slightest bit of freedom, despite all I had done for him. Despite all the effort I had put into raising his strength to the level that it had reached. The ungrateful wretch!¡±


    Maximus laughed in the face of the King¡¯s anger. ¡°Be honest, Alois. You just couldn¡¯t break him. His will outlasted even your torture.¡± Maximus was relieved to hear that the boy had at least escaped the clutches of Sin, a feat that in and of itself proved his ability. Although he would likely never live a normal life now, Maximus hoped he managed to find some sort of peace.


    ¡°You know nothing!¡± the King snarled, suddenly whipping a hand out in Maximus¡¯ direction, aimed perfectly for his neck. The chop carried immense power behind it, enough to rend diamond.


    Instead of trying to defend himself, Maximus reacted with his own fist, flying towards the King¡¯s face. His punch carried almost twice the force behind it compared to the King¡¯s, though it was spread over a larger area; the broad attack of a lion against the deadly strike of a viper.


    Despite both men moving within the same fraction of a second, before the two hyperfast attacks could meet both arms were shackled with chains of blue, crystalline ice. Seemingly sprouting out of the ground, the frail looking chains were needle-thin, but they emanated a coldness straight from the frigid Arctic. Despite their feeble appearance, the chains managed to completely halt the attacks of the pair, without giving the slightest hint of cracking.


    ¡°Alright, you two. The two of you are oathbound to behave yourselves here, and besides, there are bigger problems for us to face.¡± The IG Officer, Louis, said sternly. As he spoke, the ice quickly melted away, pooling into a small, frigid puddle on the ground.


    The two glared at each other for another few seconds, each not wanting to be the first to give in, until they both suddenly calmed down. Maximus straightened out the blazer he was wearing, poised once again. ¡°You are correct. We must put our differences aside for the calamity the world will soon face.¡±


    Alois also sobered up quickly, his face becoming stoic once more. ¡°Indeed. I will limit my responses to this buffoon¡¯s taunting,¡± he said, unable to make peace without slipping in one last insult.


    Louis shook his head before speaking again. ¡°Now then, onto the details of this mission¡­¡±

 Chapter 18 – Reaching the Limit

    With a deafening crash and a showering of splintered wood, Owen went sailing through the thick, double redwood doors of the hotel. A few meters away, I stood, breathing hard, with a grin plastered on my face. Behind me lay the wreckage of what used to be a grand hall. Now, it was ruined: the white, so-clean-it-glowed banister of the stairwell was left sporadically splintered, the thick carpets ripped and tattered, and most of the various sculptures toppled and some crushed. The people had already gone, screaming in fright like the building was on fire. No security had been called, presumably because it was Owen himself who was wrecking the place, which was a blessing for me. I was barely holding on in the fight one on one. If others were added into the mix, I would be as good as done for.


    So far, the score for Revives had reached five to two, with me leading. The injuries I¡¯d gathered in the fight were enough to make any normal person faint from the pain, especially when considering every bad injury had to be followed up by an even more painful Revive. With two broken arms, one shattered collarbone, and so many broken ribs I¡¯d lost track, I certainly had not been having the time of my life today.


    Thankfully, Owen was not faring much better. Although I couldn¡¯t claim to be winning the fight, it was getting more and more even as the fight carried on. In fact, the Revives had been helping tremendously. Every time I stood up, I could feel the power coursing through my muscles was noticeably stronger than before. After five of them, the current power I had surpassed what I had started today with by leaps and bounds. Flux was not stingy; with great pain came great gain.


    With a rumbling groan, Owen sat up from the wreckage, shedding pieces of wood as he did. By now, the people roaming the sidewalks had already run off, while others had gathered in a circle, their innate curiosity overriding their fear. Of course, they still gave the strange man who had just crashed through a door a wide berth.


    ¡°How long are you going to keep this up old man? ¡± I asked as I stepped out of the building. ¡°Just give up already.¡±


    ¡°And then what?¡± Owen asked. ¡°What is your plan after this? You gonna turn me into the IG? And then? How are you and your thirty-member gang going to take over the entire operation I have set up? A small gang leader like you cannot even comprehend the logistics behind running a gang on the scale of Fight House.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Well all that seems like a problem for me to figure out, doesn¡¯t it? So don¡¯t worry your old head about it. If I were you, I¡¯d be more worried about how I¡¯m gonna pass the time in the white little box IG¡¯s gonna put me in.¡± Owen would be a big catch for the Toronto division of IG, though they would never come out and do it themselves. Though they claimed to be the police force of the world, they really only stepped in in dire emergencies. Usually they just left the people to their own devices. After all, society had been fundamentally changed ever since Flux had allowed humanity to revert back to the old rule of survival of the fittest. There was no going back to pre-Flux society, though strands from it were still present today.


    Owen grinned at my quip. ¡°You seem quite confident that you¡¯re going to win this fight,¡± he said. As he spoke, a weird sensation of danger slowly began to coil in my gut. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to pull out after keeping me distracted for exactly fifteen minutes, and not a second more? Haven¡¯t you wondered why these fifteen minutes seem so much longer than usual?¡±


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    The coil suddenly tightened, so hard it hurt. Panic spread through my brain. He¡¯s right, it¡¯s been way longer than fifteen minutes. Did something happen to Ren? But that doesn''t explain how he knew exactly what our plans were.


    Sucking in a deep breath, I calmed my racing mind, but I was a beat too slow. Taking advantage of my momentary panic, Owen had closed the gap between us almost instantly, landing a punch straight into my gut. I flew back into the hotel lobby, landing hard on the carpeted floor and rolling for a bit. I knew instantly that I had broken some ribs again; despite my Revives, my body was still not strong enough to handle a full blow from Owen.


    Knowing I had to Revive before he could follow up on the attack, I quickly sucked in another breath, this one incomparably more painful. Readying myself, I closed my eyes and grit my teeth¡­but nothing happened. No intense wave of pain followed.


    Opening my eyes again, a flash of confusion passed through me before I understood what was happening. It had happened before too, albeit never this soon. I was clearly out of practice.


    It was some sort of protection mechanism, the body trying to save itself from pain. It was the same instinct that stopped you from cutting yourself on purpose, only much more powerful.


    Panic struck again as I heard Owen coming up. I could almost hear the smugness in his thundering footsteps. I closed my eyes again, steeling my resolve. If my body doesn¡¯t want to feel pain, I¡¯ll force it to.


    With a long shout, I forced myself up into a sitting position, much to Owen¡¯s surprise. Taking advantage of that, I quickly stood up and executed the fastest backward roundhouse kick I could. Spinning on my right foot, my left heel crashed into Owen¡¯s cheekbone before he knew what hit him.


    The jarring movement brought with it undulating waves of intense pain. I grinned to myself in victory despite it, my face strained and teeth gritted. My subconscious could stop me from Reviving, but it couldn¡¯t stop me from fighting.


    However, the pain was still intense. Not the kind that sharpened my senses, it was the kind that dulled them. I could tell that my thinking was slowed, numbed. I certainly could not fight like this for long, not against Owen.


    Speaking of Owen, he had just gotten up from the ground, rubbing his aching cheek. His face was darkened; the man was obviously not a fan of being kicked in the face, although I couldn''t imagine why. I was still bent in pain, struggling against the agony to catch my breath, but it was pointless. My shallow breathing didn¡¯t help much in stopping the pain, nor did it provide much oxygen.


    Owen, seeing my distress, let out a savage chuckle, content that the fight was in the palm of his hand now. ¡°Finally hit your limit, huh?¡± he asked as he sauntered over to me, savouring the moment.


    However, his moment was cut short when a wooden pole came flying from the sky, crashing into his forehead with pinpoint accuracy.


    ¡°Whoo! Headshot!¡± Ren¡¯s voice drifted down from the stairwell. A smile spread on my face, relief crashing into me as I finally got confirmation that he was alright. And now, the fight was certainly going to be much easier.

 Chapter 19 – Insects

    Kelsey hated insects. Ever since she was a young girl, living in her cozy little home in Vancouver. She hated spiders, centipedes, ants, anything that had spindly legs and crawled. So her mother had taught her a song, a little, nonsensical lullaby to sing whenever she saw one, whenever the fear gripped her body so tight she felt like she couldn¡¯t even move. The song had always brought her back to those warm nights, wrapped up in a bundle of blankets and her mother¡¯s warm embrace. Her mother¡¯s sweet voice mingling with the chirping of cicadas and the soft sway of tree leaves, the light blue glow of her nightlight bathing the walls and the child-drawn paintings pinned onto them. The song had helped Kelsey through her life, in her every moment of fear and nervousness. It was the soundtrack to every final exam she wrote in school and every fight she ever fought at the side of her Guild Leader. She had sung it to herself as she received her Bachelor of Economics from the Dean of her university, and as she had fought through the pain of her Cleanse at twenty-five.


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    And now, today, as she walked down the inky dark corridor, the small square hewn into the stone, she sang to herself. She sang as hard and loud as she could in her mind, and yet she remained mired in the oppressive dark. Her comforting childhood room was nowhere to be found, the soft blue slipping through her fingers. Her mother¡¯s voice nothing but a distant echo.


    Perhaps, she thought to herself, here in this deep and dark pit of insanity, even her mother¡¯s incorruptible warmth could not save her.

 Chapter 20 – Betrayal

    ¡°Those mages you got up there aren¡¯t bad, I gotta say. Didn¡¯t think it would take me so long to deal with them,¡± Ren said, dripping confidence as he descended the stairs.


    Owen gave a small, ridiculing smile. ¡°The idiots couldn¡¯t even deal with a child with nowhere near the experience they had. They are a disgrace to Fight House and mages everywhere.¡±


    Ren smirked. ¡°And you still haven¡¯t dealt with Ruby. I dare say, the same could be said for you, no?¡±


    Owen deigned not to respond, instead hurling a small chunk of stone at him, debris from a crushed sculpture. In the hands of a mage like Owen, the stone was like a bullet, zipping through the air as it hurtled towards Ren¡¯s head.


    Ren moved like a blur, side-stepping in the fraction of a second that he had. Immediately afterwards, he jumped off the stairs and onto the ground between me and Owen. ¡°You good?¡± he asked as he landed, still looking at Owen.


    I nodded, still clutching my ribs. ¡°Yeah, I should be. Just need a second.¡±


    ¡°Oh, by the way. This is no longer a war we are fighting. Now, we fight to escape.¡±


    Dread seeped into my gut, but truthfully, there was no surprise. A small part of me had figured it out when Owen had first mentioned it, but I didn¡¯t want to acknowledge it. ¡°We¡¯ve been sold out?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Ren answered, cheery despite the dire news he had just confirmed.


    Owen burst out laughing as he heard our conversation, revelling in our misfortune. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment ever since I first heard of your plan. All this has been for nothing. Your plan was doomed before it even started. You were never fighting for control over my gang, you were fighting to survive.¡±


    Ignoring him, I asked Ren: ¡°Casualties?¡±


    Ren tossed a disapproving glance back at me. ¡°Ruby, they turned on you. Why is that your first thought.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t all turn on me,¡± I refuted, indignant, before thinking for a second. ¡°...right?¡± I added, giving him a hopeful look.


    Ren sighed. ¡°No, not all of them. About half of them are captured. The rest were turncoats from the beginning.¡±


    That hurt. It stung more than my broken ribs, more than any of the blows Owen had ever given me, in fact.


    ¡°Oh, yes. I love this,¡± Owen gloated. ¡°Those thugs, even after everything you did for them, they were all too willing to accept the offers we made them. You see, little girl? The world doesn¡¯t run on such naive ideals as loyalty and gratitude. It runs on power, and you just don¡¯t have the power. Some resisted, but eventually, all the ones we approached gave in after a little taste of the power we had. I wanted to get all of them before your attack, but you just moved so fast. Nevertheless, they will all eventually end up in my hands anyway. On that note, I must thank you. It takes quite a lot of money for gangs like mine to nurture people up to the standard you did, and for you to simply deliver them to my lap is truly generous. Although some of them seem to still be holding on to a sense of loyalty to you, it¡¯s no matter, really. I¡¯ll just put them on the frontlines of the war I will eventually wage on the other gangs in the city, and they¡¯ll die off anyway.¡±


    I was speechless. Or rather, I simply could not find the energy to talk back anymore. So I remained silent, as did Ren.


    Owen continued on. ¡°You might have been able to deal with those ten mages, but what about hundreds? My men are likely on their way as we speak. They may not be of the same calibre, but they are far stronger than the street thugs I¡¯m sure you¡¯re used to fighting.¡±


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    As he spoke, I finally succeeded in overpowering the instinctive barrier in me, sucking in all the surrounding Flux at a violent pace. Waves of pain wracked my body, making me double over again. My lips parted in silent agony, but I refused to make a sound. Within seconds, however, the pain was gone, replaced by a cool glow.


    Letting out a deep sigh, I turned to face Owen once again. ¡°Well then, I suppose it¡¯s just the two of us again,¡± I said to Ren. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure it¡¯s too late to run, not that you would ever consider that with some of our people caught. Only other option is to fight till we drop,¡± Ren said with a smile.


    I mirrored him, my dampened mood lifting slightly. ¡°Can¡¯t say I hate the sound of that.¡±


    ¡°I will warn you though, Ruby,¡± Ren started again, his voice uncharacteristically serious. ¡°If we want to come out on top, it¡¯s not gonna be easy. You¡¯re gonna have to Revive a lot. And when I say a lot, I¡¯m talking somewhere in the hundreds. That kind of insane pain does something to you Ruby. It changes you.¡±


    Hearing his words brought up the familiar bittersweet concoction of memories as before. But I was touched by his concern. ¡°I know, Ren,¡± I said with a small, sad smile. ¡°I¡¯m not as sheltered as you think I am, y¡¯know.¡±


    Surprise flashed in Ren¡¯s eyes as he studied my face, before solemnly nodding.


    ¡°Pah! You idiots think you can actually fight your way out of this?¡± Owen, who had been unusually quiet for our conversation, finally broke his silence. ¡°You, boy. You seem like an intelligent young man. You should know by now that sticking to her side is pointless. It¡¯ll only bring you pain and constant fighting. Why not join me instead? Someone of your calibre won¡¯t be mistreated in my gang. With you at my side, the day we rule this city-¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, Ren half-lunged out towards him, moving with a sudden ferocity and violence that I¡¯d never seen before - his terrifying aura had returned, if only for a second. Owen retreated so quickly he practically jumped backwards, his arms a blur as he raised them in front of his face to block the vicious attack he expected. But no such attack followed. He slightly lowered his arms, curious, only to be greeted by nothing more than the cocky grin painted on Ren¡¯s face. In reality, he had only taken a step towards him.


    ¡°Shut up, old man. No one asked you to speak. Either fight us or run back to that coward¡¯s seat you call a throne.¡± As he spoke, Ren calmly walked forward and grabbed his fallen walking stick. ¡°Besides, ruling this city? Ruby¡¯s ambitions lay far higher than that. Not to mention, the reason I joined Ruby in the first place was to fight as much as possible. Being at your side as you struggle your whole life to control a single city seems boring.¡±


    Owen glared at Ren, a dangerous, almost maddened, hatred flickering in his eyes, but he did not ask again. For a man with his pride, it was a feat itself to make him personally ask once. For Ren to throw it in his face and embarrass him on top of it probably stung more than any of the injuries I¡¯d given him.


    ¡°You will regret those words when my men beat you into a bloody pulp. The both of you will regret ever showing your faces in front of me!¡±


    Ren did not answer him, only watching him with his confident grin; his gaze the gaze of a predator.


    With a gruff grunt, Owen took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He stuffed his hand into his pocket, pulling out a slim smartphone. Cracks spiderwebbed the screen of the phone, obviously a product of our fight. With a glance at the screen, a savage grin grew on his face, morphing his lips. Turning around, he walked to the broken gate of his hotel.


    ¡°Now then, the guests have finally, at long last, arrived. Let us begin the real party!¡± As he spoke, Owen spread out his hands like a showman, except he was facing the other way.


    My confusion quickly dissipated when the sound of cheers came from outside. Peering over his shoulder, I caught a glimpse of the gathered crowd and swallowed, my throat suddenly a little dry. ¡°I know I said I liked it when the odds were stacked against us, but this seems a little too unfair, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ren chuckled. ¡°No such thing as too unfair in this world. Only survival of the fittest,¡± he said. ¡°You ready?¡±


    I nodded, steeling my nerves. The fight that was to come would undoubtedly be the hardest of my life. Death was not just a possibility, it was the most likely outcome. Torture would be the moderate consequence of failure. And worst of all, the fates of my people lay in this battle.


    And yet, my blood screamed with excitement. My eyes burned, the flame within them alive. Every inch of my body brimmed with anticipation. The world seemed brighter, more in focus. This is it, I thought to myself, this is what I was born for. This¡­this is what I live for.

 Chapter 21 – On the Car

    The sight outside the hotel was vastly different from what it had looked like when we first arrived in the morning. Walking out made me feel like a royal, stepping out onto the high balcony of my palace to greet a sprawling crowd of fans and peasants. Only in this case, the fans wanted to beat the living daylights out of me.


    The road had been completely blocked off by the semicircle-shaped crowd of mages, who were studying us with battle-ready gazes. They were dressed in a wide variety of clothing, ranging from semi formal dress shirts and pants all the way to casual streetwear and even workout clothing. Most gripped in their hands some kind of household weapon.


    Owen walked to the other side of the road, right to the center of the gathered crowd, and clambered up onto the roof of a parked car. ¡°Do you see, now?¡± he proclaimed loudly as he turned to face us. ¡°This is the power I wield, the resources at my fingertips. And you thought you could challenge this with-¡±


    With a whizz, a small piece of wood, about the size of a stake, flew from Ren¡¯s hand, faster even than Owen¡¯s throw. It was aimed perfectly at Owen¡¯s head, and the unexpected nature of the attack gave him less than a second to dodge.


    Owen tilted his head as fast as his Flux-enhanced reflexes would allow, but he was still a beat too slow. The flying stake split skin along the side of Owen¡¯s head, leaving a thin line of glimmering red in its wake.


    ¡°No one has time for your speech, old man. We¡¯re here to fight, not listen to your senile rambling,¡± Ren said, his voice loud enough to be carried throughout the street, ensuring the entire gathered crowd heard.


    I burst out in laughter at Owen¡¯s face, the pure anger and hatred on it comical. If looks could kill, Ren would¡¯ve died a million times already.


    ¡°Honestly Owen, I have to agree. I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re trying to impress with all this posturing, but it just makes you look like you¡¯re trying too hard. All this boasting in front of two kids? Really? And you¡¯re what, like fifty years old?¡± I continued where Ren left off, rubbing more salt into the cut. If I was gonna have to get repeatedly beat up soon, the least I could do was make Owen suffer some before, maybe shake the respect and fear he commanded a little.


    ¡°CAPTURE THEM!!¡± Owen suddenly yelled, screaming at the top of his lungs. A manic light entered his eyes, absolute rage boiling on his face. ¡°MAKE THEM REGRET CHALLENGING US!¡±


    With a resounding roar of agreement, the men and women rushed at us, bats and clubs and knives raised. Even for the third strongest gang in the city, their choice of weapons was not much better than street thugs.


    This was arguably the only benefit brought on by the IG, the only rule that they had imposed. Weapons of all kinds, from swords to guns, had been confiscated and banned everywhere. When Flux had first become a thing, the first twenty or so years had been a bloodbath, a garden of absolute carnage. Blood flooded the streets and colored the skies. Human life drastically fell in value. And even when the dust finally settled, with almost all governments falling and powerful gangs forming to take their place, murder was still commonplace. Only when the IG finally consolidated their power, around twenty-five years after Flux was first introduced, and acted to take away overly lethal weapons did the killing finally stop. Of course, death was still no stranger to the streets of every city. With no real policing force, the only protection for your life would come from whatever gang you had allied with.


    ¡°Ren, car!¡± I yelled over my shoulder as the mages ran up to us. Immediately understanding, he dashed over to where I had run, up onto another car. This one was a van, tall and long. Like Owen, we stood up on the roof, our backs turned to each other as we faced the bloodthirsty crowd together. Although it didn¡¯t help much, forcing the mages to climb up the car to face us did lessen the overwhelming numerical advantage that they had.


    The mages quickly swarmed the car, with five men climbing up first. They were unarmed, but still proficient mages judging by the quality of Flux that was dissipating from their bodies.


    Ren¡¯s stick swung out right away, knocking one on the side of his head. I kicked out my foot at one of them, but he managed to cross his hands in front of him before I could reach his face. Still, the force threw the man off the car, dropping him onto a few of his comrades.


    Two down, I thought with a smile, a wave of nostalgia hitting me as I remembered that night in the parking lot. Very quickly, however, the memory turned sour as I remembered that most of those people had betrayed me - and still lived and trained with me. Knowing that they had sold me out, they still celebrated, planned, ate and drank at my side. It sickened me.


    My drifting mind was quickly brought back to the present when a mage swung out his fist at me. It was a quick punch, fast enough to give this morning¡¯s Ruby some trouble, but after fighting with Owen for so long, it felt quite slow. I easily ducked under and gave him a vicious strike to his ribs. He¡¯s not coming back for a while, I thought to myself in satisfaction as he fell.


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    Behind me, Ren had already dealt with the three who had climbed up on his side, which meant that the first batch had officially been dealt with.


    Ren¡¯s walking stick was a blur, flashing in and out of the crowd. Each swing wrenched out a cry of pain and a crash as someone fell. His nimble form swayed like a loose string in the wind, any and all attacks coming at him dodged by mere centimeters. I attempted to emulate his smooth movements, but I simply couldn¡¯t grasp the elegance that he displayed. Even with all my experience, my agility seemed far too lacking compared to him. For the umpteenth time, I wondered just how he had trained for him to have reached such heights in such little time.


    Still, just because I lacked in comparison to him doesn¡¯t mean that I got hit. The overall quality of the mages was just a bit better than my own men. Although the quality of their Flux was better, these were men of a first-rate gang after all. I doubted that they had much fighting experience. With my odd state of heightened body ability, coupled with the five Revives I had just gone through, not to mention the wealth of experience that I already had, the men were not hard to fight.


    Of course, they were far stronger than the average person, and fighting them while warding off countless other attacks stretched my mind and body to their absolute limit. By the time I had fought ten opponents, I was out of breath and sweating hard. Yet still, my mind performed at its peak. I felt like I was seeing the world wide-eyed for the first time, a strange hunger-like feeling burning in my stomach.


    I needed this, I thought to myself as I ducked under a kick that came at me from the side, completely out of my field of vision. It was an instinctual response, like something had whispered it into my ear. Without even looking at the man, my foot shot out, heel crashing into the shin of the only leg holding him up. I was already back up by the time he crashed, face first, onto the roof of the car.


    Turning my attention to the three other mages who stood on the roof with me, I gave them a fierce grin, a glimpse of the glee I felt inside, before launching a flurry of fists at the closest one. This particular batch was exceptionally amateurish, likely some kind of office workers judging by their clothing. They let me attack them one on one, seemingly scared of attacking me from the sides while I fought the other. Within a minute they had been dispatched, quickly replaced with another five.


    On my twenty-sixth opponent (my hyperactive mind had kept track), I took my first hit. A blow to the back of my head from a bat or pipe - some sort of cylindrical object, I couldn''t tell exactly. Regardless of what it was, the one thing I knew was that it was incredibly hard. The fact that I could even consider what the object was as my brain very literally rattled within my skull was a wonder in itself.


    I fell forward slowly ¨C or at least it felt that way ¨C and before the pain could even register properly, a fist crashed into the bridge of my nose. With the collision came a sudden, ringing burst of pain as both strikes suddenly registered.


    Even dazed, however, that distinct whispering that I had noticed didn¡¯t fade, and it warned me of five more blows coming. With my eyes practically closed, I twisted my body as my instinct dictated, at the whim of whatever strange force seemed to be helping me. I would¡¯ve liked to credit my combat experience, but I knew that what was happening far surpassed the limits of what experience could offer. This was something more, something above normal human capabilities.


    As time trudged along in its odd, slowed state, I managed to dodge and weave through three of the incoming blows, but the last two caught me. Even with the extra help, I was simply not fast enough. Another blow to the back of my head pushed me into a forward fall, and the kick to my shin was the last nail in the coffin.


    I dropped face-first onto the metal roof of the van, my nose flattening as tears sprung into my eyes. Immediately, a hand clasped onto my wrist, tugging at me. To fall off the van was certain defeat, I knew that even in my numbed state.


    Gritting my teeth, I resisted both the forces that wanted to drag me down into an abyss: the man pulling my physical body, and the pain tugging my consciousness into darkness. Giving in to either was unacceptable, and the only way out was to Revive. Still, knowing that did not make it any easier.


    By now, three more mages had scrambled up to the roof and, assuming that I was out of the fight, moved towards Ren, whose unguarded back would be an easy target for these mages. That was all the motivation I needed. With a low shout, I greedily sucked in the surrounding Flux and let the burning agony consume me. Like magma, searing in both intensity and temperature, it rolled through my body as if it had been poured into me. Down my arms and through my body, it burned and boiled me from inside.


    Within seconds, however, it was gone again, the familiar coolness settling over me. But I had no time to savor the feeling, with the mages now seconds away from Ren. I shot up and swung at the closest mage, a woman dressed in casual clothing.


    She dropped like a rock, not even aware of who had hit her before losing consciousness. The other two heard, however, and looked back. They were greeted first by a wild grin, and second a flying fist. My target was fast enough to block, but he was clumsy, completely blocking his view with his arms. My foot easily swept across his torso, sending him tumbling off the car. The last man took initiative, rushing up to me with his steel pipe raised. Still, a crouch and a kick was all it took to send him crashing down.


    Letting out a breath of relief that Ren hadn¡¯t been hurt because of my slip-up, I turned back to my side of the car. My breath of relief morphed into a tired sigh as I saw five more mages clambering up, the excitement on their faces clear. Obviously, they had been anticipating their turn to come up and display their skill in front of the crowd and Owen. They probably think that they¡¯ll be the ones to win the fight, I thought with contempt. As if every other mage that came up here was completely different.


    Still, the strenuous fighting was certainly good training for me. My mind and body were being tested to its limit, and the longer I managed to keep this up, the stronger I would be at the end of it. Well, assuming I make it to the end of this alive.


    With a small chuckle at my own joke, I rushed towards the novice mages in front of me, ready to crush their dreams.

 Chapter 22 – Maximus Goodwill

    Maximus sighed for the umpteenth time, gently massaging his temple as he loosed a breath. This whole mess just kept on getting messier. He had first heard of the disappearances not long after he had officially relinquished control of Razacon to his son, but he hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it. Caught up in his newfound freedom, he didn¡¯t want to stick himself into the complicated situation. He¡¯d figured the powerhouses of North America could deal with the problem.


    And he still didn¡¯t want to deal with this. However, with how large the problem had gotten, he really didn¡¯t have a choice; especially since the IG had invoked the blood agreement he had signed.


    And now they were telling him that the situation had gotten even worse.


    Several hours ago, the IG headquarters had lost contact with the agents that they had sent ahead to investigate the cave he was headed to. The agents had been tasked with only the simple job of reconnaissance, and they had been leagues overqualified for their job. Each agent would not lack even stacked against Sin¡¯s best when it came to covert operations. Political disagreements aside, he had to admit the IG knew how to train their mages.


    And now those grossly overqualified men were MIA ¨C most likely dead if he was being realistic, though the IG refused to rule as such until they had more conclusive evidence. Although the men had strict orders not to go inside the cave, they were still deep in enemy territory. If the cave-dwelling mage were anywhere near as strong as they were assuming, they would have stood no chance, being as far spread apart as they were.


    All they had managed to salvage from the men¡¯s body cameras was a blurry face, from a man whose last position marked him at 20 klicks north of the cave. The image of the blurry face had been enhanced as much as the IG¡¯s most competent computers could handle. The resulting image was still fuzzy, but bore an uncanny resemblance to one of the missing mages from the US - something confirmed by the computer itself when asked to compare the image with the missing poster for the mage.


    This new evidence only served as confirmation for what the IG had already deduced: that every missing, high-profile mage had been captured by a singular entity.


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    Taking out those reconnaissance mages unprovoked was all the reason the IG needed to issue a proper subjugation mission ¨C after all, declaring all-out war against a single mage was overkill. A subjugation mission issued by the IG was about as serious as they could take one person.


    Maximus felt a smile bloom in reminiscence. Once upon a time, they had issued one for himself, as well. They¡¯d quickly learnt their lesson.


    Maximus stood up with a tired groan, stretching muscles numb from sitting. He decided to go up to the deck for some fresh air, and clear his mind from all his futile pondering. All this thinking helped him none.


    As he exited his lavish room and stepped out into the lush, carpeted hallway, he couldn¡¯t help but admire the monetary prowess of the IG. An Icesteel Warship, like the one he was currently in, cost fortunes to mobilize, forget build. The fact that they had sent out five was a testament to how deep their coffers went.


    Not to mention, they were all just a show of might anyway. The main fighting force of today¡¯s mission was just him, Alois, and Louis; the rest would be no better than eggs against a boulder in an actual fight. But the IG had deemed it necessary to show the rest of the world a reminder of their military strength, just in case any nations were harboring rebellious ideas. After all, the many years of peace might¡¯ve convinced some that the IG had become soft.


    Fresh, salty air hit his face like a solid wall as he opened the door, carrying with it a slight fishy smell. Pulling himself from his thoughts, he lumbered his large frame through the small doorway and walked down the deck and up to the edge of the massive warship. As he leaned on the railing, he could feel the slight spray of seawater caressing his face, bringing with it a cool refreshment. As he peered over the horizon, he could just barely make out the soft, undulating ridgeline of the shore: an entirely different continent.


    He sighed. That feeling that he was trying to ignore would not go away; in fact, it was only getting stronger. The ominous feeling he had felt when he first heard of this mage had only gotten worse, and now that the continent was in sight, that slight feeling of unease had morphed into a dire warning of danger, an oppressive weight in his chest. It had been a while since he had felt this way.


    Well, to be fair, it had been a while since he had fought, period. In recent years, his name had been enough of a deterrent to any potential enemies. So, in spite of the danger that his instincts were warning him of ¨C or rather, one might say because of it ¨C he was excited. For the first time in many years, he stood at the maw of a battle he truly looked forward to.

 Chapter 23 – Chaos

    It was hot. Too hot. Blindingly, blisteringly hot. Ragged gasps escaped my lips as I desperately dragged oxygen into me. Fifteen, I thought to myself as I struggled against the pain. This makes fifteen.


    The three in front of me were powerful. Not on Owen¡¯s level, but leagues stronger than the average mage. They certainly knew how to fight ¨C street-taught judging by the way they fought. I would be able to take them on one-on-one easily, but the three of them together put quite a bit of pressure on me. It seemed Owen was finally sending up the heavy hitters of his gang.


    The three, two men and a woman, all clothed in semi-formal dress, sported smug grins as they studied me. The woman had snuck in a blow to my ribs while I had been busy with the two men, and she struck with force at odds with her small form. I had been quick enough, however, in initiating another Revive.


    The fact that they were confident enough to wait for me to rise to my feet again made me furious. It might have saved me from more pain, but it was humiliating. Especially since I knew I could beat them into bloody pulps if they didn¡¯t outnumber me. Or if I was fresh, and had not been constantly fighting for so long.


    Still, the only way to reclaim my dignity was through properly educating them on the difference in our skills. Through a thorough, hands-on demonstration, of course.


    To do so, however, I needed a better strategy. Throwing myself into the fight like usual wasn¡¯t going to work. The two men were skilled enough to keep me busy, and the wily woman was too dangerous to be left unchecked.


    In the few seconds I had as I brought myself up to my feet, I scrounged up the best plan I could think of. Ren would be of no help at the moment, caught up in his own fight, but that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t bother him.


    ¡°Ren!¡± I yelled over my shoulder, reaching out my hand backwards without even looking. ¡°Stick!¡±


    Immediately and wordlessly, I felt the cool sensation of his walking stick slap onto my hand, a thwack sounding out as it did. With a grin, I gripped the stick and swung out with all the force I could muster. The stick was a brown blur as it sped through the air and collided with the closest man¡¯s arm, which he had already raised to block his face. The sudden range was unexpected, however, so the attack threw the man off balance. His partner, immediately realizing the danger, rushed at me to stop me from going after the first man.


    However, I had been expecting that. The three¡¯s strength had been in their ability to stick together and cover each other¡¯s openings. The moment one had stepped out, he had provided me with a few seconds to dispatch him. No more than five, but no less than three. More than enough, I thought viciously.


    I swiped swiftly at his shin as he ran, but the man was not fazed. With his large stature, he could take a hit to the shin, painful though it may be, but I certainly could not afford to take the full-powered swing he had also prepared for me.


    The man¡¯s swing, however, was aimed at an opponent almost a meter away from him. Cancelling my swipe, I swiftly stepped closer to the man, enough to throw off his stance. The move was a personal favorite of mine, since it used my relatively smaller frame to my advantage. With it, I was perfectly positioned to launch a fierce uppercut to the man¡¯s jaw.


    I had mastered the uppercut by now, using not only my arm but my legs to propel my entire body upward. My knuckles crashed into the soft spot right under the man¡¯s chin, snapping his head backwards.


    Feeling like the world had almost slowed down for me, I brought my hand over to the stick in my other hand, clenching it tightly in a two-handed grip. The man was still moving back, giving me a clear window to attack his head. A good swing to the side of his temple and he would drop like a rock. But I was still incensed, and not quite done with him. By now his partners had already begun moving towards me, but I didn¡¯t care. I swung with all my strength twice within a second, the stick crashing into the man¡¯s side again and again, each time with a thoroughly gratifying smack. With one last kick to his gut, I sent him sprawling backwards. Like a bowling ball, he crashed into the woman - his large frame giving her no room to dodge - and dropped flat on his back, trapping the woman under him.


    With a grin, I turned to face the last man as he came at me. He seemed to have realized that he was now alone in the fight, but he knew better than to retreat. Carrying forward with his momentum, he launched a flurry of punches and kicks at me, his blows wild and unrefined. Not that they lacked skill, only grace. As I ducked and blocked, I couldn¡¯t help but muse about the man. He was not unlike me, clearly having had no proper teaching, yet he had developed a fierce style of attack ¨C no doubt the product of innumerable fights. Still, I possessed something that he lacked, and that was what gave me the edge in this fight. And that was my pain tolerance. Or more specifically, the Revives I had put myself through.


    I knew from experience just how much of an improvement Revives had on the body, and after fifteen of them today, I knew my body was in the best shape it had ever been in. And this man would be the first to get a taste of my improved strength.


    His fierce barrage of attacks was unrelenting, not giving me much of a chance to go on the offensive. Still, despite his attacks, I was able to slip through almost all of them ¨C the ones I couldn''t, I''d have to block ¨C and I was just beginning to grasp what Ren seemed to do so effortlessly. The slight adjustments in movement and body form, the snap judgements to predict the next attack. It was almost like a dance, one where a misstep would mean a lot of pain.


    After almost half a minute of fighting, with no major blows landing on either side, I finally saw the chance I had been waiting for. The man had thrown a straight jab, and I was perfectly positioned to respond the way I wanted to. Mirroring his stance, I threw exactly the same punch right at his fist.


    Thwack!


    Our fists met, a small wave of Flux dispersing at the impact. It only ruffled our clothing and my hair a little, but it was still the biggest shockwave I had ever gotten in a fight on the car. Owen and I had occasionally had larger ones, though I usually lost horribly any time we met head-on.


    But this time, the opposite happened. The bones in the man¡¯s hand could not handle the combined force, and with an oddly satisfying crunch, they broke.


    The man stumbled backwards a few steps, letting out a scream of pain. I stared for a few seconds, caught off guard by the effectiveness of my punch. Up until now, I¡¯d been relying on technique and precision to slip attacks in through the defences of my sparring partners ¨C which meant that most of my attacks landed on places that could absorb a lot of damage ¨C so I had no idea just how strong my body had gotten. I was probably underestimating myself because the only person I had for reference was Owen, I realized.


    Giddy with my new discovery, I unceremoniously rolled the other two mages ¨C both of whom were now unconscious ¨C off the car roof with my foot, eagerly awaiting fresh dreams to crush.


    However, to my surprise, no such opponents rose to meet me. Instead, the entire crowd, the once rowdy group of mages that had cheered and booed so enthusiastically, was now utterly silent, gazing upwards and behind me with abject horror in their eyes. By now, I had realized that the sounds of fighting had stopped from behind me as well.


    I watched the crowd, with their agape mouths and faces warped in terror, unable or perhaps unwilling to turn around myself. Every self-preserving bone in my body was telling me that I needed to run, run without looking back, run until my feet turned to lead and then some. The danger pressed down on me, like a physical weight. It was leagues beyond what Owen or Ren had ever exuded in front of me. In fact, I refused to believe a human could make me feel that kind of danger.


    I would soon realize how right I was.


    The nervous tension that had frozen the atmosphere was finally broken by a man, a very intimidating man. With snaking tattoos running along the length of his arms and bare chest, and more muscles than anyone really needed, he looked every bit the gangster he was; a true poster boy for street thugs. However, the scream that escaped his lips was a pitch high enough to shatter glass, and had I not seen him, I would have assumed that it had come from a child not possibly more than nine.


    The man¡¯s scream did not shatter any glass in reality, but it certainly did shatter the freezing fear that had gripped everyone. Immediately, a stampede shook the streets as people ran helter-skelter for their lives.


    Slowly, with dread I could not express in words, I turned around to face what was most certainly the most bizarre sight that I had ever beheld in my life.


    A mantis. That¡¯s what it was. A bug. Just a bug, yet so much worse. Unimaginably worse.


    It was massive. Far, far bigger than it had any right to be. About the size of a normal sedan if I had to guess. It hung off the side of a glass skyscraper like some sort of knockoff, insect-y King Kong. Its four hindlegs were stuck into the glass of the fifth floor, its sharp forelegs curled around the corner of the building.


    Adding on to the chaos of the streets, the residents of the building soon came out screaming, running for their lives.


    Although most of the people here were mages, none were brave enough to keep their composure in front of the bizarre animal, let alone face it. After all, most of them were from wealthy families who had never actually seen much combat. As for those who had, like Fight House¡¯s combat force, they were actually able to feel the danger of the mantis, so they had even more reason to run.


    The mantis itself, however, seemed content simply to study the world with its bulbous eyes, standing so still I would¡¯ve doubted if it were alive had not my instincts been screaming at me to run.


    Soon, the street was devoid of life aside from Owen, Ren, the mantis, and me. The mantis and I had been staring into each other''s eyes for an awkwardly long time ¨C or at least, I felt awkward. The mantis was still perfectly unbothered as it bore its eyes into mine.


    Just as I had begun to think that the mantis was not planning on moving at all, it did. And it moved very quickly. In an instant ¨C I would say the blink of an eye, but it had moved before my eyelids could even close ¨C it was in front of Owen, the closest to it.


    Owen, to his credit, did manage to react in time. Instinct honed through decades of combat kicked in at that moment, and he threw the fastest punch I¡¯d seen him throw all day. Gray smoke rose furiously from his fist; the force contained within was not to be taken lightly. For me, anyway. The mantis, on the other hand, took the punch in stride.


    Owen¡¯s fist landed on the face of the mantis, a direct hit not many in this city could shake off. The strike landed, and yet nothing happened. Like hitting cement, the enormous force behind the strike simply vanished into the mantis¡¯ head, and did not shake it in the least. The fist, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The rebounding force was more than what Owen¡¯s bones could handle, and the crack that sounded out as they broke was audible even from where I stood.


    Suddenly, the two forelegs of the mantis vanished, like they¡¯d turned invisible. Owen was blasted backwards, the force caving his chest inward. A kite with cut strings, he flew back for at least a dozen meters before crashing through the glass door of the building across the street from Owen¡¯s building. He vanished into the darkness of the room without a scream or yell, providing no evidence of life.


    Shock numbed me, and a part of me began to passively mull over whether I should feel bad for Owen, considering he would have loved to have seen that happen to me. Despite that knowledge, deep down, I hoped he was still alive. It was a tendency I¡¯d had since as far back as I could remember: an innocent, childlike concern for the wellbeing of anyone in my life. It was a feeling I¡¯d had to stifle on so many occasions I¡¯d lost track. Yet still, it persisted; like sap between my fingers: irritating but ignorable. Perhaps it came as a part of the package that was my ability to wholeheartedly believe that I would achieve everything that I wanted to ¨C my lack of cynicism.


    While my mind drifted into philosophical ponderings about the nature of my self, the rational side of me kicked in, the side rightfully concerned for my own well-being. With a glance over to Ren, I understood that we had both arrived at the same conclusion: this was now beyond our fight.


    Given the strength of the mantis, there was absolutely no one in the city who could contain it. The only thing we could do now was to wait for the IG to dispatch some higher-up to come and deal with it. Until then, this city would be unlivable.


    At least, that¡¯s what would have happened. But as Ren and I jumped off the car roof and ran as fast as our legs would carry us into the Fight House building, making our way out from the other side, I quickly realized that the future would look nothing like what I had imagined.


    The metal door of the back fire exit pulled away to reveal a world in flames. Hordes of people ran amok as literal flames licked the sky somewhere on the horizon. Massive bugs of all kinds roamed the city, from centipedes to spiders to flies. Each was at least the same size as the mantis, if not bigger.


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    And the people ran for good reason. The bugs seemed to have no motive above simply hunting humans; as if they were trying to avenge the centuries they had spent oppressed by us. Screams ran out as unfortunate men and women were caught as they ran, some impaled on the stingers of wasps, others wrapped up like mummies by centipedes. Blood had already begun to flow down the streets.


    Fortunately for me, life had tempered me in the flame of bizarre realities that made no sense to my mind. Boxing my mind in a cage, safe from questions like ¡®What in the world is happening?¡¯ and its ilk, I focused first on survival. Grabbing Ren by the sleeve, I ducked behind an overturned trash dumpster, and not a second too late. A spider, the kind with tiny bodies and very long, thin legs, just came into view. Only, unlike any others that I had ever seen, this one would not be squashed under a heel. Unless the heel were the size of a bus, nothing would be crushing the monster that it now was.


    Its maw was dripping with a viscous red. As tall as a lamppost, each of its spindly legs carried enough force to crush the asphalt underneath it, leaving eight small craters wherever it went.


    Thankfully, with the massive hustle and bustle of the streets ¨C cars desperately trying to drive out of the city while dodging insects and people running for their lives ¨C it didn¡¯t notice the two small humans hunkering behind a rusty green dumpster.


    ¡°Ruby,¡± Ren hissed, making me wretch my gaze away from the chaos of the city. ¡°Look,¡± he said simply, shoving his phone into my face.


    It was a video, grainy and shaky, of a situation much like what I could see over the edge of the dumpster. In fact, I would¡¯ve thought that the video had been taken in the city had not a geolocation been stamped onto the corner. ¡®Hong Kong, China,¡¯ it read. All the way across the globe.


    Ren thumbed down to the next video, showing almost the exact same scenario, only with different details. ¡®Cairo, Egypt,¡¯ said this one. ¡®New York, America,¡¯ said the next. ¡®Helsinki, Finland ¡¯ came after.


    Shaking my head, I whispered back to him. ¡°So the worlds gone to hell all around, then?¡± I tried to keep my voice light, in line with the feeble humor I was attempting, but the tremble in my voice betrayed me. ¡°We should get to higher ground,¡± I continued, accepting that I was not going to make the situation better with jokes. ¡°From what it looks like, nowhere in the world is safe right now, so there¡¯s no use running.¡±


    Ren considered my idea for a second before nodding. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense.¡±


    Quietly making our way back into the exit, we began to make our way up the ruined staircase. The building was now utterly empty, devoid of any guests or staff. Clearly, the disturbance had made itself known to the people, either through the internet or the window.


    ¡°What a day, huh,¡± Ren sighed as we made our way up the winding steps, our shoes making muffled thumps as we walked. His voice still hadn¡¯t lost its usual cheer, though how he still had the energy was beyond me.


    I smiled grimly. ¡°I¡¯m trying not to think about it,¡± I said, not bothering to try and hide the exhaustion in my voice. ¡°The direction of today has shifted so many times, and so randomly I can¡¯t even begin to¡­¡± I trailed off, unable to finish the thought. It was too much to think about, and survival was more important.


    I heard a small chuckle of agreement from behind, but it seemed even Ren didn¡¯t have it in him to continue the conversation. A silence settled over us as we moved, strange but still companionable.


    Eventually, we arrived at the broken door of the party room, room 99. I finally had a chance to see the carnage that Ren¡¯s fight had unleashed on the room. It was hardly recognizable now. Everything, from the bar to the dance floor to the DJ station, was utterly trashed.


    ¡°Ruby!¡±


    Accompanying the sudden shout came a foot that swept my feet off the ground, throwing me face-first onto the floor. Thankfully, my hands were fast enough to stop me from breaking my nose against the ground, but that wasn¡¯t what I was concerned about.


    What did concern me was the sudden rush of wind that hit my back as I fell, like something very fast flying right over me. Not to mention the new threat my mind was warning me of, the familiar feeling of oppressive danger.


    Getting back up, my eyes did not leave a darkened corner of the room, my gaze trying to pierce through the cloak of shadow that covered it. Whatever else was in the room was in there.


    ¡°Ruby, look,¡± Ren said, pointing to the floor a little ahead of me. Following his finger, I spotted something I hadn¡¯t noticed before: a dash of brownish-red blood on the carpet, like someone had spilled a bucket of red paint a while ago.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, where are the ten mages that you fought?¡± I asked Ren, my gaze not leaving the ominous stain.


    Ren chuckled, but it was different this time. Nervous. ¡°I left them right there, on the floor. They were all unconscious.¡±


    Suddenly, there was a blur of movement from the corner, the corner that I had not stopped monitoring in the least. So this time, I was ready.


    Or at least, I thought I was.


    The full-powered swing, with all the Flux I could mobilize, I launched in the direction of the blur ¨C the thing was so fast I couldn¡¯t aim anywhere, only blindly throw a punch ¨C met the head of whatever it was. And, unfortunately, my punch lost. Badly.


    The opposing force was overwhelming, not to be denied. Fractures spread through my arm bones instantly as I was blown backwards. My flight felt instantaneous, my head banging against the doorframe of the room almost immediately.


    Dimly, I registered that somehow, I had managed to stop the flight of the bug as well, which now sat in full view right where I had stood. Not a meter from where Ren currently stood.


    It was a cockroach. Not as big as the rest of the mutants, however. It was only about the size of a backpack, its outer shell an ugly, brownish-red. I say only the size of a backpack, but that didn¡¯t make it any less disturbing to behold. It was still the largest insect I had ever seen before today, and its many legs and weird mouth were stuff I¡¯d never once wanted to see as closely as I could at the moment.


    Studying the creature did not help in reducing the pain, and I realized that I had to Revive before the thing decided to come at me again. In my current state, it would mean certain death. However, the shattered arm and bleeding at the base of my skull were undoubtedly the worst injuries I¡¯d received today, so Reviving was much easier said than done.


    Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t alone in this. Ren, not wanting to let the bug have another chance to launch an attack, quickly swung down his stick at the head of the cockroach. The bug moved fast, turning its body around in the fraction of a second that it had, taking the blow on its shell. Ren¡¯s stick rebounded off the thing with a loud thwack, leaving the shell completely unmarked. The cockroach jumped away in retreat, back into another darkened corner. Its ruddy shell glinted ominously in the darkness.


    Ren gripped his stick tight, every muscle in his body taut as he waited for the bug to attack.


    And attack it did. Almost silently, a blur flew out of the darkness again, rushing towards Ren. But he was ready, readier than I had been. Instead of foolishly taking the force head-on, he swung his stick like a bat, hitting the thing squarely on its side. The force was enough to redirect the bug, sending it hurtling into another corner of the room.


    ¡°Ruby¡­¡± Ren whispered, anxious.


    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m working on it,¡± I responded through grit teeth. I clenched my hands ¨C or hand, since one did not care to obey ¨C willing myself to Revive. But I couldn¡¯t. Every time I got close, I would shrink away in fear, the pain too enormous of a deterrent. I hated myself for it, for my cowardice.


    I squeezed my eyes shut, picturing her face in my mind. ¡°Look at me,¡± she would say. ¡°Look into my eyes,¡± her voice low and soft, soothing and calm. And I would, and so I did, peering into her vast expanse of hazel and soft, caramel brown. I felt joy bloom on my face as I did, memories rising to greet me like old friends I hadn¡¯t seen in years. And in their embrace, I felt the sudden rush of pain, the spike in temperature in my body. Like a fire lit in my veins, scorching every part of me. But I did not focus on that, I would not allow myself to. Instead, I lost myself in those eyes, those eyes of compassion and kindness the weight of which I had never, and likely would never, understand.


    Ocean.


    ¡°Ruby?¡± Ren¡¯s voice came again, worry tinging his question.


    I opened my eyes, my pupils liquid clam. Power coursed through my body, filling me with a cool sense of awareness and refreshment. ¡°It¡¯s underbelly,¡± I said, voicing the idea that suddenly struck. ¡°That¡¯s probably the only place we can actually damage it.¡±


    Ren didn¡¯t respond, his focus unerringly locked on the hidden cockroach, but he nodded in understanding.


    Suddenly, the bug once again rushed out of its hiding place, rushing towards Ren at inhuman speeds. This time, Ren tried a different approach, swinging his stick upwards instead, from underneath the incoming bug.


    The bug was smarter than we had given it credit for, though. It knew its own weakness, and immediately moved to protect it. Twisting its entire body in the air, it managed to once again take Ren¡¯s swing onto its hard shell instead, letting the force propel it up to the roof.


    It clung to the roof for a second, its sharp legs cutting into the metal, before darting back into a corner.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to attack it together,¡± I said as I got up and made my way over to where Ren was. ¡°It''s too quick and smart.¡±


    Ren nodded again. ¡°If it consistently does the same move to block an attack from underneath, then all you need to do is attack it from the top in that split second.¡±


    ¡°Easy peasy,¡± I said, a smile tugging at my lips. This fight was no less dangerous than the one I had fought against Owen, but it seemed I had a chronic inability to take life-and-death situations seriously. An affliction shared by Ren, as he laughed freely at my joke. ¡°It''s almost too easy, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Totally. If only the thing had more overpowered advantages over us, y¡¯know. Besides overwhelming speed and power and defence.¡±


    Before Ren could add on, the bug came at us again, unrelenting in its attack pattern. It seemed that it was convinced that we would slip up at some point and fall to the same trick that it kept trying. An entirely possible, and quite likely, scenario.


    Ren swung upwards once again, his timing impeccable as always. The stick¡¯s arc perfectly intercepted the insect, and it knew that. Like before, it twirled in the air, leaving its belly exposed to the roof.


    In the fraction of a second that I had, I leapt towards the bug, my fist smoking black as I prepared to give the monster a blow it would remember.


    But, impossibly, in the time that the bug had as Ren¡¯s stick launched it towards my fist ¨C a fist that was simultaneously speeding down towards it ¨C the thing managed to flip over once again.


    Undeterred, my fist collided with the hard shell of the cockroach with a bang, the force finally managing to crack the carapace ¨C though it was only a tiny break. As the force of my blow threw the bug back downwards to the ground, a wooden pole came from the left once again, knocking into the side of the bug.


    The force was enough to launch it all the way across the room, sending the bug hurtling toward the panoramic windows of the room. Immediately, almost acting on instinct, I bent down and picked up a small stone debris that lay on the floor, about the size of a hamburger. Like a baseball pitch, I threw the stone as hard as I could, sending it right on the heels of the bug.


    The cockroach crashed into the already cracked window, but the window held on until, not a second later, the stone collided with the soft underbelly of the bug. The jagged edges bit into the skin, leaking out blood.


    The force of the stone was the last push that the window needed. It shattered into a million pieces and blew outwards, falling to the ground. Following it came the cockroach, stone still embedded into its belly.


    A beat of silence passed after the cockroach fell, as if we almost couldn''t believe that we¡¯d made it out alive, before the room was flooded with sound as we simultaneously fell into laughter.


    ¡°Man, it feels good to finally win a fight today,¡± I said as our waves of laughter subsided, my hands still clutching my stomach.


    Ren laughed in response, already lying down on the floor, gazing up at the roof with a twinkle in his eye.


    Letting him rest, I curiously walked over to the broken windows, wanting to get another look at the chaos outside. Maybe it was all just a hallucination, I thought to myself in scrabbling hope.


    One look over the edge snuffed out that hope like a candle. If anything, the situation had deteriorated even further. Dead lined the streets, painting cars and the street in bright, candied-apple red. Massive insects crowded the city now, present everywhere I could see. They vastly outnumbered the human population left out on the streets, and I knew it was just a matter of time before they were all wiped out. If the smallest I had seen was so difficult to deal with, then the average citizen couldn''t possibly fight back against any of them.


    The bloody scene brought bile to my throat immediately, and I had to pull myself away from the edge, scrambling back on all fours, to keep myself from puking.


    I turned to Ren, who had now sat up in worry, wanting to articulate what I had seen, but no words came to my tongue.


    Then, suddenly, the room around me got darker, as if the sunlight from behind me had been blocked out. Still gazing at Ren, I watched as his expression warped into one of surprise before settling into a resigned determination.


    ¡°I¡¯d tell you to run, Ruby, but I think I know you well enough to know that you wouldn¡¯t. So get up, Ruby. Stand up and fight, ¡®cause we¡¯re gonna be needing that unbreakable will of yours.¡±


    I smiled at his words, despite the horrible feeling of fear that coiled in my gut. Slowly, I forced my body to move, to stand up one more time.


    I was beginning to understand a new dimension of fighting with Flux. It wasn¡¯t the physical exhaustion that got you ¨C physical exhaustion had ceased to be a problem with Revives ¨C it was the mental exhaustion that weighed on you. My mind could not be rejuvenated like my body, and today had been pulling at my sanity since it started.


    Still, I pushed my feet down and brought myself up, turning around to face whatever new monstrosity today had brought forth.


    It was the cockroach. Exactly the same in every way, except that it was bigger. Far, far bigger. Its head took up the entire window, blotting out the sun completely.


    The backpack-sized cockroach had given me a closer look at its face than I had ever wanted to see, but the cockroach in front of me was much, much worse. The jagged edges of its mouth were terrifyingly sharp, each spike the size of my leg.


    Judging by the way it hovered outside of the window, peering emotionlessly into the room, I assumed that it could fly. As if the fight wasn''t already impossible enough.


    ¡°So the damn bug called his mommy,¡± I said, unable to resist making another, and possibly my last ever, joke. ¡°At least the fight¡¯s fair now.¡±


    Ren let out a surprised cackle beside me, his lips pulled wide into a grin. ¡°Finally,¡± he said, mock satisfied. ¡°A challenge.¡±

 Chapter 24 – Battle for Humanity

    5 Hours Ago:


    The massive warships groaned as they let down the anchors, settling down into the calm, lapping water of Port Canopy. It was a popular port, convenient for trade and tourism, and as such had grown into a sizable town. Glistening white stone made up the sprawling array of houses that lay in the center, but the construction went down a level near the edges. Stores and apartments of wood and cement became the norm as the city expanded outward.


    The most notable part of the town, however, was undoubtedly the towering wall that curved around the edge of the town that faced inland. Built solely out of compacted dirt and mud, it easily stood at over fifty meters, and had no discernable seams anywhere along its surface; it was not the kind of construct that current human technology could boast. Instead, it was a construct of magic: Flux. More specifically, the Flux of Africa¡¯s most competent Earth Elemental Mage.


    A woman christened by the people as ¡®Golem,¡¯ she was one of the most venerated people on the continent. As a pillar of strength in Africa, her status was doubly revered due to her being an Elemental Mage. Elemental Mages were few and far between in the world, even after a hundred and some years of Flux. Those who could ¡®Awaken¡¯ were treated with the utmost respect, and deservedly so, as they would undoubtedly wield far more power than the average mage. They would almost always go on to become powerful players on the global stage, no matter their affiliation or background.


    Hosanna Bogale Ketema was one such player, a woman renowned for her dignified and aloof composure. But today, she did not play the part of legend shrouded in mist, a divine embodiment of power that would not deign to mingle with the people. No, today, she played protector, commander. Soldier, fighting on the frontlines. Today, she was tattered and ordinary, scruffy and unkempt. For today, Africa had fallen.


    In the three hours that had passed between the five IG warships spotting land and docking at the port, the entire continent had been ravaged. Monstrous mutants, massive insects the likes of which no one had ever seen, poured out of a cave in seemingly endless numbers. They ran through cities and towns, decimating all life they came into contact with.


    Their destructive power was unmatched in the land. With some specializing in speed, defence, or pure strength, it was an impossible task for the mages of Africa to contain the troops that had spread across the continent.


    Saber¡¯s Edge was the first to fall, as their territory contained the cave that originated the monsters. The three cities under their name were overrun almost instantly, as the foot soldiers and upper echelon of the gang were unable to provide any resistance whatsoever.


    The rampage was stemmed in part only when the strongest of Africa got involved. Only five mages in the continent stood at a level of power that rivalled the likes of the Divine Ax, the Assassin King, or the Five Continent Council. But even they and their organizations were constantly forced back, losing countless soldiers along the way.


    Eventually, all five were pushed into the corner that was the town of Port Canopy. The status of the rest of the continent was unknown, as the internet and networking systems had been long destroyed. With the devastating power of the bugs, the worst could only be assumed. And so, the five gathered as many of the surviving people as they could and established the town as their last stand, the last bastion of humanity on the continent.


    For an unknown reason, the bugs had stopped their advance on the town, but the wall had been put up regardless. Of course, those who had actually fought the creatures knew that they would have made short work of it if they had been determined to get in, but it still helped to calm down the common masses that had made it into the town.


    The IG office of Africa had been constantly keeping the incoming warships updated on the dire state of Africa, so when Maximus and the others disembarked, they knew just how bad of a situation they were stepping into. And the three of them ¨C Maximus, Alois, and Louis ¨C knew that for once, their strength did not mean a guaranteed win, as it had for every fight they had ever been in the past decades.


    Inside a small conference room ¨C really a repurposed mayor''s office ¨C stood eight men and women around an oval desk. The air was grim, tense. No happiness or relaxation adorned the expressions of the people gathered. Though reinforcements had arrived ¨C reinforcements that brought three of the world¡¯s powerhouses ¨C the five who had fought the insects knew that the situation was far from taking a turn for the better.


    ¡°As far as we can tell, there are five insects leading the rest: A beetle, a wasp, a centipede, a spider, and a butterfly," said Araya, the IG chief of Africa, as he began his debrief. "As for the rest, there is an untold number of insects, easily somewhere in the millions, all ranging in strength. However, according to the hasty calculations we''ve been able to do, their average strength is similar to a first-rate guild''s elite. No human has been spotted on their side, but we must assume the worst case: all the missing mages from North America are somehow on their side, whether by choice or not. Then, we have the low-level office worker, but she should no longer pose a threat, as her strength is nowhere near the level required for her to be a player on this battlefield. Lastly, and most importantly, there must be some sort of mastermind, some human who has the capability to grow and lead these insects.¡±


    There was a pause as the people in the room took in the information, fully processing the ramifications and danger that the situation presented.


    ¡°Realistically,¡± Maximus began, clearly choosing his words carefully. ¡°What are our chances against these bugs? Of survival, I mean.¡±


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    ¡°For us? Depends on who we¡¯re fighting,¡± Hosanna answered, her voice grave. ¡°Against most of the bugs, we¡¯d have a hard time even getting hurt by them, but against the five that Araya mentioned? I¡¯d say it''s fifty-fifty. Your survival against any of them would depend entirely on how you fight. Our strength only puts us on a level playing field against them, not at an advantage.¡± She sucked a breath, pausing for a moment. ¡°But for the rest of humanity? I wouldn¡¯t get my hopes up.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan then? Even if we manage to survive and beat the five, if the rest of humanity is overrun by the bugs, then what¡¯s the point?¡± Maximus asked.


    ¡°Then we must simply stop the problem at its root, by finding and killing whoever this mastermind is,¡± answered the Guild Master of the highest-rated guild in Africa. He was an elderly man, the oldest of those gathered. And among the most dangerous.


    ¡°That would be a good plan, but there are too many unknowns. First of all, we don¡¯t even know who or where this mastermind is, not to mention how strong he is,¡± countered Louis. ¡°After all, we¡¯ve never heard of an ability to make and control any insects, especially mutated and unspeakably powerful insects. It''s definitely not the kind of ability an average mage would have, and it''s not within the realm of the abilities of an Elemental Mage, to my knowledge.¡± Louis gave a questioning look to Hosanna, the senior most Elemental Mage present. She nodded in confirmation. ¡°We have no idea what limit there is to the mage¡¯s ability to produce these bugs, as well, or if the bugs alive right now will die if their master dies.¡±


    ¡°Well we must do something,¡± Maximus said, exasperated.


    ¡°Do what? Not every fight can be won by running in, ax swinging. Without a plan, this will be the end of humanity as we know it. We have one chance, there are no redos here. And we are the last pillars of humanity. Once we fall, as Hosanna said, there won¡¯t be much hope for the rest of humanity,¡± said Araya.


    ¡°But it seems that there is no plan that can overcome this calamity. Certainly not one we can come up with in the time we have,¡± Hosanna said. ¡°We don¡¯t know why those bugs have stopped, but every second we have could be our last. And once those things decide to come in, there is nothing we can do to stop them.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should ship the people out in the time we have. The five warships should be able to fit everyone here, right?¡± Louis said.


    Alois scoffed. ¡°What good would that do? Aside from cutting off our route of escape. Those powerless ants would still end up dying if we die; we¡¯d only be delaying the inevitable.¡±


    ¡°That is a disgusting-¡± Hosanna began, about to admonish the man for his arrogance, when suddenly the world started to shake.


    The eight gathered immediately cast their gazes in the direction of the wall, their sharpened senses warning them of dire danger. They could feel the presence of five, immense wells of Flux suddenly appear right outside the wall.


    ¡°We can¡¯t send the people out into the ocean, but we can at least keep them in the warships during the fight. Araya, the people know you best, you direct them. The rest of you, come with me. We shall meet these beasts head-on.¡± Louis, ever the leader, immediately took control of the situation. His face was set grim, a steel resolve in his eyes.


    With grave faces, the mages quickly jumped into action, the eight zipping through the panicking city. The walls had yet to fall, but the shaking was enough to send the nervous masses over the edge. Hysterics spread as the people despaired, even the sight of eight world-shaking mages not enough to give them hope.


    Five minutes later, the wall finally gave in. Crumbling in on itself, it parted to reveal five monstrous bugs, and nothing else. No army stood behind them, and no humans were in sight. Just five, massive insects, whose combined aura was enough to press down on the seven gathered in front of them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve felt this kind of pressure since your father, Hosanna,¡± Louis said, a nervous smile on his face as he stared down the opposing side.


    ¡°Me neither,¡± Hosanna replied, fingers shifting as she tightened the grip she had on her gnarled, wooden staff. ¡°Sucks that the old man had to kick the bucket before he could help us with this.¡± Legendary as her father had been, Hosanna held no respect for the man.


    ¡°I call the one that looks like a rhino,¡± Maximus piped up, referring to the beetle that sported a vicious horn at the end of its face. The glee of a challenging battle had taken over his face, the dire circumstances of the battle obviously forgotten.


    As if waiting to be called out, the beetle instantly leapt forward, its powerful feet kicking against the sand as it charged towards the Divine Ax.


    Maximus¡¯ reputation was not underserved, however ¨C the man had the strength to back it up. In the fraction of a second that it took the beetle to cross the dozen meters that separated the two, Maximus had already swung his ax, muscles bulging as immense power surged through his body.


    The ax whistled as it cut through the air, before a deafening bang resounded through the city and the desert surrounding it. Sand blew up in all directions as horn and ax collided, neither giving ground to the other.


    The fact that the beetle could hold its own in a contest of brute strength against Maximus was all the confirmation that Louis and Alois needed to know that Hosanna had not been exaggerating. Although Maximus was not the most dangerous of those present, none across humanity had the Divine Ax beat when it came to raw physical might. So the fact that the beetle could match him was frightening.


    The other bugs were not idle, either. The wasp was second to move, buzzing forwards with its sword-like stinger aimed at the closest mage to it: an older Egyptian mage known only to the people as ¡®Viper.¡¯ With a body tall and lean, coupled with a strange martial art that involved bending and manipulating his body in snake-like movements, it was not a moniker given without reason.


    True to his namesake, the Viper swayed the top half of his body without a trace of emotion on his face, perfectly dodging the sharp stinger. Then, without a moment of hesitation, the man latched onto the wasp, seemingly twisting his body around the beast as he climbed higher.


    Once he had reached halfway up the bug''s back, he palmed out two, vicious curved daggers from his sleeve and dug them into the back of the monster. Like the fangs of a viper, they bit into the flesh of the wasp, injecting their venom through the small holes on the tip.


    For any human, that would have been the end of the fight ¨C the Viper¡¯s venom was renowned for its potency ¨C but the wasp was no human. Immediately, its transparent wings buzzed with a sudden, new ferocity. The animal climbed in altitude so fast that the man stuck to its back had no time to let go before he was already over a hundred meters in the air. With no other choice, the man clung for his life to his daggers, the wind whipping at him and his clothes. Even with his hardened body, a fall of that height was not one he could walk off.


    Down on the ground, the other three had also begun to fight. The spider faced Louis and another African mage, the centipede Hosanna and the last of the four African mages present, and the butterfly Alois.


    With the pairs made, the battle which had upon its shoulders the present fate of humanity commenced.

 Chapter 25 – Ocean

    I sucked in a deep breath as I faced what was certainly the last battle of my life. My thoughts raced a million miles an hour, but no way out of this situation presented itself. Never had I been so completely overwhelmed in strength by an enemy, so shut off from hope.


    Suddenly, the cockroach backed up a bit, its massive face pulling away from the window a few meters. Knowing what was to come, I quickly pushed Ren ¨C who was still standing right beside me ¨C as hard as I could, before jumping back the other way. I landed with a thud on the ground and rolled. And not a second later, the massive bug came sailing through the window. Or, it would be more accurate to say sailing through the entire floor.


    The size of the face did not give justice to the body, which must have been easily three meters tall. The hard shell of the insect made the concrete yield like a dry cookie crumbling. The upper floor was ripped in two, the force behind the bug carrying it through the other side. An ominous groaning sounded from under me, cutting through the thundering crash.


    Rooted to the ground, I lay clutching the carpet under me as concrete rained down all around me. The ground just past my feet had disappeared as a giant crack ran through the entire floor. Bricks and splintered wood tumbled around in the chaos, thudding where they hit the floor.


    As I lay in the center of the storm of falling stone and debris, a stray chunk of concrete suddenly smashed into my head, muffling the world around me as my vision blurred and my ears rang. I brought my hands up to cover my head and felt something wet.


    With a jarring movement, the ground under me suddenly tilted. Looking up in confusion, I realized in abject horror that the slab of concrete I lay on currently hung on to the rest of the floor with just a few iron rebars, bars that were currently bending and groaning under the weight. I put my head down, nestling into the lush carpet, unable to watch as more of the bars snapped.


    It wasn¡¯t even a fight, huh, I thought to myself in frustration. I¡¯d often thought of how I would die. I¡¯d imagined grand fights, gang wars on the scale of countries or maybe even continents. I¡¯d imagined being backstabbed by a trusted lieutenant, or simply being overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies I¡¯d made, fighting to the last breath with good friends at my back. But never had I thought it would be so disgraceful as being crushed to death in a crumbling building, all because of an animal that considered me not even worthy of being its food.


    With another jolt, the slab tilted even more, almost at a ninety-degree angle now. I hung on just barely, my aching fingers gripping the carpet fibres so tight it whitened my knuckles.


    ¡°Ruby!¡± came a voice from behind me. It took my dazed mind a second, but I soon matched it to Ren¡¯s. ¡°Hold on a second, I¡¯ll pull you up!¡± he yelled.


    His voice disappeared into the chaotic sounds of destruction for a minute. Then, after an excruciatingly long moment, a thump sounded out above me. I looked up to find Ren, having jumped across the gap, crouching and offering me his hand as concern colored his face.


    With what little strength I had left, I loosened my grip with one hand and reached out. However, my one arm did not have the grip nor the strength to keep me up, even for a second, and I immediately began to slip down into the deadly abyss behind me.


    A hand clamped onto my wrist almost instantly, its vice-like grip the only thing keeping me from certain death. With a grunt, Ren began to haul me up, the weight shaking the feeble foundation he stood on. It was a miracle that the building hadn¡¯t already collapsed yet, but I was sure that it wouldn¡¯t be long.


    Still, the floor stayed stable long enough for Ren to pull me up all the way and drop back down onto his backside, breathing hard. ¡°Y¡¯know, you¡¯re a lot heavier than you look.¡± His voice had the familiar tinge of teasing I had gotten to know so well.


    A small smile bloomed on my face, despite the pounding pain that hurt so bad I had to shut my eyes. Now that I wasn¡¯t holding on for dear life, the pain on my scalp had come in full force.


    ¡°Or maybe,¡± I responded, my voice labored, ¡°you¡¯re just not as strong as you think you are.¡±


    Ren instantly sensed the pain in my voice and snapped his gaze back to me, his glossy eyes open and filled with worry. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± he asked.


    I laughed, before wincing as the pain flared up in response. ¡°Yup. Pretty bad, I think. Can¡¯t see it though.¡± I couldn¡¯t see much of anything, in fact. My eyes had been kept closed since light made the pain much worse. And when they were open, all I could manage were vague, blurry shapes.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Ren said as he came up to me, gently removing my hands from my head and replacing them with his own. ¡°What happened?¡±


    I winced as his finger brushed the wound, and he instantly pulled his hands away. ¡°Some rubble fell on it, I think,¡± I answered him.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Ren repeated, his voice hollow.


    ¡°That bad, huh?¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°Ruby, listen to me,¡± Ren said, turning to me. I¡¯d never heard his voice sound so serious. ¡°You need to Revive now. Like right now, Ruby. With an injury like that, you won¡¯t last long unless you Revive. But it''s gonna be painful, Ruby. Very painful. Worse than any pain you¡¯ve ever felt before. But if you want to survive this, you need to do it.¡±


    ¡°So it is that bad.¡± Despite his tone, I found myself unable to take the information seriously.


    Ren ignored me. ¡°Here, take this.¡± His words were followed by the sound of cloth ripping. ¡°Bite on this, Ruby,¡± he said, holding the cloth near my mouth.


    Weakly, I opened my mouth and let the cloth in. It tasted bitter and salty, and very dusty. I bit down on it as hard as I could.


    ¡°Listen to me now. Take a deep breath and think of something happy. A memory that you know so well you could get lost in it. A person, a place, anything.¡± I did as he said, though I could feel his voice fading slightly, as if he was getting further and further as he spoke.


    Or perhaps, it was I who was drifting away.


    ¡°Now, focus on that memory, and relax your body. Let all your muscles loose, like you¡¯re laying on a bed, about to go to sleep.¡± I smiled at that. Sleep sounds real nice right now, I thought to myself.


    But it was a trap. A horrible, agonizing trap. The sweet lure of sleep transformed into a monster. The second I breathed out all the tension in me, relaxing every muscle in my body, a terrible, burning pain invaded me.


    I screamed, a deep, guttural scream of pain and fear as the burning hot Flux poured into me. It was hot, too hot. Magma poured into me, all around me. It was like I was bathing in it, my skin burning with fire. My insides felt scorched, the pain unlike anything I was expecting. The cloth between my teeth kept my screams quiet, but my throat was still ripped raw.


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    The pain was all-consuming, taking over my body and mind. Ocean¡¯s image was long forgotten, drowned in the flood of fire that had invaded me.


    In the midst of the torture, I noticed a strange phenomenon. Through my eyelids, I noticed a flickering orange, cutting through the darkness that had descended over me. The blur seemed to be rising off of my own body, and the chaotic way in which it danced and swayed was captivating. So captivating that I found the strength to open my eyes and investigate, despite the added agony it caused.


    Arguably the strangest sight of today ¨C a feat in and of itself as not one of the contenders was easy to topple ¨C greeted my eyes. The blur was fire, and it burned on my skin. The entirety of my body ¨C save for my head ¨C was truly, physically on fire. It burned on the surface of my clothes, somehow not affecting them at all. Ren had backed up already, staring at me with widened eyes. I turned to him, taking in his expression of shock, and laughed.


    ¡°Today just does not stop, huh,¡± I croaked out, fighting through the intense pain, my lips curled into a sardonic smile. When the weighted darkness of unconsciousness finally settled over me, after everything that had happened today, it found me still laughing.


    -


    Ocean stood before me, her long, hazel hair flowing in the wind. She wore a simple but elegant white gown, so long it pooled at her feet. Her face was the same as the last time I¡¯d seen it, but healthier. The sunken, pale cheeks and the dark rings around her eyes were gone, replaced by a lively glow. She was vibrant, and the tender happiness that radiated from her expression filled a hole in me I had thought would never be filled again.


    ¡°Hello Ruby,¡± she said, her voice quiet.


    Rivers ran down my dusty cheeks as I heard her voice, a profound cocktail of emotions swirling in me. Grief, joy, bitterness. Nostalgia, confusion, pain. I had so much to say, yet my throat would let no words pass. ¡°Ocean,¡± was all I could manage, my voice shaky.


    ¡°I missed you too, sister,¡± she said, suddenly appearing right in front of me and throwing her arms around me. In her embrace, the dam finally broke. Seven long years of bottling up my sadness and pain, seven years worth of tears broke loose, carrying the pain within me as they poured out.


    Her hand patted my back gently as I sobbed into her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve struggled hard since I left, Ruby. I¡¯m so proud.¡± Her voice was choked with emotion.


    Centuries passed in the minutes I spent crying, but eventually, as my sobs settled into sniffling, Ocean pulled herself away from me, her hands on my shoulder as she looked me in the eye. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ruby, but we don¡¯t have much time. You¡¯re passed out right now, but if you don¡¯t return soon, it¡¯ll all be over. And it can¡¯t be over now, not after all this. You still have so much to do, Ruby.¡±


    ¡°What¡­What are you talking about?¡± I asked in confusion, the tears stopping at long last.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t have the time to explain right now. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it all out one day, once you¡¯ve learnt enough. But for now, I need you to listen to me, okay?¡±


    I nodded, although none of what she was saying was making any sense to me.


    ¡°Your parents, Ruby. You need to find them. They can help you, but more importantly, they need your help.¡±


    I looked at her in confusion. ¡°But my parents are dead. I¡¯m an orphan.¡±


    Ocean shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t explain how, but I need you to trust me, Ruby. They aren¡¯t dead, and they need your help, because no one else will help them. But before you do, you need to get stronger, far stronger than you are right now.¡± Ocean paused for a second, tenderness returning to her eyes. ¡°I know life has been so hard on you, and you¡¯ve already fought so much. It kills me to ask you to fight more, to fight longer. But there is no other choice for us, Ruby. They need your help.¡± She took my hand. ¡°I need your help.¡±


    ¡°But¡­I don¡¯t understand. I thought you were dead, Ocean. I saw you die, Ocean.¡±


    Ocean looked at me with a face brimming with an emotion I could not decipher. ¡°I know that none of this makes any sense, Ruby, but I can¡¯t talk to you for very long, so I have to tell you everything important right now. You will figure out everything else in time, sister, I know you will. You were always the-¡±


    Suddenly, in the middle of her sentence, Ocean doubled over, clutching her gut.


    ¡°Ocean!¡± I yelped out in worry.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ruby. I¡¯m fine. But I don¡¯t have much more time to talk, I¡¯m sorry. I have one more thing I must tell you before I go,¡± Ocean said, looking back up at me. Her face was pale now, sickly, like she was in a lot of pain. A face that was far more familiar to me than her healthy look.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna leave, again?¡± I asked. ¡°But¡­But you...¡± I stammered, at a loss for words. Despite the confusing circumstances, this was the first time I had felt whole, felt complete in seven long years. To lose this again, to lose her again, would be a blow I would not accept. One I could not accept.


    Ocean said nothing, only giving me a complicated, overwhelmingly sad look. Suddenly, she shook her head, as if clearing it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ruby," she began, "for telling you this, for robbing you of another happy memory, but you must know this.¡± She took in a deep breath.


    ¡°Daphine lied, Ruby. She¡¯s not who we thought she was. She was in on it, Ruby. The whole time. She was one of them.¡± Ocean¡¯s face was grim as she spoke, devoid of the kindness I¡¯d always seen her show. There was another emotion present too, boiling in her eyes. It was an emotion so foreign to her that it took me a second to name it.


    Hatred.


    ¡°I¡­I still don¡¯t understand,¡± I stammered out.


    ¡°She¡¯s still alive, Ruby. I know that she is not dead, but I don¡¯t know where she is. But she has nothing to do with you anymore, and I would like it to stay that way. All I ask of you, Ruby, is to no longer honor her in your memory. She is a monster, not the person you know her to be.¡± Ocean paused again. ¡°I would have let you live your life without knowing that, but I know you. You¡¯d want me to tell you this, but nonetheless, Ruby, I hope you forgive me for ruining her memory.¡±


    I was silent, my mind utterly unable to comprehend the information. It was as if so much had happened that my mind had given up on it all. Her words drifted through my mind aimlessly, with no effect on me. I heard the words but entirely failed to register them as anything other than interesting sounds.


    Ocean seemed to understand that I had reached my limit then, as she went quiet again for a moment, instead studying me with her face a picture of motherly pride. ¡°You¡¯ve done so well, Ruby. I¡¯m sorry that you were cursed to live this life. I wish I could save you from the pain your future has in store for you, and it¡¯s torture being so helpless about it. But no matter what, Ruby, no matter how far you go or where you stop. No matter where or when or how you die, whether you achieve everything you set out to or none of it. Whether you become the hero you¡¯ve always wanted to be or not, know that I will always be proud of you, that I have seen all your battles and have bore witness to how hard you have fought. No matter what anyone or everyone thinks, there will always be at least one person who will forever be on your side.¡±


    I stared at Ocean dumbly, a carefree smile on my face as I studied the strange girl in front of me, making odd sounds with her mouth.


    Ocean laughed as she saw my expression, a gentle, teasing tone to it. ¡°Oh, by the way. Keep that Ren boy close, k? He¡¯s the kind to always have your back, and you¡¯re gonna need that. Just make sure you always have his, too.¡±


    As she spoke, she winced again, the pain of before resurfacing a little. Only this time, I completely missed it.


    Cupping my face with both her hands, Ocean leaned forward and touched her forehead to mine. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s all the time I can get us. I have to go now, k? But I¡¯ll always be right beside you, even if you can¡¯t see it. We¡¯ll talk again, sometime, ok? I don¡¯t know when, but I know we will.¡± The strange girl¡¯s voice was getting frantic, like she was trying to cram in every last word she could get. Still, her words were not making any sense to me, so I simply nodded and smiled.


    Slowly, the girl¡¯s body began to disintegrate, tiny glowing pieces of her floating up into the darkness that surrounded us. The void greedily swallowed everything, and as I watched the strange girl, whose name I could no longer remember, slowly get eaten, some small part of me screamed out in agony, desperately begging the rest of me to stop it, to save the girl from the darkness, to keep her with me. Or else to follow her into it ¨C anything to stay with her.


    But I didn¡¯t, for there was nothing I could do. The girl was quickly disappearing now, her hands still on my cheeks, her forehead still against mine. My body was stuck, frozen. My arms lead, my body immovable. And so I simply watched, and watched, until the strange girl broke completely into scattered particles of glowing white, before being swallowed completely by the void.


    And in her place, came flooding back the horrible, burning, scorching hot pain.

 Chapter 26 – The Aftermath

    I awoke to darkness, a thick blanket of night whose peace was broken only by an orange glow. It flickered and danced, painting a stark concrete wall in its color. Instinctively, I recoiled at the sight, something deep within me shirking away in fear. Fire.


    The sight also sparked a memory, more a still image. Flame, burning on the surface of my skin. And pain. I shut my eyes tight, the mere memory of the pain like a scratch against tender skin.


    Suddenly there was a creak to my side, the sound of a door opening. ¡®Oh, you¡¯re awake?¡± a voice came.


    Turning to the voice, I recognized the face in the dim light as Ren. In his hands, he clutched two large brown paper bags. ¡°You good?¡± he asked as he set the bags down on a table. ¡°Rough night for you, huh?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer, still busy understanding everything. Or rather, trying to understand why I couldn¡¯t understand anything. My memory was a blur, slipping through my fingers no matter how desperately I grabbed at it.


    ¡°Here,¡± Ren said, pulling out a chocolate-dipped granola bar from the bag. ¡°I got you some-¡±


    Before he could finish, I had already snatched the thing from his hand. I hadn¡¯t realized it till I saw it, but I was starving. Ravenous. I¡¯d devoured the bar before Ren could even finish his sentence.


    ¡°-food.¡± Ren laughed as he pulled out another one. ¡°Yeah, I figured you¡¯d be starving. Have as much as you¡¯d like. I¡¯ve got plenty in here.¡±


    Fifty three bars, five flavored yogurt bottles, and two bottles of milk later, I sat on my bed, lips smeared with chocolate, and faced Ren. Crumpled wrappers and empty bottles lay littered around me, making it look like I was sitting in a dumpster.


    Letting out a long, satisfying belch to complete my classy look, I rubbed my belly with a content smile on my face. ¡°Damn, that hit the spot,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°You done already?¡± Ren asked, a smile on his face, ¡°''cause I saved the best for last.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I really don¡¯t think I have space for any-¡± I started, but stopped as Ren tossed over a small plastic bottle to me, the golden yellow liquid within sloshing as it flew.


    I gasped as I read the label. ¡°You didn¡¯t!¡±


    Ren grinned. ¡°Saw a bottle as I was leaving the grocery. Thought you¡¯d need something to lift your spirits, considering the day you¡¯ve had.¡±


    I smiled and drank greedily from the bottle, letting the tart taste spread over my tongue and mouth. I downed half the bottle in one swing, before putting the bottle down and letting out another small burp. ¡°Thank you, Ren. Really.¡±


    Ren waved away my thanks. ¡°Eh, don¡¯t mention it. Just doin¡¯ my job.¡±


    I scoffed sadly at that. ¡°Oh please. Rosefire¡¯s dead now. I¡¯m no gang leader anymore.¡±


    Ren smiled sagely as he looked at me. ¡°Remember what I said to you the first time we met, about why you wanted strength?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°How my reason was better than wanting strength for fame or money because setbacks would only make my resolve stronger, right? Yeah, I remember.¡±


    Ren didn¡¯t continue, instead letting a peaceful quiet settle over us. I breathed out a long, deep sigh, lost in thought.


    ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve got lots of time to figure all that out. And I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions,¡± Ren said after letting me think for a while, ¡°so go ahead, shoot.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, I¡¯ve got plenty of questions. For starters, what in the world is going on?¡±


    Ren chuckled. ¡°Haven¡¯t really figured that one out yet. But I guess I should start with everything you¡¯ve missed. Oh, by the way, you¡¯ve been out for about three days now.¡± Ren spoke casually, so it took me a second to fully understand what he said.


    My face warped in confusion. ¡°What? That doesn¡¯t make sense. How am I still alive, if I¡¯ve been out for three days. Was I at a hospital?¡±


    Ren shook his head. ¡°No, hospitals are no longer a thing, ever since the whole ¡®world going to hell¡¯ thing and all that. How you¡¯ve survived, my best bet would be the crazy Revive you had back at the hotel. Revives vary in strength depending on how bad the injury is, so near-fatal wounds have some of the most powerful ones. But they also have the highest benefits, if you¡¯re able to survive them, of course.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. That much was common knowledge, available in the IG issued Flux handbooks present in every library. I¡¯d spent long ¨C and very boring ¨C evenings pouring over those while I had been fighting for Fight House. Everything I knew about Flux and being a mage came from that book.


    ¡°Anyway, my guess would be that Revive toughened up your body enough to survive going three days without food.¡±


    I pursed my lips, thinking, before nodding again. ¡°Yeah, makes sense. No point worrying about it now, anyway. I¡¯m still alive, and that''s what''s important. So, what¡¯d I miss?¡±


    ¡°Well, after you knocked out in the middle of your Revive, I carried you down the hotel and into the closest neighborhood I could find. After that, I dumped you in an abandoned house,¡± Ren gestured broadly at the dilapidated room that we seemed to be in as he spoke. Likely an old living room if my guess was right. ¡°Of course, after making sure it was completely safe. Totally didn¡¯t forget to check for bugs until the day after.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh, I believe you,¡± I said, smiling.


    Ren nodded. ¡°Yup. As you should. Anyway, I spent the rest of the time either sleeping or out looking for food or information.¡±


    ¡°Really? What about the bugs? Are they not killing everything anymore?¡± I asked, a spark of hope in my voice.


    ¡°They moved on for the most part after the first day. I guess they killed as many as they needed to, because all the strong ones left. They¡¯re still some small bugs here and there ¨C by small I mean about the size of that baby cockroach that we fought ¨C but they¡¯re much weaker. Strong enough to kill non-mages, but the few that I¡¯ve come across were really no big deal.¡±


    My face sank again. ¡°That probably means there aren¡¯t many survivors, huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Ren agreed nonchalantly. ¡°I haven¡¯t come across a single living person yet. I mean, I¡¯m sure there are some people who¡¯ve managed to luckily hide for the first day ¨C like us ¨C but I doubt they¡¯ll survive long.¡±


    I was silent for a moment, letting the information sink in. Life may have taught me to handle bizarre scenarios, but waking up to hear that the entire city had been murdered by mutant insects still took a minute to brush aside.


    ¡°Did you find anything else?¡± I asked finally.


    ¡°Not much really. Aside from what we kind¡¯ve already knew: that this is basically the end of humanity, the way things are looking right now.¡±


    ¡°You mean, the end of humanity as we know it, right?¡±


    ¡°Nope, just straight up the end of humanity. Unless we get some serious help from some really powerful people, there is really no hope for the survival of humans.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°What about the strongest of us, Razacon and Niaz and the like? Or even the people stronger than them, the ones you talked about.¡±


    Ren smiled sadly. ¡°The IG sent out a final message to the world, using the last bit of power or internet or whatever that they had. Eight of the strongest that the world has to offer fought five bugs, and the battle didn¡¯t last longer than three hours. All eight are missing, assumed dead. The remaining mages have holed up in strongholds around the world, and the IG¡¯s advice was to find one. But really, they were basically saying that the fight¡¯s over. If those eight couldn¡¯t hold off the bugs, then the rest of the mages, separated as they are, really have no chance.¡±


    I was silent again for a while as I took in everything Ren was saying. It really was mind-boggling how quickly things had taken a turn for the worse.


    ¡°What about the person that¡¯s doing this?¡± I asked. ¡°Surely they have a higher reason than simply wiping out humanity, right? Have they said anything yet?¡±


    Ren shook his head. ¡°Nope. Not that I know of, anyway. I don¡¯t know who¡¯s behind this, but as far as I can tell, their only goal is the extinction of all other humans.¡±


    I went quiet again, thinking.


    ¡°Kind¡¯ve a downer, huh?¡± Ren said, chuckling.


    I shook my head in wonder. ¡°Do you ever take anything seriously?¡±


    Ren smiled wide at that. ¡°I try not to.¡±


    Shaking my head again, I shoved away all the garbage around me and got up to my feet, stretching my arms as I did.


    ¡°Well, the world may be ending, but I, for one, am not gonna roll over and take it. But first, let¡¯s head back to ol¡¯Rusty. I wanna say bye properly.¡±


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    ¡°You¡¯re the boss,¡± Ren said, climbing up to his feet after me.


    I chuckled. ¡°Really, though, Ren. You saved my life, multiple times. I will never be able to thank you properly, but mark my words, I will repay you for this.¡±


    Ren laughed again. ¡°Like I said, just doin¡¯ my job, boss.¡± Grabbing his walking stick, he started to make his way out of the house. Just as he was about to step out the doorway, however, he paused again, his back to me, his head tilted just barely to the side. ¡°Besides,¡± he said, his voice taking on a rare sincerity, ¡°you saved me first. I was just repaying the favor.¡±


    He was out the door before I could respond, leaving me standing there, puzzling over his words.


    Concluding that I would never figure out what he was talking about without more information, I decided to leave it alone and followed him through the door and into the cool night outside.


    And instantly stopped in my tracks, my eyes glued to the heavens above me.


    ¡°What¡­what in the world is that?!¡± I asked, almost yelling in surprise. Sitting quietly up in the night sky, nestled in the embrace of sparkling stars sat what I could only describe as a jagged tear. With rough edges and an inky pool of black within, a scar almost twice the size of the moon sat centred in the sky, unlike anything I had ever seen before.


    Ren chuckled from beside me. ¡°Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. That happened, too.¡±


    I laughed, still unable to tear my eyes away from the new heavenly attraction. ¡°What¡­what is it?¡± I asked, my voice awed.


    Ren shrugged. ¡°No idea. Just showed up a while ago. There was a lot of shaking, thought it was an earthquake. And then that happened, and the shaking stopped. Didn¡¯t really affect me though, so I didn¡¯t pay it much attention. Though I do like it, to be honest. The same old moon and stars routine was getting old, y¡¯know. ''bout time the sky got an update.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I love the moon, but I have to agree with you there. That is one beautiful sight.¡±


    Suddenly, there was a strong tug on my hoodie, pulling me down and sideways. I crashed into Ren as he hunkered beside an abandoned car. Despite the surprise, I managed to keep quiet, fully aware that many dangerous things walked the streets now.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Ren whispered from beside me, ¡°I forgot to mention. There¡¯s more than just bugs now.¡±


    I looked at him in surprise, my voice hushed. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Ren gestured with his head. ¡°See for yourself.¡±


    Confused, I slowly crept upwards from my crouch until I could see through the windows of the car.


    It took me a second to make out the shape in the darkness, but eventually, as my eyes adjusted, I recognized the thing walking down the street as a wolf. An armored wolf, to be more specific. A biped, armored wolf, to be even more specific.


    I quickly sank back down to Ren¡¯s level, my heart beating a million miles an hour. ¡°What in the world, Ren?¡±


    Ren sported a wide smile as he observed my reaction. ¡°I¡¯d think you¡¯d be used to this by now, Ruby. It''s just another insane, bizarre thing that''s happened.¡±


    I took in a few deep breaths, calming myself, before nodding. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I should be used to this by now. But still, what are they?¡±


    ¡°No idea. They showed up a little after that rip thingy, along with a few other, new species. As far as I¡¯ve seen, there are these humanoid wolf people, these really big eagle bird thingies, and a small group of people that look like normal humans, but they give off this really weird vibe, so I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re not.¡± Ren¡¯s casual smile didn¡¯t falter the entire time, like he was just telling me about the weather.


    Speechless, I stared at Ren in silence for a moment, processing what he had said.


    ¡°And that doesn¡¯t concern you at all?¡± I asked incredulously.


    Ren shrugged. ¡°Not really. Why should it?¡±


    Silent for another moment, I eventually gave up and shrugged, too. ¡°Yeah, fair point. Worrying about it isn¡¯t going to get us any answers. Is there anything else that you forgot to mention?¡±


    Ren looked pensive for a moment. ¡°Not that I can think of right now,¡± he said finally.


    ¡°Oh, well that¡¯s reassuring,¡± I said, sighing. ¡°What about that wolf guy? Should we do anything about him? He looks like he¡¯s coming our way, and he definitely doesn''t look friendly.¡± The pointy spear in his hand certainly didn¡¯t help make his image look less scary.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, those guys are definitely not friendly, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯re related to the bugs. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re just here for territory or something. Either way, I got into a scuffle with ¡®em yesterday because they wanted me out of the house and I didn''t feel like leaving, but I think we reached a nice compromise. They aren¡¯t unbeatable, but they aren¡¯t easy to beat either. And those spears of theirs pack a punch, let me tell you.¡±


    I let out a huff of laughter and shook my head again. ¡°So you fought one of them, and still forgot to tell me about them?¡±


    Ren had no answer, giving me only a cheeky smile in response.


    ¡°Ok, so what¡¯s the plan?¡± I asked, switching back to the topic at hand.


    ¡°He¡¯ll pass soon. As long as we don¡¯t bother him, he won¡¯t make trouble for us. He knows that this house is mine, and that it''s too much of a hassle to try and kick me out of it,¡± Ren said.


    ¡°Alright, fine. Then why are we hiding from him?¡± I asked.


    ¡°If he sees another human here, he¡¯s gonna go report it to his boss and then it''s gonna be a whole ''nother hassle. Better to just hide until he leaves. They¡¯re real gung ho about having no one else in their territory.¡±


    A few minutes later, the armored wolfman had indeed gone, vanishing behind a bend in the street. Ren got up first, to make sure that the coast was clear, before ushering me up to my feet as well.


    ¡°Well, then. Let¡¯s go see ol¡¯Rusty one last time, shall we,¡± Ren said with gusto.


    I smiled. ¡°Speaking of which, do you know what happened to my people?¡± I asked as we began to walk. ¡°Rosefire¡¯s people? The ones who didn¡¯t betray me, who Owen captured.¡±


    The air around us suddenly changed, taking a sharp dive in temperature. I studied Ren¡¯s back as he walked silently, his posture odd, uncharacteristically stiff. Rigid. I didn¡¯t know why, but it did confirm one thing. Whatever it was that he had been hiding from me since I had woken up, it was related to this.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t talked to any of them,¡± he said eventually.


    His voice sounded off, weird.


    I was silent for a minute, thinking. The soft squeak of our sneakers against the asphalt was the only thing that broke up the quiet of the suddenly lonely, dark night.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t talked to them,¡± I said finally, parroting him.


    ¡°Yeah. Haven¡¯t talked to them since.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t talked to them,¡± I repeated again.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Ren said.


    ¡°Why does that sound weird?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I dunno. You tell me.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t talked to them,¡± I said again. ¡°But you have met them?¡±


    Ren was silent again for a moment. ¡°Met isn¡¯t the word I¡¯d use, exactly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen them, then?¡±


    Ren breathed out a deep, audible sigh. ¡°Yeah, yeah I saw them.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t meet them.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    I went quiet again, desperately trying to stave off the deep, dreadful feeling that was beginning to coil itself around my heart.


    ¡°Take me to them,¡± I said finally, my voice steely, hard. Carrying no hint of the raging waves of emotion within me.


    ¡°I am,¡± came Ren¡¯s reply.


    Silence once more descended upon us, only it was different this time. Somber, ominous.


    Neither of us spoke again, content in the embrace of our uneasy silence. Our footsteps echoed in the abandoned streets, a desolate sound.


    The streets of Toronto had never been so quiet, not once in all my life. It hurt me more than I thought it would, to see the city that had been my home for the last seven years so dead.


    It took a few minutes, but eventually, we entered the neighborhood that had been Rosefire¡¯s. Like the rest of the city, and possibly the world, it was utterly ravaged. Blood painted the walls, and the road was dotted with overturned, ruined vehicles. We found no humans on the way ¨C or at least, none that were alive.


    If seeing my city broken pinched my heart, then seeing the birthplace of Rosefire the same way was a dagger through it. This place was supposed to be the beginning of something amazing, something beautiful, I thought to myself sadly as I surveyed the ruined corner of my city.


    The place looked like it had been transported straight out of hell. No building, no store, no home had been spared. The residents, the people who had been under my care, whose protection I had taken upon myself, were likely all dead, their lives reaped like wheat by the merciless scythe of the insects.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself,¡± came Ren¡¯s voice suddenly, bringing me out of my guilty stupor.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I know you think the people who died here are your fault, but they aren¡¯t. There¡¯s nothing you could have done that would have spared their lives. It¡¯s a miracle we¡¯re even alive.¡± His voice was quiet, monotone. Emotionless.


    ¡°I know,¡± I sighed. ¡°I just wish there was something I could have done. I hate being so helpless.¡±


    Ren huffed in agreement. ¡°I know,¡± he said, his voice small and sad. It surprised me at first ¨C that he had been feeling the same way as me, feeling that burden of a failed responsibility ¨C but I realized it made sense. He''d been there, with me, every step of the way, after all.


    A minute later, we turned onto a street and were greeted by the dilapidated sight of ol¡¯Rusty. It still stood, but just barely. Gigantic holes had been punctured into its rickety metal walls, leaving the building standing on shaky legs.


    As we approached, the painful coil that had hung around my heart began to tighten, getting heavier and heavier, harder to ignore. Every step closer made the oppressive feeling of horror stronger, more stifling.


    Then, just before we reached the door, Ren stopped and turned back to me, his face hewn from stone. ¡°Before you go in, Ruby, I¡¯ll ask you this. Are you sure you want to do this?¡±


    At this point, there was no denying that I knew what would greet me inside that place, but I knew nonetheless that I had to see it myself. That no other choice was one that I could live with.


    I nodded. ¡°Yes. I need to see.¡±


    Ren¡¯s face softened, a rare genuine look coloring his expression. ¡°For what it''s worth, Ruby, I am sorry,¡± he said. And then he opened the door.

 Chapter 27 – Gravestone

    The floor was the first thing that I noticed. The warehouse, when we used it, had a bare, stark concrete floor. Smooth, but unpolished. Now, however, there was a large circle in the middle of the floor that was no longer concrete, but dirt. At least five meters in diameter, it was the last thing that I had been expecting when I had opened the door.


    Still, the innocuous circle did nothing to soothe my anxiety. And the splattered blood everywhere else didn¡¯t do much more. The punching bags were all torn to shreds, their fluffy innards strewn about the haunted, bloody scene.


    The last thing my eyes found was the small obelisk-like thing that stood at the edge of the dirt circle. It stood almost a meter tall, rising up out of the ground.


    Carefully, slowly, I made my way from the door over to the dirt circle, the dread a physical weight in my gut. My shoes sank into the spongy dirt as I walked, like I was stepping into a bed of moss.


    The room was dead silent, so quiet I could hear Ren¡¯s breath from across the warehouse. So the thud that sounded out as my knees hit the floor was jarring; an explosion of sound, despite the dirt muffling it.


    It was the words written at the top of the little monument, crude letters carved into the stone, that blew my feet out from under me. That kicked me in the gut so hard I lost my breath.


    ¡®Here lie heroes of the best kind: innocent¡¯


    I knew it had been coming, I¡¯d known in the back of my mind that it would¡¯ve been impossible for my men to have survived a catastrophe of this magnitude, but to have it confirmed hurt like nothing else had in a long time. I had hoped beyond hope that Ren would open the door to a miracle, open the door to Theo¡¯s smiling face and Leo¡¯s grumpy one, to lively conversations and cheer.


    But this was no miracle, this was cold reality. And they were dead. All of them.


    ¡°I left room for you to write something too,¡± Ren said from behind me.


    I didn¡¯t answer, still lost in shock.


    Time passed, slipping through my fingers like sand. I didn¡¯t move, scarcely breathed, stuck like a stone statue. I kneeled at the grave of my people, thinking and thinking. I thought of the first night I had met them, of the many nights that followed, full of laughter and happy exhaustion. Of spars and competition, of trivial drama and problems. Full of life.


    And I thought of how they died, of their last moments in this world. I could figure out the general circumstances that led to them being here. Likely, they had been captured just as they had begun their assaults on the Fight House people, betrayed by their own friends. Owen¡¯s plan must¡¯ve been to have some sort of big reveal here, after capturing Ren and I.


    Which meant that they would have been left here, bound and defenceless. Easy pickings for the murderous bugs.


    And it was all because of me. Because of my ambition, my na?vet¨¦, my stupid trust. They may have died regardless, whether they had ever met me or not, but the fact that they had been here, tied up and utterly unable to fend for themselves, was a direct result of my own mistakes.


    And I didn¡¯t know how that made me feel. Or, rather, it didn¡¯t make me feel. Anything, at all.


    I felt empty, hollow. I shed no tears, felt no raging tides of anger or guilt or sorrow. Just an aching emptiness in my chest, devoid of any emotion at all.


    Hours passed before I finally spoke again. ¡°Did you bury them yourself?¡± I asked. My voice was raw, rough.


    ¡°What was¡­Yeah, yeah I buried them,¡± Ren replied from behind me. Evidently, he had not moved either.


    ¡°You should have waited for me. I had every right to be there, to have buried them with my own hands.¡± Anger crept slowly into my voice, just a hint of it.


    ¡°I know, Ruby, I know you did. But I was not going to let you witness what I did. I was not going to open the door for you to find what I found.¡± Ren breathed out, his voice full of an emotion I couldn¡¯t quite name. ¡°There¡¯s pain, Ruby. Physical, emotional pain. And that can change you, break you. Mature you. And then there¡¯s what was in this warehouse when I walked in, Ruby. That¡¯s different. You can deal with the pain, but not that. Not while I¡¯m here, while I can do something about it.¡±


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    ¡°And what, you can? You can deal with it? It won¡¯t hurt you?¡± I asked, turning to him. My voice was bitter, and it grated against my ears.


    Ren met my gaze with a smile, his glossed eyes soft and tired. The sheer volume of emotion on his face utterly silenced me. It was an expression on par with how he had looked at me the first day that we met, his eyes a sight I would never forget for the rest of my life.


    ¡°Oh, it hurt, Ruby. It hurt the first many times I had to deal with it. It shattered me to pieces, broke what little humanity I had left.¡± His eyes were haunted, drenched in guilt and sorrow. But he was not speaking of today, I could see it on his face. He was miles away from this warehouse. Years away from this warehouse. ¡°But eventually, I did what I had to do to survive. I stopped feeling it, stopped caring about it. Stopped thinking about it. So you ask if this can hurt me? Not anymore, Ruby, not anymore.¡±


    I dropped my gaze as he stopped talking, unable to handle the emotion on his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I whispered, my voice soft.


    Ren gave a half laugh at that. ¡°It¡¯s life, Ruby. You¡¯ll learn too, eventually, if you decide to stay on this path you¡¯ve chosen. But you don¡¯t have to, if you choose not to. If you choose to bury Rosefire here, with them.¡±


    ¡°If I live long enough to make that choice,¡± I said with a sardonic smile. ¡°But there¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯m gonna give up on this, on Rosefire, now. Not after this. Rosefire breathes its last when I do, and not a second before. And for them, no matter how impossible the situation is, I¡¯ll work until Rosefire is everything I promised them it would be, or die trying.¡± Although I had been talking to Ren, it began to feel like I was speaking directly to the people underneath me. ¡°I swear, on my life, that I will work every day I have until I join you all, to become every bit the legend I promised that you¡¯d be.¡±


    Turned over my shoulder, I called out to Ren. ¡°Pass me whatever you used to write your message.¡±


    He hesitated for a second, before pulling out a simple dagger from under his hoodie and tossing it over to me. An action the significance of which I would only fully understand much, much later.


    I caught the dagger carefully, unused to handling any sort of blade. It really was a simple thing, inornate and modest. The blade was a foot long, silvery and thin, double edged and ram-rod straight. Its handle was about half as long as the blade, ovalish and wooden, wrapped in a gauzy black cloth.


    I didn¡¯t pay it much mind, only giving it a cursory glance over before turning my attention back to the stone. I weighed my words carefully, fully aware of how important this moment, and the words that I chose, were.


    Here lie the founding members of Rosefire. Men of great hearts, great loyalty, and great courage. In Rosefire¡¯s name they shall live on, carried on its wings to whatever greatness it achieves.


    That took up all the space I had on the rock, so I stopped there, staring numbly at the words I had written. Objectively, it was laughable, to claim that Rosefire would see any kind of greatness now. The chance had been minuscule at best when the world had been normal, but now? When I myself only had at most a few more days to live? Reason dictated that it was pure madness, utter foolishness. But what else could I do, what other option did I have? To give up now would be to dishonor the name of those under my feet, and I could not do that, not after everything I had already done to them. So it didn''t matter what reason declared, what logic dismissed as impossible. I would make it happen, one way or another. I would put every fiber of my being towards that goal, in spite of the insurmountable odds, so that when I died, I could greet my friends with my head held high, knowing that I had done everything within my power to fulfill my promise to them.


    With my mind still numb, I suddenly swept my hair over my shoulder and grabbed it in my hand, acting almost in a trance. Its blood-red color was stark against the black and gray palette of the warehouse. I¡¯d always kept it at a constant length, letting it fall just above my hips. But today, for the first time in my life and with almost no conscious thought, I held my hair at a length just above my shoulder and swiped at it with the dagger. One quick and soundless cut was all it took, and the rest of it came fluttering down like bloody snow.


    It landed on the dirt, each strand striking against the brown of the ground. ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill him,¡± I said suddenly, staring at the painting of bloody rivers that my hair had created. ¡°That¡¯s all that''s left to do in this world, I guess. I¡¯m gonna find the person who did this, and kill them.¡± The word felt strange on my tongue. Foreign. Kill.


    I was no stranger to death, but never had I ever considered causing one. Perhaps I¡¯d always believed I could rise to the top through intimidation and fighting, without bloodshed. A naive and stupid thought, I could see now. Ren was right, I thought, pain can mature you. It¡¯s a shame it¡¯s too late now.


    I pushed myself up to my feet, knees groaning, and turned to face Ren. ¡°It¡¯s a suicide mission, I know. But it¡¯s what I¡¯m gonna spend the rest of my time doing. I won¡¯t hold it against you if you want to leave.¡± It hurt to say, and I knew I would be unspeakably sad to see him go, but he truly had no reason to stay. I was marching straight to my death, and the both of us knew it.


    Ren fixed me with a small grin. ¡°And do what? I said it before, Ruby. You have my loyalty until I get bored, and this seems like the funnest mission yet. What better way is there to go out in an apocalypse than trying to assassinate the cause.¡±


    I returned his grin with a small smile of my own, grateful beyond words that I wouldn¡¯t have to spend the last few days of my life alone.


    ¡°But, before we go,¡± Ren said as we left the warehouse and made our way back to the desolate streets, ¡°there is one more place that I¡¯d like to visit, one last time.¡±

 Chapter 28 – Ruthless

    ¡°So, tell me about yourself,¡± Ren said after a few minutes of quiet. We had just started walking, headed off towards the place Ren had asked to visit one last time.


    The first rays of the sun had just begun to poke over the horizon as we walked, casting a soft orange glow over the ruined city. The rivers of blood had dried and the fires burnt out, leaving behind only dark stains and the charred husks of houses and cars. It was a peaceful, if desolate, scene.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I asked, so lost in thought that I had missed his question.


    ¡°I was just thinking that it''s a shame we don¡¯t really know much about each other, considering we¡¯re probably gonna die soon. And who knows, maybe it¡¯d do the both of us some good to talk about what we¡¯ve been through. ''Cause if there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve gathered about you, it''s that you¡¯ve had no easy childhood. I¡¯ve heard telling someone about it is supposed to be healing. And the both of us could certainly do with some healing, I think. ¡±


    I huffed a little, quiet laugh, looking down at the broken asphalt as we walked. ¡°You know what? You¡¯re right, maybe it will help. And I don¡¯t want to die without ever telling anyone about Ocean.¡±


    Ren looked curious at the name, but he didn''t ask, giving me the space to speak when I was ready. I smiled at the gesture, before taking in a deep, steadying breath. Bracing myself for the memories.


    ¡°I was born into torture,¡± I stated bluntly, getting the hardest part out right away. ¡°Or maybe I wasn¡¯t; maybe I was sold into it, or something. I don¡¯t know. But I do know that the first memory I have is pain. And chains.¡± I shuddered, a grim smile on my face. ¡°That little clink of chains, to be specific. I still hate that sound.¡± I sighed, shaking my head to clear it. ¡°But anyway, my oldest memory is from when I was five years old. I don¡¯t know who my parents are, or anything about my biological family, really. But I wasn¡¯t without a family, though, because I had Ocean.¡± I smiled as I said her name. A true, happy smile. ¡°She was my older sister, and she was everything I had in this world. She taught me about the world, about life, about everything I knew. She taught me how to handle the pain. But most importantly, she taught me how to live free, even when we were bound in chains.¡± I sighed again, wistful this time. ¡°And there was Daphine, too.¡±


    I stopped suddenly as I said her name, as strange and blurry memories rose in my chest. And a peculiar sense of betrayal as well, though I hadn¡¯t a clue why.


    Shaking my head to clear it, I carried on. ¡°Daphine was older, much older than us. She was middle-aged, in her forties, I think. She was so kind and caring, like a mother. Together, we made a kind of makeshift family. But Daphine was weird, disappearing a lot. And she never slept with us, in the barn where we slept. I was too young to really care or notice, other than being sad about not sleeping with her.¡±


    My face morphed then, losing the glow of happiness that it had. ¡°Then, when I was ten, everything changed.¡± I breathed out, unable to explain in detail. ¡°Ocean made a plan to escape, and it worked. We made it out; we were free, but Ocean couldn¡¯t handle it. Her body was too battered, too broken.¡± My voice shook as the darkest memories of my life resurfaced. ¡°And it was so cold. Too cold. Her body couldn¡¯t handle it.¡± I sucked in a deep breath again. ¡°I buried her with my own hands. And then I walked and walked until I made it to this city. After that, nothing really special happened. I learned to fight, decided I would make a gang, and basically just scraped by for seven years.¡±


    I stopped there, suddenly realizing that the atmosphere had gotten very dark. ¡°Aaaand that¡¯s my story,¡± I finished with a little half-hearted chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood a little.


    It didn¡¯t work.


    Ren stayed utterly silent, so quiet I couldn¡¯t hear anything from his side at all. No footsteps, no breathing. In fact, if I looked away, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to tell if he was there or not. A humbling fact, considering I prided myself on my senses.


    ¡°Kind¡¯ve a downer, huh?¡± I said with another laugh, copying his joke.


    This time, Ren reacted. He shook his head, giving a small, sad huff of laughter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ruby. Truly. To think I had you pegged as a naive girl who didn¡¯t understand the cruelty of the world when we first met. But I guess not. I guess you¡¯re just stronger than I am, to be able to be broken by the world and still live life so wholeheartedly.¡±


    I gave a little laugh at his compliment. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not strength. I guess you could say my naivete was so strong that even after everything I witnessed, I still believed in the goodness of people. Still stupidly trusted anything I was presented with.¡±


    ¡°To keep your faith in humanity after witnessing its worst? If that isn¡¯t strength, I don¡¯t know what is.¡±


    I smiled at that, but had no answer for him.


    ¡°Anyway, I told you my story, now it¡¯s your turn,¡± I said finally.


    Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± He let out a deep breath, looking up to the twilit heavens as we walked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t born or sold to torture, I chose it.¡± He chuckled, the sound grim and derisive. ¡°When I was seven, I had been through¡­a lot, I guess. That¡¯s the only way I can describe it. I had made a lot of mistakes, and eventually lost everyone and everything I cared about. And then one night, as I wandered through this very city in hollow despair, more zombie than human, basically just waiting to die, I was found by a man. He took me in and said that he would train me. Said that he saw in my eyes a hatred for this world that would make me the perfect weapon for his guild. And I guess he was right, because I exceeded every possible expectation he had for me. I moved up in the organization, eventually becoming a direct student of a man by the title of the Assassin King. He trained me personally, said that he was gonna make me into the greatest weapon humanity had ever seen. He pushed me to the brink of death more times than I could count, had me beaten within an inch of my life over and over for the sake of toughening up my body. Forced what little humanity remained within me to shrivel up and die. Taught me everything I needed to learn to become an assassin that would eventually surpass him. And then, when the time came for him to reap what he had sowed,¡± Ren laughed, a harsh and mocking laugh. ¡°I just left. He sent me out on my first solo mission, and I just vanished. Used everything he taught me to hide from his guild''s clutches. Eventually, I ended up back in Toronto, and that¡¯s where I met you. And you know the rest.¡± Ren grinned at me. ¡°So, yeah. That¡¯s my story.¡±


    I greeted his lively grin with a bewildered face, still taking in the information. A lot was obviously missing, and I was burning with curiosity. But I held off on asking, knowing that I had left out a lot in my own story, and that he had respected me by not asking for any more than I was willing to share. I owed it to him to allow him the same privilege.


    ¡°Wow,¡± I said when I finally found my voice. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    Ren laughed, and I knew before he spoke exactly what he was going to say. ¡°Kind¡¯ve a downer, huh?¡±


    Shaking my head, I finally matched his grin with my own. ¡°We¡¯ve got some seriously bad luck, huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the worst. It¡¯s like we were cursed or something,¡± Ren agreed.


    ¡°And here I was, thinking that I had lived the hardest life in the world.¡±


    ¡°Funny, I thought the same thing about myself.¡±


    A peaceful silence fell over us again, the both of us thinking and walking, before Ren finally spoke up again. ¡°Does it change anything for you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Does what?¡±


    ¡°That fact that I¡¯ve killed people,¡± Ren answered bluntly, his light voice so at odds with his words.


    I was silent for a moment. ¡°In cold blood?¡± I asked finally.


    ¡°They posed absolutely no threat to me,¡± Ren answered.


    ¡°Were they innocent?¡±


    ¡°Probably not, but it didn¡¯t matter to me. I¡¯d have done the same regardless.¡±


    "Did you have a choice?"


    "I chose that life."


    I was silent again. ¡°Do you regret it?¡±


    Ren finally paused for a second. The silence seemed to stretch on forever, the single moment lasting an infinite amount of time.


    ¡°No,¡± he breathed out at last, his voice complicated and overwhelmingly melancholic. ¡°I endured the training because I felt I deserved the torture, a sort of penance for being the monster I was. But in the end, it was the training itself that truly made me into one. Into what I thought I already was. Funny, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    We were quiet again for a moment, letting the silence embrace us, surround us.


    ¡°No,¡± I said finally. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change anything for me. You¡¯re still the Ren I met on that rooftop, the Ren I asked to be my first lieutenant. The things you may have done don¡¯t change that. I¡¯m sure you did the best you could with the cards that you¡¯d been dealt.¡±


    Ren scoffed. ¡°I know that¡¯s not true. I could¡¯ve done so much better.¡±


    I smiled at that. ¡°I¡¯ve come to realize that we usually judge ourselves far more harshly than we do others. And as an objective party, I say that you did your best. So your opinion on the matter is kind of irrelevant.¡±


    Ren fixed me with a look, but I kept up my smile, unfazed by his obvious disagreement.


    Eventually, he gave up and laughed, shaking his head. ¡°Y¡¯know what does change things, though?¡± he asked, smiling.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°That hair.¡±


    I burst out laughing at that, caught off guard. ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d bring that up.¡±


    Ren laughed with me. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know how I feel about it.¡±


    ¡°Is it bad?¡± My hair now fell just barely above my shoulders, probably giving me a very tomboyish look. Unfortunately, I hadn''t had the time nor the opportunity to catch a reflection of myself anywhere.


    ¡°Mmm. It¡¯s¡­interesting,¡± Ren said, measuring his words.


    I laughed again. ¡°So it¡¯s that bad, huh?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s bad. Just different, is all. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get used to it.¡±


    ¡°If we stay alive long enough.¡±


    ¡°Such a downer, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Just being realistic.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what every pessimist says.¡±


    I chuckled, before going quiet again for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s symbolic,¡± I said, finally. ¡°The hair. Or it''s supposed to be, anyway. New hair, new me, y¡¯know?¡±


    Ren smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like a new person.¡±


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    I snorted. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. That¡¯s why I said it¡¯s supposed to be, there is no new me. I just can¡¯t be a gloomy person, I guess. I just don¡¯t have that in me. Even though all my friends just died and it was pretty much all my fault. I don¡¯t even wanna think about what that says about me. But anyway,¡± I paused, taking in a deep breath. ¡°I have changed, though. I understand now what I never could before, the thing that lies at the root of my mistakes. The reason they betrayed me, the real reason, wasn¡¯t that Owen had more power, it was because I wasn¡¯t committed enough to my goals. I was too much a dreamer, too impractical. All along, they must¡¯ve seen me only as a naive little girl who didn¡¯t understand the real world, who didn¡¯t have the grit that it takes to really go anywhere. Someone who they could use as long as they benefitted, and then leave when they needed to actually do something dangerous.¡± I stopped my rant then, turning to look at Ren. ¡°You thought that too, didn¡¯t you? Right from the beginning, you knew that I didn¡¯t have what it took to really go far in the world.¡±


    Ren smiled sadly at me. ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t lying about being willing to die for your goal, so I knew you were committed. But yeah, you¡¯re right. I could see right away that you were too good a person to make it in this cutthroat world.¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°So you can only be someone in this world if you¡¯re evil, huh.¡±


    ¡°Not evil, necessarily,¡± Ren answered matter-of-factly. ¡°Just ruthless. But yeah, if you want to go anywhere in the world, then there is no room for empathy and compassion. Those are just the rules of the game.¡±


    I shook my head sadly. ¡°A shame I learnt that too late, huh.¡±


    Ren had no answer to that, staying silent as he walked beside me.


    ¡°So why did you join me, then?" I asked. "If you could tell that I wouldn¡¯t even come close to reaching my goals.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I joined you for the glory that you promised. I joined you exactly for the reason I said I joined you. Because you were interesting, something I had never encountered before, something to spend my time on because I was bored. And maybe,¡± he paused for a moment, ¡°maybe because deep down, there was in me something that wanted to see how far you would go, that wanted to witness you change the rules of the game.¡±


    I laughed harshly at that. ¡°Well, the game won. Being good just gets you stabbed in the back and your friends killed."


    Ren didn¡¯t respond to that either, his head down as he silently studied the broken road we walked on.


    A few moments later, he suddenly stopped, shifting his gaze to our left. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    I followed his gaze to find a destroyed building, so ravaged that it was hardly recognizable. The entire front entrance was gone, replaced by a crumbling hole. The face of the building was pockmarked with craters and scars, and no window was left unbroken.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± I asked incredulously. It looked no different than the dozens of other ruined buildings.


    ¡°I¡¯d recognize Hillcrest anywhere, no matter what it looked like. I¡¯ll never forget this place,¡± Ren answered cryptically. I couldn¡¯t even be bothered to try and figure out what that meant.


    ¡°What did you want to do here?¡± I asked instead.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± Ren answered, before fearlessly marching into the gaping wound that was the entrance of the building.


    ¡°I get that it doesn¡¯t really matter, considering the bugs are probably gonna kill us soon," I said as I followed him in, "but I really wasn¡¯t planning on dying in a crumbling building, y¡¯know? Especially after making it so far.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fiiine,¡± Ren said, like I was the one being unreasonable, before quietly adding on, ¡°Probably.¡±


    Shaking my head, I quietly followed as Ren walked to the stairs and began to make his way up the floors. He walked briskly, with purpose ¨C an unusual thing for him. He almost always walked like he had all the time in the world, his gait relaxed and unhurried.


    The stairs were demolished in some places, blocked by rubble in others, but Ren was undeterred. Either through nimble maneuvering or brute force, he made his way through whatever obstacles lay in our path with single-minded determination, never once complaining or even making off-topic remarks.


    We soon stepped into the ruined hallway of the top floor. Unfortunately, the ceiling had caved in halfway down the hallway, with the rubble blocking the way forward. By now I had figured that Ren was heading to the cleaning closet that had access to the roof, but the room lay on the other side of the blockade. Thankfully, the rubble also made a convenient ramp up to the roof as well, so that wasn¡¯t a problem.


    Ren, however, seemed to have other plans. I could feel the spike in anxiety as he saw the blocked hallway. He quickly made his way across the once-pristine carpet, eyes glued to the room numbers. Soon, he came to a stop at one door, visibly losing the tension in him as he read the number. I stayed where I was as he went in, feeling like he needed the space.


    A few minutes of thudding and scraping later, Ren walked back out with a bright, sunny smile lighting up his face. In his hand, he held a small, black violin case. It was dusty and battered, but seemed otherwise fine.


    Motioning for me to follow, he went up the makeshift staircase and onto the roof.


    By the time I had come up, Ren was already perched perilously close to the edge of the building, violin and bow in hand. Understanding that this moment was important for Ren and not wanting to ruin it, I quietly made my way to a corner of the roof and sat down, making myself comfortable. I hadn¡¯t had many chances to listen to Ren¡¯s playing since we met, and I could certainly do with some of his heavenly music after the week I¡¯d had.


    For a while, Ren simply stared off into the distance, unmoving as a statue, surveying the ravaged city. The somber silence was broken eventually when Ren finally lifted his violin up, nestling it into the nook between his chin and shoulder. He breathed out, slow and measured.


    And then all at once, he began. An explosion of sound rang out the moment his bow met the strings of the violin. The music was quick, with rapid highs and sweeping lows. His fingers danced a flurry on the fingerboard of the instrument, drawing out more than just a tune, but a story.


    The fast pace of the music was exhilarating, awe-inspiring. It spun a tale of great heroes vanquishing beasts and foes; a tale of bravery and courage, of conquest and victory. The bow danced as the strings sang, their ethereal voices surrounding us, embracing us. Weaving together a symphony of beauty.


    Then, slowly, the thrilling tune began to morph. It slowed, its lows longer, more drawn out. The peaks grew more distant, more rounded. A tinge of sorrow appeared, coloring the exciting tale. Tainting it with a heartrending sadness that grew more and more pronounced with every note. The searing tale of adventure began to lose its happiness, its child-like wonder.


    And then it began to descend. Like a falling angel, it lost its ethereal quality, becoming almost muddied. More human, less perfect. The emotions within the tale became more raw, unfiltered. Complicated. No longer did it sing of simple heroes and villains, only humans. No longer did it paint perfect emotions of happiness and joy and love. That image had been corroded, rusted by guilt and sorrow and loss. Regret, pain, loneliness.


    Hours passed in the minutes the two of us spent in the embrace of the music. Eventually, however, the tale came to a winding close, its sweeping notes quieting slowly until it dispersed into nothing. It felt surreal, for such beauty to dissipate into the air like morning mist ¨C like watching a painting burn to ash.


    The silence that followed was disorienting, unspeakably hollow. Ren put down his violin wordlessly and sat at the edge of the building, letting his feet dangle. I got up and joined him, needing no invitation this time.


    We sat in the strange silence for some time, our feet dangling five stories in the air. The world was so different from the last time we had been here. There were no horns or beeps as cars passed, no mindless chatter as the people milled about the sun-bleached sidewalks. The only sound that filled the empty, broken world now was the soft breathing of Ren and me.


    In a macabre way, the sight was still breathtakingly beautiful. The city was spread out before us, in all its ravaged glory. The soft glow of the rising sun lit up the scene, bathing the world in its orange-pink hue.


    A strange peace descended upon us at that moment, at the end of the world, in a city massacred. Staring into the face of looming death. The moment held a stillness like no other, an infectious peace that soothed my disturbed heart.


    The entirety of my life floated through my mind, and I observed every memory ¨C every haunting, painful memory ¨C with a fearlessness I had never before felt. And as I did, as I embraced the feelings that I had hidden from all my life, I found myself at peace. I embraced the blame I had placed on myself for the death of Ocean, for the death of all my friends. I did not forgive myself ¨C I had no right to ¨C but I embraced it. And through that, through accepting my guilt, I found myself able to move on. Able to learn, to commit myself to never making those same mistakes again. I accepted my own immense naivete, and how it had cost me my friends'' lives. How it had cost me my dreams.


    Ren¡¯s words floated through my head then. Not evil, necessarily, he said. Just ruthless. Ruthless. So I could keep the side of me that was built on compassion, empathy. Protectiveness. But if I wanted to be something, not to be trampled over, then I had to balance that with an unwavering determination to my dreams, and my people. And I had to make it known that my kindness would not extend to those who did not return the favor. That was the key to success in this world.


    Truly a shame I had learnt that too late.


    As my rumination came to a depressing end, one last image came to my head, an image that did not float by like the rest, but stuck to me like chewed gum. An image of me. Five-year-old me, to be specific. She stared at me, with her wide, dark eyes full of wonder and hope. With her fantastical dreams and her unyielding belief in them. Her unyielding belief in the goodness of the world, in the goodness of people. I smiled as I remembered her, the best version of me. The best I had ever been. The only version of me that was truly innocent, pure. She was the one person whose expectations I lived by, the one person who dictated my goals and dreams. The one person I strived to impress.


    And I knew, as I sat there with only one friend, only one person in the whole world who actually knew my name, that I was nowhere near what she had wanted me to be. That I was nothing like the person she had wanted me to be. I had disappointed her in almost every way, in almost every expectation she had ever held for me. But I felt, at that moment, that if she were here right now, she would understand. She would take my hand, place her peachy soft hands atop my callused ones, and she would understand. Understand that throughout my entire life, through every curveball that fate had thrown me, through every misfortune that had ever found me, I had never once wavered in my one promise to her. Through every strike of the whip on my back, or the fist on my jaw. Through the taste of gravel in my mouth, or the burning sting on my back. Through all the pain in my life, I had never once stopped trying my best, I had never once done any less than the most I could possibly have done. And so, even though I wasn¡¯t where she wanted me to be, wasn¡¯t who she wanted me to be, I could swear on my life that I had always done my best, in every single fight I had ever fought. And in the end, that was all she really wanted from me.


    And then the sky exploded.


    ¨C


    The sight was almost indescribable, and the feeling of the moment most certainly so. The massive rift in the sky shattered apart like a pane of glass hitting the floor. Translucent shards of the very sky spread across the horizon as a bright light shone through the hole that used to be the rift.


    The entire scene was silent for the first few moments, before a sudden, powerful rush of wind hit the world, carrying with it a deafening boom. My hair fluttered wildly as the violent wind almost knocked me onto my back.


    My eyes glued to the heavens, I watched in utter wonder as a gray nose of metal poked through the harsh white light in the sky. Slowly, the nose revealed itself to be the frontmost part of what I could only describe as a blimp from the old days, only fully made of metal. The thing was utterly massive, bigger than any other object in the sky, dwarfing the sun or the moon. And it seemed to only be getting bigger. Or closer.


    Then, suddenly, two more explosions occurred in the sky, albeit a little smaller. They spewed the same shards of sky, with the same, bright white light poking through the holes. And as with the first, it took a few moments before both shockwaves hit us, simultaneously. The wind was twice as strong as last time, the sound twice as loud, but I remained rooted to my spot, staring in open-mouthed shock.


    And then three more holes appeared. And then two more.


    Within five minutes, exactly twelve ships had emerged from the very sky. To say the largest of them was the first was an understatement. The rest were dwarfed by its massive size. Judging by the fact that they all had almost exactly the same designs, it was obvious that they were together, but the rest of the twelve were clearly just supporting ships.


    As the ships got closer, more details became visible. Red flashing lights lined its massive hull, but the rest of it was simple, plain gray metal. A line of glass panels ran around the top half, like a visor, but the shape of the ship was awfully simple for its massive size. Basically just an oblong, metal sphere, the thing had no distinctive signs or accessories. In fact, with no visible fins or boosters, I couldn¡¯t even comprehend how the thing was flying.


    The massive size of the thing only became more pronounced as it got closer, until it eventually filled up the entire horizon. The other ships were completely blocked from view by the time the thing came to a stop, its massive nose pointed almost directly at us. Although it probably felt that way for half the world.


    ¡°Greetings, denizens of Earth,¡± an old, majestic voice boomed, the very sound ruffling my clothes as it spread like a shockwave around the planet. The voice contained within it a power that rooted me to my spot, an overwhelming fear and helplessness rising in my gut. It took one sentence for me to know I was nothing before that voice, less than an ant. Entirely powerless before it, at the mercy of its whim.


    ¡°Rejoice, those of you who survived, for you are saved. We, the Grand Order of the Astros Theology, promise to explain everything to you, and deliver you to a new, safe home.¡±


    The voice paused for a second, before continuing again with an angrier tone. One that caused every cell in my body to cower in fear.


    ¡°And as for you, Insect Monarch. Your century of hiding is over, and you have failed in your sacrificial ritual. Return to this ship with your Flux Core sealed, and I can promise you one billion years in the custody of the Celestial Palace. Reject this offer and I will be forced to come down and deal with you personally. The choice is yours.¡± After that, the voice went silent again.


    By this point, any normal person would have been mute with shock, or have simply lost their minds. But after the week I¡¯d had, this was, as Ren had put it, just another insane, bizarre thing that was happening.


    So instead, I turned to him, fighting the smile tugging at the edges of my lips. And as he turned to face me, I knew instantly that he was thinking the same thing I was.


    ¡°GOAT,¡± he said, somehow managing to keep a straight face. ¡°They''re the GOAT.¡±

 Chapter 29 – Fire

    The both of us almost fell off the building laughing. I had to roll back to keep myself from slipping off, my hands clutching my stomach.


    Maybe it was because it had been so long, or because of all the stress I had been under recently ¨C or maybe it was simply the insanity of it all ¨C but it felt amazing to laugh. And so I did, with my whole heart.


    After a solid few minutes, the waves of laughter finally subsided, leaving me with teary eyes and sore ribs. The two of us lay there in the silence that followed, soaking in the peace of the moment.


    Despite knowing what would happen, I couldn¡¯t help myself. ¡°Goat,¡± I whispered, just loud enough for Ren to hear.


    Immediately, the mad laughter returned, both of us cracking up simultaneously. It left us again within a few minutes, at least until Ren whispered the damn word again.


    Finally, after the laughter subsided for the third time, Ren grunted and sat up, still chuckling.


    ¡°Alright, we should start doing something now,¡± he said.


    I didn¡¯t respond to him, not quite yet willing to give up the moment and return to the madness that was this world.


    Ren didn¡¯t say anything else, simply sitting there in silence as he waited.


    Eventually, I heaved a long, drawn-out sigh before pushing myself up. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said, ¡°we should get going.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Ren asked.


    ¡°To that ship, I guess. Unless you have a better idea.¡±


    Ren smiled teasingly. ¡°Really? I thought we were gonna go kill that guy.¡±


    I flushed a little in embarrassment. ¡°Oh shut up. That was the plan, but it looks like that dude wants to take care of him. And I¡¯m nice enough to let him.¡±


    Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, that sounds like a better plan. And that guy seems like he¡¯s strong enough to handle him.¡±


    I nodded seriously. ¡°I know right? No one has ever scared me with their voice before. He¡¯s gotta be crazy strong.¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s a good thing he seems to be one of the good guys.¡±


    ¡°One of the goats, you mean.¡±


    Ren chuckled. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go meet these goats, shall we,¡± he said as he pushed himself up to his feet.


    With a smile, I followed him up. ¡°Y¡¯know when you said the only way humans could survive would be through some serious help from really powerful people? Well, I guess someone was listening, huh?¡±


    Ren laughed. ¡°I guess there was.¡±


    -


    Five minutes later, the two of us arrived to find something I had thought I would never see again. We had just rounded a corner and were instantly shocked to a halt at the sight that greeted us.


    It was a crowd of people. They stood on a school field ¨C really just a bed of dry dirt barely concealed by a blanket of yellowed, dead grass. And there were dozens of people, maybe even over a hundred. They stood in twos and threes, with the occasional lone person, sporadically dotting the field. Most had an injured person with them, but none of the injuries were major. Which wasn¡¯t surprising; sustaining a major injury in the past three days was essentially a death sentence.


    Even more strange was the person that stood with each group. Dressed in identical, pristine white robes with golden embroidery, they seemed to be in deep conversation with the groups. Some of them held the hands of one of the members of the group.


    It didn¡¯t take a genius to understand that the white and golden-robed people were from the ship so, with a shared look of amusement, Ren and I marched down to the field to see what was going on.


    The second we stepped onto the field, a woman suddenly materialized before us. With a human-sized puff of thick, gray smoke that my senses told me was dispersing Flux, the woman stepped out of seemingly nothing to greet us with the most polite, customer-service smile I¡¯d ever seen. Clad in the same white and gold robes, and with a youthful face no older than thirty, she seemed shockingly human for someone who had, as far as I could tell, just teleported down from a massive spaceship.


    ¡°Greetings, Earthen,¡± she said, her voice honeyed and light, as she struck out her hand. ¡°It is an honor to meet you.¡±


    Refusing to give her the satisfaction of the confusion and shock she was surely expecting, I gave her my best casual smile and shook her hand firmly. ¡°Likewise, Space-en.¡±


    The woman chuckled, her flowing black hair waving as she did. ¡°I must say, I did not expect to meet one with such composure.¡±


    I shrugged, smiling. ¡°Eh, I¡¯ve seen weirder.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I''m sure you have. Any planet targeted by the Insect Monarch would be devastated, not to mention one that hasn¡¯t had contact with Flux for millennia. It must''ve been a very strange and disorienting experience.¡±


    I smiled, irked by her pity. ¡°Speaking of which, would you mind explaining what is going on here? That old dude said that you guys would.¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are very confused, but I promise everything will become clear shortly. But first, do either of you have any injuries? I will heal them for you.¡±


    ¡°Really? Flux can do that?¡± Ren asked from beside me.


    ¡°Oh, Flux can do many, many things. With only a century of development, you have only scratched the surface of Flux¡¯s many mysteries.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re good on the healing, but thanks anyway,¡± I said, bringing us back to the topic.


    The lady smiled at me. ¡°Very well then, I shall begin to explain. I will try to be as comprehensive as I can, but feel free to ask any questions that come to mind.¡±


    The both of us nodded.


    ¡°I will start with an introduction. I am Anabella, a humble disciple of the Grand Order of the Astros Theology.¡±


    Ren half snickered before immediately clamping his mouth shut. Even I had to fight the smile tugging at my lips.


    ¡°The Grand Order of the Astros Theology is a massive organization that spans the universe, and is a staunch force for justice and good,¡± the woman continued, either having missed or choosing to ignore Ren¡¯s slipup. ¡°We, the Order, have chased and caught even the most powerful and renowned criminals of the universe, and have done so for thousands of years. And one such criminal is the Insect Monarch. He has been near the top of our list for thousands of years but has remained an elusive and powerful target. Eventually, we managed to corner him on an unregistered, wild planet and sent in some of the highest-ranking members of the Order. Unfortunately, the Monarch managed to escape, despite being grievously wounded. After that, we lost tabs on him for over a hundred years; we had no idea where he¡¯d gone until we found a tiny crack in the Planet Seal.¡±


    ¡°The Planet Seal?¡± I asked.


    Anabella smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a story for another time. All you need to know for now is that the Planet Seal is what separated Earth from the rest of the universe for millennia. It¡¯s also the reason why this planet was devoid of Flux, at least until the Insect Monarch managed to tear a tiny hole into it. We don¡¯t know how he managed to slip through the seal, considering one section of the runes inscribed into the seal is designed not to allow anyone within to reach a certain level of strength. And calls upon some of the most advanced rune work known to magekind to strike down any that wield power that surpasses that limit.¡± She paused then, her face painted with a smugness that betrayed an obvious pride in her knowledge. ¡°I took Advanced Rune Work at Grand Order University. Part of the class included an in-person study of the Planet Seal itself.¡±


    I nodded as if I understood anything she was saying. She seemed to buy my act, however, as she continued undeterred.


    ¡°Anyway, our best bet on how the Monarch was able to get in and stay alive is that it was a lucky combination of his immensely weakened state and a fault of the degrading runes on the seal. After all, no matter how impressive the rune work, after thousands of years, any rune would begin to become faulty. Unfortunately for us, and your planet, they hadn¡¯t quite decayed enough to let our Archbishop inside without calling upon Astros¡¯ fury to smite him. And since the rune work on the seal far surpassed the capabilities of the Grand Order, we had no option but to wait until the seal weakened enough on its own to let us inside. According to our initial estimates, we would''ve only been able to get in around fifty years from now, but fate was on your side. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed strange beings and foreign species aside from the insects on your planet?¡±


    Ren and I nodded.


    ¡°Those are simply opportunistic beings who were able to slip in from neighboring planets due to how weak they were. And thanks to their passage through the seal, the weakening accelerated enough for us to get in much earlier than expected.¡±


    ¡°So if those guys hadn¡¯t gone through the seal, you guys would¡¯ve shown up fifty years later?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Wow. The entire planet would¡¯ve been long since dead by then, at the rate that Monarch guy is killing us.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± I added on, ¡°is this guy not scared of becoming the number one most wanted person for murdering an entire planet¡¯s population? That¡¯s the blood of almost eight billion lives on his hands!¡±


    Anabella smiled grimly. ¡°Unfortunately, Earth would only be an addition to the list. And if we¡¯re going by population size, it would be one of the smaller additions.¡±


    I stared at her in shock. ¡°You mean he¡¯s done this before?¡±


    ¡°Not quite exactly like this, but we do have records of several planets that have been massacred by his hand. Of course, they were all small, wild planets, with mainly agricultural, village-type communities. He isn¡¯t insane enough to try messing with any of the major planets.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°Do you know why he¡¯s doing this?¡±


    ¡°The same reason anyone does anything,¡± she said cynically. ¡°In the endless pursuit of greater strength.¡±


    ¡°How do these massacres make him stronger?¡± Ren asked.


    ¡°Well, on other planets, he would simply use the blood of the entire planet¡¯s population to enhance himself through the usual means. But this time, our Archbishop worries that he might be attempting an ancient, forbidden Runic Arte known as Planetary Sacrifice. It¡¯s a very dangerous Arte that was outlawed eons ago, but the Insect Monarch seems to have managed to recover a copy of it on his travels. And it¡¯s a good thing that we managed to get here before the Monarch succeeded, or else even our Archbishop wouldn¡¯t be able to handle him. Then, who knows the kind of havoc that man would wreak on the universe before he could be stopped? At that point, only the Celestial Palace¡­¡± she trailed off then, finally realizing by the looks on our faces that half of what she was saying was going over our heads.


    ¡°I know this is a lot of information to take in, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re very confused. But I give you my word, everything will soon become clear. You¡¯ll have all the time in the world to familiarize yourselves with your new lives. And until then, we, the Grand Order, will fully take care of you,¡± she said, once again donning her customer service mask.


    ¡°About that. What exactly is going to happen to us now?¡± Ren asked, echoing my thoughts exactly.


    Anabella smiled kindly. ¡°Well, we will take you to the Grand Order¡¯s home planet, where we will place you according to your best interests, and help you get settled into your new lives. For you two specifically, since both of you are mages, you will likely be allowed to take the test for Grand Order University. If you make it, then the rest of your lives are guaranteed to be lush and easy. After the minimum four years of education ¨C which, by the way, boast very comfortable accommodations ¨C you will be guaranteed a nice, cushy job in any Grand Order city of your choosing.¡±


    She was beginning to sound very much like a salesperson giving a pitch, which was very off-putting. Anyone who made such certain promises was surely hiding something.


    The Ruby of two weeks ago would¡¯ve believed her in a heartbeat, I suddenly thought to myself, feeling immensely proud of my growth.


    A pride that was immediately overshadowed by shame when I realized that the fact that it took me seventeen years to stop being gullible was nothing to be proud of. Especially considering everything I¡¯d been through.


    ¡°And even if you don¡¯t make it in,¡± Anabella continued, ¡°it¡¯s still perfectly fine. You will be situated with a nice, fulfilling job with more than enough money to enjoy the pleasures of our great cities.¡±


    The two of us stayed quiet, mulling over the new information. It was, after all, our futures laid out in front of us. And as ungrateful as it sounded, considering they had just saved me from certain death, I couldn¡¯t say I liked either of the options she had presented. Of course, I¡¯d need more information to be certain, but my newly formed suspicious gut told me that even the very best-case scenario meant being under someone for the rest of my life, which sounded unbearably stifling. Unlivable-ly stifling.


    ¡°Very well, do you have any questions?¡± Anabella asked, her smile sickeningly sweet.


    The two of us simultaneously shook our heads. ¡°Thank you very much, but I think we¡¯re good,¡± Ren answered.


    ¡°But we would appreciate it if we could talk to each other a little,¡± I followed up. ¡°In private?¡± I added when she simply nodded and stood there.


    ¡°Oh! Of course, my apologies. If you have anything to say, please just step back onto this field.¡± And with that, she stepped backward into yet another magically appearing puff of smoke before vanishing.


    Wordlessly, with only a shared look, Ren and I backed up off the field, all the way back until we rounded the corner we had come from. Once the field was finally out of sight, I let loose a breath and turned to Ren.


    ¡°Wanna bet they can still hear us?¡± Ren asked with a smile.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure they can, if they wanted to. But what reason would they have for monitoring us?¡± I answered.


    ¡°Fair enough. But my gut says they aren¡¯t the bunch of goody-two-shoes they¡¯d like us to believe they are.¡±


    I nodded in agreement. ¡°Mine too.¡±


    Ren smiled teasingly. ¡°Look at you, all grown up and not gullible now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± I grumbled.


    Ren snickered but stayed silent.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I said, wanting to switch back to the more important topic. ¡°What¡¯s that plan now?¡±


    Ren shrugged, as nonchalant as ever. ¡°I dunno. It is nice though, to finally know a little about what¡¯s happening. This insect dude seems like bad news.¡±


    ¡°I know right!? And can you believe that he¡¯s done this multiple times? The amount of blood on his hands must be insane!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t she say that eight billion was relatively small compared to the other planets?¡±


    ¡°And to think that this guy isn¡¯t even at the top of the criminals'' list. How do you even top being a planet-murdering, genocidal maniac?¡±


    Ren smiled cynically. ¡°Seems like the universe we¡¯re headed to isn¡¯t the lovely, peaceful place Miss Smiles over there is trying to make it look like, huh?¡±


    I laughed in agreement. ¡°Seems like it. If the supposed force of good and justice of the universe is as fishy as these Grand Order people, it can¡¯t be a great place.¡±


    ¡°Still, it''s a second chance, one that we never thought we were gonna get. We should make the most of it, regardless of what kind of place it is.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, and I have an idea for that. Now that this miracle has landed at our feet, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting Rosefire die, but I very much doubt that setting up an organization like Rosefire will be possible under the thumb of these Grand Order people. But on the other hand, this Grand Order University seems like a great opportunity to get used to¡­whatever it is that we have to get used to. Life on a new planet, I guess. So what if we go along with them for the four years of mandatory education or whatever, and then after that, we just leave, instead of working for them? Kind¡¯ve like what you did with your assassination guild thingy.¡±


    There was an almost imperceptible reaction on Ren¡¯s face when I mentioned the assassination guild, so tiny that I would have missed it had I not known him so well. Too late, I realized that it might not have been the best idea to have brought that up so carelessly, but Ren seemed to brush right over it.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a good plan ¨C if it works ¨C but I¡¯ll be honest with you this time, Ruby. This plan carries that same naivety you want to leave behind.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°I know, I know. It¡¯s an idealistic plan. There¡¯s no way they don¡¯t have countermeasures to stop people from leaving after taking advantage of their school, but the plan is just a general course of action for now. We¡¯ll change it up as we learn more, and if it seems unlikely or unrealistic, we¡¯ll abandon the idea and just do the best thing we can for ourselves.¡±


    Ren nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Very well. I guess you really did change, huh.¡±


    I smiled nervously. ¡°Let¡¯s hope I changed enough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be alright,¡± Ren said with a confident grin, although both of us knew there was no real source for his confidence. Still, it did make me feel a little better. ¡°Anyway, that settles that. Let¡¯s go tell Miss Smiles that we¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°Wait, before that. There¡¯s one last thing I want to do.¡± I said, an idea forming in my head. ¡°After all, who knows if we¡¯re ever gonna be able to come back to Earth after this.¡±


    Ren pursed his lips and nodded. ¡°Yeah, you''re right. Alright, where to, then?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I wanted to go by myself this time. Could you wait here for me?¡±


    Ren looked at me, surprise flashing across his face, before nodding again. ¡°Of course, go ahead.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Thanks, see you in a minute.¡±


    -


    I hummed a nameless tune to myself as I walked, pole in hand. I was on my way back, just a street away from where I had left Ren when I heard the chaos. It was difficult to name exactly the sounds I was hearing, but they were certainly loud and jarring, and coming from the school field.


    Picking up my pace, I quickly turned the last street to find Ren sitting calmly, exactly where I had left him. He grinned wide when he saw me turn the corner, taking in my worried face. By now the sounds were much louder and were obviously from a fight. A big one, too. I could make out shouting and clashes, along with a cacophony of other sounds.


    ¡°What happened?!¡± I asked, almost yelling. ¡°I was only gone for a few minutes!¡±


    Ren laughed loudly. ¡°Oh, that? Just all hell breaking loose.¡± He paused then, studying my new accessory. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    The item in question was a nondescript pole; a literal steel pipe five feet tall and with no other defining features. It was as thin as a broomstick, with no scratches or dents marring its steely gray surface. And that was really all that could be said about it, which made it perfect.


    ¡°This?¡± I asked, lifting my pole a little. ¡°It¡¯s what I went- wait a minute. What do you mean all hell breaking loose? What in the world happened?¡±


    Ren chuckled at my response. ¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t really describe it. Take a look yourself,¡± he said, jabbing his thumb at the corner of the wall that obscured the field from view.


    Wordlessly, I stepped past him and peeked just slightly past the wall. Ren was right, was the first thought that came to mind as I took in the sight that greeted me. ¡®All hell breaking loose¡¯ was really the only way you could describe the scene.


    The bugs had returned. And they weren¡¯t babies like the one Ren and I had fought. No, these were full-fledged adults, on par with the mantis that had demolished Owen.


    And yet, it seemed for the first time, the bugs had met their match. The survivors who had stood on the field had all vanished, but the Grand Order people were still there, and they were deceivingly strong. They all fought with identical staffs, gnarled poles of wood with spherical golden balls studded into the tops.


    And from those balls came what I could only describe as beams of light. Golden beams of light that shot out at the command of the mages, burning holes into the bodies of the bugs when they hit; like the laser guns of sci-fi.


    But as I watched more, I realized that the light did more than just shoot. With one mage, as a massive wasp swooped down with its sword-like stinger barreling towards his heart, the light was summoned to his arm as a kite-shaped shield. And despite being made of literal light, the needle-sharp stinger failed to pierce the shield. The mage was still sent skidding a few meters back, but it was miraculous nonetheless.


    I watched on as another molded his light into the shape of a greatsword, before swinging down with gusto and cleaving a car-sized beetle in half. And if the baby cockroach had been any indication, the shell of the beetle would have far out-stripped pure steel in toughness.


    Granted, the mage was built like a powerlifting champion, with arms the size of my thigh, but regardless, the feat was astounding.


    ¡°Like Green Lantern, huh?¡± Ren¡¯s voice came from behind me. I jumped in fright, having been so caught up in the fight that I had forgotten about Ren.


    ¡°Huh, you¡¯re right,¡± I said, thinking about it. ¡°Just golden.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ren said, sounding strangely melancholic about it.


    Choosing not to question it, I kept watching the fight in silence. The fight seemed to be about even, amazingly. The mages were just slightly outnumbered, but their outstanding teamwork and individual skill more than made up for it. And the fact that the bugs fought like mindless beasts ¨C with no cohesion and mostly getting in each other¡¯s way ¨C didn¡¯t help them either.


    ¡°Oh wow,¡± I said after a few minutes, having spotted our very own Anabella fighting alongside the rest of them. Like the rest of them, she was deceivingly strong. It felt more jarring with her, considering I had spent quite a while talking to her, without realizing that she was far stronger than any person I had ever met before. She would demolish Owen with her light-wielding, without breaking a sweat.


    ¡°What?¡± Ren asked when I didn¡¯t follow up with anything.


    I smiled at him. ¡°Better make sure Miss Anabella doesn¡¯t hear you calling her Miss Smiles.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°¡®Cause she can whoop you with one hand tied behind her back.¡±


    Ren snorted. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why she¡¯s ¡®Miss Anabella¡¯ now. I seem to recall you laughing with me when I said that.¡±


    I shook my head, denying his accusation. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Ren laughed. ¡°Coward,¡± he said teasingly.


    I smiled, about to respond, when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. It was a man, his entire head hairless, wearing a rough, simple gray robe. He had spawned in on the corner of the field suddenly, which is what had attracted my eyes to him.


    A heavy haze of gray smoke hung around him, thick with Flux. And from within his semi-cocoon, he raised his arms like a man praying to the heavens.


    The insects instantly reacted to the man. They stopped whatever they were doing, even if they were attacking, and retreated to the man. They swarmed around him, acting almost like guards.


    I gasped as I watched. ¡°Is that¡­¡±


    ¡°The Monarch?¡± Ren finished. ¡°Probably not. What would he be doing here? And someone that strong would have a far more oppressive presence than that man.¡±


    I nodded, the initial fear receding with his words. ¡°Yeah, makes sense. And the mages would be much more afraid as well.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s definitely still bad news. Aside from his personal strength, the fact that someone who can command the bugs has arrived is a big problem,¡± Ren said.


    ¡°Their disorganization was their biggest weakness,¡± I agreed. ¡°With a commander, that problem no longer exists.¡±


    And that proved to be exactly true. The man restarted the assault on the mages, and things went considerably better for the bugs. No longer were they easy to trick, getting distracted while letting their comrades get mobbed to death. Now they worked together, and with their one disadvantage gone, their every other advantage took center stage.


    The land crawlers had overwhelming strength and defense, while the winged ones took mobility and speed. No longer prey to the tactics of the mages, they steadily pushed them back, cornering the mages against the school wall.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± I asked. ¡°Why haven¡¯t they teleported back up?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. I doubt they''re waiting for us, though,¡± Ren answered, knowing exactly why I was so worried.


    ¡°Yeah, I hope not. ¡®Cause if they don¡¯t go up soon, I don''t think they''re gonna make it out alive.¡± Although there were no casualties yet, it was more a testament to the mages¡¯ skill than to the bugs¡¯ mercy. The insects were certainly not trying to hold themselves back.


    The situation only continued to deteriorate, getting worse and worse for the mages. The land bugs had formed a line with their tank-like bodies, not letting the mages through, while the more lethal flying bugs swooped in when they could for attacks.


    ¡°Uh¡­Ruby?¡± Ren suddenly whispered to me, getting my attention.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I asked, not turning away from the fight.


    ¡°You might wanna look behind us.¡±


    Finally tearing my eyes away from the suspenseful scene, I turned around and looked down the street, immediately finding the source of Ren¡¯s concern.


    Two more men, the same as the one commanding the bugs, stood at the end of the street, staring at us with unflinching focus. Their rough, gray robes fluttered around their feet in the wind, and the sunlight glinted off their clean-shaven heads.


    The Mexican-showdown-style staring contest lasted an unnervingly long time before the two finally began to make their way toward us.


    I could make out more features on their faces as they got closer. The only notable feature, however, was the grim red trident head that had been painted on their faces. The middle spike ran from their chins up to their foreheads in a straight line. The side two started from the chins and ended at their eyes. Essentially standard creepy cultist stuff.


    Ren and I stood firm as the two continued their eerie approach. We each gripped our sticks tight, heads raised high, showing no fear.


    That wasn¡¯t to say, however, that I felt none. For the first time in my life, I could get absolutely no read on the level of strength of my opponents, and that was anything but comforting. Either they outclassed me so much that my senses couldn¡¯t even detect the danger, or they were literally ordinary men. And, for some reason, I was leaning towards the former.


    I found out how right I was within seconds of that thought.


    When they were still at least five meters away from us, a distance that had always meant safety from any physical attack catching me off guard, one man moved. With a speed so fast that all I caught was a blur, the man was in front of me within a fraction of a second. Before my brain could send the signal to my arms to block, the man¡¯s knee had already sunk into my gut.


    All the air in my lungs rushed out of my mouth in a wheezy breath as I skidded back a few feet, somehow managing to stay on my feet as I did. The pain and shock were disorienting, but I still managed to catch Ren yelling out my name. Or at least half of it, before he was kicked in the side by the second man.


    Ren flew the ground between him and the wall, crashing into the brick with a thud. He let out a groan that was cut short when the man arrived in front of him and clasped his hand on his throat.


    Still doubled over, I had just managed to regain my breath and was beginning to straighten myself out when the other man arrived in front of me, his hand encircling my throat like a vice.


    Panicking, I dropped my pole with a clatter and desperately clawed at the man¡¯s hand, my fingernails raking across his bare arms, but the man¡¯s hand did not budge.


    His skin was like cement, rough and incredibly solid. My nails could do nothing against him, the scratching hurting me more than it did him.


    As my vision began to darken, I stared into the man¡¯s eyes with all the ferocity and hatred I could muster, only to find them dark and soulless, like a well. The deep darkness within swallowed any emotion I tried to convey.


    I willed myself, with every bit of my soul, to do something, to overcome this obstacle like I¡¯d done every other I had ever faced. To have survived an apocalypse only to die here was something I would not accept.


    But I could do nothing. I had been utterly overpowered, not even given a chance to fight back. My vision got darker and darker, and my lungs burned, but there was nothing I could do. I simply lacked the power.


    A realization that made me both burn with shame and rage with passion.


    But in the end, passion would not overpower pure strength. Within a few seconds, the darkness fully took over, and I felt myself get swept away in the waves of sleep.


    -


    ¡°Nooo!¡± a childish voice cut into the darkness that had swamped me, like a stick prodding me through a thick blanket. ¡°MOM!¡± came the voice again, louder. More a kick than a prod this time.


    Jerked awake by the sound, the first thing I noticed was the earthy smell of dirt. Second was its gritty texture rubbing against my cheek.


    On reflex, I pushed myself up, aiming to leap to my feet. Instead, I was roughly slammed back onto the dirt, hitting my nose so hard I teared up.


    A weight settled over my back, heavy enough to crush the breath out of my lungs. My arms were pinned against my back, under the weight. I knew right away that I was utterly immobile at the moment, and judging by the weight on my back, the person who had me in this position was not one I could fight off.


    ¡°Oh, look, she¡¯s awake,¡± a light, raspy voice sounded out from behind me, and everything came rushing back.


    Struggling to breathe, I desperately took in shallow gulps of air as I twisted my head around in the dirt, trying to understand what was happening.


    I found Ren right away. He lay in a similar position as I only a few feet away from me. One of the gray-robed men held him down as well. He was awake already, staring past me with fierce, cloaked emotion.


    Following his gaze, I twisted my head the other way and found the source of the voice that had woken me up. And two others.


    It was a family. There was a child, no more than eight years old, and his mother and father. They were all held down exactly like Ren and I, even the child.


    The father was well-built, with a scraggly beard and a full head of tight curls.


    The boy sported hair similar to his father, and in their shared hazel skin and facial structure was an obvious blood relation.


    The mother was the one who attracted my attention the most, however. She was obviously not in good condition, her eyes sunken and her skin a sickly pale. Her breath was laborious, and in her eyes, there was pain hardly held at bay.


    ¡°Now then, mages of the Grand Order,¡± one of the gray-robed men spoke. He was the only one not holding down someone, so I assumed he was the leader. ¡°Surrender now, and we will mercifully let these humans go. We might even let you teleport them back up to the ship, if you impress us. But if you refuse, if you attempt to continue fighting, then I will kill each and every single one of them, slowly and painfully, until you stop.¡±


    The mother sobbed audibly when she heard that, the fear overcoming her attempts to stay silent. The man above her pushed down harder with his knee, and the woman clamped her mouth shut.


    ¡°Listen to me,¡± one of the mages spoke up. He was the powerlifter-looking one who had cut the beetle in half, and who I now figured was the leader of the present mages. ¡°The Monarch is just using you. No matter what he has promised, he will not spare your lives. Planetary Sacrifice necessitates the death of all living-¡±


    ¡°Shut it, mage!¡± the man yelled. ¡°How dare you take my liege¡¯s name with such disrespect! How dare you speak ill of such a noble man!¡± The man stretched his hand out then, and the light haze of smoke that hung around the man reacted to it.


    The smoke surged towards his outstretched arm, swirling around its length before gathering at his palm. The smoke became thicker, darker. It began to extend off of the man¡¯s hand, eventually taking the form of a blade. The smoke left in his hand became a handle and a hilt, making an entire sword.


    With the constant dispersing smoke that rose off of the sword and the writhing of the smoke that condensed to make it, the shape of the blade was anything but static. Still, if the light wielding from before had been any sign, underestimating the sword would be a grave mistake.


    ¡°I did not ask you people to speak at all. You only have two choices present before you. Continue to fight, and you will be forced to watch as I murder these things. Surrender, and my liege might be as merciful to you as he was to me.¡± As the man spoke, he walked over to the young boy, his every step slow and measured.


    I could feel an insanity poking at my mind as I watched the man walk towards the boy, while I lay there, powerless to stop him. So weak, so powerless.


    My mind was nearing its limit, I realized. There was only so much I could take, as someone who had promised myself over and over again that I would never again be powerless before someone again. As someone who has spent so long being powerless, forced to watch again and again as everything that I loved was taken from me.


    And nothing had changed. After so long, after all the effort and pain I had gone through to make myself stronger, nothing had changed. Here I lay again, forced to watch the cruelty of humanity while unable to do anything about it.


    Ocean¡¯s face appeared in my mind, like it always had when I was desperate. In pain.


    But this time, the image sparked a memory, a memory of Ocean standing before me in a long, flowing white dress.


    ¡°Hey, baldy,¡± Ren¡¯s voice came, cutting through the memory. The image fell apart as I returned to the present, watching as the man who had brought his sword dangerously close to the boy''s arm suddenly stopped.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± The man turned around, facing Ren.


    ¡°Just wondering, did you draw that trident on your face yourself?¡± Ren said, that idiosyncratic amused grin painted on his face. There wasn¡¯t a shred of fear in his glossy eyes as he stared at the man approaching him. ¡°¡®Cause the lines are crooked. And honestly, I don¡¯t think the look suits you. It¡¯s not really flattering, especially with your facial structure.¡±


    By now the man had already arrived before Ren, his feet at Ren¡¯s face. Still, Ren did not cower, keeping his insulting rambling going.


    ¡°Although, to be honest, I can¡¯t imagine anything would be flattering for you, with that facial structure,¡± Ren kept talking. ¡°Actually-¡±


    ¡°Shut up, boy,¡± the man cut him off, his rumbling voice low and threatening. ¡°If you know what¡¯s good for you, you¡¯d better shut up.¡±


    Ren smirked, looking up at the man. ¡°What?¡± he asked, sounding genuinely confused. ¡°I¡¯m just tryna help you out, y¡¯know. And I think anyone can see you could definitely use a little fashion help,¡± he added on, giving the man¡¯s robes a look over. ¡°Hell, I can¡¯t see, and even I can tell you that your fashion sense needs more than a little help.¡±


    The man did not respond but looked at the man who was holding Ren down.


    With no words spoken, the man nodded and lifted his knee slightly off Ren¡¯s arms, before grabbing one and stretching it out on the ground.


    The man with the sword stepped forwards slightly, resting the tip of his boot on Ren¡¯s fingers. ¡°Apologize, boy. Apologize for your disrespect, and I will free you to work for His Majesty. My liege appreciates men of bravery and courage, and he will not mistreat you.¡± As he spoke, he continuously shifted more and more of his weight onto Ren¡¯s fingers, but the entire time, Ren did not flinch. With that smirk still painted onto his lips, he fixed the man with a defiant stare and remained silent.


    ¡°There is bravery, child, and there is stupidity. Do not be stupid, boy.¡±


    Ren still didn¡¯t say anything, only silently smiling at the man.


    The man sighed. ¡°Have it your way,¡± he said, before suddenly jerking his sword arm, bringing the blade down on Ren¡¯s arm.


    The point of the blade sank into Ren¡¯s forearm with no resistance, as if the muscle and bone were nothing but butter.


    My lips parted, but no sound came out, the scream stuck in my throat as I watched, wide-eyed. Memories rose like a tide in my mind, horrible images that I had thought locked up safely, never to be revisited. The images looked so much like what I was witnessing right now, only with Ocean in Ren¡¯s place.


    But in the end, it was the same. Someone else bearing the pain while I watched. In the end, nothing had changed at all. I was still that weak, pathetic little Ruby who could do nothing but cry and burden the ones she cared for.


    Ren didn¡¯t make a sound when the sword pierced his arm, only putting his head down, pressing his forehead against the wet, muddy mixture of dirt and the blood leaking out of his arm.


    ¡°I see,¡± he breathed out. ¡°I see now.¡±


    The man smiled viciously at his words, taking his foot off Ren¡¯s fingers. ¡°Good boy. Do you yield now?¡±


    Ren looked up then, grinning at the man, his forehead smeared with dirt and blood. ¡°Oh, that? No. I was talking about your face. I figured out what¡¯d look nice with it.¡± He paused, his grin getting wider. ¡°A mask. Preferably one that covers the whole face.¡±


    The man narrowed his eyes as he looked at Ren, his face warping with rage and indignation. ¡°Very well then, boy.¡±


    Turning to the mages, the ones frozen in shock and fear, he laughed. ¡°Watch, Grand Order dogs, watch as this boy dies because of your indecision.¡±


    And then he swung his sword down again, the tip headed straight for Ren¡¯s heart.


    At the very last second before the sword met his flesh, Ren twisted his upper body with a violent jerk.


    The sudden movement saved his heart, but the sword still bit into his back and came out the other side, stabbing into the ground. Blood spurted out of his mouth, coloring his chin in a candied-apple scarlet, but Ren, to his credit, still didn¡¯t make a sound.


    Instead, he looked up and met my eyes, giving me a small, kind smile. Like the first smile he had ever given me.


    Ocean''s voice floated through my mind then, making a statement I was sure she''d never made while she was alive.


    Keep Ren close, ''kay?


    The insanity I had felt woke up, rearing its head as it roared, gripping my mind. And as it did, I felt a familiar heat returning to my body.


    Fire.


    But this time, I did not recoil, I did not shirk away in fear. This time, with a maddened laugh, I embraced it.


    And then everything went dark.

 Chapter 30 – Mother Saintess

    Ruby exploded when Ren was stabbed, which might¡¯ve been a nice sentiment, had she not quite literally exploded.


    Merigold flames exploded out of her very skin, leaping out like an animal let out of its cage. The man above her immediately jumped off her, vaulting almost three meters in the air, but he was too slow. The dancing flames caught his robes, licking at his feet.


    Ruby, now freed, slowly pushed herself up to her feet, standing like a girl possessed. Her head and shoulders hung like the weight was all too much, their burden too heavy to carry. An inferno blazed around her, the flames stretching their flowing arms up to the sky. Her short hair fluttered gently within the flames, utterly unbothered by the extreme heat that was radiating off of her. Neither were her clothes, for that matter.


    The world stilled for a moment as the people gathered watched Ruby, who stood so unmoving within her cradle of flames she might¡¯ve been dead.


    That stillness shattered like a mirror when Ruby finally moved. With no warning, she fell forward slightly before catching herself with her foot. The second her foot touched the ground, she simply vanished, disappearing before the eyes of everyone present, her enormous inferno vanishing with her.


    She reappeared an instant later, above the man with his sword inside of Ren. With a flaming fist raining down on the man, flames streaking off her body everywhere else, and blank eyes nothing more than glowing pits of fire, she seemed at that moment a true demon. A being of flames, risen from the pits of hell.


    The man, to his credit, reacted without a shred of fear. The sword buried in Ren dissolved into smoke that raced all the way across his body and reformed at his other hand. The man swung the sword and met Ruby¡¯s fist with a thundering clash, the shockwave generated flattening the grass around them.


    Amazingly, the sword of smoke did not waver under the force and maintained its shape, though the amount of smoke flowing out of it increased noticeably.


    Eventually, Ruby backed off, propelling herself off the man¡¯s sword into a graceful backflip, before landing into a low crouch. The entire time the flames on her did not die down in the least, leaving a streak of bright orange behind every time she moved.


    Despite having been repelled on her first attack, Ruby was undeterred. She burst forward again, raining fists on the man. Still, the man was unperturbed, his gray sword flashing to meet every streak of orange that came at him.


    Ruby¡¯s fierce assault, though not managing to inflict any damage on the man, did have a positive effect for the mages of the Grand Order. Forced back by the unending barrage of attacks, the man¡¯s control of the bugs slipped, and the mages were not so amateurish as to fail to take advantage of that.


    They immediately began a fierce assault on the bugs, doubling their efforts. The bugs, having lost their coherence, fell to the same traps as before. Despite their overwhelming physical advantages, without a leader, they were easily split up and mobbed to death, one by one.


    On Ruby¡¯s side, despite her sudden burst of strength, the man¡¯s skill with his blade was still a wall too steep for her to climb. Not to mention, in her state, Ruby attacked more like a wild beast than a human. Her moves lacked grace and elegance, but each attack carried a lethality that most humans could not emulate. Her every strike aimed to kill, with no tactic or greater plan in mind.


    So, despite his skill, the man was helpless to do anything but defend, locking the two in a stalemate. The rest of the gray-robed men simply watched on, unsure of what to do. They knew they could not get involved in the fight now, for fear of their own lives.


    So, instead, they simply held down their respective captives, waiting to see how the situation would unfold.


    Fifteen minutes or so later, however, the situation had not changed much. Ruby and the man remained locked in their stalemate, although Ruby¡¯s moves had begun to slow down slightly as time passed. Orange and gray flashes met each other continuously, creating booms as they did.


    The only progress that was made was on the side of the Grand Order mages. Slowly but surely, they were chipping away at the bugs¡¯ numbers, and getting faster with every monster they took down. From a starting point of a bit over twenty of the abominations, they had whittled their way down to just under ten in fifteen minutes.


    The person in the worst condition, however, was Ren. He lay unmoving in a pool of his own blood, pressed down still by the gray-robed man. The color on his face had been stolen by the hole in his chest, painting the dead grass underneath him instead. He breathed still, but barely, in shallow gulps. His half-open, glossy eyes held within them a fading, dim light; the look of a man gazing upon the dark doors of death.


    Another five minutes passed before things finally changed. Ruby, with her exponentially slowing moves, slipped up, and it cost her dearly. The man, not one to waste such an advantage, slipped in a kick right to her gut.


    Ruby flew like a kite with its strings cut, rocketing towards the wall that she and Ren had been captured behind. Like a meteorite, she drew a long streak of orange that crossed the field at breakneck speed before crashing through the wall in an explosion of dust and crumbling brick.


    Finally done with her, the man breathed out a tired sigh, letting the smoke of his blade dissipate into the air.


    Unfortunately for him, he did not have the luxury of taking a break. The last of the bugs had just died, and the mages did not pause to celebrate their victory. All seventeen mages immediately rushed over from their side of the field, with ten heading over to the leader and the rest going for the hostages.


    The leader, realizing what they were doing, yelled out at the mages right away. ¡°Don¡¯t move! Or else we¡¯ll kill-¡±


    But it was too late. The Grand Order mages shot out beams of light from their staffs, forcing the gray-robed men to abandon their positions and dodge.


    Seeing that he had lost his hostages, the man fled backward as well, the rest of his men gathering behind him.


    The mages arrived in their place, protecting the hostages. Anabella was the one to arrive at Ren¡¯s spot, immediately dropping to her knees and hovering her hands over the gaping wound in his chest.


    Closing her eyes, she sat still for a moment, a soft golden glow appearing on her palms. The gentle light shone on Ren¡¯s wound, and miraculously, the wound began to close on its own. The flesh began to regrow, as both sides of the hole expanded closer until they finally met in the middle. Within a minute, all that remained of the fatal wound was a patch of fresh, smooth skin.


    Still, Ren did not regain his vitality, remaining motionless on the ground.


    As the mages and the gray-robed men faced each other, their hostility plain to see on their faces, the leader of the mages approached Anabella.


    ¡°How is he?¡± he asked, without taking his eyes off the men.


    Anabella looked up at her leader, surprise flashing across her face as if she hadn¡¯t expected him to ask. ¡°I¡¯ve stabilized him, but he¡¯s lost a lot of blood. It¡¯s gonna take some time for him to recover his strength.¡±


    ¡°Can you speed it up?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°Yes, but-¡±


    ¡°Ok, then I want you to stay here and try to get him back to normal as fast as possible,¡± the man ordered.


    ¡°But, Leader, wouldn¡¯t I be more useful fighting the Monarch¡¯s men?¡± Anabella argued.


    Finally, the man looked down at her. ¡°Trust me, Ana. I have a hunch on this one.¡±


    Anabella looked down, silent for a moment before nodding. ¡°Fine,¡± she grumbled.


    The man smiled kindly at her before looking back up. ¡°Jess, go back to the ship and ask for the Mother Saintess. I want to know what¡¯s wrong with him,¡± the man said, pointing at another woman.


    Anabella jerked her head back up, clear surprise coloring her face. A sentiment shared by all the mages, including the one ordered.


    The man smiled in the face of his squad¡¯s shock. ¡°Like I said, guys. Trust me on this one.¡±


    Jess, a girl no older than twenty, with raven black hair tied up in a high ponytail, finally nodded, about to leave, when the man added on to his command. ¡°Oh, and take the family up too,¡± he said, referring to the family of three that currently sat huddled up and crying. ¡°The woman needs some attention.¡±


    Jess nodded again and walked over to the family, a big puff of smoke descending on the four of them. When it dispersed, all of them had vanished.


    With her gone and Anabella continuing to shine her light on Ren, the man finally faced the gray-robed men again.


    ¡°You¡¯ve lost, dog of the Monarch. If you want to keep your rotten life, I¡¯d suggest you tuck your tail between your legs and run,¡± he said to the leader, a vicious smile on his face.


    The leader smiled back at him. ¡°You idiot. You should¡¯ve attacked us when you had the chance, instead of wasting your time on that half-dead boy and the family.¡± As he spoke, a dozen gray puffs of smoke appeared behind him, and out of them stepped twelve more gray-robed men, with the same red tridents drawn on their faces.


    The Grand Order mages tensed as they saw the reinforcements. With them, they made for a total of eighteen, one more than them. And with the levels of strength so close, even one extra person made a world of difference.


    As the tension reached its peak, the two leaders of each side eyed each other, watching for the first move. However, neither of them would be the ones to start the fight.


    Instead, an orange comet that flew towards the gray-robed leader was what started it. Ruby suddenly appeared above the man, a blazing streak following her. In her hands she clutched her pole, raised above her head as she prepared to strike downwards.


    Given less than a second to react, the man instantly summoned his smoke sword and blocked.


    The two met with a deafening crash far stronger than their initial one. The shockwave ripped the grass around them out of the ground, sending it fluttering up violently. Wind buffeted the clothes of everyone present, even pushing a few of the weaker ones back.


    This time, it was the gray-robed man who lost the confrontation. His hastily built sword was not powerful enough to handle the force, and within a minute it exploded into smoke. The flaming rod sailed right past it, crashing into the man¡¯s face with Ruby¡¯s entire weight behind it. The man was pushed to the ground, hitting the dirt so hard he sank in a little, creating a small crater around him and sending up a cloud of dirt.


    When the dust settled, the people saw the leader of the gray-robed men lying almost unconscious in the ground, and a flaming girl with a pole standing above him. She stared down at the man with the same, glowing orange eyes that leaked fire, and not a hint of sanity on her face.


    For a moment, the world was silent, save for the blowing winds. The one to break the silence was the leader of the Grand Order mages. With a loud guffaw, the man pointed forward and smiled wide. ¡°Disciples, let''s teach these dogs some manners!¡± he ordered, charging forward.


    The gray-robed men, despite seeing their leader taken out so early in the fight, still feared the consequences of retreating over staying and fighting, so they steeled themselves and pushed forward as well.


    While golden light and orange flame clashed with gray smoke, Anabella sat back and kept her hands above Ren, continuously shining him with her light. Her focus, however, was entirely on the battlefield, a longing in her eyes as she watched her fellow disciples fight against the forces of evil, as she had always wanted to do. As she had been trained to do.


    Not long after the fight began, two puffs of smoke appeared beside Anabella. Out of the first stepped Jess, breathing hard as if she had run a lot. Wordlessly, she immediately leaped into the battle, without even so much as a glance towards Anabella.


    Out of the second stepped an elderly woman, with a face marred with age and eyes glinted with wisdom. Her hair hung loose, each strand a pristine white that fluttered in the passing wind. She had a kind smile on her face, her wrinkles curling around it. She was wrapped up in robes similar to the rest of the mages, but on her chest was a blue crest, depicting a pair of wings with a wooden staff in the center.


    She walked over slowly to where Ren lay. ¡°Is this the boy?¡± she asked, her aged voice rough yet gentle.


    Anabella dared not look the old woman in the eyes, keeping her head bent as she responded as respectfully as possible. ¡°Yes, Mother Saintess.¡±


    The old woman smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve done a good job healing him, child. The future of the Wings of Astros is safe in the hands of children like you.¡±


    Anabella beamed at the praise, her face almost visibly lighting up. ¡°Thank you, Mother Saintess.¡± Still, out of respect, she only looked up partially, not daring to meet the woman''s eyes.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Now, call that Leonard here. I wonder what could be so important it warranted bringing my old bones down here personally,¡± the old woman said, looking up at the battlefield.


    However, her orders were unnecessary. The second she stopped speaking, Leonard, the leader of the mages, jumped away from the battlefield and landed before the old woman. He immediately dropped to a knee, his head similarly bent downwards. ¡°This humble Head Disciple greets the Mother Saintess.¡±


    The old woman smiled at Leonard, an approving look in her eyes. ¡°Now, tell me, child. What have you called me down here for? Do I need to remind you that using our relationship for your own needs is forbidden? Your father will be quite disappointed if he hears of this.¡±


    Leonard kept his head down as the woman spoke, waiting until she was finished to defend himself. ¡°I promise, Mother Saintess, I called for you today not as your grandchild, but as a Head Disciple.¡±


    The old woman raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really? This boy is such a special case that the very Headmaster of the Wings of Astros had to come take a look?¡± Despite the questioning words, the woman still sounded like she was having fun.


    ¡°I do not know exactly that none of the lower members of the Wings of Astros could have handled it. However, I do know that I have never seen nor even heard of a case such as this boy, and I thought that it would be best for the most masterful healer I know to handle it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the woman said. ¡°And what is it that troubles you about this boy?¡± she asked, looking at Ren.


    Leonard took in a breath. ¡°I want to know why he can¡¯t use Flux.¡±


    Anabella looked up at that. ¡°What do you mean? His Flux Core isn¡¯t sealed, I would be able to tell if it was. And we know he¡¯s a mage, we saw him fight that Wolfman.¡±


    Leonard nodded. ¡°Exactly. We know that he¡¯s a mage, or that he was one, at least. But he cannot interact with Flux. He doesn¡¯t absorb Flux from the surroundings subconsciously, and he didn¡¯t Revive to save his life either.¡±


    Anabella shook her head. ¡°Well, maybe he just didn¡¯t have the courage to Revive. If he can¡¯t use Flux, how can you explain how he¡¯s able to fight?¡±


    ¡°The only explanation is that he must¡¯ve toughened up his body so much during the period when he could use Flux, that even cut off from it, the raw strength of his body carried him through. And a person like that? There is simply no way someone like that can¡¯t Revive to save his life.¡±


    Anabella looked down at Ren again, in thought. The old woman got down to her knees, taking a seat right next to Anabella. ¡°Hmm,¡± she said again, surveying Ren¡¯s body. ¡°You¡¯re right. This boy has been cut off from Flux ¨C his body cannot interact with it at all. But strangely enough, the girl is right, too. His Flux Core has not been sealed.¡± She paused for a moment, lost in thought. ¡°I must say, I don¡¯t think I have ever heard of a case as peculiar as this before, either. Here, let me see.¡± The old lady moved her hands, resting her gnarled fingers on Ren¡¯s back.


    ¡°I knew it couldn¡¯t have been a sealed Flux Core because this planet, at best, would be a Primitive Grade planet. Considering they¡¯ve only had access to Flux for just over a hundred years, there¡¯s no way they could have figured out the method of sealing a Core,¡± Leonard added as the old woman closed her eyes and focused.


    A few minutes passed before the woman finally opened her eyes again. ¡°This is truly curious. How could such a primitive planet come up with a method of blocking a body¡¯s ability to absorb Flux in a way that can¡¯t even be detected by me?¡± Despite her words, she spoke without a trace of pride or arrogance, as if her competence was a proven fact that needed no gloating.


    ¡°Because,¡± came a gravelly, rough voice from under them, ¡°you underestimate the cruelty of the people on this ¡®primitive planet.¡¯¡±


    The three gathered looked down in surprise. With a rough groan, Ren rolled over onto his back, his eyes propped open slightly.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Anabella asked.


    Ren didn¡¯t respond, but the old woman quickly realized what it meant.


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said, her voice quiet. ¡°Oh, oh no.¡± Her voice became haunted, disbelieving. ¡°Oh no. You poor...did they¡­¡±


    Ren didn¡¯t respond, only closing his eyes and smiling softly.


    ¡°What?¡± Anabella asked. ¡°What happened, Mother Saintess?¡±


    The old woman didn¡¯t respond, quietly looking at Ren with eyes choked with pain. She placed her hands on Ren¡¯s arm, closing her eyes once again.


    ¡°Can¡­can you fix it?¡± Ren asked quietly.


    ¡°Yes, but it won¡¯t be quick. It¡¯ll take a few days, at least,¡± the woman answered softly.


    Both Anabella and Leonard looked up in surprise at that. ¡°Really, Mother Saintess? Even at your level?¡± Leonard asked what Anabella dared not to.


    ¡°A few days to do it painlessly, right?¡± Ren cut in before the woman could answer. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the pain. Just do it right now.¡±


    The woman shook her head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that. I can¡¯t just forcefully fix you right now by causing you a lot of pain. However, I can fix you temporarily, and allow you to use Flux for just a little bit. But, it will cost you. The more you use Flux right now, the more painful it will be in the future.¡±


    Ren smiled at that. ¡°Sounds perfect. I just need strength long enough to teach those gray-robed dogs a well-deserved lesson.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get the chance for that, kid,¡± Leonard began. ¡°My men will take care of them long before-¡± Leonard stopped suddenly, realizing that he hadn¡¯t been paying attention to the battlefield and that he could now sense the presence of more men on the field than when he¡¯d left it. And knowing that his side hadn¡¯t received backup, it could only mean one thing.


    And indeed, the battle had shifted against the Ruby and the Grand Order mages. More and more reinforcements had begun arriving for the gray-robed men, and despite the Grand Order mages having a slight skill advantage, the numbers were stacked far too high against them.


    Seeing the situation, Leonard chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Never mind,¡± he said, his voice quiet.


    The woman looked at Ren for a while in silence, considering, before heaving a sigh. ¡°Very well, boy, if you wish to have the strength to fight, then I will not deny you that. But don¡¯t come complaining to me when the pain is too much to handle for you later on.¡±


    Ren grinned. ¡°If there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m good at in this world, granny, it¡¯s dealing with pain. Trust me, I can handle it.¡±


    The two disciples present gasped at Ren¡¯s nonchalant mentioning of the woman¡¯s age, but the woman herself simply laughed it off. ¡°Fine then, I will begin,¡± she said, placing her hands on Ren¡¯s chest. A soft golden glow, much like Anabella¡¯s, appeared at the fingertips of the old lady¡¯s hands. ¡°This will pinch a little.¡±


    Ren didn¡¯t respond, but very quickly his face scrunched up in pain. Still, he didn¡¯t make a sound, and after almost a minute of nervous silence, the woman sighed and removed her hands. ¡°There,¡± she said.


    With a groan, Ren slowly sat up, staring at his hands as he did. ¡°Wow,¡± he said, ¡°you¡¯re right. I can feel it. It¡¯s¡­it really is Flux.¡±


    As he spoke, a deep violet smoke began to rise off of his hands, like steam off a hot cup. Ren laughed as he felt the power flowing within his veins. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d feel this again,¡± he said with glee, his eyes betraying immense happiness.


    But then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned serious again and looked at Anabella. ¡°You saved my life, right?¡±


    Anabella smiled kindly at him ¨C and for once, it was a genuine smile. ¡°I was simply doing my duty as a disciple of the Wings of Astros,¡± she said.


    Ren put a palm over his heart, his head dipping a little. ¡°You have my gratitude. And I will repay my debt one day, on that I promise with my life.¡±


    The three gathered looked at Ren, a newfound approving look shared by them, but Ren didn¡¯t notice. His face had already reverted back to its usual relaxed state, sporting a wild grin. ¡°Now then,¡± he said, pushing himself up to his feet. ¡°Time to join the fun.¡±


    But before he could move, Leonard stopped him again. ¡°You may have gotten a power-up, but the Monarch¡¯s men are no easy prey. Are you sure you can handle it?¡±


    Ren grinned at the man. ¡°You know what¡¯s a funny little thing I¡¯ve learned over the years?¡± he asked.


    Leonard looked at him in confusion. ¡°When you spend a long time dealing with pain,¡± Ren answered himself, ¡°you end up getting really good at causing it, too.¡±


    With that, Ren slipped past Leonard and happily made his way over to the busy battlefield, where the mages of the Grand Order barely held on.


    The three watched, without much hope, as Ren entered the battle. After all, how long could one kid last in a battle between full-fledged mages? Especially a kid from a primitive planet such as Earth.


    However, they quickly realized how wrong they were. They watched in wide-eyed shock and slight awe as the hooded boy dove into the crowd and instantly locked up two enemies in a fight.


    They came for him first, thinking the boy would be easy prey, but Ren immediately flipped the script on them. Covered in a purple haze, he moved with ruthless efficiency, with speed so quick his enemies could barely react. His every attack carried a lethality, an intent to kill, that terrified his opponents. And rightfully so, as they would have lost their lives on multiple occasions had he held a blade instead of a dull walking stick. The two usually managed to just barely parry or dodge his attacks, but they were noticeably knocked off-kilter by his aggression. Ren attacked with the finesse of a trained killer, his every strike precise and calculated. His arms would blur with every attack, his body reaching speeds his opponents were not equipped to handle. Coupled with his expectational awareness of everything around him, the two gray-robed men were constantly forced on the back foot, despite their numerical advantage. And before long, one slipped up, letting through a jab straight to his throat. Hitting the man so hard he couldn¡¯t breathe, Ren immediately turned to face the other, who had almost pierced his back with a spear of smoke. However, the gray-robed man was too slow, and his spear slipped just past Ren¡¯s back as he turned. The two locked eyes and both instantly knew what the outcome of the battle would be. With his partner out, it only took three simple jabs before the second gray-robed man fell, clutching his broken ribs.


    On the other side of the battle, Ruby did not lag behind. Although she was noticeably not as energetic as she had been when the fight had begun, she was still a terrifying opponent for the Monarch¡¯s men. She attacked her opponent, whoever the unfortunate person happened to be, like a wild beast. She rained down thundering blows on her enemies, rattling their very bones. And she seemed to soak up any damage like a sponge, a spring that bounced back no matter how hard she was hit. She attacked in broad, powerful strokes that lacked Ren¡¯s elegance, yet were no less effective than him.


    ¡°We may have been underestimating these Earthen, huh?¡± Leonard said, smiling as he watched the show.


    Anabella shook her head. ¡°Not really. The majority of them were pathetically weak. There were only eight that stood out somewhat, for having the courage to contend with the Monarch¡¯s strongest. Out of eight billion of them. All others simply hid or died. These two are¡­exceptions.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no need to be so harsh, child," the old woman admonished. "The Earthens are mostly dead now, after all. But I do agree with you about these two. If you¡¯d allow an old woman to speculate, I dare say those two are even fated to be grand warriors one day.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Leonard once again asked what Anabella could not. ¡°I mean, I do not doubt your wisdom or experience, Mother Satintess, but it must be something more than their skill, right? They¡¯re good for their age, yes, but they aren¡¯t incredible.¡± After all, while fighting at the level of a disciple did take years of training, it was still the lowest rank of the Grand Order. And the gray-robed men were nothing but foot soldiers, cannon fodder tasked with unimportant objectives.


    The old woman smiled. ¡°In all my life, of all the powerful mages I have met, the best of the best have always shared three traits: a complete mastery over their own pain, an unflinching, unwavering resolve in the things they¡¯ve deemed important, and a deep understanding of their own weakness. Those three traits, with a bit of luck and the right environment, will always produce a mage worthy of legends.¡±


    Leonard and Anabella were silent, taking in the woman¡¯s advice. The words of a person who had lived as long as the Mother Saintess were invaluable, and they were lucky to be privy to such a conversation. Under normal circumstances, even Leonard wouldn¡¯t have the privilege of speaking with such an important figure for so long, let alone Anabella.


    ¡°And from what I¡¯ve seen of those two, they¡¯ve exhibited exemplary prowess in each of those departments,¡± the woman continued. ¡°So I say, with a little luck and the right environment, those two will certainly become figures of great legend in the universe.¡± She smiled at the two sitting beside her, letting a little mischief onto her face. ¡°And if that day ever comes, I¡¯ll at least have two witnesses to say that I had called it from the start.¡±


    ¡°But grandm-Mother Saintess,¡± Leonard started, catching himself as the old lady fixed him with a stare. ¡°How do you know they have those traits? You¡¯ve only met one of them, and that was only for a little bit.¡±


    The lady smiled at him, whispering in a confidential tone. ¡°Because of the Planet Seal, Astros¡¯ Threads are weak here. So it was quite easy to peer into the Truth of this world.¡±


    Both Leonard and Anabella gasped loudly as they heard the woman, donning blank faces of shock. ¡°But..but Mother Saintness¡­¡± Leonard began, before being silenced with a wave.


    ¡°What can I say, I was curious,¡± the woman said nonchalantly, chuckling. ¡°And besides, if Astros wants to pick a fight over it, I¡¯ll just have to remind it that I haven¡¯t lost my edge, even if I¡¯m old. I¡¯ve faced its wrath before, I won¡¯t cower before it.¡±


    The two disciples present shook their heads in disbelief as they heard the woman. Few people in the universe could speak of Astros so lightly, but the Mother Saintess of the Grand Order of the Astros Theology was certainly one of them.


    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s enough from me. You should go help out your men, Leo. It¡¯s not good for the leader of a squad to sit out a fight.¡±


    Brought back to reality, Leonard quickly nodded. ¡°Of course, Mother Saintess. I got too wrapped up being here.¡±


    The old woman smiled kindly. ¡°If you¡¯re wondering why I don¡¯t take care of the men for you, it¡¯s because if I show my power on the planet, the Insect Monarch will instantly notice. And we can¡¯t have the fight starting prematurely. The Archbishop has his plans, and they require time. Simply being on the planet is a risk, but it¡¯s one I was willing to take. After all, a woman can only spend so long cooped up in a room.¡±


    Leonard flushed as he realized that the woman had known precisely what he was thinking. ¡°Of course, Mother Saintess,¡± he said, embarrassed. ¡°I will go join the fight right away. Anabella, let¡¯s go.¡±


    With that, the two of them got up and, with one last bow to the woman, jumped into the battlefield.


    The woman smiled as she watched them go, thinking. She knew that if she used her strength for offense, the Monarch would instantly notice. But that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t help. Although her strength was renowned across the universe, her forte was healing, after all.


    And while the Monarch didn¡¯t notice her help, the mages present certainly did. All of a sudden, any injury they sustained was instantly regenerated. Broken bones would set themselves back, and wounds would close up on their own.


    Quickly realizing that they were being blessed by one of the top healers in the universe, the mages utterly abandoned their safety, attacking without a care for their lives. And no matter how desperately the gray-robed men, who now numbered over thirty, swung and stabbed, the mages of the Grand Order kept on undeterred. Like zombies, no injury would keep them down, not even a slit throat.


    With such a blessing, it didn¡¯t take long for gray-robed men to face utter defeat, despite their overwhelming numbers. And by the end of it, there was not a single scratch on anyone on the side of the Grand Order, much less any casualties.


    The unconscious and dead men were quickly rounded up and teleported back up to their ship, but Ren and Ruby didn¡¯t care for that. With the targets of her rage gone, Ruby''s flames quickly died out around her and she instantly fell to the ground, knocked out cold. Ren, for his part, retained enough strength to walk back to the old woman, sporting a grimacing grin.


    ¡°Feeling the pain already?¡± the old woman asked, smiling.


    Ren laughed in response. ¡°Thanks, old lady. I...I appreciate what you did for me.¡± He paused, looking like he wanted to say more, but couldn¡¯t find the words.


    ¡°Go to sleep boy,¡± the woman said as he stood there, mulling over his words. ¡°There¡¯s no need to say anything. Just go to sleep. Your body needs quite a lot of help.¡±


    Ren smiled at the woman, a rare, genuine smile. ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    And with those words, his exhausted mind shut itself off, right then and there, letting Ren fall face-first onto the ground. He landed with a thud, already snoring.

 Chapter 31 – Arterius

    Within the biggest room in the biggest ship present on Earth''s horizon sat an old man. He was cross-legged, his eyes closed, seemingly in a meditative trance. A neat, cone-shaped goatee hung off his face and long, flowing hair fell past his elbows. The aged lines on his face and the pure white of his hair were testament to the many years the man had borne witness.


    Around him swirled a whirlwind of powerful, potent Flux. It spun around the man like the raging tides of a river, so thick and dense it obscured him from sight. The smoke was an utter white, the white of fluffy summer clouds or untouched fields of snow. The bed under the man creaked and groaned under the immense weight and the luxurious room was ruined by the chaos.


    The chaos, however, was clearly hard to maintain. After a few minutes, the man let loose a deep breath, the swirling smoke suddenly dissipating, disappearing into nothingness. Stillness returned to the room, silent save for the man¡¯s heavy breathing.


    There was a knock at the door, and the man answered without even looking up. ¡°Come in,¡± he said, his old voice gravelly yet quiet.


    The heavy wooden doors swung open to reveal an old woman, who stood with her hands tucked into her sleeves. A small, kind smile adorned her aged face. ¡°Still can¡¯t do it?¡± she asked gently.


    The man hung his head, palms covering his face. ¡°The blasted runes are just so complex!¡± he swore, frustration coating his voice.


    The old woman chuckled. ¡°You¡¯d think you¡¯d have learned by now that getting angry will only make it harder. It has only been, oh I don¡¯t know, a few thousand years.¡± Her voice had an intimate warmth to it, despite its teasing lilt.


    The man chuckled, tension leaving his hunched shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said with a warm smile, looking up at the woman with tender eyes. ¡°Come, sit,¡± he said, patting the spot beside him.


    The woman returned his smile as she made her way over to him.


    ¡°Are you going to tell me where you¡¯ve been?¡± the man asked as she sat down.


    ¡°I went down for a bit,¡± the woman answered nonchalantly.


    ¡°Aya¡­¡± the man began, but she waved him off.


    ¡°I know, I know, it''s risky and all. But you know I just can¡¯t say no to little Leo, after all.¡±


    The old man raised his eyebrows. ¡°He called you down?¡± he asked, sounding disappointed. ¡°He should know better.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Aya corrected, ¡°it was for a good reason. He found quite the peculiar case this time.¡±


    The man looked at her. ¡°Is that what¡¯s been bothering you?¡± he asked.


    Aya looked up at the man, surprised. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The man smiled softly at her. ¡°Oh come on, Aya. I may not be as sharp as you are, but after a few thousand years, even I picked some things up. What¡¯s wrong?¡± His voice was kind, gentle, but the woman could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn''t going to let go of this.


    Aya sighed, looking down at her hands. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve felt it too. Because of the Planet Seal, Astros¡¯ Threads are almost nonexistent here.¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°It¡¯s what¡¯s been causing me so much trouble with the summoning rune. Even with our regard for the mages who wrote the Planet Seal, we were still underestimating them. To cut off the very Threads of the universe is an unimaginable feat.¡± He paused, confusion written on his face. ¡°Is that what¡¯s bothering you?¡±


    Aya laughed. ¡°No, you idiot,¡± she said lightly. ¡°I¡¯m getting to it. Because of the almost nonexistent Threads, the Truth of the world was very weakly hidden. So I took a little peek.¡±


    The man gasped. ¡°Aya!¡± he said, his voice a mixture of admonishment and worry.


    Aya waved off his concern again. ¡°The defense was weak, so I¡¯m sure Astros won¡¯t be too mad about it, if it even notices.¡±


    ¡°Still, Aya!¡± the man said, not to be deterred this time. ¡°That is not something you can do lightly! Especially before such an important fight. We can¡¯t have your soul getting damaged right now.¡±


    Aya smiled sheepishly, unable to dodge the nagging this time. ¡°You¡¯re right, I know. But still, I just felt compelled to do it. I needed to see something.¡±


    ¡°That must be what¡¯s bothering you! Are you sure your soul is fine? Maybe we should get a soul mage to take a look.¡±


    Aya shook her head in adamant denial. ¡°No, my soul is fine. I might not be a soul mage, but my affinity is still tied closely to it. I¡¯d know if I was suffering from a backlash. And besides, I know what¡¯s bothering me. I found what I wanted to know from the Truth. It¡¯s¡­It¡¯s what I saw that¡¯s bothering me.¡± The woman paused then, going silent for a minute.


    The man didn¡¯t push, despite his curiosity. He desperately wanted to know what his wife could have seen in the Truth of a Primitive Grade planet that could be bothering her to such a level. As a being that had very likely been alive longer than society had existed on the planet, he couldn¡¯t imagine how something could have happened on the planet that would shake even her.


    ¡°I wanted to see the lives of two children,¡± the woman finally began. ¡°It was something about their eyes. They instantly captured my attention. They looked so¡­broken, so mature. And I found out why. I saw their lives. And right from the first image, I knew I should¡¯ve stopped. But I couldn¡¯t.¡± Now that she had begun, the words spilled out of her unfettered, like water from a broken cup. ¡°So I watched. I watched every moment of their lives. Every horrendous moment¡­It was horrible. I saw things, Arty.¡± Her voice broke a little, suffocated with grief. ¡°Such cruel things.¡±


    Seeing his wife¡¯s distress, the old man immediately wrapped his arms around the woman, pulling her into his chest.


    After a minute of silence, Aya pushed herself away again, a sad smile on her face. ¡°You¡¯re probably confused, huh?¡± she said, sniffling. ¡°After all, throughout all our adventures, you¡¯d think I¡¯d have gotten used to things like this.¡±


    The man huffed a laugh. ¡°We have seen so much, haven¡¯t we? Remember the Temple of Azgroc?¡±


    Aya shook her head sadly. ¡°Or the Battle of Flazer Field?¡±


    The man nodded somberly. ¡°Oh, yeah. That was¡­disgusting. A bloodbath.¡±


    Aya scoffed. ¡°You were just a soldier. I was a Receiving Nurse back then. The job no one wanted, not even the hardiest of the healers.¡±


    The man laughed softly, his eyes glowing in reminiscence. ¡°Yeah, I remember. That was the first healing position you ever got, right?¡±


    Aya nodded. ¡°I was so desperate to make a difference, to use what I had to help, that I was even willing to take the worst positions. But in the end, it was worth it. It helped me become who I am now. The things I saw in those tiny medic tents¡­ helped me become the healer I am today.¡±


    The man looked the woman in the eyes. ¡°And what you saw today was worse?¡±


    Aya looked down. ¡°It wasn¡¯t as gory, no. But¡­it was so much crueler. Everything I¡¯ve ever seen, every battle or bloodbath I¡¯ve ever witnessed, was always between warriors. People ready to die, people who understood the path they had chosen. And even when there were crimes against innocents, it was always indiscriminate. Mass killings born out of a lack of concern, a lack of worth attached to the lives of others. But that¡­that was different. I will never understand how someone can be so cruel to a child. It was like it was personal, like they hated the child for simply existing. Like the children were being punished for the crimes of another life, but I cannot think of a crime that could warrant such a punishment.¡±


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    The man was silent, taking in his wife¡¯s words. A part of him wanted to see these children himself. ¡°How are they still functioning now? After everything they¡¯ve been through?¡±


    Aya smiled sadly. ¡°Astros knows. Maybe they simply don¡¯t understand the things that were done to them. Or maybe their minds just locked out enough of the memories to keep them functioning. Or maybe¡­maybe they¡¯re just that strong. Maybe their will is just that powerful. I suppose only the future will tell.¡±


    The man smiled at that. ¡°I hope it¡¯s the last one. If they really are that strong, it¡¯ll only be a matter of time before they become mages of great importance.¡± The man spoke with a glint in his eyes. ¡°That¡¯ll certainly make things very interesting.¡±


    -


    Within a deep, hidden crevice in a mountain range lay nestled a dark and damp cave. And within that cave sat a man obscured by a swirling cloud of almost glowing azure smoke. The whirlwind of Flux spun violently, moving like the raging tides of a river. Powerful winds generated by the smoke buffeted the clothes of the single woman present.


    She sat demurely, unmoving as a statue. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap, her head lowered. Yet despite the serene stillness that possessed her body, her mind raged in turmoil.


    Wrathful waves of anger and rage and guilt washed the walls of her mind, her heart a turbulent sea of painful emotion. And throughout the chaos, one thought reigned supreme, echoing again and again in her mind.


    She hated insects. So, so much. Now, more than ever before.


    As she sat there in the oppressive silence of the cave, her mind dragged her unwillingly to the past. She watched, helpless to do anything, as the images of her own actions replayed endlessly in her mind. She watched herself as she stumbled upon a strange cave in the woods. As she met the strange, powerful man. As she surrendered, like the coward she was, in front of his overwhelming strength. She yelled and screamed at herself, berated herself, but it was futile. She could not change the past, could not remedy the consequences of her actions.


    She watched as her beloved Guild Leader ¨C the man who had changed her life, who had saved her life more times than she could count ¨C drank from the poisoned cup. She watched, again and again, as the light faded from his eyes, a forgiveness glowing in them that she did not deserve.


    She had thought that she was doing what was best for the guild. She knew the strength of the strange man. She knew that there was no mage on Earth that could stand up to him. She thought that the safest course of action was to join the strange man¡¯s side as soon as possible, that it would have the highest chance of preserving the lives of her guild members.


    But the man did not value loyalty, did not care for the help they provided. He barely saw them as living beings, she understood now. Like the rest of the guilds he had captured, her guild members had been sent out to fight until their deaths against the rescuers of humanity. People she had never for a minute thought would come.


    If only she had known.


    Now, even if the rescuers won, she could never rejoin society. Not after what she¡¯d done. There was no more life for her, no future for her. Not after she had aided in bringing carnage to her entire world.


    She thought of her mother¡¯s home in Vancouver. Of her childhood room. Of the millions of other childhood rooms that were now ruined because of her. Of the millions of mothers and fathers that were dead because of her.


    No, she thought then. Not because of her. Because of that man. It was that man who had done all this. Not her. Sure, in the end, her actions had helped his goal, but everything she had done was out of a care for her people. All she had wanted was to live the rest of her life out at the side of her Guild Leader, with her friends. A quiet, simple life. She didn¡¯t want any of this.


    And if she had resisted the man in the beginning, he would simply have killed her and found someone else. This outcome was entirely a result of his actions. It was because of that man, no, that animal-


    The woman suddenly bent over, her lips parting in silent agony. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes as a burning, stinging pain worse than anything in the world took over her entire body; like a million ants biting her everywhere on her body.


    Soon, the pain dissipated, leaving behind only a distant echo in the empty husk of her soul. She was left breathing in ragged gasps, her eyes shut as she tried to ignore the wiggling in the base of her neck. She hadn¡¯t forgotten about the centipede, the bug that enforced utter loyalty to the man, but she couldn''t help herself. Despite the pain of its bite, she had been constantly pushing its limits, testing to see how much she could get away with.


    There was really no reason to, no real plan behind it. Like banging her head against the wall. Perhaps she only did it because it brought her some semblance of control over the mess that her life had become. Or maybe it was because she felt she deserved the pain, a sort of atonement for her sins. In the end, she didn¡¯t really know.


    -


    Back on the ship, just as the aged couple had finished their conversation, the soft sound of a knock came from their door.


    ¡°Enter,¡± said the man.


    The doors opened up once again, revealing a young woman. She dipped herself into a graceful curtsy as she greeted the two. ¡°Archbishop, Mother Saintess, I have a report.¡±


    Aya smiled warmly at the girl. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We have received confirmation from every teleportation station that all living Earthen not under the control of the Monarch have been given medical treatment and brought up to a transport ship. We are ready to begin the capture.¡±


    Aya pursed her lips as the man nodded. ¡°How many of them did we get? The Earthens?¡± Aya asked.


    ¡°Around a hundred thousand,¡± the girl replied matter-of-factly, like she was reporting the weather.


    ¡°And what of the Insect Monarch?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°The Cloud Saint has reported that the Insect Monarch has not moved from his hiding spot. He has been gathering Flux in seclusion for the past few days, likely in preparation to attempt the Planetary Sacrifice Arte.¡±


    The old man heaved a sigh at the information. ¡°So it appears a fight is inevitable. I had hoped he would¡¯ve given up by now.¡±


    Aya shook her head. ¡°Of course he wouldn¡¯t. Not when he¡¯s that close to transcending. You know how mages get when they are that close to the next step in strength. It¡¯s like waving a drug in front of an addict. It¡¯s an all-consuming madness. And even if he could understand that he stands no chance, he would still fight us till the end, just to spite us.¡±


    The man laughed grimly. ¡°Of course. That man always did seem to harbor an abnormal hatred for us, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    Aya chuckled. ¡°Well, we have been chasing him for at least a few hundred years now. I¡¯d imagine he¡¯s quite tired of us barging in and ruining his plans so often.¡±


    The man smiled, pushing himself up to his feet. ¡°That¡¯s a few hundred years too long to be dealing with that creep. Let¡¯s finally put an end to his career, shall we?¡±


    Aya got up as well, but she seemed worried. ¡°But what of the sword summoning?¡±


    The man shrugged nonchalantly, grinning at his wife. ¡°Eh, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll figure it out. I always did better under pressure, anyway.¡±


    -


    Planet Earth ¨C a planet that once housed over eight billion humans and a plethora of other diverse creatures, providing habitat and life for everything from soaring eagles to deep-sea sharks and anything imaginable in between ¨C now lay almost utterly abandoned. Streets all around the globe lay deserted, from the bustling marketplaces of Morocco to the hustling cities of America. Now, all that remained of humanity¡¯s existence were decrepit cities and grand structures that reached for the sky, monoliths of their limitless ambition. All that told of their proud story were ruined monuments of glass and steel and concrete; abandoned shrines built in the name of their conceit.


    Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure pressed down on Earth, as if the planet¡¯s gravity had abruptly multiplied manyfold. Buildings around the globe came crashing down to the ground as their supports buckled under the weight. Bridges fell into the rivers and bays they used to hover over. Avalanches and mudslides swooped through villages and towns, demolishing everything in their paths.


    New York City took the brunt of the damage, however. The entirety of the city was instantly flattened, pressed down like a can under a boot. A massive cloud of dust was thrown up as buildings and houses imploded in on themselves, transforming the once towering cityscape into heaps of rubble.


    Far above the cloud of dust, a lone man hovered hundreds of meters up in the air, his loose robes fluttering about in the wind. The snowy white of his hair swayed as the man floated in space, his aged eyes surveying the ruined planet at his feet. Sorrow glinted in his gaze, but it was quickly replaced by a calm flame. A suppressed anger that threatened to explode out at any moment.


    The man¡¯s figure was dwarfed by the expansive backdrop of golden and pink that spread across the heavens. But the pressure his mere presence exuded could be felt everywhere on the planet, even within the deepest caves in the most hidden corners of the earth.


    Within one such cave, a man sitting within a swirling cloud of blue Flux opened his eyes. A cruel grin spread across his face as he awoke. ¡°So, the Archbishop of the Grand Order, the legendary holy knight Arterius, finally makes his move.¡± His voice was frigid, almost inhuman in its lack of emotion. The curl of his lips dripped with murderous malice, painting his face with a look more demon than man.


    "Prepare the hornet."

 Chapter 32 – Insect Monarch

    Arterius had only appeared on Earth¡¯s horizon for a few moments when the planet began to shake. The kilometer-wide circular field of dirt directly under him soon exploded outward, as if a bomb had detonated under the surface. Pieces of dirt spewed out dozens of meters high, throwing dust and debris everywhere.


    Before the dust could even settle, a loud, incessant buzzing came from the ground. Arterius looked down at the obscured hole, his senses already warning him of a danger hurtling towards him. The constant buzzing got louder and louder, sounding almost like artillery fire, but Arterius simply stood in the sky, watching. Soon, a shadow darkened the cloud of dust, but still, Arterius only watched.


    Then, all of a sudden, Arterius abruptly vanished from his spot, reappearing almost a hundred meters away. And not a second too late, as the massive mandibles of a hornet clamped down on the spot where he had stood just before.


    Arterius took the sight of the giant insect before him in stride, not even balking at the sight of the kilometer-long abomination. The bug, which a human entomologist would identify as an Asian Giant Hornet, was the strongest of the Insect Monarch¡¯s pets on Earth, a specialty made specifically for handling the mages of the Grand Order. After all, its strength would never have been needed for handling the mages on Earth.


    But, faced with the most dangerous animal Earth had ever seen, Arterius simply smiled ¨C the smile of an adult watching a child attempt to fight.


    Without making even a single movement, a giant circle a few hundred meters across formed in front of him, filled with spiraling characters made of a golden light that appeared as if drawn by an invisible hand. They began at the outer ring and wrote their way around, spiralling inward until the entire thing was full. The characters were of an incomprehensible language, with patternless strokes unlike any Earthen language, but even a non-mage could tell that an unfathomable, archaic power was hidden behind them.


    The second the entire circle was filled with the strange markings ¨C a process that took only a fraction of a second ¨C a singular purple bolt of lightning shot out from the center. It arced across the space in less than a second, charging the air around it as it moved.


    The hornet sensed the danger, but it was too slow to save itself. With its massive body, it didn¡¯t take very precise aiming to hit it dead in its center.


    The bolt hit the bug like a truck, sending the thing hurtling through the air. Tiny purple arcs of lightning danced around the thing¡¯s body as it flipped around and around in the air, but the bug quickly regained control of itself. Its massive wings beat hard, generating massive gusts of wind.


    The second it stopped moving, it bolted towards Arterius with incredible speed, moving faster than anything its size had any right to.


    Arterius simply smiled as the bug came towards him. With his hands still clasped calmly behind his back, three massive circles of golden letters appeared again. Out of them came three more bolts of lightning, each just as powerful as the first. But this time, the hornet was ready for it. Flying like an ace pilot, it pivoted around the bolts with expert control, dodging each strike by a hair.


    The three bolts instead hit the ground behind the bug, setting off explosions that could have brought skyscrapers down. Massive craters were left behind in the wake of their landing, a testament to the horrifying power behind each spell.


    The bug, having dodged each bolt, found itself only a few meters away from Arterius. Immediately, it clamped its mandibles shut with enough force to cleave a bus in half, but it was too slow. Arterius had already teleported almost half a kilometer above the hornet and cast his second spell of the fight.


    Looking down from above the bug, the man created yet another kilometer-wide circle full of golden letters. Only, this time, the characters were noticeably in a different order.


    The circle, parallel to the Earth¡¯s surface, conjured a pillar of flames exactly as massive as it was. The flames pushed all the way down to the ground, crashing past the bug like it didn¡¯t exist. The massive span of the spell completely encompassed the bug¡¯s entire body, dousing the thing in bright orange flames. The flames ran down like liquid, maintaining the flow for almost a minute ¨C as if a faucet of flames had opened above the Earth.


    When the flames finally stopped, there was a massive circle of charred dirt where the fire had been, and inside the circle lay a gigantic, blackened body. The legs and wings twitched still, but the entirety of its face and body had been scorched till it was unrecognizable.


    Arterius floated in the air, passively watching the dead animal, when a voice came behind him.


    ¡°As expected of the great Archbishop, the legend of Flazer Field, the right hand of Astros,¡± the voice said in mocking grandiose. ¡°The harbinger of justice, the legendary holy knight, Arterius. To have dealt with my special pet with only two spells. And the most basic of spells, at that. Are you trying to embarrass me?¡±


    Arterius sighed, turning to greet the man floating a few meters behind him. The man had a youthful face, his skin a pasty white that looked like it¡¯d never been touched by the sun. Long black hair fell down to his waist, fluttering gently behind him. He was wrapped in loose robes similar to Arterius¡¯ ¨C only his were sky blue.


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    His eyes, however, were undoubtedly his most striking feature. They almost glowed with a deep blue like the bluest ice of the Arctic, and they held the coldness to match. There was nothing in them except for a frigid indifference and an almost crazed resolve.


    ¡°I am not trying to embarrass you, Monarch,¡± Arterius responded to the man. ¡°You simply embarrass yourself.¡±


    The Monarch laughed placidly. ¡°You look good, Arterius. Especially for someone coming up on ten thousand years. It¡¯s hard to believe I¡¯m a few centuries older than you.¡±


    Arterius nodded. ¡°You do have quite the youthful face. I would consider switching to your skincare routine, but unfortunately, not everyone can go around murdering billions without a single thought.¡± Arterius sighed, acting as if genuinely sad. ¡°Some of us were cursed with souls, with compassion and empathy. Things you wouldn¡¯t really understand.¡±


    The Monarch sneered at the man¡¯s words. ¡°Oh, please. Spare me the righteous act. You and I both know the only reason the Grand Order even cares about me is because of the things I know. The old bats at the Council probably soil their pants every night knowing they can¡¯t control someone who carries the knowledge I have.¡± The man grinned with glee as he spoke, reveling in his fantasy.


    Arterius shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the politics of this. I am here because I will put an end to your crimes. I am here for justice, regardless of anything else.¡±


    The Monarch laughed again. ¡°Well, little Arterius, you are too late. I have already completed the rune for Planetary Sacrifice. If I were you, I¡¯d turn back right now and head home as fast as I could. Because once I ascend¡­¡± he paused then, laughing loudly. ¡°Then, there will be no stopping me. I will wreak havoc on the universe, I will murder your family and everyone you care about, I will feast on the corpses of-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand people like you,¡± Arterius cut in, stopping the Monarch¡¯s rambling. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what your end goal is. Is that really why you¡¯re doing all this? So you can¡­feast on corpses?¡± he asked, sounding genuinely disappointed. ¡°Is that what motivates you? And as for being unstoppable, you and I both know that¡¯s not true. Sure, the Archbishops of the Grand Order will no longer be able to contain you, and the Council of Astros is too cowardly to try, but you won¡¯t be unstoppable. Not in the whole universe. A few planets? Sure. You¡¯ll be able to take a few planets of your choosing and do absolutely whatever you want with them, and no one would willingly pick a fight with you over it. But even if you had ten times the strength you¡¯ll have after ascending, you wouldn¡¯t dare step on the Seven Petals¡¯ planet recklessly, or the home planet of the Celestial Palace. Or any of the five Lower Planets.¡±


    The Monarch looked at Arterius, for the first time without the mask of arrogance on his face. ¡°You ask what motivates me?¡± he asked, his voice cold. ¡°I live to destroy. My goal is to destroy. You ask why I want power? So that I can obliterate everything with my grasp. Once I have ascended to the realm of Emperors, I will destroy everything I am able to. I will kill everyone I am able to. And standing on their bones, I will take the next step and do it again. And again and again, until the very universe is nothing but ash, burnt in the flames of my rage.¡±


    Arterius shook his head at the Monarch¡¯s words, true sorrow in his eyes. ¡°What a sad, lonely road to walk.¡±


    The Monarch snorted. ¡°The universe put me on that path first. I wish simply to teach it how grave a mistake that was.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, Monarch, your story ends here. This will be the last planet that will burn at your hands. You won¡¯t ascend, because we know how to stop you.¡±


    The Monarch raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    ¡°So long as there is a single living being on the planet aside from the caster, the rune will not complete, and you will not be granted the strength you crave.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done your research, I see. Congratulations. But do you really think I have no way of getting you outside of this planet¡¯s atmosphere? After all, all I need is a single moment, a mere fraction of a second, and the rune will complete.¡±


    Arterius didn¡¯t respond, looking at the Monarch warily.


    The Monarch laughed under Arterius¡¯ scrutiny. ¡°What? Why are you looking at me with such suspicion? I¡¯m only going to blow myself up. I was about running out of time with this clone, anyway. Oh, but I do suggest shielding your ships. The blast won¡¯t kill all of them, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get thousands, at least,¡± he said, grinning viciously as he spoke. Glowing blue lines began to appear on his face, like his very blood was changing color. They spread all over his body, growing faster and faster while getting brighter.


    Arterius stared at the Monarch in dumb shock, indecision coloring his face as he rapidly went over his options. But before he could decide, his wife¡¯s voice came from behind him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the ships, Arterius!¡± she yelled. ¡°The Cloud Saint and I will protect them.¡±


    Both Arterius and the Monarch looked over to see the old woman and another man who sat cross-legged on a puffy white cloud, both of their hands stretched outward as they created a gigantic shield of golden light big enough to protect all twelve ships.


    But the Monarch wasn¡¯t one to let his plans be foiled so easily. With a grin, he shot forward toward the shield, his body a blur as he travelled faster than a bullet.


    Immediately seeing his target, Arterius shot after the Monarch without a second of hesitation, not pausing to think of the consequences.


    Aya, seeing both men rushing towards her, yelled out at her husband. ¡°Arterius, no!¡±


    But it was too late. The Monarch crashed through the golden shield like it was glass, immediately latching onto Aya. His body was more blue than skin as he wrapped his arms around the old woman, his detonation mere seconds away.


    Following him came Arterius, his eyes wild as he desperately thought of a way to save his wife.


    The Monarch grinned like a madman as he watched Arterius leave Earth¡¯s atmosphere. As his body grew brighter and brighter, until it was almost blinding to look at, he laughed a crazed laugh. ¡°You fools!¡± he exclaimed loudly. ¡°The game is over! I have won!¡±


    And then he exploded.

 Chapter 33 – Blade of Gwenneth

    Kelsey sat at the foot of a cave, head supported by her hands, as she watched the two beings in the sky. She had seen the fight against the massive hornet, so she knew that the two up there were likely of equal strength. So, as they talked, she felt the faintest flicker of hope, a hope that perhaps her mistakes had not ended the story of her race.


    Not that she''d live to see the outcome. She was dying, she knew. But she didn¡¯t fight it. She didn¡¯t know what awaited her after it, but she hoped there would be nothing. Mere nonexistence, a void of darkness and peace. Not that she deserved it. Which was why she hoped beyond hope that there existed no afterlife, no hell, no judgment ¨C and she hated herself for that selfish wish. For a person like her to die and meet rest instead of punishment was unjust, and utterly unfair to the billions she had wronged. But, then again, when had the world ever been fair?


    Pain suddenly clawed at her stomach then, as her eyelids became heavier and heavier. Black lines spread on her skin as whatever strange poison the centipede was killing her with worked its way through her veins. She had mere moments left of life, and she felt at a loss. She didn¡¯t cling to her life, didn¡¯t rage against the powers of fate that had led her to this moment. She felt nothing but anxious. Afraid. Lost.


    She wanted to see the sunset. The ocean. The smile of her mother. She was just a girl, just starting her life. She had little ambition, content to watch others and enjoy her life. She¡¯d never wanted to hurt anyone.


    Yet now a planet of graves lay at her feet, and their vengeful eyes stared at her with seething hatred, waiting just beyond the veil of death.


    And she was afraid. She wasn¡¯t a warrior, a fighter. She didn¡¯t like pain. She could not handle the retribution she deserved.


    The man in the sky began to glow then, a resplendent, eye-catching blue. She looked up, and a mouthful of blood spurted past her lips, colouring the gray rocks under her. This was her end, she could feel it. She was slipping towards death, to whatever justice or injustice it held, and she had no power over it.


    ¡°Kelsey,¡± a voice suddenly whispered in her ear. A voice that sounded a lot like¡­¡°Guild Leader?¡± Kelsey asked, looking up. Her voice was husky, rough. Pained. Blackened veins had spread across her entire body, reaching inward from the edges of her face. The whites of her eyes had been corrupted, giving her the look of a demon.


    ¡°Kelsey, please,¡± the voice said again. ¡°I know it hurts, but you have to stay alive. You must! For the sake of humanity, you must stay alive.¡±


    Kelsey smiled a pained, confused smile. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to hear your voice again,¡± she said, her every word laboured and painful. ¡°Even if I¡¯m just hallucinating.¡±


    ¡°No, Kelsey, you aren¡¯t hallucinating. Please, Kelsey. You must stay alive,¡± the voice pleaded desperately.


    Kelsey nodded to the voice she thought was in her head. ¡°Okay, Guild Leader." She paused again for a moment, breathing softly. "I¡¯m sorry, by the way. For what I did.¡± Her voice cracked with emotion as she spoke, the words she thought she¡¯d never be able to say tumbling out of her. ¡°I was just¡­I was just doing what I thought was best. I didn¡¯t want to hurt anyone. I was just scared.¡± She was crying now, a black, viscous liquid leaking out of her eyes, rising from her throat and filling up her mouth. She stopped talking, wracking sobs taking over her body. Each one hurt like nothing else had ever hurt her before, but she stubbornly clung to life, refusing to let her eyelids fall, refusing to let the darkness take her.


    The sky exploded then, sending out powerful shockwaves that flattened the Earth yet again. It hit her like a truck, the force knocking her back onto the ground. She banged her head against the rock and her vision swam, but still, she held on. Her skin had turned almost entirely black, her body now beginning to wither. Her hair dried and fell out, teeth dropped out of her mouth, and her body shrivelled up like it was aging a hundred times faster. Everything in her body hurt, inside and outside, but still, she held on. She fought through the pain with a resolve she¡¯d never done anything in the world with.


    She may have betrayed her Guild Leader, murdered him with her very own hands, but she would not fail him again. Not this time.


    -


    The Insect Monarch stood with his hands spread to the heavens, floating high up in the sky. Powerful winds wracked the entire globe, picking up tsunamis and hurricanes. Earthquakes of magnitudes never before seen on Earth hit all around the planet as it creaked and groaned under the weight of a Monarch gathering enough Flux to ascend to the realm of the Emperors.


    The man laughed with unbridled glee as power, unlike anything he had ever felt before, entered his veins. It was a state of pure bliss, an utter wholeness he''d been chasing his entire life.


    And then, all of a sudden, just when he stood at the doorstep of the next realm, at the maw of the strength that he so badly craved, everything stopped. The winds died down, the earth regained its stability. Confusion warped the Monarch¡¯s face as he lowered his hands, wondering what had happened. Wondering how the Arte could have possibly failed. How his calculations could have possibly been mistaken.


    And then he sensed it. A heartbeat. On the planet.


    Fury took over the confusion, colouring his face livid. He immediately locked onto the heartbeat and cast the fastest Arte he could, sending a purple lightning bolt over to the spot.


    The bolt travelled faster than natural lightning itself, but it was still too late. Before it could reach the mountains, a dishevelled man with burnt robes appeared in its path, deflecting the thing with a mere slap.


    The bolt changed directions, knocked down to the ground kilometers away from its target. Arterius stood in its path, his hair tousled and his robes charred at the edges, his chest heaving as he breathed hard. A look of utter rage boiled beneath the surface of his face, like a volcano seconds from eruption.


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    ¡°NO!¡± the Monarch screamed in unbridled fury, insanity warping his face as he realized that he had lost his easiest chance to fulfill his goal. ¡°NO!! I WAS SO CLOSE. HOW DARE YOU!!¡± Spittle flew out of his mouth as he raged like a man who had lost everything. ¡°I WILL KILL YOU ALL! YOU THINK YOU''VE WON? NEVER! I WILL-¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Arterius¡¯ voice cut in, his voice quiet yet carrying a terrifying lethality. ¡°Shut up, you disgusting excuse for a man." He was breathing hard, like he was doing everything within his power to contain his rage. "I don¡¯t like getting angry. I don¡¯t enjoy the feeling of hatred or rage. I am a calm person.¡± Arterius looked at the Monarch then, his eyes glinting with a light so dangerous that even the Monarch, for the first time in millennia, felt the ethereal chill of fear. ¡°But you¡­¡± Arterius continued. ¡°You crossed a line, you insect.¡±


    As he spoke, he stretched his hand out sideways, and the Flux of the entire world reacted. Pure white smoke swirled around his outstretched arm, and a small golden circle only a foot wide appeared at his fingertips. Despite its tiny size, however, anyone could tell by looking at it that the few characters present within the circle held power far surpassing any other Arte that had been cast that day.


    The power exuded by Arterius at the moment rooted the Monarch to his spot, the pressure so great that he could do nothing but watch.


    The moment the rune completed, the handle of a sword poked out of the middle, seemingly materializing out of thin air.


    ¡°To vanquish all evil, to slay all demons, to end all chaos,¡± Arterius muttered as his outstretched hand clasped onto the handle and tugged. ¡°Grant me your strength, Blade of Gwenneth.¡±


    At his command, the entire sword came out of the golden circle like it was being pulled out of an invisible sheath. The sword was majestic, radiating a holiness that repulsed darkness. Its blade was a foot wide and more than a meter long, double-edged and glistening white. The cross guard and pommel were made of shining gold, and the handle itself was made of a marble-like white stone.


    Despite the strength radiated by the sword, however, the Monarch was undeterred. The second the summoning was over, and the immense pressure was lifted off of his shoulders, the Monarch summoned his own sword and dashed forward, a crazed glint in his eyes.


    While the Monarch¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t as flashy as the Blade of Gwenneth, it was not to be underestimated. Having soaked in the blood of many, many powerful mages, it carried a bloodthirst of its own that wouldn¡¯t lose out to even the most prolific of assassins.


    Its darkness was a perfect counter to the Blade of Gwenneth¡¯s holiness, so when the two blades clashed, it was a perfect battle of their wielder¡¯s strengths. The shockwave generated by the clash would have been enough to level a city and was more than enough to kill Kelsey, who had been lying at death¡¯s door for longer than anyone ever had in her state.


    However, before the shockwave could reach her, a dishevelled Aya arrived before her. With a single hand, she erected a shimmering golden wall around them that perfectly blocked off the wind.


    ¡°Oh, you poor, poor thing,¡± Aya said as she got down beside Kelsey, whose body was now entirely black and wilted like it had aged a hundred years. Gently, she placed her hands on the woman¡¯s arm and closed her eyes, her entire focus on healing the woman. For the first time in many centuries, Aya was unsure if she had the ability required to heal her patient. Any normal person would have died long before their body could be damaged to the state that Kelsey¡¯s had been. The fact that she had held on to life for so long against a poison developed by the Monarch himself was a feat even Aya had never seen before.


    Still, she was the Mother Saintess after all, and her title wasn¡¯t for nothing. Within seconds, she had blocked every sensory neuron on Kelsey¡¯s body, letting her brain float into a state of utter bliss, devoid of the hellish pain it had suffered for so long.


    There wasn¡¯t much she could do in terms of saving her life though, even with her capabilities. Every organ and vessel within Kelsey¡¯s body had been contaminated by the poison, and a poison developed by the Monarch was no easy opponent, even for one of the most proficient healers in the universe.


    But Aya was not going to let the woman who had very likely saved all their lives die so pitifully at the hands of the Monarch. Even with her body in an almost irreparable state, there was still a way. Something that perhaps no other mage could pull off, but Aya had faith in herself. This was why she had become a healer, after all. To save the people scorned by fate; to allow the wretched tools of destiny another chance at life.


    With a plan in mind, Aya furrowed her brows and got to work.


    -


    While Aya worked desperately to save Kelsey, a fierce battle took place high up in the air above them.


    The Monarch attacked Arterius with wild abandon, his hate-fueled insanity powering his flurry of swings. Both men were accomplished swordsmen in their own right, and both fought with legendary weapons. The Monarch¡¯s thinner blade held the advantage in mobility and speed, and his style played to his strengths. He jabbed and swung with precision, his every attack aimed at putting Arterius in a disadvantageous position. Still, with his wider blade more suited to defence and strength, Arterius beautifully parried the Monarch¡¯s attempts. Golden white and blue streaks met each other repeatedly, their every clash rocking the very Earth beneath them, decimating the surrounding mountains.


    Eventually, Arterius finally managed to land a full-powered swing on the Monarch, sending the mage flying like a blue comet across the sky before crashing into the belly of a mountain, sending up an explosion of dust.


    Arterius breathed hard as he finally got a break, sweat pouring off his forehead. It had been many years since he¡¯d last fought as hard as he did today. After all, at his level, it wasn¡¯t easy to find sparring partners.


    Unfortunately for him, his break wouldn¡¯t last long. Before a minute had even passed, Arterius suddenly felt a powerful force sucking him upwards.


    Feeling his body moving without his control, Arterius immediately looked upwards to find a red rune, a circle a few meters across with the same strange characters filling it up.


    Realizing the danger it presented, Arterius fought as hard as he could to break out of the hold of the powerful Arte, but try as he might, Arterius could not regain control of his body as he sped upwards faster and faster. Then, the second he reached the rune, the Monarch¡¯s foot broke through the blood-red characters and stomped down onto Arterius¡¯ stomach. Arterius¡¯ body bent like a U around the Monarch¡¯s foot as his immense momentum pushed the rest of his body upwards still. Spittle flew out of his mouth as the breath rushed out of him. Once his momentum had finally been cancelled out, Arterius was pushed down back to Earth, reaching speeds no human had reached before on Earth.


    He crashed into Earth with a massive explosion, sending up an enormous cloud of dirt. The crater around him spanned a few hundred meters wide, spiderwebbed cracks spreading throughout.


    When Arterius¡¯ swimming vision finally returned to normal, his eyes locked with the Monarch¡¯s, who floated a few hundred meters above with a murderous glint in his eyes. A cruel smile spread across the Monarch''s face as he stared at him, the cold smile of a man who didn¡¯t blink at the genocide of billions.


    ¡°You die today, dog of Astros,¡± he vowed, his voice dripping with vengeful hatred.

 Chapter 34 – Battle of Monarchs

    The Monarch lifted his sword high above his head, azure smoke swirling around the blade as he gathered his power. Arterius could immediately feel that the strike would leave him in a critical state if it landed, but no matter how much he willed himself, his body would not move.


    Pleasure glinted in the Monarch¡¯s eyes as he watched Arterius struggling to escape, his sword whistling as he brought it down with relish. A crescent-shaped blade of compressed smoke shot out of the Monarch¡¯s blade as he swung, flying towards Arterius with breakneck speed.


    But, before the blade could connect with Arterius¡¯ body, a knight-like figure made of water appeared in its path, raising its water longsword to deflect the Monarch¡¯s attack.


    The crescent blade hit the blade and diverted away from its target, hitting the ground hundreds of meters away from Arterius. It hit the dirt like a bomb, throwing up an explosion of dust and debris as it left behind a giant crater.


    The water knight didn¡¯t stop there. It flew up to where the Monarch floated, raising its blade to attack. But the attack was pathetically weak. The Monarch parried the blow with a single hand, looking at the knight in contempt, not realizing his mistake.


    When he did realize, though, it was too late for him. The Cloud Saint had already appeared above him, with a long wooden pole in his hands that he swung down onto the Monarch¡¯s head.


    The crash of the pole on his head sent the Monarch spiralling down to the ground, only for the water knight under him to sink its fist into his gut. The force sent the man back upwards, where the Saint waited with his pole, ready to knock him back down.


    But instead of letting the two bounce him around like a ping pong ball, the Monarch forcefully regained control of his body as he flew and pushed upward faster than the Cloud Saint expected.


    Before the Cloud Saint could react, the Monarch had already rushed up to him and clasped his hand around his neck, trapping him with a vice-like grip.


    As the two flew upward, the Monarch stared into the eyes of the Cloud Saint with blue eyes that sparkled with pure liquid insanity. ¡°You dare¡­¡± he said, his voice quiet, shaking with rage. ¡°You dare toy with me?!¡±


    The Saint grimaced as the fingers around his neck constricted the blood flow to his head. At his level, breathing wouldn¡¯t be much of an issue for a while, but the trapped blood in his head was an immediate danger to his life.


    Still, despite the disorienting pain, the man managed to cast two Artes as they flew. The first of the golden circles formed below them, releasing chains that glowed golden and shackled the two together, trapping them in place.


    The second circle formed above them, sending down a torrent of flames that doused the both of them in bright orange.


    While the fire was only strong enough to wear away at the protective Flux that coated their bodies, it still hurt the both of them quite a bit. Enough for the Monarch to loosen his grip on the Saint for a second, just long enough for him to escape.


    He appeared a few hundred meters away, robes tattered and breathing hard. But before he could even catch his breath, a quiet voice whispered into his ear.


    ¡°Think you can get away that easily, do you?¡± it asked, dripping with malicious insanity.


    And then an intense pain bloomed as the Monarch swung his sword, cutting a bloody gash along the Cloud Saint¡¯s back. The Saint fell like a bird with its wings clipped, leaving the Monarch floating alone as he stared down at the falling, almost unconscious man. The dark sword in his hands dripped with blood.


    But the Monarch knew better than to leave it at that. The Cloud Saint may have been an entire realm lower than him and the Archbishop, but even a Saint¡¯s vitality could not be underestimated.


    Angling his sword down, the Monarch launched himself after the falling man, like a falcon swooping down on its prey. The tip of his blade gleamed as it barreled down on the Cloud Saint¡¯s back, but before it could bite down on its target, an old woman appeared in its path.


    Aya cast a fierce gaze at the Monarch as he continually sped up towards her, a crazy gleam in his eyes.


    ¡°So, yet another flea wishes to join the fun, eh?¡± he said, his sword plunging towards Aya¡¯s heart.


    But it never got to reach its target. Without so much as a flinch, Aya met the Monarch¡¯s insane eyes with unwavering steel right up until the tip of the sword stopped just inches away from her nose. A small droplet of the Saint¡¯s blood ran down the edge as the Monarch came to a sudden stop, dropping onto Aya¡¯s face.


    Golden chains gripped all of the Monarch¡¯s limbs, holding him in place. The mad smile on his face didn¡¯t fade in the least as the chains groaned against the pressure.


    ¡°You are revolting,¡± Aya said as she stared into the eyes of the Monarch, not finding even the slightest hint of humanity left within them. Without waiting for a response, she waved her hand and the chains restraining the Monarch immediately ignited, burning with a scorching blue flame.


    The Monarch writhed in agony as the flaming chains held him captive, his open mouth drooling as he reared his head back in pain. But strangely enough, not a sound escaped his lips, even as the flames burnt away more and more of his protective Flux, the pain growing in intensity every second.


    The flames danced in Aya¡¯s eyes as she watched with an emotionless gaze. She did not take pleasure in the pain of the Monarch, nor in the fact that a person who had inflicted so much pain on others was now suffering instead, at last. She only found it pitiful: the pointless, endless cycle of suffering that seemed the universe¡¯s favourite pastime.


    Then, just as Aya was sure that the Monarch was done, he suddenly stopped thrashing. He stilled himself, chest heaving as he breathed hard, and forced himself to face Aya, a broken smile splitting his face.


    ¡°Did you think I would give up so easily?¡± he asked, his voice light. ¡°After all this? After I¡¯ve come this far? Did you really think this was the end? Do you think someone can get to my level, can pull off the things I have pulled off, can create the legends I have created, and lack the will to resist a little pain?¡± He laughed a ridiculing laugh. And as he did, his body seemingly began to shift from within, as the very bones of his torso had begun to rearrange themselves.


    The skin of his back began to rise in two different directions until wings fully sprouted, ripping through his skin with an awful tearing sound.


    The wings were transparent, like a wasp¡¯s, and the instant they grew, the Monarch¡¯s very aura began to warp. The rest of his body also transformed, with mandibles extending from the corners of his lips, antennae growing out from his head, and four spindly legs sprouting from both his sides.


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    Soon, he looked less human and more like some twisted fusion of insect and man. He hissed like a madman at Aya as a dangerous pressure pressed down on her shoulders. With ease, the Monarch flexed his limbs and shattered the chains around him, like they were made of ice.


    Aya instantly knew that the strength of the Monarch had far surpassed the limits of her offensive capabilities, but she could also feel the growing aura at her back, one that matched the Monarch¡¯s new strength.


    The Monarch, now freed, lunged towards her, arm outstretched as he closed in on her neck. But, before his fingers could reach her, a small rune appeared under Aya¡¯s feet, and a blink of an eye later, she suddenly appeared back on the ground. The Cloud Saint¡¯s body lay a few feet from her, his chest rising and falling still, but barely.


    Up in the sky, right where she had stood, now stood Arterius. The Monarch, keeping his momentum, wrapped his fingers around Arterius¡¯ neck instead, but Arterius didn¡¯t budge an inch. Like a statue, he stood unmoving as the Monarch¡¯s weight crashed into him.


    He met the Monarch¡¯s maddened gaze with his own glare, the anger within him alive and burning. Before the Monarch could react, Arterius had landed a full-powered fist onto the Monarch¡¯s face, striking him so hard his face warped around his fist.


    The Monarch blew backwards like a cannonball launched, flying for hundreds of meters before finally coming to a stop. He looked up to the heavens as he sucked in a few deep breaths, before bringing his gaze back down to meet Arterius¡¯. He smiled, his lips stretching into a revolting and twisted imitation of a smile broken by the elongated mandibles at the edges of his mouth.


    Arterius readied his sword, preparing to rush the Monarch, but before he could move, the Monarch vanished. Immediately, Arterius whipped around and swung his sword without even looking. The Monarch, who had just appeared there, was caught completely off guard. But still, before Arterius¡¯ blade could reach him, he vanished again, appearing instead at Arterius¡¯ side. Before Arterius could react, the Monarch hit his face from the side like a sledgehammer, sending Arterius careening off into the distance.


    The Monarch vanished once again, moving with speed so quick it seemed like teleportation. He appeared behind Arterius, who was still uncontrollably flying, and pointed his blade at Arterius¡¯ approaching back.


    Just before the blade pierced Arterius¡¯ back, the Monarch was suddenly stuck hard in the side by a wooden pole.


    Sent sideways a few meters, the Monarch was disoriented for a second, just long enough for the Cloud Saint to finish casting his most powerful Arte.


    A two-meter-wide golden circle appeared before him, and from it came forth a wyrm made entirely of water. Its massive jaws opened as it burst through the circle, its scales the glimmering blue of ocean shores.


    Within the second, the maw of the water dragon was already upon the Monarch, its rows of shimmering blue teeth clamping down on him. But the Monarch was quick, much quicker now, thanks to his wings. He threw himself to the side as fast as he could, but he was still a little too late.


    He managed to get his body out of the way, but his arm wasn¡¯t so lucky. The jaws bit down hard on the Monarch¡¯s shoulder, piercing through the skin and drawing blood.


    The wyrm kept going, dragging the Monarch along with it as it flew. With his arm trapped inside its mouth, the wyrm violently shook its head as it bit down as hard as it could, trying to detach the rest of the body.


    The Monarch knew right away that the wyrm was a very powerful Arte, one that wouldn¡¯t simply vanish on its own. And, coupled with Arterius and the Cloud Saint, its existence posed quite a threat to him.


    So, the Monarch took the best course of action he could think of.


    Drawing a rune on his left palm, he slapped it onto his right shoulder, the part right outside of the wyrm¡¯s mouth. And then, condensing some blue smoke around his hand in the shape of a blade, he swiped at his shoulder, freeing himself from the clutches of the wyrm with one clean cut.


    Dropping into a freefall, with blood trailing him as the stump of his right shoulder leaked scarlet, the Monarch looked up at the wyrm with a maddened glint in his eyes. The entire time, not a sound had escaped his lips, despite the intense pain on his shoulder.


    And then, a few seconds later, the giant wyrm exploded. Starting from the head, a chain reaction of explosions ran along the entire two-kilometre-long body of the wyrm, utterly decimating it.


    Although the wyrm was a very powerful Arte, the detonation of any body part of any Monarch was not to be underestimated. The entire thing burst into a fine mist, coalescing into massive, dark clouds before coming down as a torrential downpour.


    The bleeding on the Monarch¡¯s stump quickly stemmed as he forcefully stopped the flow to his shoulder. With a blade in his other hand, the man found the Cloud Saint and Arterius, who still floated up in the sky, fixing them with a hateful glare.


    Moving like lightning, his body blurred before vanishing as he flew towards the pair.


    The two immediately readied themselves for battle, but the Monarch had already appeared behind them, his sword swinging at Arterius¡¯ back.


    Arterius, without even looking, brought his sword over his shoulder and deflected the sword.


    Almost in the same second, the Cloud Saint appeared behind the Monarch, his wooden pole covered in blade-shaped Flux as he stabbed at the man¡¯s back.


    The tip of the smoke blade landed, but even with the full strength of a Saint behind it, it could not pierce the Monarch¡¯s skin. Still, it distracted the man long enough for Arterius to whip around and land a clean swipe of his sword on the Monarch¡¯s head.


    The sharp and heavy blade caught the top of the Monarch¡¯s head, sending him bowling over, dropping dozens of meters down. A second later, however, the man simply vanished in front of their eyes.


    He reappeared the next moment, right in front of the Cloud Saint, half his face painted in scarlet streaming down from his forehead, giving him the look of a true demon.


    Appearing in between the Cloud Saint and Arterius, the Monarch cast an Arte at his back, a giant red rune that created a gust of wind so powerful it knocked Arterius far away.


    In the same second, the Monarch speared his dark sword straight through the abdomen of the Cloud Saint, ripping a hole through the man¡¯s body that dyed his robes red.


    Despite the urge to savour the pain on the Saint¡¯s face, the Monarch knew he had limited time and quickly pulled the sword out, launching a lightning-quick swipe that aimed to decapitate the man.


    But before his sword could reach its target, golden chains once again appeared from three small circles, trapping the Monarch in place.


    The Cloud Saint brought his gaze up from his wound, looking into the Monarch¡¯s eyes with a grin as the hole in his gut visibly closed itself. Then, with all the strength he could muster, he sank a fist into the man¡¯s face.


    The Monarch was sent flying backwards, right into the path of the returning Arterius. The man swung his sword like a bat, the arc of his sword perfectly intercepting the Monarch¡¯s flight.


    Sent flying in a completely different direction, the Monarch spun round and round in dizzying flips through the air. When he finally regained control of himself, he righted his body before looking at the pair of Grand Order mages with the dimming eyes of a man realizing his fate.


    This was a losing fight, the four legends present all knew. The Monarch was faced with two of the most competent warriors in the Grand Order ¨C both legendary figures in their own right ¨C while entirely on his own. But even then, with his ruthless skill and body transformation, he would have still stood a chance. But, unfortunately for him, his opponents were supported by someone who sat comfortably within the ranks of the top healers in the universe, and that fact, above all else, was what spelled his certain defeat.


    If his plan had succeeded, everything would have gone his way. The Grand Order, with the forces they had brought, would have been nothing, less than ants in his way. But even the best plans, plans that had been carefully constructed and painstakingly laid out over a hundred years, were not safe from the whims of fate. No one could have predicted, certainly not the Monarch, that the one life he had spared, out of sheer hubris and the tiniest, tiniest morsel of sympathy, would have been the one to ruin everything for him.


    But he was the Insect Monarch after all. He had not lived his life as he had to bow down at the end, even to the wills of fate. No odds, no enemy, not even Astros itself in all its might would make him kneel without resistance.


    Fate may have won, at the end of it all, but he would not deserve his title if he didn¡¯t fight it to his last breath.

 Chapter 35 – Death of a Monarch

    Arterius and the Cloud Saint watched warily as the Insect Monarch dashed towards them, no longer with eyes of lost hope, but with the steeled resolve of a Monarch ready to fight to the death, and drag at least one of them with him.


    As the Insect Monarch closed in on them, Arterius swung his sword and met the Monarch¡¯s blade with his own, the combined pressure of their strength cracking the earth beneath them, despite being hundreds of meters above.


    One-armed as he was, the Monarch fought like a cornered, wounded animal with nothing to lose. The most dangerous kind of opponent, Arterius knew.


    Even with the help of the Cloud Saint ¨C whose weaker strength had him sidelined and largely only able to help through Artes and the occasional attack ¨C Arterius sustained many injuries under the constant barrage of the Monarch¡¯s erratic, ferocious attacks.


    With a brutal resolve that didn¡¯t balk at the idea of harming his own body for the sake of injuring the enemy, the Monarch managed to inflict numerous wounds on the two men as they fought. Wounds that would have ended the fight anywhere else, had not the Mother Saintess personally been present. No matter how many times he managed to pierce their bodies with his blade, or how many times he hit them with powerful Artes of lightning and fire and wind, Aya would have the pair back to full health within minutes. And with two enemies, the Monarch would never be given enough time to finish off one of them without being harassed by the other.


    Hours passed as the trio fought, and the Monarch¡¯s vitality drained with every passing minute. Yet it seemed for every second he weakened, more and more of what little sanity he had left slipped away as well, until he was left nothing but a grinning, laughing madman who moved for no reason beyond ending the lives of the two men before him, no matter the cost.


    Every strike that drew blood elicited a toxic bliss that blinded him from the many strikes he took himself: a drug that numbed all pain.


    Finally, after the latest in their unending clashes, the Monarch and Arterius backed away from each other, separated by a kilometre. Their chests heaved as they breathed hard, their torn robes fluttering about around them. Arterius¡¯ robes were almost in shreds, ripped under the constant attacks of the Monarch¡¯s blade. Still, a testament to Aya¡¯s skill, the skin under the robes was utterly unblemished, smooth white like a canvas.


    The Monarch, on the other hand, still carried the wounds his tattered robes told of. Blood coloured most of his body, running down from numerous gashes and wounds around his abdomen and chest. What was left of his blue robes was now dyed a dark, almost black-red.


    The world around them lay in ruins, ravaged like never before. Massive cracks and canyons ran along the dusty ground across the globe. The mountains of the world around were decimated, the forests blazing with flames, and the oceans raged with tides unseen before in the planet''s history. Every natural disaster on scales unimaginable had hit every continent on the globe, leaving Earth a scarred, devastated echo of what it once was.


    The perpetrators of such destruction currently floated hundreds of meters high in the sky above a ruined Russia, studying each other in tense silence, catching their breath as they steadied themselves.


    And then, suddenly, the Monarch closed his eyes and straighted himself out, loosing a deep breath before opening his eyes again. When he did, there was a strange, bittersweet glint in his eye, as if he''d finally arrived at a decision he didn''t want to make. Then, suddenly, he grinned madly at the pair. The veins in his neck bulged as his entire body tensed as a new power ¨C leagues stronger than before ¨C flowed within him.


    Arterius and the Cloud Saint immediately felt the change in the atmosphere, and while the Cloud Saint stood confused, Arterius grimaced and readied himself. ¡°He''s killing himself,¡± he said grimly, explaining to the confused Saint. ¡°He¡¯s sacrificing his own vitality for an increase in strength. It¡¯s an ability a mage receives when he reaches the realm of Monarch.¡± He sighed then, just as the Insect Monarch broke out into laughter in the distance. ¡°He¡¯s given up on getting out of here alive. Now, he just wants to ensure he drags one of us down with him.¡±


    The moment the last word left his mouth, the Monarch appeared in front of him, all the muscles on his body inflated to at least twice their original size. His dark blade whistled as it cut through the air, aiming for Arterius¡¯ neck. However, despite his increased speed and power, Arterius was still no easy opponent.


    He leaned backwards in the split second that he had, getting just far enough away to dodge the tip of the blade. The Cloud Saint, however, was not so quick. Knowing he couldn¡¯t dodge, the Saint simply brought his wooden pole in front of the blade and took the attack head-on. Still, the force sent the Saint hurtling backward uncontrollably, rattling his insides.


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    Not quite done yet, the Monarch brought down his elbow on Arterius, burying it in his gut. The blow sent him to the ground within a second, travelling faster than a lightning bolt. He hit the dirt like a comet, a deafening boom sounding out as he created a crater around him almost a kilometre wide.


    Still not done, the Monarch flew like a bullet after Arterius, landing hard on the man¡¯s gut once again. As spittle flew out of Arterius¡¯ mouth, his eyes rolling back into his head, the Monarch quickly brought the tip of his blade down on Arterius¡¯ sword arm, piercing straight through and nailing it to the ground.


    The Monarch got down to his knees atop Arterius, bestriding the man¡¯s chest as he began to rain down powerful fists on his face. Like a jackhammer, his fist rose and fell continuously as he laughed with wild glee, painting Arterius¡¯ face a bloody mess.


    As he beat the man¡¯s face into a pulp, the Cloud Saint rushed back as quickly as he possibly could, forcing his body to move faster and faster. The entire time, he gathered all the Flux he could at his pole, feeding it more and more power.


    He arrived at the scene not a minute too late, his pole covered in a blade-shaped smoke. The edge of the blade raced towards the Monarch¡¯s neck, powerful enough to end the man¡¯s life should it reach its target.


    Then, just as it seemed the Cloud Saint would finally end the fight, the Monarch suddenly moved.


    Grabbing the sword stuck into Arterius¡¯ arm, the Monarch locked eyes with the man as he swung at the Cloud Saint¡¯s neck with speed like never before.


    At that moment, as he stared into the wild eyes of the Monarch ¨C eyes that screamed with happiness ¨C the Cloud Saint realized that he had fallen for the man¡¯s trap. Their blades were aimed at mutual destruction, and yet, if he backed off, he would be signing Arterius¡¯ death warrant. No matter what he did, the Monarch would die, taking the lives of one of them with him.


    And then the Monarch¡¯s arm flew meters high in the air, a spurt of scarlet following as it left its body behind on the ground.


    Still lying on the ground, Arterius¡¯ hand was raised right to where the Monarch¡¯s shoulder used to be, covered in white smoke condensed into a blade.


    The Monarch spent no time wondering how he lost his arm, however. He didn¡¯t have the time to worry, as the blade of the Cloud Saint was nearing his neck, and he wasn¡¯t planning on giving up yet. Instead, he whipped his face to greet the oncoming pole, biting down on the wooden thing as hard as he could. His powerful teeth and grotesque mandibles bit down on the thing with enough force to chew through steel like tofu. The condensed smoke dispersed under the strength of his jaws, the stick coming to a full stop as his teeth pierced into the wood.


    The Cloud Saint strained his arms as he tried to move the pole, but the Monarch¡¯s jaws held the thing firm in its place. Cracks spread along the length of the stick as the Monarch bit down harder and harder.


    Then, with a crisp crack, half of the pole shattered into splinters. The half that remained was left with a jagged sharp edge, with pointed splinters poking out of the tip.


    Suddenly, Aya appeared opposite the Cloud Saint, a ferocious anger burning in her eyes. Her aged fingers clasped onto what was left of the pole and, borrowing the Cloud Saint¡¯s strength, drove the thing forward with the rage of a woman who had witnessed her husband being stabbed and sliced and beaten for the past few hours.


    The jagged tip of the pole found the Monarch¡¯s chest, piercing through the skin and biting deep into his flesh. The pole dug deep, but the hard muscle of his chest stopped the pole before it could reach his heart. Blood leaked through the Monarch¡¯s lips as he gave Aya a wicked grin. A grin that boasted victory, even a few steps away from death.


    And then Arterius placed his hand on the pole as well, offering his waning strength to the effort. Immediately, the stick drove its way entirely through the Monarch¡¯s chest, puncturing through both lungs and the heart with its many splinters before coming out from the other side. The bloodied tip buried itself in the dirt as it came out, nailing the man to the ground.


    The Monarch spluttered as blood burst past his mouth, his burning eyes blurring as he felt himself slipping towards the door he had guided so many to.


    Mirth coloured his face as his death became a reality he could no longer escape from. Still, he fought on with the one weapon left to him: words. Locking gazes with Aya, he laughed a derisive laugh. ¡°Ten thousand years,¡± he forced out, his face twisting into a grotesque smile. ¡°Ten thousand years of murdering and pillaging and destroying. Billions of lives, billions of stories, ended at my hand. The blood I¡¯ve spilt could flood planets; the pain I¡¯ve caused is beyond any measure, any scale you could ever create. The dreams I¡¯ve burnt, the paradises I¡¯ve desecrated; all the destruction I have raged on this universe, and this is what I suffer for it.¡± The man¡¯s smile grew, his face grisly. ¡°One. Measly. Death.¡± His smile morphed into a revolting, mocking laugh. ¡°This is what you fought so long for. What you sacrificed so much for. This pathetic ideal of justice. Tell me, little girl. Are you satisfied? Is this what you wanted, what you fought for? Have you meted out the justice I deserve? Brought peace to the poor souls I tortured?¡± He laughed again, a poisonous sound. ¡°You see? This is justice, little girl, the best it can be in this universe. And it is pathetic.¡± He spat the last sentence like the very word burned his tongue.


    Aya stared into the eyes of the man with silent disgust, not gracing his rant with a response.


    Seeing her silence, the Insect Monarch smiled one last maddened smile before closing his eyes and finally letting himself fall into the waiting depths of darkness, the void from which he knew he had little chance of returning.

 Chapter 36 – Grace

    Sunlight warmed my face, lighting up the darkness behind my eyelids. My eyes fluttered open under the assault of the golden glow, my blurry vision taking a few seconds to focus.


    I lay in a cozy room, fully furnished with a soft bed and pillows, shelves that lined the room stacked with ancient books, and a wooden vanity with an oval mirror. But none of that was what caught my eye first. The first thing that I noticed was the fact that it was not actually sunlight on my face, but the gentle rays of a glowing yellow ball floating in the center of my room. Like a miniature sun, it hovered still in the air with no discernible way of staying afloat. Surprisingly, despite its brightness, the light coming off of it was in no way glaring or harsh on my eyes, unlike the lightbulbs of Earth.


    Earth.


    The thought finally brought everything rushing back, the wacky events of the past few days flashing through my mind like a montage. The rescuing spaceships. The conversation with Anabella, the trip I took to get the pole. The gray-robed men with tridents on their faces. The way they had utterly overwhelmed Ren and me in strength. The way they had used us as hostages. How they had almost killed Ren.


    After that, things got a lot fuzzier. I saw fire. A lot of fire. It coloured the memories like an orange film, as if I was looking through a flame to see. As if it had enveloped me entirely. But the fire was different, not like the first time. This fire was soothing, calming. A balm for my exhausted body.


    I also felt the faint traces of another sensation, a memory so improbable that I was sure it was a creation of my imagination, a dream. A very, very satisfying dream. A dream where I pounded the faces of those gray-robed men in, let loose all the frustration I¡¯d been holding in at my helplessness. Made them regret hurting one of my own.


    But there was no way that had actually happened. Those men had far too much strength for me to fight with them on equal standing, much less actually beat them. Even if the strange fire increased my offensive capability, I thought, there is no way it gave me that much of a-


    And then I felt it. A sudden sensation, a sudden realization that stopped my train of thought in its tracks.


    I felt light, incredibly light.


    The Flux flowed within me more smoothly than it had ever before, reacting instantly when I called on it. Raw strength flooded my body as the Flux coursed through me, leagues above what I was used to. I clenched and unclenched my palms as inky black smoke rose off of them, drawing intricate patterns in the air.


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said out loud, ¡°maybe¡­¡±


    I trailed off, thinking, but a soft knocking on the door of the room interrupted me.


    ¡°Miss Ruby, are you awake?¡± a timid, muffled voice followed.


    ¡°Huh? Oh¡­uh, yeah. Yeah, I¡¯m up.¡± I answered, caught off-guard and slightly off-put at being called ¡®Miss Ruby.¡¯


    The door swung open at my answer, revealing a young girl no older than fifteen. She was clad in black and white robes that somewhat resembled a maid¡¯s outfit, and the demure bearing she entered my room with lent credence to my guess.


    ¡°Hello Miss Ruby,¡± the girl said, giving me a little cursty that embarrassed me more than it did flatter me. ¡°My name is Grace. I have been entrusted with your care for the duration of your stay on this S.T.A.R. If you have any questions, I¡¯d be more than happy to answer them for you. Or, if you¡¯d like, I could take you on a tour of the ship, as you will be spending quite some time here.¡±


    I had thought that Anabella was overly sweet and ingenuine, but this girl was on another level. I could tell her shyness wasn¡¯t fake, nor her unwillingness to meet my eye, but her words and tone were so rehearsed it sounded like she was a programmed NPC from a game.


    ¡°Well, a tour sounds great, and I¡¯ve definitely got a lot of questions,¡± I responded. ¡°But first things first, please drop the ¡®Miss¡¯ thing. I¡¯m only two years older than you at most, and it feels really weird. Just call me Ruby.¡±


    Grace laughed awkwardly. ¡°Of course, Mi-Ruby. If you feel good enough to go right now, I can answer your questions as we walk.¡±


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    I smiled at her, getting up to my feet. ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you first to the infirmary,¡± Grace said as we began to walk, stepping into the metal hallway that waited outside my room. The ambiance of the hallway was starkly different from the room. It was like stepping out of a homey cabin and into an underground bunker or lab. Everything was made out of sheets of dull, lifeless gray metal, with lines of pure white lights running along the length of the walls.


    ¡°The infirmary?¡± I asked. ¡°Why there?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you are worried about your friend, no? I¡¯ll take you to meet him first. But there¡¯s no reason to worry. He¡¯ll be perfectly fine soon. He just has a little more recovering to do than you.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about Ren?¡± I asked. ¡°Is it because he got stabbed in the chest? Are you sure he¡¯ll be fine?¡±


    Grace nodded confidently. ¡°I¡¯m sure. Anabella took care of his stab wound, so that¡¯s not a problem. And the Mother Saintess herself looked at him as well, and she assured us that he would be fine, despite his condition.¡±


    ¡°His condition?¡± I asked, confused.


    Grace smiled sadly at me. ¡°I think it''s better if he explained it to you. But trust me, if the Mother Saintess has declared him to be fine, then he¡¯ll be fine. And you should consider your friend lucky to have gotten her attention. You probably don¡¯t know, but having the very Mother Saintess of the Grand Order look at a patient is not a luxury just anyone can afford in the universe.¡±


    ¡°Who is this Saintess person? Is she strong? She sounds important.¡±


    ¡°Well she is strong, and she is undeniably important, but her strength is not what makes her so valued. It¡¯s her healing prowess. She is among the most proficient healers in the universe. The legends say that there is not a disease she can¡¯t name, not a plant in the universe she wouldn¡¯t recognize. It¡¯s said that no patient she has ever attended to has succumbed to their illness. But she is a little eccentric in that regard. She does not choose her patients based on their ability to pay or their status, but on the kind of disease they suffer from. She loves new and interesting cases, so she¡¯d rather help a commoner suffering from a strange illness than a prince suffering from a common one. Even Planet Kings cannot get her to answer their call if she isn¡¯t interested.¡±


    ¡°So why did she take a look at Ren?¡± I asked, connecting the two pieces of information. ¡°Was his condition so unique?¡±


    Grace shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, to be honest. Only Anabella was there when the Mother Saintess treated your friend. They haven¡¯t really talked to me about it, but I¡¯m sure your friend will explain everything.¡±


    I smiled, knowing that it was actually highly unlikely that Ren would be willing to explain much about it. If there was one thing I knew about Ren, it was that I knew very little about him.


    ¡°So, where are we going right now? Like, this ship?¡± I asked, moving on to a different topic.


    ¡°We¡¯re headed to the Grand Order''s home planet, Adonis. It¡¯s one of the major planets, ranked 6th of the major hundred. The presence of the Grand Order makes it easily one of the safest planets in the universe. Although we allow each nation to govern itself independently, we enforce a set of principles that no one is allowed to violate, regardless of their status or strength.¡± She smiled as she spoke, her face and tone emulating exactly the same salesperson vibe that Anabella had given. ¡°And because of how peaceful the planet is, it has become a hub of art and research that¡¯s recognized by all people. Sciences of all kinds flourish there, and their advancements have made Adonis into a true garden, beautiful as its namesake.¡±


    I shook my head as she finished her pitch, not believing the obviously rehearsed speech in the least.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked her, a knowing smile on my face. ¡°Well, what do you think of the planet?¡±


    Grace smiled at me. ¡°I love the place, of course. It¡¯s my home.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°No no, I wanna know what you really think of the place. What the problems of the place are.¡±


    Grace was quiet for a moment. ¡°It is not my place to say,¡± she said finally, her voice quiet.


    ¡°Oh, please,¡± I said. ¡°I can tell you have your own opinions about the place. And I might not know much about this universe, but I doubt there is any place anywhere that is a legitimate heaven. ¡±


    ¡°Still, it is not my place to comment on the place that gave me so much.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I challenged, annoyed ¨C for a reason that escaped me at the moment ¨C at her unwillingness to assert her own opinion. ¡°Because you''re a maid or servant or whatever?¡±


    Grace laughed quietly, avoiding my eyes. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± she said suddenly, just as we arrived at the latest door in the seemingly infinite hallway we had been walking through.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°The infirmary,¡± Grace answered. ¡°Your friend is waiting inside.¡±


    I smiled sadly at her. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll see you in a bit then, I guess.¡±


    Grace returned a small smile back to me, waving her hand in front of the metal doors and ushering me in.

 Chapter 37 – Affinities

    Ren lay on a bed, the first in a row of at least twenty, with numerous tubes running out of his arm and into strange, beeping machines. The entire room was very reminiscent of the hospitals of Earth; the ambiance was stiflingly sterile and tidy, with gleaming white dominating every surface in the room. The place was sparsely populated, both in decorations and people.


    Aside from Ren, there was only one other person ¨C who I assumed was the equivalent of a nurse ¨C who sat all the way on the other end of the room. She was engrossed in some papers, not even bothering to glance up at me as I entered.


    I made my way over to Ren, whose closed eyes fluttered open the second I reached the edge of his bed.


    ¡°Hey boss,¡± Ren said in cheerful greeting, his lips curling into a crooked smile as the glossy black pools of his eyes looked in my direction. It was unsettling, the way he could immediately find where I was but still stared right through me as if I was a ghost. Like his pupils couldn¡¯t anchor themselves on anything.


    ¡°Hi, Ren,¡± I responded, returning his smile. ¡°How¡¯re you doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m doing fantastic. Did you know that it was possible for your entire body to hurt every time you move?¡± His voice was light and happy, but his words betrayed his obvious sarcasm. ¡°You really don¡¯t realize how much you move until every single one makes you feel like you''re getting stabbed.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to see it hasn¡¯t dampened your sense of humour at all,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°But speaking of which, what exactly is it?¡±


    Ren shrugged, a motion that was followed by a grimace that told me he instantly regretted it. ¡°I dunno. Just some random-¡±


    ¡°Ren,¡± I cut him off, fixing him with a look. ¡°We both know I¡¯m not stupid enough to believe a lie here. If you don¡¯t want to tell me, just say that.¡±


    Ren went quiet, smiling a small smile at my words. His eyes shut themselves softly as he thought.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said finally, heaving a sigh. ¡°I suppose there¡¯s no reason to hide the truth, really. It¡¯s just¡­I guess I just have a hard time being honest about myself.¡±


    I laughed softly at that. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve noticed.¡±


    Ren chuckled with me, never one to be insulted easily.


    ¡°The condition is nothing serious, really. I just kind¡¯ve overdid my body,¡± Ren said after another breath. ¡°Remember when I said I just vanished after being sent on my first solo mission?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I remember.¡±


    Ren gave me a cheeky smile. ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t entirely true. They did find me a few times, and the Assassin King was furious. He may have taught me everything he could have, but he still had countless years of experience over me, not to mention the widest and most skilled information network on the planet. Thankfully, I always managed to get away in the end, but one time, they managed to¡­well, I won¡¯t bore you with the details, but they basically blocked my Flux veins. So I couldn¡¯t use Flux to supplement myself anymore, but thankfully, the pure toughness of my body was enough to carry me through escaping ¨C and every other fight I¡¯ve been in since.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± I said, my mind reeling as it processed the information. ¡°I always did wonder why I never saw smoke coming out of you when you fought.¡±


    Ren laughed teasingly. ¡°Honestly, I have no idea how you managed to miss all the signs for so long. I¡¯d like to credit my skills, but you really-¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± I grumbled, cutting him off. ¡°For your information, I actually did notice something was off, but because I¡¯m such a respectful person, I decided to respect your secrets.¡±


    Ren nodded sagely at my words. ¡°You are a very respectful person, I must agree,¡± he said in a comically severe voice, before falling into a fit of laughter at his own joke.


    I shook my head with a smile as he laughed. ¡°Ok, but your story still doesn¡¯t explain how you ended up stuck on this bed.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, that. Basically, I wanted to fight those gray-robed guys too, so I asked that old lady to fix me. She said she could for a bit, but the Flux I used would hurt my body after. I took the deal, and now I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°So is there a way to permanently fix the issue?¡± I asked. Although Ren had a good base level of strength right now ¨C and was far stronger than I was at the moment ¨C not being able to use Flux would mean that he would remain forever stuck at his level. Which meant that I would soon surpass him, since I had no plans to ever stop getting stronger.


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    ¡°Yeah. Anabella passed me a message when I woke up that I¡¯m going to need an hour of some sort of treatment every day for a few weeks. After that, I should be perfectly fine.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief. ¡®Cause I don¡¯t know what kind of place this new universe is going to be like, but there is one thing I do know: that I will become someone legendary no matter where I go, no matter what. And I can¡¯t do that without a First Lieutenant that can keep up with me.¡±


    Ren grinned in response, one that held within the same rising emotions I could feel in myself. Passion, excitement, nervousness.


    ¡°Well if that¡¯s your plan, you need to start training as soon as you can, young lady,¡± a voice came from behind me.


    I turned around to find Anabella and the leader of the Grand Order mages standing at the infirmary''s door. The leader sported a wide smile, quickly closing the gap between us and putting his hand out.


    I clasped his hand with a firm grip, having to tilt my head upward a little to meet his eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve felt it yourself,¡± the man responded, ¡°but you¡¯ve awakened your affinity. And I felt that the very least we could do for you is teach you a little about controlling it by the time we land at Adonis. So that you start at least somewhere near everyone else.¡±


    My face twisted with confusion. ¡°You mean that fire? I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure this is the place we want to be talking about this?¡± Anabella spoke up from the back. ¡°There is a patient here after all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine. Please, continue. I¡¯m quite interested myself,¡± Ren piped up.


    The leader laughed. ¡°Such a healer, Anabella. He¡¯s a tough one, I''m sure he¡¯ll be fine.¡± Then, turning back to me, he motioned for me to sit down on the bed behind me. ¡°Now, pay attention, and I¡¯ll explain an exciting new world of strength to you.¡±


    With rapt attention, I stepped backward and sat on the bed, not taking my eyes off the leader as I moved.


    ¡°Essentially,¡± the man began, ¡°awakening an affinity is the first step of becoming a true mage. Or at least, the most common kind of mage. It normally awakens around the ages of ten to fifteen for most mages, and is usually triggered by heightened emotion. Affinities are very abstract things, so it''s hard to really explain. But the most simple of them are elemental affinities, such as yours. Yours seems to be a fire affinity, meaning that¡¯ll be your base power. It¡¯ll be the element with which you are most comfortable with, and the one with which you¡¯ll progress the fastest with, regardless of which one you wish for. But fortunately, affinities are usually aligned with the mage¡¯s personality, so it''s fine most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I still don¡¯t get what an affinity is,¡± I cut in. ¡°What does it help me do?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry, I forgot to explain that bit. Basically, Flux can be transmuted into any physical material or substance that exists in the universe. Some mages are just innately good at converting it into a certain type of material. That''s called their elemental affinity. But because of the complexity of most substances, almost all mages have very simple elemental affinities. Things like water, fire, wind and earth are the most common. There are some rarer ones, like light, darkness, lightning, and diamond.¡±


    "Some have simple metals as their affinities as well, but the list goes on and on," Anabella added from the side. "The point is that there are many different affinities, but very, very rarely is it something complex."


    ¡°Does the kind of affinity affect how strong you can get?¡± I asked.


    The man shook his head. ¡°No, not at all. Some of the most powerful mages in history have had the most simple affinities. All that dictates the outcome of a fight is the mastery each mage has over their affinity, and their battle skill.¡±


    I sighed with relief. ¡°Well, that¡¯s nice.¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°You¡¯ll come to find, as you learn more and more about Flux, that it is a very fair system. It gives as much as it takes, and gives very, very few individuals a headstart or any sort of advantage.¡±


    The information lit up a smile on my face. As long as I had even the slightest chance, I would make sure that I rose to the very top.


    ¡°So," I said excitedly, "you mentioned something about training?¡±


    The man smiled at my barely hidden enthusiasm. ¡°Well, we won¡¯t be getting very far on the ship. There¡¯s a limit to how much I can teach you, as a light mage myself. We only have a few weeks on the ship anyway, so the most I¡¯ll be able to teach you is the basics that any mage growing up on Adonis would know. The rest you''ll have to learn at the Grand Order University.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I wanna learn as much as I possibly can, so I¡¯d appreciate anything you can teach me.¡±


    ¡°We have plenty of time, so there¡¯s no need to get started today,¡± Anabella said. ¡°Why don¡¯t the both of you take today to rest and get accustomed to the ship, and we can start the teaching tomorrow.¡± Turning to Ren, she added, ¡°And you should be good enough to walk by tomorrow, too.¡±


    The man clapped his hands together as he heard Anabella''s suggestion. ¡°That sounds like a great plan. We only swung by because we heard you were up and wanted to say hi, so we¡¯ll be on our way now. Meet us tomorrow at the dining hall for breakfast, and we¡¯ll take it from there. See you guys later!¡±


    ¡°Alright, bye!" I responded, choosing to ignore the slightly abrupt, almost robotic way the pair turned and left the room.


    The metal doors automatically whirred shut behind them, leaving Ren and I to ourselves once again.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s exciting, isn¡¯t it,¡± Ren said in the silence that followed.


    I nodded slowly, my wandering mind returning to the room. ¡°It¡¯s beyond exciting,¡± I said, a smile forming on my lips. ¡°I can feel it. This is it, this is just what I needed. And this time,¡± I added with a glint in my eye, ¡°this time, I won¡¯t ruin it. This time, I will become everything I promised them all I would become.¡±

 Chapter 38 – Flux Sense

    The next day, I left my room bright and early, headed to the dining hall fresh and changed into the clothes Grace had prepared for me. I had been perfectly fine with the things I¡¯d brought from Earth, but Grace had been quite insistent on me changing. Admittedly, the hoodie and jeans were very tattered and dirty, having survived a fight with Owen and a world-ending apocalypse, but I hadn''t minded bery much. I quite liked the comfort of the worn clothes ¨C they''d practically been molded to my form over the years I''d worn them. Though, to be honest, I thought as I stepped into the dull, gray hallway, these clothes are quite good quality, too. Although the outfit Grace had provided had a very medieval/European look, they were far more comfortable than I had been expecting.


    The brown boots that reached just past my ankles hugged my feet perfectly, and the furry insides were downy soft. The simple black pants and white shirt were also incredibly soft and light, and made of a material softer than silk. The black belt I wore on the white shirt felt a little unnecessary, but Grace had once again been very persistent in making sure I wore it.


    For someone terrified of voicing her opinion, she can be quite convincing, I thought with a smile as I remembered the scene.


    The last part of my new outfit, and definitely my favourite bit, was the scarlet half-cape hood thingy I wore. It was draped over my shoulders and spilled over, falling to my waist like a bloody waterfall. I didn¡¯t wear the hood at the moment, but I loved that I had the option. I had thought I would never feel the comfort of a hoodie again after adapting to the clothing style of this new world, but it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case.


    The massive hallways of the ship turned and twisted like the walls of a maze, and the fact that they were all identical ¨C so far as I could tell ¨C didn¡¯t help. Although most of the day yesterday had been spent walking around these halls with Grace, with her claiming that I would soon be able to tell the difference between them easily, I maintained that the fact that they claimed to have no maps was a practical joke they were playing on me. Thankfully, Grace had explained in detail the route to the dining hall, so I wasn¡¯t afraid of getting lost on my way there.


    The route wasn¡¯t long, and within five minutes I stood in front of a metal, interlocked door like every other one I¡¯d ever seen. With slight hesitation, I waved my hand in front of it, breathing a sigh of relief with it pulled apart to reveal the familiar sight of the dining room. Long tables of wood accompanied by benches that were far more comfortable than they looked occupied the majority of the room, with a kitchen on one end that I didn¡¯t know much about. The one thing I did know about it was that the people who worked it constantly kept the buffet-style line of pots warm and full of some of the best food I¡¯d ever had. And that was all I needed to know that it was my favorite place in the entire ship.


    The hall was empty when I stepped in, save for Ren. He sat almost in the opposite corner from where I stood, face buried in a bowl of rice and some kind of meat. I noted with interest the way he perked up as he realized someone had entered, and the way he returned to his food after realizing he couldn¡¯t recognize the person.


    ¡°How do you do that?¡± I asked a moment later, as I reached his table.


    He looked up from his food at my voice, giving me a questioning look.


    ¡°How did you notice someone had entered from so far away?¡±


    Ren laughed. ¡°Oh, that? It¡¯s my hearing, mostly. The blindness, my training, and Flux have all upgraded my hearing far beyond normal humans.¡±


    ¡°How do you recognize people then?¡± I asked again, surprised by how easily he had answered my question.


    ¡°Well, if I know them well enough, I can usually recognize them by their gait, the way they breathe, stuff like that,¡± he said. Seeing me about to speak again, he added, ¡°And if your next question is about how I sense movement and my surroundings, it¡¯s because of my Flux Sense.¡±


    ¡°Your what now?¡±


    ¡°Flux Sense. The ability to sense the Flux in the air, and the way it moves and warps. When anything around me moves, the Flux sort of folds around it, trying to get out of its way. That¡¯s why I¡¯m able to fight. I just got really good at noticing the way the Flux around me moves.¡± Ren spoke matter-of-factly, like he was explaining a simple thing, but my gut told me that it was probably a very complicated, very difficult feat to accomplish. Especially since he¡¯d cultivated the skill to a level where he could fight even better than I could.


    ¡°Wow,¡± I said, genuine awe colouring my voice. ¡°That¡¯s incredible.¡±


    Ren shrugged, his face withdrawing a little as he focused back on his meal. I watched wordlessly, a small, sad smile on my face as he closed back up again. It was like he was drawing a veil back over his face.


    I knew his uncharacteristically open answers were likely a result of yesterday¡¯s conversation. The fact that he was trying was enough to make me happy, so I didn¡¯t push for any more than he wanted to share.


    ¡°Ruby¡¯s right,¡± Anabella¡¯s voice came from behind me then. I turned around to see both the leader and Anabella walking up to us, wearing the same golden white robes and happy smiles. ¡°Flux Sense is not an ability just any mage can get good at,¡± Anabella continued. ¡°It takes considerable brain power to be able to process every minute movement in the Flux that surrounds you, especially during a fight.¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s probably why your spatial awareness is so exceptional,¡± the leader added. ¡°I was beside you on that battlefield, and I was honestly in awe. It¡¯s like you have eyes around your entire head. Any movement within almost three meters of you was instantly caught and reacted to.¡±


    Ren smiled grimly at the pair¡¯s unbridled praise. ¡°When your survival depends on your senses, you wind up training your senses very well.¡±


    The leader laughed. ¡°Speaking of training, we¡¯ve got lots of work to do today. We should get started-¡±


    ¡°Leonard, we haven¡¯t even had breakfast yet," Anabella interrupted with a scolding look. "And neither has Ruby. Let us eat first, and then we¡¯ll go training.¡±


    The leader, whose name I just learned to be Leonard, flushed and scratched the back of his head. ¡°Sorry, forgot. Why don¡¯t we grab some food first, and then we can get started.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I agreed. Excited to begin training as I was, I was famished.


    Five minutes later, as the four of us dug into the mountains of food before us (including Ren, who claimed he¡¯d feel left out if he didn¡¯t get seconds), Ren turned to Leonard and asked, ¡°So, what about me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Leonard replied, looking up from the food before him, a spoonful of pasta halfway to his mouth.


    ¡°What about me?¡± Ren repeated. ¡°I don¡¯t have an awakened affinity. How am I supposed to train?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Leonard said, putting down the food as he focused on Ren. I shifted in my seat and put down my food as well, my attention focused on Leonard; clearly, he was about to say something important.


    ¡°I was going to say this all on the way to the room, but I suppose I might as well go over it now, since it''s all just information anyway,¡± Leonard began. ¡°Although I did say that Elemental Mages ¨C mages who¡¯ve awakened elemental affinities ¨C are the most common types of mages in the universe, they are not the only kind. In fact, there are three kinds of mages: Battle Mages, Elemental Mages, and Runic Mages. Elemental Mages are the most common, followed by Runic Mages, and lastly, the least popular option, the Battle Mages.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between them?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll teach you guys about Runic Mages later, since you need to know about Runic Artes for that, and right now, only the others are relevant to you two. An Elemental Mage is, as we talked about yesterday, a mage who specializes in an element. They are masters of their element, able to use it to its fullest limits. Their entire combat style centers around the element they use, and everything else is a supplement to it. Battle Mages, on the other hand, either don¡¯t have or don¡¯t use their elemental affinities. Instead, they do essentially what the both of you have been doing your entire lives: strengthen their flesh through tempering and Flux. They excel at hand-to-hand combat, usually specializing in some kind of weapon, and have bodies tougher than dragon scales. Among mages of equal level, they are the quickest in reaction and the most deadly in close quarters.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s important to note, though,¡± Anabella cut in, ¡°that just because they specialize in different things, it doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s all they''re able to do. Elemental Mages are still able to fight hand to hand, and their bodies are still tough, simply by the strength of the Flux that runs through them.¡±


    ¡°What about Battle Mages?¡± Ren asked.


    ¡°They too are not limited to their specialties. Instead of only being close-ranged fighters, they usually supplement themselves with various Artes to make up their weaknesses,¡± Anabella answered. ¡°But you¡¯ll learn more about that once you get to the university.¡±


    Leonard nodded in agreement. ¡°Of course. Everything we¡¯re telling you is a very simplified version of reality. You¡¯ll learn more in-depth when you get to the university, but even they won¡¯t be able to teach you everything. To be perfectly honest, there is no one who can teach you everything, because there is no one who knows everything. Everyone, even the strongest people in the universe, are mere students of Flux and its vast mysteries.¡±


    ¡°Even after billions of years of research and development,¡± Anabella continued, ¡°we¡¯ve only managed to understand a few drops in the ocean of Flux.¡±


    ¡°In a way, the quest for strength is synonymous with the quest for knowledge,¡± Leonard said. ¡°For every step forward you take in strength, you unravel a little more of the mysteries of the universe. And for every little bit of the universe you unravel, you take a step forward in strength.¡±


    ¡°But all that¡¯s for later. Right now, all you need to focus on,¡± Anabella said to me, ¡°is being able to control your affinity.¡± Then, turning to Ren, she said, ¡°And for you, you need to pick a weapon to train with. As deadly as you are with a stick, you¡¯ll hit a ceiling soon unless you pick a certain style you want to use.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll want to put some serious thought into the style you choose,¡± Leonard added. ¡°You¡¯ll want one that plays to the strengths you already have. Making the wrong choice, or deciding to switch can be quite costly in terms of time.¡±


    ¡°A word of advice about picking a style,¡± Anabella said. ¡°Don¡¯t be charmed by the immediate benefits of a style. They may sound appealing, but if your objective is to keep getting stronger and stronger, then it is a better idea to instead think of the end result of the style. In the armoury, there is a little blurb beside every weapon or style that tells you about a mage who reached great heights with that option. It details specifically the things they were known for in terms of combat.¡±


    Ren nodded. ¡°I already have something in mind. But I will consider my choice carefully. ¡±


    ¡°Wait, what about Elemental Mages?¡± I butted in.


    Leonard smiled. ¡°They also have classes and styles of combat available to them, but it''s rarely ever a surprise what class an Elemental Mage will pick. For example, while fire Elemental Mages can technically become healers, they almost always become destructive, highly offence-based fighters. So, while you technically have a choice, we all know what you are going to pick.¡±


    I laughed at that. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t see myself being a healer.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s enough of that,¡± Anabella said. ¡°We¡¯re here to eat, not learn. We¡¯ll have plenty of time to talk about all this later.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Leonard agreed. ¡°You two may be excited to start training, but the both of us have had more than enough fighting on this mission. Let¡¯s put the fight talk aside and finish eating, and then I¡¯ll take you two to the training halls after we¡¯re done.¡±

 Chapter 39 – First Sparks

    I didn¡¯t know what I was expecting the training hall to look like, but a massive white room with absolutely nothing else was quite possibly last on my list. Stark white, padded tiles covered every inch of the room, from the floor to the ceiling, and all the walls in between. And that was about the only notable feature of the room. Although it beat any other room I¡¯d ever seen in size, absolutely dwarfing Leonard and me as we stepped into the hall, there was absolutely nothing else present in the vast space.


    As we made our way into the blank canvas of the room, the two tiles that functioned as a doorway whirred softly as they shut behind us.


    ¡°Welcome to our training hall,¡± Leonard said with a flourish as my eyes travelled along the bare lengths of the walls. ¡°I know it¡¯s a bit sparse, but the Grand Order doesn¡¯t really invest much into the training halls of S.T.A.Rs, since they¡¯re only really used for soldiers to keep themselves in their peak state while out for long missions. It¡¯s not really meant for new mages.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t mind,¡± I said, smiling wide with excitement. ¡°I don¡¯t need a fancy place, I¡¯m just happy to finally have someone teach me.¡±


    Leonard raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    I turned to look at him. ¡°Well, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ll ever be taught to fight by someone, so it¡¯s exciting.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never been taught by anyone?!¡± Leonard asked incredulously. ¡°But¡­how did you learn to fight, then?¡±


    I shrugged, smiling sheepishly. ¡°Basically through fighting random people on the street.¡± At his horrified look, I added, ¡°I mean, eventually I joined this underground fighting club, so the fights were a bit safer. But that was later on, after I¡¯d pretty much gotten all the basics down.¡± When he still didn¡¯t say anything, I kept talking to fill in the silence. ¡°That¡¯s why the way I fight has always been so inelegant, compared to people who¡¯ve been taught properly, like Ren. And I¡¯ve always been scared that I missed something important, something foundational thing that might hold me back later on because I didn''t know about it. So it¡¯s relieving to finally have someone who I can ask questions, y¡¯know? Someone who can correct me when I¡¯m making mistakes.¡±


    Leonard shook his head in wonder. ¡°If that¡¯s true, then you have more potential than I even imagined. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, why did you decide to pick up fighting, instead of anything else? I mean, it couldn¡¯t have been easy at first, and the other options available to you must¡¯ve seemed much less painful, right?¡±


    I smiled in reminiscence. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. It wasn¡¯t easy in the beginning. Random thugs off the street aren¡¯t really the best teachers, and they certainly don¡¯t have your best interests in mind. Which means they don¡¯t pull their punches at all. A lot of the nights, the only reason I survived was because I¡¯d had my Cleanse already. The minuscule boost in strength I got by passively absorbing Flux was the only thing that kept my body alive through the fevers and the bruises and the cold. As for why I chose to fight instead of picking any other path?¡± I let out a sigh, pausing for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s ¡®cause I promised myself that I would never be at someone¡¯s mercy again, that I would gain enough strength never to have to kneel to anyone ever again. And I knew, even as a child, that the only way to accomplish that was through brute strength. All the planning, all the knowledge, all the intelligence in the world wouldn¡¯t save you once your enemies were right at your door.¡±


    Leonard nodded somberly. ¡°You''re right. At the end of the day, intelligence and planning, even manipulation, still rely on others in some capacity or another. But when the only person you have to rely on is yourself, raw strength is the only thing that can keep you standing on your own two feet; the only thing that can keep you afloat, no matter the storm.¡±


    I chuckled at his words. ¡°Well, that was poetic.¡±


    Leonard¡¯s face lit up as he heard me. ¡°Really?!¡± he asked excitedly. ¡°Do you really think so?¡±


    ¡°I mean, it''s better than anything I could come up with,¡± I said honestly, a little confused. ¡°Why?¡±


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    Leonard chuckled awkwardly, his face flushing a little in embarrassment at his outburst. ¡°Well, you see¡­¡± he said, scratching the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing lately. I came across this poem a while ago, and it was so inspiring. So I kind¡¯ve started trying to write my own, but it¡¯s not that good yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool,¡± I said, smiling. I opted against mentioning that he was the last person I would¡¯ve imagined being a fan of poetry, given the fact that his muscles were bigger than his head.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t tell Anabella, okay?¡± he said, his eyes pleading. ¡°I¡¯ll never hear the end of it if she finds out.¡±


    I laughed at the sight of his imploring face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your secret is safe with me.¡±


    Leonard sighed with relief. ¡°Thanks. I really wanted to tell someone about it, so I¡¯m happy you asked. If you don¡¯t mind, do you think you could read some of my poems, sometime?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mind. I''d be honored.¡±


    Leonard flashed me a bright smile. ¡°Thank you, really.¡±


    ¡°And by the way,¡± I added, ¡°I might not know Anabella very well, but I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t make fun of you for it. Well, not too much, anyway.¡±


    Leonard huffed a half chuckle, his smile bittersweet. ¡°Maybe,¡± he said quietly. ¡°But anyway, we came here for you, not me.¡± With a clap of his hands, the thoughtful look on his face was replaced by a big smile. ¡°Sit down, and we¡¯ll get started.¡±


    Matching his smile, I beamed with excitement at his words. ¡°Sure,¡± I said, sitting down cross-legged on the padded floor.


    ¡°Okay, now close your eyes and try to follow along with my words, alright?¡±


    I nodded my head and did as he instructed.


    ¡°Now, you can feel your Flux Core, right?¡±


    I nodded again.


    ¡°Good. Now I want you to feel the Flux flowing from it to the rest of your body, and focus it in your hands, like you do before you hit someone.¡±


    I did as he directed, gathering the strange, almost liquid power within my veins and pooling it in my hands. The power obeyed almost immediately, so much smoother than it had ever been. My eyes were still closed, but I could sense that the black smoke of my Flux had already begun diffusing into the air.


    Once I¡¯d gathered the power in my hands, I waited for further instruction, but none came.


    ¡°Keep going,¡± was the only thing Leonard said, before returning to his silence.


    I breathed in deep, commanding more and more power to congregate in my palms. I quickly figured out what Leonard wanted from me ¨C to reach some level of density in the Flux gathered ¨C but the exercise was so foreign to me that I was quickly short of breath, sweat sheening my forehead within the minute. In a fight, I¡¯d never have more than a few seconds ¨C at most ¨C to gather the Flux, so I¡¯d gotten very good at reaching a certain density of Flux within the time I had. A level that worked well enough for me, one that packed enough strength to almost always dispatch a non-mage in a single blow. But for the first time, I was forced to continually gather more and more of the Flux of my body at a certain spot, a feat I was quickly learning was much harder than I had ever thought.


    Within five minutes, I was drenched in my own sweat, my breath rapid and shallow. My hands shook as they were flooded with power. It was strange, the contrast between my hands feeling like they could tear through concrete like it was butter, and the draining weakness that took over the rest of my body. My shoulders pressed down on me, their weight suddenly all too much for my body. It was like a hunger was spreading throughout my body, worming its way through my bones. Perhaps, I thought, after so long being supplemented with Flux, the loss of it in my body is this overwhelming.


    And then, all of a sudden, all thoughts of exhaustion and weakness flew out of my mind. My eyes opened on their own as I stared at the space between my palms, choked in a thick layer of my black Flux. I stared into the convoluted patterns of rising darkness, catching the briefest glimpse of orange flicker in its heart. In its deepest center, the part where the Flux flowed and congregated the most, spontaneous sparks of fire burst forth into existence, burning brilliantly for a second before vanishing back into the darkness from which they were birthed.


    I caught sight of one, then another, and another. They were brief, there and gone in a second, but they breathed life to a flame in my eyes that burned more brilliantly than it had ever before. A permanent flame, one that roared with passion and determination.


    The orange glow of the sparks lit up my eyes as I stared into the darkness between my hands. They may have been weak, feeble things that were gone instantly, but I saw in that moment more than a spark, but the tool that would help me rise to the place I wanted to be.

 Chapter 40 – Rescue Division

    ¡°Hey,¡± I said, panting as sweat streamed down my forehead and dripped to the ground. ¡°I''ve been meaning to ask, how come everyone here can speak English?¡±


    Leonard cocked his head, confusion painting his face. ¡°Eng¡­lish?¡± he asked. ¡°What is that?¡±


    Now, it was my turn to be confused. ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s the name of the language you speak. It¡¯s the name of the language I¡¯m speaking right now.¡±


    ¡°Ahh,¡± Leonard nodded slowly, understanding dawning on his face. ¡°I see. I forgot to explain the translation rune.¡±


    ¡°The what now?¡±


    Leonard put his hands up, boxer style. ¡°Straighten up, I¡¯ll explain while we spar.¡±


    I obeyed, groaning as my thighs and arms ached with exhaustion. Still, the smile plastered to my sweaty face was genuine, as the excitement of learning to fight properly had yet to wear off.


    ¡°Basically, there¡¯s a part of the rune written into this ship ¨C and the teleportation rune we drew on that field ¨C that can recognize the languages spoken and immediately translate each into the other,¡± Leonard said, before suddenly lunging forward.


    My eyes darted around his body as I analyzed his movement. Deciding that it wasn¡¯t a feint, I leaned backward and to the left, not a second before his fist whistled past me. Immediately, I followed up with my own attack: a bent knee headed for his abdomen. Swift as wind, Leonard backed up just far enough to be out of reach of my knee, only for me to extend out my leg and catch him on the side of his torso with my shin.


    It felt like kicking a solid concrete pillar, obviously causing Leonard a trivial amount of pain, but I counted it as my victory regardless.


    ¡°So to my ears, you''re speaking the language I speak, Sunoct,¡± he went on, backing up again. ¡°But to your ears, I would be speaking the language you speak, Englash¡­losh, whatever.¡±


    I chuckled, breathing hard. ¡°It¡¯s English, but wow, that¡¯s amazing. These rune things sound real powerful. I can¡¯t even imagine how that would be possible.¡±


    Leonard nodded. ¡°Runes can be immensely powerful things. And the translation rune is quite a high-level one, too.¡± As he spoke, he lunged forward again, moving faster this time. His foot swung towards my head like a club, travelling so fast I had less than a second to dodge. Still, we¡¯d been doing this for over a few hours now, and I was getting used to his speed. I ducked under his kick and lashed out with my own, aiming low at his knee. The blow connected, yet his knee did not buckle as I had expected. Instead, I was forced to roll back to avoid the overhead stomp he retaliated with.


    ¡°It was quite the costly endeavour for the Grand Order to outfit the rescue division S.T.A.R¡¯s with the translation runes,¡± Leonard continued as I pushed myself back up to my feet. ¡°And even more so to supply an actual copy of the Arte itself, but it was necessary for our work.¡±


    ¡°Your work?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We are part of the rescue division of the Grand Order,¡± Leonard explained. ¡°The entire fleet you saw, and all the mages here, from Grace all the way to the Archbishop, are all a part of it. We are dispatched to nations across the universe when the people there face calamities they aren¡¯t equipped to handle. That¡¯s why we need the translation runes. Most of the wild planets we visit have their own cultures and languages, and the translation rune is required to communicate with them.¡± As he finished speaking, Leonard rushed at me again, striking out at the side of my head. It was a weak attack, and I blocked it with a single arm. Leonard followed up with five more blows, each faster than the last, but I managed to slip through his moves. The same instinct I had felt on that van, fighting the Fight House mages, kicked in as he attacked.


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    It was more refined now, more distinct. It even helped me attack, making openings more transparent and Leonard¡¯s moves slower. I attacked almost on instinct, letting my body move as it wished. My arms and legs struck forward in rapid succession, each hit aimed with precision. Leonard was constantly forced back, using his immense forearms almost like shields. Still, his body absorbed my full-force strikes with almost no reaction, as if it were a child hitting him with a pillow instead.


    Soon, he backed up out of my reach and stopped again, breathing a little hard.


    ¡°We don¡¯t normally come out in full force like we did for Earth,¡± he said, continuing from where he left off, ¡°but this was obviously a special case. The fact the enigmatic Planetary Seal was coming apart, at last, was a great historical event ¨C not to mention this mission would mark the capture of one of the Grand Order¡¯s longest-standing targets.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, did you guys catch him?¡± I asked, still trying to catch my breath. ¡°Is he dead, or do you guys have some sort of prison system? I heard the strong old dude mention something about sending him to some palace for a billion years.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. You were probably sleeping for the entire fight. A shame that you missed it, ¡®cause it was quite the spectacle. The Insect Monarch put up an amazing fight, but in the end, it was impossible for him to beat the odds. With his ascension foiled, he simply did not have the power to overcome a lineup of our Archbishop and the Cloud Saint, especially with the Mother Saintess herself healing.¡±


    ¡°So is he de-¡± I started to ask, only for Leonard to suddenly rush me again, his fist coming at me so fast I knew instantly that it would be impossible to dodge. Crossing my forearms in front of me, I took the blow head-on, the force sending me skidding backwards more than a meter. My arms ached, far worse than before, but I had no time to pay attention to that.


    Leonard was already upon me, his fist aiming for my head. With no time to think, and even less time to act, my reaction relied purely on instinct. My eyes shut as I lunged forward to greet the oncoming blow, my fist extending with my full weight behind it. It was a move I¡¯d never make if I¡¯d had the time to think, since my conscious mind knew the difference in the levels of our strength. And yet, as our two fists collided, I wasn¡¯t blown back as I¡¯d expected to be. Instead, our fists stuck together as a massive shockwave buffeted our clothes, the cape on my shoulders fluttering violently in the wind.


    In shock, I opened my eyes to find the length of my forearm, from my elbow to my fingers, encased in brilliant orange flames. The white that surrounded my clothes bled into the flickering orange-yellow of its fingers, the heat distorting the air above it. The thing writhed and danced like it were alive, reflecting in the pools of my dark eyes.


    ¡°What¡­¡± I muttered, my voice quieted with awe. Although this had apparently happened twice already, it was the first time I had seen it for myself.


    Leonard smirked at my reaction, his fist still pushing against mine. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve consciously converted Flux into fire, and subconsciously done it twice, you¡¯re body is getting better at doing it. Right now, it can only be done on instinct ¨C when your body is desperate to save itself ¨C but with enough practice, you¡¯ll soon be able to do it on command. And with more practice, you¡¯ll be able to control the fire you make as well, allowing you to do more than just use it to strengthen your body.¡± As he finished, he backed off, releasing the pressure on me. Immediately, the fire on my hand was doused, disappearing into the air. The only remnant of it, all that told of it being more than a figment of my imagination, was the lingering heat on my face.


    In awe, I brought my hand before me, studying it intensely. It was one thing to see fantastical powers being wielded by someone else, but entirely another thing to see it on my own hand. Somehow, it hadn''t felt quite so real until now.


    A towel crashed into my face as I stood in wonder, startling me out of my trance.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for today,¡± Leonard said, chuckling at my reaction. ¡°Rest a little. Take a shower, get something to eat. Walk around, talk to someone. Learn about the universe,¡± he said, turning around to leave. ¡°You¡¯ve got a few weeks here until we land; enjoy them,¡± he called over his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t spend all your time training.¡±


    I grinned as I wiped my face with the soft towel. I knew he was right, but I also knew there wasn¡¯t a chance I was done training for the day. I¡¯d just taken my first step toward the strength that I so desperately wanted. It may have been a tiny, tiny step, but it was a step nonetheless. The gates to the road I wanted to walk had finally opened, in a way I''d never expected. And it would take the universe and all the mages within to stop me from following that path down to the end, as fast as I possibly could.

 Chapter 41 – Long Lost Frenemy

    In the end, I stumbled out of the training room five hours after Leonard left. Sweat streamed down my face, and my knees buckled with hunger and exhaustion. I gripped the wall with a sweaty hand to keep myself upright, trying to find my way to the dining hall. I hadn¡¯t meant to overwork myself as much as I had, but I¡¯d lost track of the time and my own condition in my fervour for the new magic I had gotten my hands on. Like a child given a new toy, I¡¯d lost myself in making the sparks erupt from my body; in trying to make them bigger and brighter, chasing after the brilliant flame I had witnessed burn on myself.


    Despite the snarling pain in my gut and the stinging ache of my muscles, the smile on my face was brighter than it had been in months. The exposure to the new magic had lit in me a flame of passion that pushed me beyond the fetters of pain and exhaustion, fueling me with a strength that was strangely nostalgic for me.


    It took me a minute, but as I stumbled my way through the doors of the dining hall, I realized where the nostalgia was coming from: it was like the first time I had realized the power of Flux.


    I smiled as I remembered the night. It started out as nothing special, just another in the long string of cold and lonely nights I¡¯d been having. I¡¯d long known I had a stronger body than most, though I didn¡¯t know why, but that night had been the night I¡¯d finally connected the dots.


    It had been a particularly brutal night, for reasons my mind expertly danced around ¨C I had gotten very good at sparing myself the torment of the details ¨C and as I lay in my makeshift bed, going through my nightly healing ritual, something strange had happened. As the terrible pain surged through my body, righting the broken bones and closing up the gashes, I was consumed with a madness, a swirling concoction of both anger and insanity that burned within my chest, pushing me out of my bed.


    With a face set in stone, I moved like an animal possessed, with rage beyond anything I had ever felt before. I remembered the night vividly, one of the few I did, for the mark it had left on me. The euphoria of finally, finally winning a fight. Of pounding in the faces that had caused me such pain. I remembered going from door to door, territory to territory, and jumping on any of the faces I recognized. It wasn¡¯t all easy, not at all painless. I took as many hits as I gave, maybe even more, but the rage dwarfed the fear I held towards pain. Every hit I took only made me stronger, and no amount of pain kept me down. The rage was a charging bull I was tied to, and it dragged me for hours on end.


    That night, the seedy streets of Toronto shook under the fury of a ten-year-old girl.


    And more than anything, I remembered the feeling that had invaded me as the night came to an end. The feeling of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, the crushing relief of my hands grasping onto a rope as I lay drowning. I had at last been granted a way to gain the strength I had wanted, the strength I needed to make them all pay. And cluttered with pain, though it may be, I knew as I stood on those streets that night, my knuckles dripping with blood and my face and clothes smeared in scarlet, that I would walk that road till the end. Further than anyone else had ever walked it before.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d recognize that face anywhere,¡± a voice said from behind me, knocking me out of my reminiscence. In that strange way Ren seemed to have mastered, I could practically hear the smile in the voice, even though I couldn¡¯t see him.


    ¡°What face?¡± I asked, turning around to greet him.


    He smiled. ¡°The face of a child given a new toy.¡±


    A laugh escaped me as I pulled out a bench and sat myself down. ¡°Oh, you have no idea. This affinity stuff is so cool. I can literally make fire. Like, that is¡­it¡¯s beyond words, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Fire, huh?¡± Ren mused. ¡°Was Leonard right? About it matching the mage''s personality? Is fire what you would''ve chosen?¡±


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    I paused for a second, thinking it over. ¡°I mean, I think so, but I haven¡¯t really seen what any of the other affinities can do. The only one I¡¯ve seen is the light one that these guys have, and compared to that, I definitely like fire better.¡±


    Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I would have figured. I think anyone who knows you would agree that if they had to pin you as an element, fire would be the choice.¡±


    I laughed again. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± My stomach grumbled loudly as I spoke, the hunger suddenly flaring up. ¡°By the way, could you please get me some food from the kitchen?¡± I asked, too exhausted to be embarrassed. ¡°I would do it myself, but I honestly don¡¯t think I would survive the trip there.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Gimme a second.¡±


    A minute later, Ren gently laid down two bowls on the table with a small clatter. I picked my head up from where it lay resting against the wood, a small oval of red marking the spot my forehead had pressed against the table.


    My eyes glinted as they found the steaming piles of rice and meat, a glistening, thick brown sauce drizzled over the both of them. ¡°Fooood,¡± I managed to get out in the second I had before my hands grabbed the bowl and spoon and began to stuff my mouth.


    ¡°Slow down,¡± Ren cautioned warmly, chuckling. ¡°The food isn¡¯t gonna run away from you.¡±


    ¡°You never know,¡± I slipped out between bites, my mouth full. ¡°I¡¯m not willing to risk it right now.¡±


    Ren shook his head with a smile as I continued to shovel the food into my mouth, gently picking up his spoon and beginning to eat as well. His well-mannered elegance only made my methods look more barbaric, but at that moment, I could not have cared less. There¡¯s no one around to impress, anyway, I thought, shoving down the slight guilt I felt.


    A few minutes later, after the mountain of food was cut in half, I finally slowed down enough to speak again, feeling the pain in my gut abate a little. ¡°By the way,¡± I said, swallowing down the latest mouthful, ¡°I see you got a wardrobe upgrade as well. Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever see you wearing something other than that hoodie.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t noticed right away, in the haze of my exhaustion and hunger, but he¡¯d changed into clothes similar to mine. The boots, pants, shirt and belt, and the half cape were all almost identical to mine, only his stuff was darker. The shirt, cape, and boots were all a deep, midnight blue that matched his whole ambience very well. The pants and belt were inky black, completing the look.


    Ren laughed at my jibe. ¡°What can I say, hoodies are the best. But I have to admit, these clothes are really good. Better quality than anything I¡¯ve ever worn on Earth.¡±


    I nodded emphatically. ¡°I know! They¡¯re amazing. I wonder if they¡¯re giving us really high-quality clothes, or if these are just the standard for them.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s up with their style?¡± Ren added. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t know what I was expecting the fashion of a whole new universe would be like, but the ¡®gothic vampire¡¯ look was definitely not one I was expecting.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it. I always thought the clothes of Earth were too boring anyway.¡±


    Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, you struck me as the sort of person who likes the flashy look.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know, I get the feeling you¡¯ve made a lot of deductions about me that are based on surface-level stuff. I¡¯m actually a lot more complicated than I look, I¡¯ll have you know.¡±


    Ren laughed. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault. You¡¯re just an open book. You bare your entire personality within seconds of meeting someone.¡± At my offended look, he added, ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not a bad thing. Being a simple person is good. It makes you likable, someone you don¡¯t have to keep your guard up around.¡±


    I smiled sardonicly at that. ¡°Also makes you an easy person to betray, too.¡±


    Ren mirrored my smile. ¡°Yeah, that it does. That¡¯s why most people aren¡¯t like you. Most people have their simplicity, their genuine-ness, beaten out of them early. Or they learn to keep it only for the people they know they can trust. The world is too full of thorns to go about with your self unguarded. But that¡¯s one of the reasons I decided to join you. It was such a breath of fresh air to finally be around someone like you after spending so many years cooped up with such duplicitous, manipulative people.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Thanks, I suppose. I-¡±


    ¡°RUBY?!¡± A loud voice sounded out from behind me, echoing in the empty hall. One that I¡¯d never thought I¡¯d hear again, from a person I¡¯d almost completely forgotten about.


    "Craw?!"

 Chapter 42 – A True Businessman

    ¡°You''re¡­You''re still alive?!¡± I stammered out in shock, the disbelief in my eyes mirrored in Craw¡¯s.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m still alive! But how are you alive?¡± the man responded.


    I raised an eyebrow in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, last I heard, the Fight House Gang Leader and most of the gang had you surrounded,¡± he said. ¡°They were gonna teach you a lesson for embarrassing them, make an example out of your gang and all that. That was right before the insects. I just assumed that you were either killed by them or beaten up so badly that the bugs finished the job.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°Well, for your information, it was actually Owen who was finished off by the bugs. He didn¡¯t last a second against them. Ren and I managed to get away though.¡±


    Craw shook his head in wonder, sitting down on the bench next to me. ¡°Wow. I thought that if I was going to meet anyone I knew from Earth, it would be someone from Fight House. Owen, at the very least, I was sure would survive.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m surprised you survived,¡± I said. ¡°Those bugs were terrifying; how¡¯d you manage to avoid them?¡±


    Craw laughed proudly. ¡°I¡¯m a survivor,¡± he said. ¡°My backup plans have backup plans. I knew something was wrong the second the bugs hit, and instead of panicking like the rest of the people, I made my way to the room I¡¯d set up just for emergencies like this.¡±


    Ren snorted out a laugh. ¡°You had a bunker set up for a bug apocalypse?¡± he asked incredulously. ¡°You have to be the only person in the world who was ready for it.¡±


    Craw flushed a little. ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t specifically set up for a bug apocalypse ¨C well it wasn''t really set up for an apocalypse at all ¨C and it wasn¡¯t really a bunker either. It was more like a hidden room I had stocked with food and set aside in case things went haywire.¡± He went quiet for a moment, his face losing a bit of glow of his pride. ¡°If I¡¯m being totally honest, it was mostly due to luck that I survived. I just hid in a room and waited until I heard the old man talking. I followed everything I could through the internet, but eventually that stopped. But I gathered enough from the videos to know I was a dead man if the bugs found me, and I waited for them to come. I was sure every creak or thud I heard was them, and I would get ready to die every time.¡± He blew out a breath, his chest decompressing. ¡°It was horrible. But¡­the hope I felt when the old man¡¯s voice came was beyond any emotion I¡¯ve ever felt.¡±


    I smiled to myself as he spoke. It was obvious how desperately he¡¯d been wanting to talk to someone from Earth, since he was speaking with a familiarity far beyond our relationship. I guess that¡¯s just what happens when most of your planet gets massacred. Everyone you meet from your planet becomes a good friend.


    ¡°So,¡± I started as he stopped talking, ¡°what¡¯s your plan now? Did you ask these guys about what¡¯s going to happen to you now?¡±


    Craw nodded. ¡°They said they¡¯ll take me to their city and help me find a job, depending on what I¡¯m good at and what I like. They made it sound like an amazing deal, but they¡¯re obviously lying. Only an idiot would believe that there¡¯s an organization that would help people out so much and ask for nothing in return. This might be a different universe, but people are the same everywhere.¡± Craw smiled at that. ¡°But honestly, that¡¯s comforting. I may not have strength on my side, but I know how to deal with people. Unless what¡¯s waiting for us over there is literal slavery, I know I¡¯ll be able to work my way up to a comfortable place again.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, how much do you guys know about the place we¡¯re headed to,¡± I asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t really had the time to research much about it.¡±


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    Ren smiled sheepishly. ¡°Me neither, honestly. I¡¯ve spent most of my time here either in the infirmary or the training room.¡±


    ¡°Well, research is all I¡¯ve been doing,¡± Craw said proudly. ¡°If my goal is to work my way up in society as fast as I can, I need to know everything I can about their society. And that means doing as much research as I can, even before I get there.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief. At least one of us is taking this seriously.¡±


    Craw laughed. ¡°When you don¡¯t have raw strength to rely on, you''re kind''ve forced to take these things seriously," he said with a small smile. "But anyway, here¡¯s what I¡¯ve found out about the place we¡¯re headed, and the universe in general, through asking people and reading stuff in the library. The planet we¡¯re going to is called Adonis, and it is, based on everything I¡¯ve read and heard, a very safe planet. The city we¡¯re going to specifically is called Grand Order City, and it''s also ¨C from what I can tell ¨C a great place, too. Their society is dominated by mages; it¡¯s actually the norm in the world to be a mage. Most children have their Cleanse in their early teens, but they don¡¯t all go on to become powerful warriors. Although being a fighter is a very common career, since there¡¯s apparently always a need for more, there are plenty of other jobs for mages too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Well, everyone says that there are a bunch, but the problem is the fact is probably such common knowledge that they don¡¯t really mention a lot. The ones that have been listed are Architect Mages, Chef Mages, and Healing Mages. I¡¯m not really sure how they work, but I do know that these things called Artes are really important.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, we¡¯ve heard of them too,¡± I said. ¡°But no one has really explained what they are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I couldn¡¯t find much of an explanation on them either,¡± Craw agreed. ¡°The other important thing I found out about is the existence of the Guilds. There are quite a few of them, but the important ones are the Adventurers Guild and the Merchants Guild. They are universe-spanning organizations that have long, long histories. From what I¡¯ve gathered, they are immensely powerful and influential entities, and every person has to register with one of them. For example, to make money hunting or even be allowed to use Flux powers in public, you need to be registered with the Adventurers Guild. Or, if you want to do any kind of business, you need to be registered with the Merchants Guild. But the important bit is that every branch of theirs is a protected place, and no one is allowed to break their rules; it¡¯s a crime punishable by immediate execution should the guards deem it to be necessary.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good bit of information to know,¡± Ren said. ¡°The most important thing about blending into a new culture is laying low until you understand how you''re supposed to act. And to do that, the most important things you need to know are the taboos of the society.¡±


    Craw gave him a strange look. ¡°Why does it sound like you¡¯re talking from experience?¡± he asked.


    Ren smiled cryptically. ¡°What can I say, I had an interesting job.¡±


    Craw seemed more confused than ever by Ren¡¯s answer, and I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the interaction. ¡°It¡¯s good to see someone else have to deal with Ren¡¯s inability to give straight answers,¡± I said, smiling.


    Ren laughed at my remark. ¡°But doesn¡¯t it just sound so much cooler when I talk like that?¡±


    I nodded, going along with the joke. ¡°Oh yeah, definitely. It really gives you an air of mystery.¡±


    Craw chuckled from beside me. ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t think I actually ever introduced myself to you,¡± he said to Ren. ¡°I¡¯m Craw. I was a Don at the Fight House on Earth.¡±


    Ren nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you. Ruby told me about how you tried to swindle her money.¡±


    Craw grimaced at that. ¡°Ah yes,¡± he said, chuckling awkwardly. ¡°I forgot about that. But hey, all¡¯s well that ends well, right?¡±


    I shook my head, chuckling as well. ¡°Well, luckily for you, I¡¯m a very forgiving person, so I¡¯m willing to let bygones be bygones.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention,¡± Craw added, ¡°I¡¯ve given you a lot of information too. So we¡¯re about even now anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well, I also saved your life, so I¡¯d say you still owe me,¡± I responded.


    Craw cocked his head as he considered the point. ¡°Huh, fair enough I guess. I suppose I do owe you one.¡± Turning to face me directly, he struck out his hand. ¡°Very well, then. I give you my word that I will do my utmost to fulfill for you one reasonable favour,¡± he said as we shook hands.


    ¡°Spoken like a true businessman,¡± Ren remarked. ¡°I think you¡¯ll do very well for yourself, Craw, wherever we find ourselves.¡±


    Craw gave a half smile at that. ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.¡±

 Chapter 43 – Philosopher

    ¡°Well, that was interesting,¡± Ren said as we made our way out of the dining hall.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I responded. ¡°It¡¯s nice to have learnt a bit more about the place we¡¯re going. I felt bad that I wasn¡¯t researching more about it, but now I can keep training with no worries.¡±


    Ren chuckled. ¡°You know we¡¯re headed to a school, right? There¡¯s no need to be rushing so much right now.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Yeah, but everyone else will be so much ahead of us when we get there. So if I¡¯m going to be the best of them, I need as much of a headstart as I can get.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Ren said. ¡°Those people have probably been training their affinities for years now.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why I need to train as hard as I can right now, to catch up as much as I can. My goal right now is to gain enough control over my flame to launch a projectile with it. Leonard said that that level of control would put me easily within the upper ranks of the students who would be applying with us.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked, looking surprised. ¡°Even after a few years of training, most people can¡¯t even launch a projectile?¡±


    I huffed a laugh. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of judgment coming from a guy who¡¯s never tried to make fire listen to him. Trust me, it¡¯s a lot harder than you¡¯d think.¡±


    Ren smiled. ¡°Fair enough,¡± he said. ¡°How close are you?¡±


    ¡°Eh, I can make a few sparks,¡± I responded.


    ¡°And your goal is to make a projectile, something that apparently takes years of training, in a few weeks?¡± Ren asked incredulously.


    I grinned at him, dripping confidence. ¡°I believe in myself.¡±


    Ren laughed in response. ¡°Well, you certainly never had a problem in that department.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I never understood people who couldn¡¯t believe in themselves. If you don¡¯t do it, who''s going to?¡±


    ¡°I think most people start out thinking that way, too. But it¡¯s like, the more you fail in life, the harder it gets, y¡¯know? Believing in yourself is like betting on yourself. When the thing you keep betting on keeps costing you ¨C keeps failing ¨C eventually, it starts to feel like a stupid investment, no matter how much belief you started with.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I said, considering his analogy. ¡°That¡¯s interesting, but I¡¯ve never thought of it like that. It sounds weird, but when I say I believe in myself, I don¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll fail. Or at least, in the sense that you mean to fail.¡± I paused, taking in a breath. ¡°That¡¯s the problem with your analogy. It¡¯s black and white, y¡¯know? When you bet, you either win big or you lose completely. And that¡¯s why you start to lose your belief. When you keep failing, you label yourself a failure, or a bad investment, and then it feels like a dumb idea to keep believing in yourself. But that¡¯s not the way I see it. I don¡¯t deny myself the possibility of not achieving my goal. I understand that I might not do what I said I would. I have to, because I give myself the most colossal goals ever. If I didn¡¯t, I¡¯d be the first person to lose faith in myself. But when I say I believe in myself, I mean that I believe that I will do everything in my power to work for that goal. It means that by the end of it, regardless of whether or not I achieved what I wanted, I will be able to look back at myself and say that I honestly could not have tried harder. That I never cowered in front of the impossible task and gave it less than my all.¡±


    Ren smiled at my words. It was a strange smile, full of an emotion I couldn¡¯t really name. An emotion I wasn¡¯t even sure had a name.


    ¡°Well, what if you¡¯ve failed, even in that sense?¡± Ren asked finally, his voice full of a quiet melancholy. ¡°What if you look back at your life and you know that you could have tried harder to get what you wanted, but you didn¡¯t? Because of...cowardice, laziness, stuff like that?¡±


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    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all in the past, isn¡¯t it?¡± I responded. ¡°How you¡¯ve done in the past shouldn¡¯t affect how you do today.¡± I stopped for a moment, considering. ¡°Actually, no, scratch that. It should affect how you act today. It should make you better. Nobody¡¯s perfect, and even if you¡¯ve failed by my standards, it¡¯s only a problem if you spend the rest of your life wallowing in that failure. But if you¡¯re able to recognize why and how you failed to try your hardest, then the next time you need to believe in yourself, you should know exactly how you need to act. And see, that¡¯s the other nice thing about the way I look at it. Betting on things is random, something beyond your control. And sometimes, your goals are like that too: affected by things outside of your control. But when you look at it my way, your success or failure is determined entirely by you, and no one and nothing else. Which means you aren¡¯t just rolling dice; you are actually able to affect the outcome. So every failure is more than just the result of fate¡¯s whim, it¡¯s something that you can learn and grow from. Something that trains you to do better the next time.¡±


    Ren was quiet again, as if considering my words, before suddenly turning to me with a teasing grin. ¡°When¡¯d you become such a philosopher?¡± he asked with a laugh.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been this smart,¡± I responded without missing a beat. ¡°You¡¯ve just never noticed.¡±


    Ren chuckled at my response, but before he could say anything, I suddenly stopped and motioned to the room at our left. ¡°Here¡¯s my room, by the way,¡± I said, the exhaustion of the day suddenly catching up to me at the sight of the door.


    Hearing the weariness in my voice, Ren smiled and patted my shoulder. ¡°Get some sleep, Ruby. You¡¯ll need the rest if you¡¯re serious about your goal.¡±


    I nodded, leaning against the door of my room. ¡°Speaking of which, you never mentioned what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    Ren raised an eyebrow. ¡°Mmm?¡±


    ¡°You said you were training too, right? Well, what are you training for?¡±


    Ren grinned at me. ¡°Oh, that?¡± he asked in a conspiratory whisper, raising a finger to his lips. ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I said in a disappointed voice.


    Ren laughed, turning to leave. ¡°It¡¯s good, trust me,¡± he said over his shoulder. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to make a promise I might not be able to deliver on.¡±


    ¡°Booo,¡± I said to his retreating back. ¡°Laaame.¡±


    Ren chuckled and stopped, turning around to give me a grin of challenge. ¡°Show me a projectile of fire by the time we land, and I¡¯ll give you something equally impossible. How does that sound?¡±


    I responded with a grin of my own. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that, when I do accomplish my goal. And if you aren¡¯t ready by then, I¡¯m gonna throw a ball of fire at your face.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal, then,¡± Ren said with a smile, turning back around and vanishing into the darkness of the unlit hallways, a final half-wave thrown over his shoulder.


    The last vestiges of a smile still curving my lips, I stepped into my cozy room with exhaustion weighing on my eyelids. I barely had time to kick off my boots and unfasten my belt and cape before I hit the bed, letting the thick blanket of sleep settle over my shoulders.


    ¨C


    The next few weeks passed by quite peacefully. Despite there being apparently over a hundred Earthen humans on board the ship I was on, I had very few encounters with any of them. The only people I met regularly were Grace, Leonard, and Ren. I would find Anabella and Craw occasionally in the dining halls or just passing in the halls, but with the massive size of the ship and the inordinate amount of time I spent in the training hall, the meetings were pretty rare.


    I did see a few other people here and there, people that I didn¡¯t recognize, but I never went over to say hi. I almost never had the energy to, since my schedule consisted of a breakfast with Ren, Grace, and Leonard, followed by an entire day of either combat training with Leonard or training my affinity on my own. When I would finally stumble out of the hall, usually late into the night, I would eat a light dinner ¨C sometimes with Ren but usually alone ¨C and head to sleep right away.


    It was a painful, exhausting schedule, but not monotonous in the least. I relished every moment I spent in the training hall. In fact, I promised myself every day that I would leave early to study a little on my own about the planet I was headed to and its culture, but I never did, always too wrapped up in training to leave early.


    Every day was a challenge, and while not all of them brought progress, the days that did make the rest of them worth it. The days I would manage to knock Leonard to the ground, or make a bigger or brighter flame would reignite the flame within my chest, pushing me to keep trying and trying. Every step forward made the next seem all the more inviting, shining with an allure I just could not resist.


    The time flew by, slipping through my fingers as I engrossed myself in my training, and before I knew it, three weeks had already passed by.

 Chapter 44 – Morals

    With a thwack, my pole struck Leonard¡¯s side hard enough to knock the burly man off balance, giving me just enough time to slip in a kick to his chest, finally bringing him to the ground. He landed flat on his back, the thud echoing in the empty room.


    With a huff, Leonard sat himself up, a sweaty smile plastered on his face. ¡°That¡¯s another one for you,¡± he said between heavy breaths.


    ¡°Nineteen to eleven, huh,¡± I responded, breathing just as hard as him. ¡°I¡¯m right on your tail.¡±


    Leonard laughed. ¡°You wish. I just felt bad beating you so badly, so I¡¯m letting you catch up a little.¡±


    I grinned in response. ¡°Says the guy on the floor right now.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Leonard sighed. ¡°I had a feeling the day would come that I would start getting knocked down, but I never thought it would come so early. To think that after twenty years of training, I would get bested so easily by someone almost entirely self-trained. My teachers would be so disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s just too much,¡± I said, flushing under the praise. ¡°First of all, you probably spent most of those twenty years training with your affinity, so these pure combat fights say nothing of how strong you actually are. Not to mention, most of my improvement has come from your teaching.¡±


    My last point was in no way an exaggeration. The three weeks of training I¡¯d done so far under Leonard had seen far more improvement than the countless fights I¡¯d fought at the Fight House and on the streets. Those fights had been useful in their own way, but learning the technicalities of the craft had polished up the raw experience I had and moulded it into something even I was proud of.


    Of course, I knew Leonard was far stronger than he was letting on, and while I appreciated that he was willing to swallow his pride to let me see my own improvement, the fact that he did so only fueled the fire that pushed me to get stronger.


    Leonard grunted as he pushed himself up to his feet, smiling at my words. ¡°Speaking of which, how far along are you with your affinity? I can¡¯t wait for the day I get to fight you with elemental Flux.¡±


    I laughed. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s still a ways off. I can barely keep a candle-sized flame alive for longer than half an hour.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised at how fast you progress later on," Leonard said, smiling in encouragement. "The first stages are always the hardest. Not to mention, getting as far as you have gotten within three weeks is a feat you should be proud of. Not many mages are as dedicated as you are.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°But I still need to go faster. I need to be able to throw a projectile by the time I get to Adonis. And I don¡¯t have much time left now, do I?¡±


    Leonard angled his head slightly as he thought. ¡°We should still have about a week. We¡¯ll be passing the wild planet Argonis soon, and Adonis is only about a few days of travel from there.¡±


    I nodded, my face blank as I sank into my thoughts. It seemed unlikely, now more than ever, that I would achieve my goal. ¡°Well,¡± I said with a smile, ¡°suppose that just means I have to double down, huh? No more dinners for me, I guess.¡±


    Leonard snapped his gaze to me as he heard, fixing me with an admonishing glare, but I spoke before he could scold me.


    ¡°I¡¯m joking,¡± I said with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯d like to achieve my goal, but I won¡¯t kill myself for it.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Leonard said. ¡°There¡¯s a fine line between determination and insanity, Ruby. And to strive for strength is to risk crossing that line every day. Be mindful of that.¡±


    I grinned at him. ¡°More poetry?¡± I asked.


    Leonard huffed. ¡°No, not really,¡± he said, his voice more serious than I had expected. ¡°Just something I¡¯ve come to understand over the years. People with the kind of drive you have, who¡¯ve lived the kind of life you have, often spend their lives toeing that line. And I¡¯ve seen what can happen to people who fall off to the other end. Their thirst for strength becomes all-consuming, above any other moral in their life. That¡¯s how you get people like the Insect Monarch, people who¡¯ve fallen to a level where the life of another person is worth nothing. People who are willing to sacrifice anything if it means becoming a little bit stronger.¡±


    I scoffed at his words. ¡°Oh, come on Leonard, I¡¯m not that crazy. Just because I¡¯m more dedicated to my goal than most people doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m about to turn into some genocidal maniac. That¡¯s a bit far, don¡¯t you think.¡±


    Leonard smiled gently at me. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he sighed. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be saying things like that. You are a great person, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll go on to do great things. But I would like you to keep my words in mind, especially as you progress further and further down the road you have chosen.¡± He paused again, as if considering his words, before continuing. ¡°I don¡¯t think even you understand just how potent your drive is. I don¡¯t think you quite understand just how your life has broken you, moulded you into what you are.¡±


    The doubt in my gaze must have been obvious, as he went on after reading my face. ¡°Take this whole experience, for example,¡± he said. ¡°Ruby, your entire planet was murdered, and you were just whisked away from the only home you¡¯ve known and put on this ship in the middle of space, headed to a planet you¡¯ve never heard of. And to top it all off, you¡¯ve discovered an ability to make literal fire come out of your body, something I assume you didn¡¯t even know was possible on Earth. And you¡¯ve taken the whole thing in stride, Ruby. You almost immediately accepted everything, and even threw yourself into this strange new universe.¡±


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    I flushed a little under his praise, although I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t at least a little bit confused as well. ¡°Uh, thanks?¡± I said, my tone questioning. ¡°I guess.¡±


    Leonard shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s not a good thing, Ruby. That¡¯s not healthy. You shouldn¡¯t be taking this so well. You should be confused and lost and having a hard time adjusting. That¡¯s indicative of a healthy mind. Why do you think you¡¯ve seen such few people around?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I dunno. Didn¡¯t really put much thought to it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because most of them are holed up in their rooms, with the few people they know. Some of them are in denial, others have accepted that this is real but aren¡¯t quite ready to¡­accept it, really. That¡¯s normal, Ruby. I¡¯ve seen it more times than I¡¯ve cared to count. When planets have to be evacuated, for some reason or the other, even the migration from one planet to the next can take people months to get adjusted to. But those people were at least aware of the wider universe, and the general common sense of it. To have gone through a catastrophe orchestrated by the Insect Monarch himself is traumatic enough experience on its own, but to be introduced to this wide universe on top of it all must be an experience beyond disorienting.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said. ¡°All that means is that I¡¯m more adaptable, right? That I¡¯m stronger, more driven. How is any of that a bad thing? When you¡¯re aiming for the greatest highest imaginable, you don¡¯t have time to spend moping around when things are going crazy. You need a dedication that¡¯ll carry you through even the most bizarre, traumatic events.¡± There was an anger creeping into me, or perhaps a defensiveness, that surprised me. Most people would probably react similarly if they were accused of being anything not normal, but the potency of the emotion rising within me was beyond my expectations.


    Something deep within the recesses of my consciousness whispered that my reaction hinted at an important problem, but at the moment, I did not care to try and unravel the cause of my emotions.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Leonard agreed, oblivious to the emotion within me, ¡°that¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to prove to you. I¡¯m saying that you possess within you a more powerful drive than even you yourself understand, as a result of the hellish life you¡¯ve lived. And there is a danger that comes with being driven, one that becomes more and more dangerous the stronger a person¡¯s drive is. When a mage¡¯s thirst for power overcomes their values, when they place it above their morals, they have taken the first step towards ridding themselves of what makes them human. The first step in their descent from humanity.¡±


    ¡°So what are you telling me to do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Just¡­¡± Leonard started, looking at me with a complicated gaze. ¡°Just be careful. If I¡¯m being entirely honest, based on what I¡¯ve seen in the three weeks I¡¯ve known you, I can only really see two outcomes for your near future. Either you go further than most people you do faster than most, and gain power the likes of which you probably can¡¯t even imagine right now, or you die an early, unfortunate death at the hands of fate. Because even in the cradle of Grand Order City, even on Adonis, there are ways people can die from which no one can save them.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Even on the safest planets, there are people who can do anything they want, who are above any law. People who even the Grand Order wouldn¡¯t want to mess with. Attracting their ire is, more often than not, a fatal mistake and, unfortunately, not something very difficult to do. Not to mention, the road to strength itself is beyond perilous, a river that feeds into death all too often. Every step is like walking on a tightrope, where a single slip means the end. But if you make it past all that, if fate does not claim you before you can fully mature, I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will reach heights greater than even I can imagine.¡±


    I smiled at him, sure this time that it was a compliment. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°But that is why I warn you, Ruby. Because I can see the potential within you. But every genocidal, moral-less egotistical maniac was once simply a broken child, with the same raw mass of potential. But when they have no morals to guide them, they all arrive at the same truth: that no price is too high for an improvement in their strength, even if it means causing the death of countless innocents.¡± Leonard sighed. ¡°It is a harsh truth, one that maybe I shouldn¡¯t even be saying to you, one that is certainly not something you have to worry about for now. But I¡¯d rather you hear of it as early as possible, so that you may watch yourself and catch yourself before making the same mistakes. ¡±


    I stood in a contemplative silence for a moment, mulling over his weighty words. ¡°So, basically, what you¡¯re telling me is that I should watch myself because I have an unhealthy amount of dedication, and that puts me at a high risk of becoming someone like the Insect Monarch, someone who¡¯ll do anything if it means getting a little bit stronger.¡±


    Leonard cocked his head as he considered my dumbed-down summary, before nodding. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much it.¡±


    I smiled at him, a bright, sunny smile. ¡°Well, you should¡¯ve just said that. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve only ever killed one person in my life, and I don¡¯t plan on ever raising that number. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience, and I don¡¯t wish to repeat it. And no matter how badly I want to become stronger, I have some limits that I will never cross. And Ren¡¯ll make sure of that, so even if I decide to go over the limit, he won¡¯t let me.¡±


    Leonard cast a doubtful glance at me. ¡°Ren?¡± he asked with obvious skepticism. ¡°Are you sure he¡¯ll keep you in check?¡±


    I laughed at his disbelief. ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± I said with a smile. ¡°He might seem flippant, but I¡¯m sure about him. He¡¯ll step up when I need him to.¡±


    Leonard looked surprised at my absolute confidence, but quickly smiled and shook his head. ¡°Very well then. I hope that he is the person you believe him to be, and that the both of you go far and live happy lives.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at that, but the question didn¡¯t need to be asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be leaving soon,¡± Leonard explained. ¡°I¡¯ve been called onto a different ship for certain reasons. I¡¯ll do my best to meet you again as soon as I can on Adonis, but I can¡¯t say for sure when that¡¯ll be. We still have a little while together, but I wanted to say a few things before I left. It¡¯s not every day that you get to offer advice to someone who¡¯ll be starting a brand new life, completely from scratch.¡±


    ¡°Well, I appreciate it. I appreciate everything you¡¯ve done for me, actually,¡± I said. ¡°I truly appreciate all the time you put into helping me out, really.¡±


    Leonard shook his head against my thanks. ¡°It was my pleasure, Ruby.¡±

 Chapter 45 – Top Floor

    I sat cross-legged on the floor, my brow furrowed in concentration. Black smoke pooled in the space between my palms, and a flickering golden flame burned within the heart of the inky ball. It measured just a bit longer than a candle¡¯s flame, nothing very dangerous or impressive, but it was a beautiful sight to me nonetheless.


    I had gotten much better since my first time, but it was still a difficult thing to keep up. I¡¯d asked Leonard if the way he¡¯d taught me to do it was the way everyone did it, because it seemed very inefficient and challenging to me.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s actually not how you¡¯re supposed to use it when you¡¯re fighting,¡± he¡¯d said. ¡°But it¡¯s the way everyone starts out. In the beginning, you need to first train your body to convert the Flux into your element. Once you can make the small bit in the middle of your palms big enough to touch your hands, then you¡¯ll understand. A kind of transformation occurs suddenly, and your body becomes much more efficient at converting the Flux. It should be even easier for you since your body¡¯s already done that once. After that, you should be able to fight with your element on command.¡±


    I forced my hands closer and closer as I remembered his words, straining against the thick Flux. The smoke was deceptively dense. It resisted being compressed with greater force than should¡¯ve been possible for something that wasn¡¯t even solid. No matter how hard I struggled and pushed, my palms hardly moved a centimetre closer.


    Still, the flame within shone brighter as I got closer, and I was sure it wouldn¡¯t be long before I could make the flame and my palms touch.


    Time trickled slowly that day, and I decided to call it quits just after the three-hour mark. I¡¯d tried and stopped and tried again more times than I cared to count, and while I¡¯d made some progress, I could tell I wasn¡¯t in the right state to continue training. I knew I wouldn¡¯t be making any more progress, even if I spent the rest of the day working. Leonard¡¯s words had left me rattled more than I cared to admit. I¡¯d blown the warning off, but the more I thought about his words, the scarier they seemed.


    I¡¯d always known I was driven, more so than most of the people around me, but I¡¯d never thought of the dangers that passion could carry. I liked to think I was a good person, a fact I was all the more proud of considering the places I¡¯d grown up and the people I¡¯d spent my childhood around. But, scarily enough, I could see myself falling onto the path that Leonard warned me of. The fire that burned within me did not care for such notions as morals and values ¨C it had no greater purpose than to push me further in strength. And while I had a tight rein on it at the moment, who could say that of the future?


    I shook my head to clear it, picking myself up off the ground and heading out of the training hall. There were no windows to get fresh air from, but I figured a walk and a change of scenery would still help.


    Would I kill someone to make myself stronger? I asked myself as I stepped out of the hall. My immediate response was no; in fact, that was my response to the notion of killing anyone at all.


    But I forced myself to think beyond that reaction. I had been given this second chance when all should have been over for me, and I wasn¡¯t likely to get a third. Which meant that I could not squander this on an ideal as childish as thinking I could gain strength while maintaining my pacifism. Just as Ren had said, I needed a ruthlessness within me if I wanted to achieve greatness. And that meant, whether I liked it or not, I would have to kill if it became necessary.


    And therein lay the problem. Where did I draw that line? At what point would I consider it necessary to kill someone? If they were going to kill me? Or hurt one of my own?


    In my rumination, I had idly walked my way over to the dining hall without even realizing it. I only noticed when the sound of the doors pulling away brought me out of my thoughts, showing me the now-familiar scene of the empty hall and its long tables.


    Deciding that I wasn¡¯t really that hungry, I turned away from the door and returned to my aimless walking, only for Ren to turn the nearest corner in front of me a second later.


    ¡°Ah, Ruby,¡± he said, that customary smile lighting up his face. ¡°Just the person I was looking for.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why?¡± I asked. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Ren grinned at me. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re going up.¡± Almost before he finished speaking, he vanished back into the hallway he had just come from, an obvious excitement in his movement.


    I turned the corner after him, beyond confused, but having known Ren long enough, I knew that it was better to follow him first and ask questions later.


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    He waited until I caught up to him before explaining with an excited smile. ¡°We¡¯re being attacked,¡± he said, his voice so cheery it took me a second to process his ominous words.


    ¡°What?!¡± I asked, almost yelling in surprise.


    ¡°We¡¯re being attacked,¡± Ren repeated. ¡°I overheard two maids talking about it. They¡¯re trying to keep it quiet because they don¡¯t want to scare the people, but apparently, there are some kind of space pirates who¡¯ve set their eyes on our ship.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but break into laughter at the news. It was so bizarre I would have suspected Ren of lying if I hadn¡¯t known him so well. Not to mention, bizarre was becoming a very common theme in my life, and at this point, there was little Ren could tell me that I wouldn''t believe.


    ¡°So where are we going?¡± I asked as my surprised laughter subsided.


    ¡°Up,¡± Ren said. ¡°There are floors to this ship, and I figured the highest one would probably be the one that gives us the best view of the fighting.¡±


    "Makes sense," I nodded, deciding to simply go along with everything instead of trying to understand any of it. That was the only way to deal with situations like these ¨C or at least, the only way I knew how to.


    I followed Ren since I had no idea where to go. He strode with purpose, with no hesitation in his footsteps. He didn''t stop once at any of the turns we took, almost as if he knew the exact way to the elevator ¨C a place I didn¡¯t even know existed.


    Within a few minutes, we arrived. Two metal doors, exactly the same as any of the others, greeted the both of us. Big yellow letters spelled out ¡®ELEVATOR¡¯ on the door, painting a streak through the middle.


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said. ¡°I really should¡¯ve spent more time exploring the place.¡±


    Ren laughed. ¡°You really didn¡¯t need to. I only did ¡®cause it''s basically habit for me. It¡¯s almost instinct to gather as much information as I can about new places.¡±


    ¡°Still, it seems like a good idea,¡± I said as we stepped forward, through the doors and into the confined space. Instantly, the doors shut, and, as Ren punched the highest button on the panel, the metal room began to shift, groaning as it picked up speed.


    Ren shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s good to be prepared, but the whole preparation part of it is annoying. It¡¯s a lot of work.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t see myself doing all that, honestly. It just seems like the kind of thing that I should do.¡±


    Ren laughed again, shaking his head. But before he could say anything, the room came to a lurching stop, the doors pulling apart again to reveal a starkly different place.


    Instead of a dead gray hallway, lit only by soft white lighting, the place Ren and I were greeted with was an expansive room. The room bustled with people, all of them running about in a hurry. There was a clamour that dominated the room, loud enough that no one even batted an eye to the new arrivals. Rows of tables lined the center of the room, their surfaces glowing with screens. Most of the people crowded around the tables, discussing something with fervour.


    The most peculiar part of the room, however, was undoubtedly its ceiling. Right above where I stood, it was dozens of meters above, but it curved down and eventually came down and touched the ground at the other end of the room. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure that the room was right against the nose of the blimp-shaped ship.


    The interesting part of the ceiling was not its shape, however, but the fact that the entire thing was transparent. Like glass, it was completely see-through, revealing the inky expanse of space that we sailed through. Sparkling points of white were dusted across the void, with only one star that shone apart from the rest. Just a bit off the nose of the ship, there shone a star far bigger and brighter than the rest. From the looks of it, I assumed that we would be passing quite close to the star. Or perhaps it was a planet.


    Wordlessly, Ren and I stepped into the hubbub of the room, walking aimlessly through the crowds. Even though we were total outsiders, no one even gave us a second glance, most of them too busy with their screens and jobs to even notice us at all. Just to be safe, though, I tried to emulate Ren¡¯s movements, since he had already blended into the environment so well it was hard for me to tell if he was an outsider. Something about the ease and confidence with which he moved simply exuded an air of belonging, enough that almost no one would question his being there.


    Thankfully, Ren and I had already adopted the clothing of the people, so we fit in perfectly on that end as well.


    I searched the faces of the people as the two of us toured the place, strolling through the crowd unhurriedly. I wasn¡¯t looking for anyone I would recognize ¨C I wasn¡¯t expecting there to be any ¨C but it didn¡¯t take long before my eyes caught onto the face of someone I did know.


    With a subtle nudge and tilt of my head, I wordlessly signalled Ren to look where I was pointing: a table to our left where Leonard stood. He was leaning on the table, speaking earnestly with the others who stood around the table.


    I glanced at Ren, and he simply nodded at me, instantly understanding the question. Striding forward with purpose, I pushed through the crowd and began to make my way to the table where Leonard stood, only for a voice to call out suddenly from behind me. A voice dripping with malice and a certain smugness that instantly rubbed me the wrong way.


    ¡°Well, well, well. That¡¯s a face I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever again,¡± the voice said. ¡°To think you survived both the bugs and the wrath of an entire first-rate gang. I really underestimated you, Ruby. Or rather, I should say I underestimated your luck.¡±


    I didn¡¯t turn around immediately, at first because I couldn¡¯t quite place where I recognized the voice from, and then because I finally did, and I had to suck in a deep breath to keep myself from exploding right then and there.

 Chapter 46 – Pirates

    Surprisingly, by the time I turned around, I was utterly back in control of my anger. Instead of the hot rage that I had expected, a cool calm flowed through my veins. My vision was clear, my thoughts unhindered by emotion.


    My face was completely blank, a mask of indifference as I faced Leo. I took in the sight of him, the smug smirk that painted his face, the mirthful glint in his eye. I couldn¡¯t believe that I had missed the utter lack of respect he held within his eyes for so long. He looked at me with the patronizing look of an adult looking at a child.


    ¡°Leo,¡± I said, my voice controlled and quiet. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    Leo¡¯s grin widened. ¡°So much anger, Ruby,¡± he said, his voice mockingly worried. ¡°It¡¯s not good to hold on to so much hatred, you know. You should learn to forgive and forget. For your own good.¡±


    I did not react to his words, the mask of calm on my face unphased. ¡°So,¡± I began, ¡°you aren¡¯t going to deny what happened?¡±


    Leo scoffed. ¡°Why would I deny it?¡± he asked. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, and I played you like a fiddle.¡±


    ¡°So you knowingly left them all to die?¡± I asked, once again ignoring his insult.


    Leo shrugged. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know that they were all gonna die like that. And besides, they chose their fate. I told them all to just join Owen after they got caught. But I guess those idiots really believed your words.¡± Leo laughed then, the sound harsh and grating. ¡°You should have seen them. They were so convinced that you would win and come back to save them. They even tried to tell me to join them. That I would regret it when you became everything you promised to be. Utterly delusional, I tell you.¡±


    Black smoke had begun to drift out of my skin, thin wisps of it swirling around my feet and rising upward. But I had no idea. I could see nothing at the moment but Theo¡¯s face, think of nothing but the fact that my men had believed in me until the end.


    A pressure descended on the room, settling on the shoulders of everyone present. The people around finally noticed the confrontation taking place in the room, their discussions grinding to a halt as they all shifted their focus to the two of us. Still, I hardly noticed their attention, my eyes glazed with emotion.


    ¡°Calm down, Ruby,¡± Leo said, still smiling despite the slight pressure on him. ¡°What good is all this anger going to do? And besides, it''s your fault anyway. You were the one who went around spouting such fantastical dreams. I didn¡¯t get your men killed. It was your crazy ideas that did.¡±


    I took a step towards Leo, not offering him an answer. My steps were slow, measured, almost trance-like. The wisps of smoke around me become thicker, more dense. The pressure on the people around intensified, great enough for Leo to finally lose his smug smirk.


    Every step I took made the weight heavier, and soon Leo¡¯s street-honed instinct began to warn him of a very real danger approaching him.


    His face dropped as I got closer and closer, and he took a half-step back in fear. ¡°Wha-What are you doing?¡± he asked, forcing an awkward chuckle.


    Still, I didn¡¯t make a sound, approaching him with the same, frozen calm mask on my face.


    ¡°What are you doing, Ruby?¡± Leo repeated, worry seeping into his voice. ¡°You can¡¯t hurt me here, you know. They¡¯ll put you in jail. I¡¯m safe here. They will protect me.¡± He sounded almost like he was trying to comfort himself more than he was trying to convince me.


    Still, I did not react, so far gone at that point that I could hardly even hear his words. Sparks began to burst out of the streaks of swirling black smoke around me, little flashes of orange like lightning in storm clouds.


    ¡°Ruby!¡± Leonard called out from behind me, finally deciding to step in. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t know what animosity you have with that man, but while you are under our care, any kind of violence will not be tolerated.¡± He spoke with a firm, strict tone, but still, his voice did not reach my ears.


    ¡°Yeah, Ruby. Back off,¡± Leo said. His face was truly stricken with fear now. He¡¯d long known I was stronger than him, but at that moment, he could sense that he didn¡¯t stand a chance against me. The combined weight of my pressure and his fear rooted him to his spot, not even allowing him to flee.


    Flame ignited on my fist, burning a brilliant orange. Leo took another step back, just enough for him to think I was still out of range. But he misjudged my speed.


    He blinked, and my fist was in front of his face, in all its searing glow. The heat singed his eyebrows, colouring his flinching face red, but the burning pain he dreaded did not arrive.


    Hesitatingly, he opened his eyes to see my glowing fist just inches away from his face, but strangely enough, not getting any closer.


    I stood, stuck in place like a statue, breathing hard as my fist burned. I could feel a hand laid lightly atop my shoulder, the gentle touch somehow bringing me out of the haze of my anger.


    With a quiet thud that echoed in the silent hall, Leo fell to the floor, wide-eyed and face sweaty from the fear and heat. The room was blanketed in stillness for a moment, the quiet broken only by my breathing.


    ¡°You are safe here, Leo,¡± I finally spoke, my voice raspy with emotion. ¡°And you are right. My men are dead because of me. I am to blame for that, and I have accepted it. But you betrayed me, and that is not something I will let go. You are safe here, but one day, I will find you, and I will make you regret ever making an enemy out of me.¡±


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    Still on the floor, Leo gave a forced scoff at my threat. ¡°You?¡± he asked mockingly. ¡°You don¡¯t have the guts. You¡¯re just a little girl, a naive little girl who doesn¡¯t understand how the world works. You¡¯re never gonna go anywhere in the world.¡± He laughed. ¡°I mean, look at you. Here I am, at your mercy, and you still don¡¯t have the guts to kill me. You can¡¯t even threaten to do it in the future. The universe is going to swallow you up, Ruby. You are the fodder people like me step over on our rise to the top.¡±


    Ren¡¯s hand lightly tugged my shoulder back, bringing me to the side before I could respond. He stepped forward in my place, his face passive as always, as if the situation hadn¡¯t affected him at all.


    Crouching down to Leo¡¯s level, he opened his eyes and locked gazes with the man. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said, his voice level and calm. ¡°Ruby probably doesn¡¯t have it in her to kill someone right now, and you¡¯d better hope she never does.¡± Ren smiled then, his lips curling into a sinister, menacing curve. ¡°Because I do. I¡¯ve been killing since I was a child, and I have slit the throats of men much, much better than you. So you¡¯d better pray that Ruby stays naive and decides to forgive you, because the mercy you ridicule right now will one day be the only thing that can save you.¡±


    The fire on my fist died out as Ren finished speaking, my emotions fully under control. There was a strange pride in my chest that Ren¡¯s words had sparked, and I couldn¡¯t quite name why. And I didn¡¯t get the time to think on it longer, because not a moment after Ren finished speaking, the entire ship began to shake. There was a low rumble that sounded out through the entire thing, alarming everyone preset. Immediately, a middle-aged man with graying hair and clothed in light green robes appeared in the midst of the crowd, taking control of the situation.


    ¡°The pirates have arrived!¡± he called out, his voice carrying around the hall. ¡°Mages! To your stations!¡±


    The crowd around us instantly burst into a flurry of action, all of them running about as they hurried to where they were needed. Unlike what I had been expecting, they didn¡¯t seem to care much about Ren, Leo, and me. The only one who didn¡¯t immediately begin to ignore the three of us was Leonard, who quickly began to make his way over to us.


    ¡°Alright, you three,¡± he said as he came over. His voice was firm but hurried. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you all are doing up here, and I don¡¯t care about your squabbles, but you need to get back to your rooms. The pirates seem to be a lot more organized than we were expecting, and will probably be more of a problem than we anticipated. It¡¯s not something you need to worry about, but you cannot be here while we fight. It¡¯s already going to be very chaotic; we can¡¯t have you three to look after at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said. ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to be a nuisance. We¡¯ll be right on our-¡±


    Before I could finish my sentence, a thunderous sound, almost like glass shattering, invaded the room. Following the noise came a panicked announcement from some sort of speaker system. ¡°The first barrier has broken!¡± yelled a surprisingly young voice. ¡°The pirates have Warlord Cannons! The rest of the barriers won¡¯t last!¡±


    Worry coloured Leonard¡¯s face, and it didn¡¯t take a genius to know that the announcement carried dire news.


    ¡°Runic Mages!¡± the same green-robed man called out in answer. ¡°Hold the second and third barriers as long as you can. Everyone else, begin manual attacks on the ships.¡±


    By now, the room had almost entirely emptied out. Only the green-robed man and a few other similarly aged people stood in the middle, intently watching the spectacular scene unfolding outside the ship.


    There were two ships in front of us, and another two directly above. The ships were starkly similar in build to the one we were on; the only difference was that they were painted entirely black instead of our dull metallic gray. Their colour made them quite a bit harder to see against the backdrop of empty space.


    The space in between our ship and the pirates would periodically be filled with bright golden lights as the Grand Order mages launched volley after volley of their attacks. It was hard to tell how many of the short beams of light were being shot, but they were enough to almost fill up the entire space in between the ships.


    Unfortunately, the beams didn¡¯t seem to be doing much. They would disappear before they could even reach the ships, leaving behind only a purple ripple in the invisible barrier they crashed into.


    The pirates weren¡¯t just sitting still, however. For every attack they suffered, they responded with their own. Unlike the uniform attacks of light from our side, though, their attacks were a lot more varied. Beams of orange fire and blue lightning seemed to make up the majority of them, but I was sure I saw a few boulder-sized rocks being thrown at us in the midst of the attacks.


    Like ours, their attacks would also disappear before reaching our ship, but based on the tense faces of Leonard and the middle-aged men, I could tell we weren¡¯t in a good place right now. It made sense, since we could only target one ship at a time, and for every one attack we made, we received four in turn.


    ¡°Ship two has charged its Warlord Cannon!¡± came a report from the speakers again. It was a different voice this time.


    ¡°Attackers, stop attacking!¡± the green-robed man instantly ordered. ¡°Focus your Flux on helping the barrier!¡±


    There was a blinding white light that suddenly shone from one of the two ships in front of us. It was far, far brighter and bigger than even the combined light of the attacks that we had been throwing at them.


    The light twinkled, and a report quickly followed. ¡°Cannon has been shot! Brace for impact!¡±


    There was a beat of silence, and then a deep rumbling as the entire ship shook heavily. Mugs clattered to the floor as Ren and I hunkered down for balance.


    A moment later, one that felt like an eternity, the shaking finally stopped, but no shattering sound followed.


    ¡°It worked!¡± came an excited voice from the speakers. ¡°Barrier two has not-¡±


    Before the woman could even finish her announcement, four volleys of attacks came from the enemy ships. The shield lasted for a moment under the barrage before giving in with a deafening shatter.


    ¡°Barrier two has fallen!¡± another voice yelled through the speakers. ¡°What do we do?!¡±


    ¡°Stay calm!¡± the green-robed man barked out. ¡°We only need to hold off until the rest of the fleet catches up to us. They should be on their way right now. Until then, hold the barriers and keep attacking!¡±


    Suddenly, there was another twinkle in space, followed by a blinding white light that shone from a place no ship should have been.


    Immediately, a cacophony of sound tumbled out of the speakers as too many voices desperately tried to yell something. But before any of them could get a coherent sentence out, the light hit the last barrier of the ship. The ship rumbled and shook fiercely, far harder than before, and soon, the dreaded sound of glass shattering invaded the ship.


    ¡°There was a fifth ship!¡± a voice yelled from the speakers in the silence that followed. ¡°Barrier one has fallen!¡±

 Chapter 47 – The Fight Begins

    Leonard turned to face us as the announcement sounded. ¡°You three need to get down to safety,¡± he said, his eyes panicked. ¡°Right now!¡± he added when none of us moved.


    Jolted into action, Leo finally broke out of his trance and immediately bolted towards the elevator doors, not bothering to cast a glance back for a second.


    Ren and I, however, stood right where we were.


    ¡°What are you two-¡± Leonard started, before realizing that we weren¡¯t even listening to him, our eyes glued to the windows behind him.


    Turning around, he quickly realized what had caught our attention. There was a woman, hovering at the tip of the nose of the pirate ship directly in front of us. I didn¡¯t know exactly how strong she was, but the fact that she could effortlessly stand in space was a clear sign she was far beyond the levels of strength I¡¯d ever witnessed so far.


    As the three of us watched, the woman leisurely lifted her hand and pointed it at the nose of our ship. Instantly, powerful lightning crackled around her arm, gathering at the tip of her finger.


    But before she could unleash what was sure to be a devastating attack, the green-robed man who had taken charge of the mages vanished from where he stood, reappearing right in front of our ship.


    With a wave of his hand, he slapped the incoming bolt of lightning like it was nothing more than a bug, redirecting the attack downward, where it flew off to be swallowed into the darkness of space.


    The pair stood calmly in the aftermath of the attack, as if it hadn¡¯t even happened. I figured by their body language that they had started talking, but we could hear no sound from inside the ship.


    Then, with no warning, the transparent windows of the curved roof suddenly ¨C magically ¨C morphed into the same steel that made up the rest of the ship. It wasn¡¯t a cover that moved over the windows, but the very glass material changing into metal right before my eyes. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have the spare time to bask in the wonder of the moment, because not a second after the change, five steel hooks punctured through the roof of the ship. And a second later, there was a series of thuds that echoed from the roof, as if some heavy objects were landing on the metal.


    Of the middle-aged men left in the room, one turned to the three of us, while the rest immediately ran out of the room, all of them sporting grave faces. The one that came to us, an older man with a dull gray robe that matched his eyes, did not waste any time on pleasantries.


    ¡°You three, secure this room until backup arrives,¡± he barked. ¡°Hold off the pirates by any means necessary.¡± The man didn¡¯t even wait for a response, leaving immediately after issuing his orders.


    The thumps on the roof stopped for a bit, and in the silence that the three of us were left in, Ren was the first to recover from the series of events.


    ¡°Well, I guess we aren¡¯t going anywhere, then,¡± Ren said with a smile that barely held back a laugh.


    His control was better than mine, however, because I couldn¡¯t stop the laugh that bubbled out of me. ¡°This day just keeps getting better,¡± I said between laughs.


    Leonard was the only one of us to have a normal response. ¡°Are you guys crazy?!¡± he said after a moment, practically yelling.


    ¡°What?¡± Ren and I both said in unison, like he was the one being unreasonable.


    ¡°You guys can¡¯t be fighting right now!¡± Leonard exclaimed. ¡°Especially not against pirates. They¡¯re bloodthirsty beasts. They¡¯ll rip you two apart. You guys need to-¡±


    Before he could finish his warning, the sharp buzz of a laser cutting through metal echoed in the room. Looking up, the three of us watched in varying degrees of worry as bright red lights pierced through the roof, drawing five squares that were dropped down onto us.


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    ¡°Leonard, I know you¡¯re worried about us, but right now, you need to do your duty,¡± I said as the three of us watched the five square holes appear on the roof. ¡°We aren¡¯t so weak anymore, and we definitely aren¡¯t strangers to fighting with our lives on the line. Even if we can¡¯t help, we won¡¯t be a burden.¡±


    Leonard gave us a serious, contemplative look as he heard my words. ¡°Very well,¡± he sighed after a minute, just as a rope was dropped through each of the holes. ¡°I¡¯ll need help anyway, and I¡¯ve seen you two fight. You should be fine. Just¡­Just don¡¯t die on me, ok? It¡¯s too early for that right now, and I really don¡¯t need that on my conscience.¡±


    Ren and I laughed somewhat awkwardly, deciding to ignore the weirdly cryptic comment he¡¯d made in the middle.


    ¡°I¡¯ve still got great things to do,¡± I responded instead, turning to face the men who were descending from the ropes with a smile. ¡°I won¡¯t be dying any time soon.¡±


    The five men who dropped onto the floor were undoubtedly scary men. They were as bedraggled as I¡¯d imagined pirates to be ¨C space-faring or otherwise. Three had fist-length beards as unkempt as the mops of hair on their heads, while the other two were utterly devoid of hair on both their chins and heads. They were big men, draped in dirty clothing that looked like they had once been of good quality, before they had been marred by years of neglect and no washes.


    There was a second of tense silence as both sides sized each other up. Evidently, one side was much more intimidating than the other. While our side sported two excited smiles and one worried frown, the other side immediately broke into wide grins that were so arrogant they didn¡¯t even need words to convey the fact that they believed the fight was already won.


    And I didn¡¯t blame them. Coming down to find two kids and only one proper mage instead of the army they were expecting was probably a very relieving sight.


    I was used to being immediately dismissed by my opponent, but Ren and Leonard clearly weren¡¯t. Without warning, they both began their assault on the men.


    While Leonard did not have his staff, he was still quite proficient with his affinity. On one hand he formed a kite shield with his glowing light, and on the other a long sword. He rushed with Ren just a step behind him and clashed with two of the pirates right away. All the pirates wielded dual curved blades, including the pair that met Leonard.


    Still, despite the four blades that raced to meet him, Leonard expertly stole the upper hand, and did so almost instantly. Using his momentum and shield, he crashed into one of the men hard enough to knock him back a few steps, and with the other hand, he clashed with both of the blades of the other man.


    Ren didn¡¯t waste any time, either. At some point during the few seconds he had with Leonard¡¯s initial clash, he managed to get behind the third man. With no hesitation, he struck the man on the back of his head with the butt of his stick, sending him stumbling forwards.


    Before he could follow up, the fourth man decided to help out, lashing out with a wide swipe of his sword. Ren ducked under the attack and countered with a jab at the man¡¯s gut, only for his second sword to parry the attack. The parry deflected Ren¡¯s momentum, throwing him off-balance as he went stumbling sideways.


    The fifth man stepped in then, a smile stretching his beard as he swung his sword down on Ren¡¯s back.


    The move very well could very well have been the end of Ren, but I chose that moment to snap out of my reverie. I sprung forward, my hands once again lit up in brilliant flame.


    There was very little thought present in my mind as I moved, which explained why my first instinct to save Ren was to grab the blade swinging down on his back with my hand.


    Still, somehow, the palm that caught the razor-sharp edge of the blade remained unharmed, the flame managing to form a cushion that brought the blade to a halt before it could reach my flesh.


    Surprise spread across the man¡¯s face as he realized his blade had actually been caught, but I wasted no time dwelling on the feat. And as much as I would¡¯ve liked to credit my composure, it was entirely due to the fact that I didn¡¯t realize it had happened.


    Within the second the man wasted in surprise, I landed my second fist directly on his nose. He was sent sprawling back onto the ground, landing with a loud thud. The man right beside me reacted a second after my attack, swinging his sword at my neck with ferocious speed.


    I didn¡¯t even react to the strike, somehow knowing in the depth of my trance that I was safe from the attack.


    And sure enough, before the blade could find its mark, the black length of Ren¡¯s walking stick appeared in its path.


    ¡°Watch yourself,¡± Ren said in faux warning as the blade was stopped in its tracks, his lips curled into a lopsided grin. ¡°That¡¯s the boss you''re attacking."

 Chapter 48 – Strength

    Pirate number five faced me down with a fierce glare, obviously ticked off at being the first to be knocked down in the fight, especially since it was by a little girl. His embarrassment fueled him, and the next attack he launched came much faster than his first. The pirate was obviously no rookie, and it became evident very quickly. I ducked the second and the third, but even as I felt that familiar state of heightened reflex creep back, the pressure I was under steadily increased.


    I wondered how Ren and Leonard were holding up against two of them, but I could not spare the brainpower to check on them. I fought back as hard as I could, using everything I had learnt over the three weeks to try and get through the man¡¯s defences, but he was far more skilled than I expected him to be.


    Still, while I was obviously more pressured than he was, he didn¡¯t have an easy time getting me either. His twin blades were incredibly quick, flashing out like vipers every time he attacked. But I was usually quicker, and when I wasn''t, I used my hands to block.


    As I slowly came back to my senses during the battle, I realized that I had reached the milestone Leonard had described. The flame burned directly on my hands, and burned far brighter and hotter than the flame I had been capable of earlier this morning.


    It made my punches hurt a lot more than they used to, although the man had some sort of invisible protective barrier that would stop my fists from actually making contact ¨C the few times I would be able to slip past his defence at all. Still, the fire that burned on my fists seemed to be able to break past his barrier, and would scald the man anytime they got close enough.


    Things seemed to be quite stable for the first few minutes. While the man was stronger than I was, I was learning as I fought, and was slowly but surely closing the gap. And then ¨C just as I was about to grab a blade that was headed to my waist ¨C I felt the sharp, searing pain of a blade cutting into my back.


    A wet ¡°Argh!¡± was wrenched out of me as I stumbled forward, the pain on my back searing and overpowering all thought, only for the blade of the man I was fighting to lodge itself into my side.


    The steel bit deep, severing what I was sure were vital organs in its path.


    ¡°Ruby!¡± two voices yelled from behind me, but I hardly heard them over the roar of pain in my head. I ignored both sounds, but instead focused on the smug smile of the man in front of me. His hand still gripped the handle of the blade, but the gaze that I met with my pained eyes was relaxed, almost uncaring.


    So this is what it means to be a killer, huh?


    The thought cut through the pain of the world, silencing everything else. It echoed in my brain for a moment, its implications profound. Still, I didn¡¯t have the time to go through exactly what it meant, because I knew that death was not far from where I stood.


    Instead of the fear I expected from that revelation, however, I felt nothing but an electric rush. My eyes widened as the world seemed to come into better focus than ever before.


    The man was visibly intrigued as he watched the light flare in my eyes. The disinterest with which he was about to kill me vanished as he saw that I was still willing to fight.


    His reaction only fueled my rejection of my impending death. There was no way I was going to let myself die here, and certainly not like this.


    I grinned at the man, letting him see the drive on my face. The black smoke that swirled around me intensified suddenly, whirling around my legs like the beginnings of a tornado. It rose upward, quickly shrouding my entire body. The man didn¡¯t even have time to remove his sword from my body before the smoke encompassed me entirely.


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    Pain flooded me as the Flux interacted with my injuries, the black smoke rushing into me through the gaping wound on my back. I steeled myself through the pain, forcing it to fuel me instead.


    The man, deciding that it had finally been long enough, let go of the sword in me and swung the other at my neck. It moved with a speed unlike ever before, with only the faintest trace of gray smoke rising off of it. I realized in that brief moment that he''d been holding back the entire time, playing around with me like a child.


    No! I screamed to myself as I ducked and stepped out of his range, moving faster than I ever had before. I refuse to live like this anymore!


    The man did not take me seriously ¨C no one did ¨C but I was going to prove them wrong. I would make him acknowledge me.


    I did not have Ren''s speed, nor his finesse, so no matter how much I tried to emulate him, I would never be able to catch up. And I did not have Leonard¡¯s physical strength, nor his control over his affinity. But I did have something else.


    I realized at that moment, as I yanked the blade out of my gut, that I had spent too much time trying to use other people¡¯s strength. Perhaps one day, I¡¯d have Ren¡¯s grace, or Leonard¡¯s control, but that was not my strength. That was not me.


    The smoke around me suddenly dissipated, exploding outward before vanishing into the air, like it had never existed. In its place, I stood, the pirate¡¯s blade in my hand. My eyes were closed, but the man in front of me did not attack, watching on with amused eyes.


    The world faded away, as it was wont to do at times like these. All that was left in my mind was me, the pirate in front of me, and what burned within my chest: my strength.


    Fire.


    It exploded outward suddenly, catching the entire room by surprise. The temperature of the entire room shot up as an inferno blazed at my feet. I stood in the midst of the flame, right in its heart, but all I felt was a pleasant warmth. It was a nice feeling, especially after the waves of pain I¡¯d just fought through.


    The blaze was eye-catching, enough to stall the fight for a moment, and my side was the first to take advantage of it.


    Ren and Leonard both managed to land heavy hits on one of their opponents, but I paid no attention to that. In fact, I had all but forgotten they even existed at that moment.


    I leapt toward the man in front of me, the euphoria of the moment giving my face an insane light. But the man wasn¡¯t fazed, not even balking as he lifted his smoking sword to counter my flaming one.


    We met with a clash, with my full weight pressing down on his sword. Still, the man only held the blade with a single hand, and judging by the look on his face, he was more excited than scared by my newfound strength.


    I could feel the Flux within me rage at his reaction, and the fire around me flared up in response. The man¡¯s sword still didn¡¯t budge, but the heat around me was definitely getting to him, if the sheen of sweat on his forehead was any indicator.


    I grinned at the man as I realized. I¡¯m still not using my fire properly.


    Suddenly, I let go of the sword and ducked. The man lurched as he was through off balance, stepping forward awkwardly to meet my fist. It sunk into his gut, and this time, I felt it meet skin. The man was blown backward, flipping over one table before crashing into the next.


    I jumped up onto the table in front of him, staring him down with my face split by a maddened grin.


    This! I thought to myself in ecstasy. This is it! This is my strength!


    I jumped down onto the man before he could get up, raining down fists. He blocked desperately, but with his sword lying just a few feet out of reach, he was almost defenceless against my overwhelming heat. His arms slowed down exponentially as mine slowly sped up until, eventually, I was pummeling his face in with no resistance.


    After a moment, as blood streamed down from his nose, I picked the big man up by his collar and planted my knee in his gut. He was sent backwards again, crashing over two tables before landing atop the third.


    The man was seething now, far beyond the embarrassment of the first time. He pushed himself up slowly, the Flux steaming off of his whole body now. As I watched, ice began to crystallize around his forearms. It was a stark, almost purple-blue, with jaded edges that looked like they could shred skin. As he got up to his feet, the ice finished forming, stopping right before his elbows. It had formed gauntlets, encasing his arms in armour-like ice. The fingers were especially sharp, however, almost like claws.


    The man stared me down with a burning hatred, but I only responded with a grin. I didn¡¯t even care that he had still been holding out on me. In fact, I cared for little else right now than the fire that burned around me. At long last, I had found what was mine, truly mine. And that satisfaction was all that occupied my mind.


    This fire was my strength. It was what I had been missing for so long, the tool that I needed to begin my true journey to the top. And now that I had it, no mere pirate would stand in my way.

 Chapter 49 – Insanity

    The pirate''s skill was undeniable. Now that the man was holding nothing back, it quickly became apparent just how unprepared I was for the battle. The man had to have decades of experience at least, and I could imagine that the life of a pirate was no easy one. Having survived so long under such harsh conditions, it would be a surprise if he hadn¡¯t been moulded into a fierce warrior.


    His every attack reflected that ferocity. His gauntlets packed immense power, and his fingers were like tiny daggers. Together, coupled with his own skill and strength, his every swipe became lethal. But thankfully, I wasn¡¯t at a complete disadvantage.


    My fire wasn¡¯t a complete counter to his ice, but it did nullify it somewhat. He could definitely have moved faster normally, but under the oppressive heat that faced him, his movements were almost sluggish. Still, sluggish by his standards meant it was just barely manageable for me.


    With him having abandoned his blade and my not knowing how to wield one, our fight quickly degraded into a slugfest. Within minutes, my Revive count had already hit half a dozen as I took countless sledgehammer-like hits to my body. Still, I made sure he wasn¡¯t having a good time either. His clothes were singed at their edges and fist-sized holes pockmarked his shirt. He was sweating hard, with drops of the liquid falling from his forehead and into his eyes occasionally.


    I also made sure to keep my surroundings in mind, to make sure that one of the other pirates didn¡¯t decide to butt in again. But Ren seemed to have kicked it up a notch, since I didn¡¯t suffer from any interruptions again.


    At least, until a sound cut through the room. It was a shout, not unlike the one I made when I almost died. I instantly recognized the voice as Leonard¡¯s, and almost instinctively turned my head to look over.


    My searching eyes found Leonard in a corner of the room, his back facing me. Two gray blades had been impaled through him, poking out of his back. Scarlet coated the blades and Leonard¡¯s shirt, and my heart leapt to my throat as I tried to determine if the blades had pierced his heart.


    Before I could figure it out, however, a fist landed square on my stomach, hitting me so hard the air in my lungs rushed out of my mouth, along with a little blood.


    I flew backward and landed in the embrace of a metal table, bending the steel in a little. Almost on instinct, I grit my teeth and let the Flux flow into me again, setting right all the broken bits.


    ¡°Looking away from me in the middle of the fight, girl?¡± the pirate''s voice cut through the haze of the pain. ¡°You¡¯re either stupid, or you¡¯re not taking me seriously. Either way, that¡¯s a big mistake.¡±


    I stared down the man as the fire around me flickered and dimmed. My chest heaved as my mind raced. Leonard needed urgent help, but I couldn¡¯t do anything if I couldn¡¯t break past the man in front of me. A feat that would be anything but easy.


    On impulse, I wanted to curse myself for my weakness again, but I quickly put a muzzle on that voice. I¡¯d had enough of that feeling, that horrible feeling of regret and inadequacy. I had been through that tirade against myself more than enough times, and things had changed now. I had been granted access to this new power, and I could tell that I still wasn¡¯t using it to its fullest potential.


    I didn¡¯t understand much at all about the power ¨C I barely grasped what little Leonard and Anabella had explained to me ¨C but I didn¡¯t need long-winded, almost scientific explanations for the fire. I had learned enough. I could find my way through the rest of it.


    I realized that I had been limiting myself because I felt that I hadn¡¯t learned enough, but that was only because I¡¯d never been taught before. I¡¯d gotten caught up in the joy of being taught, forgetting that for the majority of my life, I¡¯d learned by pure trial and error.


    The pirate was making his way over to me, taking his sweet time in a classic attempt at intimidation. I flashed him a mocking grin to let him know that it didn¡¯t work, before bursting forward with newfound intensity.


    My fist landed in the man¡¯s gut before he realized what was happening. My crazed eyes met his for a second before he stumbled backward, gasping and spluttering.


    Fire was all I had to rely on at the moment. I wasn¡¯t suddenly going to become stronger or faster, even through Revives. The wall of strength I needed to scale was too steep for that; which meant that my fire was the only way to turn this situation around.


    I hadn¡¯t been taught enough to know how to use it properly, but I trusted myself to figure it out.


    In the second I had while the man was distracted, I closed my eyes and breathed out. The first step was obvious. I was wasting far too much Flux keeping up an entire inferno around myself. I needed to focus it on my fists. The only question was how.


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    First, I tried the most obvious method: funnelling the Flux in my body to my fists. My Flux reacted the way I wanted it to, but the fire around me stayed the same. The only effect it had was making my fists a little harder.


    I furrowed my brow, trying to come up with a way to make the fire listen to me, when what felt like a sledgehammer rammed into my face.


    The world blacked out for a moment, only to flood back in as I hit the table behind me. My vision blurred as my eyes filled with water, my broken nose howling with pain. A breath later, Flux from the air around me burst into my body, setting right the burst blood vessels and broken nose. My face scrunched up against the pain, but I didn¡¯t let myself make a noise. Instead, I focused on the Flux as it entered my body. I¡¯d never given it much thought, since the experience would always be accompanied by an insane amount of pain, but now that I did, I realized how strange it was. How was it that I could never sense the Flux around me until my body would suck it in? And, more importantly, was there a way to activate the sense on command, without having to go through a Revive?


    Suddenly, an idea struck, hitting my brain like a strike of lightning. And then, just after the idea struck, I felt a burning cold hand grip my shirt and pull me up. I opened my eyes to find the pirate¡¯s face unnervingly close to mine, his pungent breath almost worse than the punch to the face.


    Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to suffer his horrible hygiene for too long, as another punch to the side of my face sent me flying away. I stopped only when I hit the wall of the room, crumpling down to the floor as I waited for my brain to stop rattling.


    I grinned to myself as I Revived again, my lips twisted by pain and sick gratification.


    The man appeared before me within seconds, lifting me up to my feet by my hair.


    ¡°So you¡¯re done taking your sweet time?¡± I asked, my eyes still closed and my voice strained. ¡°I think I preferred that-¡±


    I¡¯m rudely interrupted by a fist to the gut, at least five of my ribs breaking immediately under the force. Almost simultaneously, I sucked in the Flux around me again, righting the bones almost as soon as they broke.


    I could feel the waves of pain pressing on my sanity, threatening to drive me over the edge, but I refused to fall, grinning wide as I looked at the man in front of me, my eyes shimmering with maddened mirth.


    ¡°Did your mother never teach you manners?¡± I asked, as if unfazed by his earlier punch. ¡°Interrupting people in the middle of their sentence, really? That¡¯s just ru-¡±


    Once again, I was interrupted as the man¡¯s fist rammed into me, driving me deeper into the metal wall behind. Already, it''d been warped inward roughly in the shape of a person, which in any other circumstance would¡¯ve made me laugh.


    Instead, I sucked in a deep breath as I battled my way through another horrendous Revive, fighting to stay conscious against the mental exhaustion that¡¯s begun to weigh on me. ¡°You did it again!¡± I exclaim in mock disappointment, my acting undercut by my now raspy and breathless voice.


    ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± the pirate finally answered, his voice comically confused ¨C if I didn¡¯t know any better, I would have even said there was borderline genuine concern in his voice.


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± I complained. ¡°I almost had it. Come on, do it again.¡±


    The man looked at me like I was insane ¨C which, admittedly, was a fair assumption, and something I was wondering myself ¨C but thankfully, he obliged.


    Unfortunately, however, he decided to aim for the head instead.


    His fist crashed into my forehead like a truck, burying my head into the metal like a hammer hitting a nail. Had I not gone through as many Revives as I¡¯d had in my life, I was sure my skull would¡¯ve been ground to dust under the immense force.


    That wasn¡¯t to say, however, that the blow didn¡¯t almost kill me. I couldn¡¯t even begin to detail the kind of injury his punch caused, largely because the pain was so intense that for what felt like an eternity, I was hardly able to cobble together a single, coherent thought in my own head. But undoubtedly, it was the closest I came to death since that rock that had bashed my head in.


    I had thought that there would be some kind of limit to the amount of pain I could feel; in fact, I had been banking on it. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. When the Revive hit, it hit like no other had in a long time. The pain was a physical thing, almost living, and it clawed at me from inside.


    But in the midst of that pain, in a moment of almost divine enlightenment, the revelation I was looking for finally descended. It clicked in my head in a way I would never be able to explain, nor even understand myself. All I knew was that it made sense now.


    As the pain abated, I was left heaving and panting, my head hung as my hair fell like a bloody curtain around it. Blood dripped from my lips, painting them a deep, stunning scarlet.


    Slowly, I moved my head up, my hair parting enough to let one eye meet the pirate¡¯s.


    Something almost akin to respect glowed within them.


    ¡°Not many people can come back from an injury like that,¡± he said, his voice low. ¡°That¡¯s a feat you should be proud of.¡± He put an icy hand to his chest, palm over his heart. ¡°Rest assured, little girl. Your tale will live on after you. I will tell of your courage, of your tenacity. I will remember this.¡±


    I smiled at him, the cruel curve of my blood-stained lips painting a perfect picture of insanity.


    ¡°You will not live to.¡±

 Chapter 50 – Suffer

    The pirate looked at me for a moment, understandably confused. He had the complete upper hand at the moment, but as he searched my eyes, he found not a trace of empty bravado.


    ¡°You truly believe that, huh?¡± he asked after a moment.


    My smile widened. ¡°You will, too,¡± I said, straightening myself slowly. My limbs were still shaky from the whole ordeal, but I was feeling better by the second.


    The man shook his head, finally arriving at the conclusion that I had lost my mind to the pain.


    ¡°For someone so untrained, you put up an interesting fight,¡± he said, angling a hand to my throat, his sharp fingers pressed together to make an edge as dangerous as any blade. ¡°I will remember you.¡±


    And then he plunged his hand forward.


    Flame erupted around my skin as his hand moved ¨C not bursting out from within me as before, but leaping into existence around me as if the air itself had caught fire. It burned brighter and hotter than ever before, the colour more a blinding white than the old orange.


    The sudden oppressive heat pressed down on the man as his ice gauntlet approached my throat, steam rising off of his hand and drops of water falling. By the time his fingers reached my throat, they were nothing but skin.


    The pirate frantically brought his hand away, leaping backward a few feet. Still, the few seconds his fingers spent in my flame scorched them badly.


    I stepped forward as he backed up, ecstasy painting my face insane. I watched the man as he realized what had just happened. As he realized what I had been trying to do, and how my insane gamble had paid off. I watched as his face morphed into a strange cocktail of shock, fear, and disbelief, with a little awe mixed in.


    I extended my hand out, pointing it toward the man. My eyes mirrored the man''s surprise as the fire finally reacted to me. At long last, the wild dancing flames obeyed my mind. The flames surged forward, gathering around my outstretched hand. Feeling experimental, I forced the fire to swirl around my hands with a simple thought, almost caught off guard when it actually responded.


    The pirate immediately knew what was going to happen, but instead of dodging, he put his hands together in front of himself and condensed a massive shield of ice, big enough in diameter to cover his entire body.


    Not a second after it formed, I urged the fire to surge forward with another thought. Like before, the fire obeyed almost immediately, shooting off of my arm in a swirling column of fire that crashed into the man¡¯s shield. A sharp hiss sounded out as the heat met the ice, the crystalline water turning into vapour immediately.


    The pirate slid back a few feet under the force, but he managed to keep his shield from evaporating under the heat by constantly supplying it with Flux.


    Slowly getting into the groove of this new fighting style, I called off the flame and leapt forward myself, my fist aimed at his face. As expected, the man chose to raise his shield and block, but I quickly stopped and dropped to a low crouch, my flame-encased foot sweeping out in a kick to the man¡¯s exposed shin. I felt the same resistance as before when my foot came within an inch of the pirate¡¯s leg, but this time, the strange invisible barrier fell away after only a second of resistance. My foot carried on, contacting the man¡¯s leg and eliciting a painful shriek as the fire scorched his calf.


    His leg bent under the force, making him fall to his knees, his shield held just a bit to the side. It was a mistake, made in the haze of the pain, but I capitalized on it immediately.


    I summoned swirling fire back onto my arm and punched the man¡¯s now exposed chest, hitting him square on the ribs. The force pushed the man back an inch, but the fire left my fist and travelled further. The column of flame carried the man up in the air a meter before it dispersed, letting him fall back onto the metal floor with a dull thud. A scorched black hole about a foot wide marked the center of his chest, his shirt singed around it. It was a gruesome wound, but the man quickly underwent a Revive and healed himself. The blackened circle on his chest was replaced with a brand-new patch of smooth skin.


    The man pushed himself back up to his feet, wincing as he did. A seasoned warrior he might have been, but few could walk off a severe burn like that without at least some kind of reaction.


    He was angered now ¨C I could tell by the newfound ferocity with which he launched his next barrage of attacks. But at that point, I was much beyond anger or rage; my sanity was held together by threads and, as I¡¯d already demonstrated, my capacity for pain far exceeded his.


    I grinned as the man swiped at me with a double-edged icicle, the glimmering blade whistling as it cut through the air. I ducked and rolled to the side at the last moment, sending a short burst of fire at him as I did. He managed to sidestep the flame, but the heat still singed his shirt.


    I was still experimenting with the new power, and my control was nowhere near the pirate¡¯s. His finesse with ice was leagues ahead of my sloppy flame, but for some reason, the heat of my flame far overpowered his ice. Every time we clashed, unless he focused entirely on supplying it with Flux, my heat would quickly melt his ice. I didn¡¯t know why ¨C logically, his should¡¯ve been much stronger than mine, given his experience ¨C but I was hardly in the mindset to question things like that.


    All I knew was that I now had the tools I needed to make the pirate feel the pain he had made me feel. And for the second time in my life, the tiny voice in my head that begged mercy for my enemies was utterly silent. And the crazed glint in my eye reflected that.


    The man realized the same, and opted to go on the defensive instead. It made sense, considering the fact that his side outnumbered mine. All he had to do was last long enough for one of his comrades to finish up and help him out. And that wouldn¡¯t take too long, considering the fact that Leo currently fought with two blades stuck in his chest.


    But I wasn¡¯t about to let the man have his way so easily. I fired burst after burst of fire at his thick icy shield, each hit leaving behind a steaming crater.


    The two of us were quickly locked into a stalemate, which was to his benefit. So, abandoning my initial strategy, I called off the flame on my hands and ran toward the man. He reacted quickly, placing the shield in between us, but I had something else in mind.


    The step before I reached his shield, I conjured the flame at my feet and pushed it down onto the ground. Unbelievably, my experiment worked, and the force managed to propel me up. Coupled with my jump, I managed to reach a height far higher than I¡¯d ever jumped before ¨C more than high enough to vault the man¡¯s shield.


    As the man watched in awe, I somersaulted over his ice and planted a flaming foot on his face. The force pushed his head down to the floor, his nose breaking with a crunch.


    The heat of my foot added to the pain manyfold, and when I stepped off of his face, the man stayed right there, dazed and lost to the throes of his pain.


    I stood above him, watching with eyes utterly devoid of emotion. I paused for just a moment, searching within myself to find that hesitation that always overcame me in moments like this, but I came up empty.


    I didn¡¯t know if that was a good thing, but at the moment, I didn¡¯t much care.


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    Instead, I lifted my hand up and gathered the Flux around me in the center of my palm. With a thought, the Flux erupted in flame, creating a hovering ball of brilliant orange over my hand. It writhed and danced like real flame, but the only thing I felt was a slight, pleasant warmth on my palm.


    With a deep exhale, I closed my eyes and focused my mind on the Flux that I could sense burning above my hand. I tried squeezing the ball with my mind. It was an interesting endeavour, like trying to mould a ball of clay with my mind. Unsurprisingly, the unruly flame didn¡¯t obey, staying in its writhing haphazard ball shape.


    So it¡¯ll move on command, but I still can¡¯t control it entirely, I thought to myself, strangely removed from the moment. Everything faded in my mind ¨C the danger, the pain, the fear. My mind was far too busy analyzing the fire, trying to make it mould to my will.


    On my second attempt, I tried something different. Rallying the power within me, I let the Flux seep out through my skin and into the ball of flame above.


    Instantly, I felt my sense of the flame expand, a feeling almost akin to opening my eyes. Suddenly, instead of my mind simply peering from the outside at the ball, it was like I could simultaneously see the outside and feel the inside.


    A wide grin split my face. With another thought, the ball obeyed me, the dancing arms no longer wailing about in chaos. It solidified, taking a shape much closer to a proper sphere. The edge still undulated gently, like a living, breathing thing, but it was far more like a ball than before.


    With another nudge, the ball elongated, moulding itself into a cucumber-like shape. I squeezed harder, making the body thinner and thinner, until it reached the thickness of a little stick. Finally, I pushed more of the fire to the end of the little rod, moulding it into a little arrowhead. Or at least, as best of an arrowhead as I could make with my clumsy control and my fuzzy memory of what exactly it was supposed to look like. The point was, it was sharp and incredibly hot.


    The pirate at my feet groaned then, finally coming back to consciousness.


    With the flame of ecstasy in my eye, I fired the arrow that hovered over my palm. The thing whizzed forward at an incredible speed, burying itself into the man¡¯s thigh just as he had begun to sit up. The arrow burrowed in deep as the man screamed, the fire burning for a few seconds before fizzling out. The heat had cauterized the wound immediately, so no blood leaked out, but the pain was enough to bring tears to the man¡¯s eyes.


    With a desperate grunt, he clawed at the floor with his hands, trying to drag himself away from me. I didn¡¯t try to stop him, standing and watching with a complex emotion colouring my eyes.


    Instead, I ignited another ball of fire on my hand. Using the same method, I moulded the ball into the same shape. I was still clumsy and slow, my entire focus required to keep control over the thing. The man had managed to get almost a meter away from me by the time I finished making my next arrow. In his hands, he had begun to form some kind of icicle that I assumed he was planning on hitting me with.


    Before he could finish forming it, however, my next arrow embedded itself into the back of his hand. Another scream echoed in the room as the man crumpled to the ground, clutching his hand.


    Briefly, I wondered why the man wouldn¡¯t Revive, but I quickly came to a conclusion. I¡¯d had wounds cauterized before, and I knew ¨C better than I had ever wanted to know ¨C just how painful the Revive¡¯s that followed would be.


    As the man writhed on the ground in pain, I wordlessly began to form my next arrow. Unfortunately, just as I began to mould the arrowhead, my mind lost focus for a second and the entire thing slipped out of my control. Cut off from its fuel, the thing fizzled out and disappeared within the second.


    Unfazed by my failure, I began again. This time, the arrow was made with no hitches, and I fired again, aiming at the man¡¯s other thigh.


    The man¡¯s responding scream was cut through by another one. My mind immediately registered the second voice as Leonard¡¯s, and the realization snapped me out of my strange state. Turning my head, I quickly surveyed the rest of the room.


    Ren was currently trapped in another corner of the room, embroiled in a fierce exchange of blows with two pirates. He fought on a completely different level than the last time I¡¯d seen him. Armed with only a walking stick and his incredible speed, he managed to fight almost on equal footing with the two pirates.


    On the other side of the room stood Leonard. The two swords that had been impaled through him were gone, though the wounds were still clearly visible, meaning that he hadn¡¯t been able to Revive. And more worryingly, there was another blade stabbed right through the center of his chest.


    The big man fell to a knee as he stumbled, his head bowed. Immediately seeing the opportunity, one of the pirates brought his sword up above his head, aiming a lethal strike on the back of Leonard¡¯s neck.


    Without conscious thought, I formed another arrow in the second that I had and fired it at the man. The arrow flew like a homing missile, hitting right where I had aimed it.


    The pirate¡¯s sword fell to the ground with a clatter, his hand knocked to the side as the arrow smacked into it. The arrow didn¡¯t manage to break the skin on the man, likely because of the increased distance and the fact that the man was stronger than the pirate that I was fighting. Still, the thing still left a scorched circle on the back of his hand, which was certainly painful.


    Both men turned their gazes to me, and I matched their anger with my own. The pirates turned to each other and nodded, quickly reaching a tacit understanding.


    Immediately realizing what their plan was, I leapt forward with two blazing arms. The pirate that I had hit with the arrow came forward to meet me, while the other seized his sword and once again swung at Leonard.


    With rage boiling my veins, I swung a flaming fist at the man coming to stop me. He stretched forward a massive hand of dirt to meet my strike, and the thick, earthy palm of his gauntlet caught my fist with ease, quickly snuffing out the flame. I barely had time to register the fact that the pirate was also an Elemental mage, my entire focus on the blade that was racing to meet Leonard¡¯s defenceless neck. I knew I would be too late to stop it, if I could even get there in time. Still, I couldn¡¯t tear my widened eyes away from the scene.


    Then, just as the edge of the blade made contact with Leonard¡¯s skin, an elongated black blur crashed into the handle of the blade with pinpoint accuracy. The blade was knocked out of the pirate¡¯s hand, shaving the back of Leonard¡¯s head as it flew away. There was a beat of silence as the entire room processed what happened. Then, in unison, all eyes landed on Ren, who stood still in between the two pirates he was fighting. Somehow, in the middle of the fight, he¡¯d managed to launch his walking stick with enough accuracy to save Leonard¡¯s life at the last possible moment.


    Then, just as I thought that Leonard was saved, the pirate above him grinned with malice as he formed a spear in his hand of pure metal. At the end of it sat a vicious, four-sided blade. Before I could even process what was happening, the spear buried itself in Leonard¡¯s chest, going from the back straight out to the front.


    I stared in unmoving shock, frozen in place, as the pirate began to cackle like a madman. The others soon joined him, and for a moment, the sound of raucous laughter filled the room.


    I could feel that same insanity poking at my brain again, but this time, through sheer force of will, I silenced it. I refused to lose myself to the anger this time. I would stay conscious and savour feeling as I made them all suffer.


    The man who still held my fist clasped within his earthy grip stopped laughing as he felt a sudden, intense heat appear in his hand. He locked eyes with me and found within them a hollowness that none had seen since Bartholomew.


    Fire swirled at my feet then, so hot it made the metal floor beneath glow. The man decided to put an immediate stop to whatever I was doing, and yanked my hand towards him. His other fist raced toward my face, encased in a stone armour. But, before he could make contact, my hand reached forward and grabbed his face, my fingers splayed out as I gripped his skin hard. The man immediately shrieked in pain, the flame raging on my fingers scorching his face. The pain more than distracted the man, slowing his punch enough for me to dodge easily.


    I followed up with a knee to his gut, shooting the flame forward this time as I made contact. The physical force bent his gut inward as the fire spread across his entire torso; the instant, incredible heat was painful enough for him to finally let go of my fist.


    His face still gripped in my hand, I used my second hand to land three flaming punches on the man¡¯s chest, adding to his pain.


    Before I could continue my assault, however, the second pirate appeared at my side. He¡¯d abandoned the spear in Leonard, and stabbed at me with just the blade of a longsword ¨C the metal was attached to the skin of his palm, so he didn¡¯t even need a handle.


    Reacting without conscious thought, I pushed off with my feet, using the flame to propel me sideways. My reaction wouldn¡¯t have been fast enough to save myself, but the added force of the flame gave me just enough speed to dodge out of the way.


    With a smooth roll, I got back up to my feet and turned to face the pair of pirates. The first was still out of it, staggering back a little as his face and torso scorched. He was hurt, but I knew better than to assume he was out of the fight.


    I didn¡¯t bother to smile at the two, the usual excitement of a challenging fight nowhere to be found. This time, I didn¡¯t want to have a good time, and I didn¡¯t want to just win. All I wanted now was to make them suffer.

 Chapter 51 – Gut Feeling

    Arterius sat atop his bed, legs crossed and palms resting on his knees. Thick wisps of Flux swirled around him like white clouds. The potent power flowed in and out of him at a steady pace, like he was a net placed in the current of a river.


    Suddenly, his eyes opened as he was forced to leave the trance-like state he¡¯d been in since the fight with the Insect Monarch. The massive range of his senses had picked up on three foreign ships at the edges of his perception, and a strange sense of warning rose in his gut. So, despite the fact that his healing wasn¡¯t complete yet, and the fact that Aya would certainly scold him for doing so, he ended the healing Arte that glowed beneath him and got up. He understood how important healing quickly was, but he had lived far too long to make a mistake as foolish as ignoring a gut feeling. Especially when they were escorting one of the Grand Order¡¯s most wanted criminals.


    Arterius made his way over to his desk, pressing on the small gray disk at the center of it. Instantly, a holographic blue screen appeared above it, painting the image of a grizzled man with a trim, salt and pepper beard and buzzed hair. Worry creased the edges of his eyes, and a vicious scar ran down the length of his cheek.


    ¡°Is something the matter, Archbishop?¡± the man asked. ¡°The Mother Saintess informed us that you would be busy till we made it to Adonis.¡±


    Arterius smiled at that. ¡°Never mind that, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡± he responded. ¡°I¡¯ve known you long enough to know what that look means. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The face on the screen sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure, to be honest. About three hours ago, we received a message from one of the passenger ships that they had been ambushed by some pirates. It wasn¡¯t very alarming at the time, since we were passing through some turbulent territory, and they were the furthest from our ship. But since then, we¡¯ve received word from every other ship in the fleet about a pirate ambush. And, according to them, the pirates are far more organized and powerful than expected. In some cases, there are even known rivalling pirate ships working together in the attack.¡±


    Arterius was silent for a moment as he heard the information, that ominous feeling in his gut getting stronger. ¡°And what are your thoughts on the situation, General?¡± he asked finally.


    The man sighed again. ¡°I don¡¯t want to say it, because I certainly don¡¯t want it to be true, but the whole thing reeks of some greater play in motion. And considering the circumstances, there can really only be one reason for it. The only question that remains, then ¨C if this all really is part of a plan and not just a coincidence ¨C is who could be attempting this, and what do they want with the Insect Monarch?¡±


    This time, it was Arterius¡¯ turn to sigh. ¡°I¡¯m afraid the next development in this will only serve to prove you right.¡±


    ¡°Next development?¡± the general asked, confused.


    ¡°I can sense three ships, about thirty degrees starboard. And, judging by their trajectory, they''ll be intercepting us within the next few hours.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the general said, mulling over the new information. He didn¡¯t doubt the Archbishop''s words for a second, despite the fact that their own ship¡¯s highly advanced, state-of-the-art radar system had yet to alert them of any such ships. After all, the senses of a mage at the Monarch level were far above the limits of technology ¨C or at least, any technology that the Grand Order could afford.


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    ¡°Assuming that this is all part of a plan, there are two things that we know about the people who are doing this,¡± Arterius continued on. ¡°For one, they do not fear the Grand Order, and two, they must need the Insect Monarch for some reason, which means that they must have some way of controlling him. Those two things are enough for us to reasonably assume that whatever organization is behind this attack likely has a power above the level of a Monarch.¡±


    The general¡¯s face paled a little at the Archbishop¡¯s words. ¡°If what you say is true, Archbishop, then that spells doom for everyone in this fleet. There is no way we can contend with a force like an Emperor, certainly not when you aren¡¯t in your top shape.¡±


    Arterius chuckled, waving away the general¡¯s worries. ¡°Against an Emperor, my state would not matter. Even if I were at my peak, I would hardly be able to hold off an Emperor for longer than a few minutes. But worry not, I can assure you that there is no Emperor on the way to our ship. I would certainly have been able to sense a power of that level. And besides, around these parts, an Emperor personally moving would be big news, and something that I would have been alerted of immediately.¡±


    The general breathed out a sigh of relief at that.


    ¡°However,¡± Arterius continued, ¡°the fact that there is an organization with an Emperor-level mage that is making a move against the Grand Order of this magnitude is undoubtedly a worrying thing. The consequences of an attack like this should not be underestimated. This is no small skirmish; should they succeed in taking the Insect Monarch from our grasp, it very well could be the spark to an all-out war.¡±


    The general nodded gravely. ¡°Indeed. Not only would they be rescuing a long-standing enemy of Grand Order, but a move like this would be a blatant slap in the face for the Council of Astros.¡±


    Arterius chuckled sardonically. ¡°And we both know that the insult to their ego will be far more of a motivation for the old bats of the Council to retaliate than the fact that an immensely dangerous criminal would be free once again.¡±


    The general remained silent at that comment, not daring to speak ill of the highest power of the Grand Order.


    Arterius sighed, banishing his dissatisfaction with the Council to a corner of his mind. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment, anyway. So long as he remained stuck in the realm of a Monarch, he would have to keep his mouth shut and deal with it.


    Once he ascended, however, things would be different.


    Shaking his head to clear it, Arterius brought his attention back to the matter at hand. He stood at the maw of an important moment ¨C he could feel it.


    ¡°Regardless, Archbishop,¡± the general finally spoke up, ¡°what do you think we should do right now? Even if there isn¡¯t an Emperor on the way here, the enemy knows that we have you, Aya, and the Cloud Saint on board, not to mention the army. They must have come prepared.¡±


    Arterius nodded, one hand absentmindedly stroking his beard. ¡°We should attempt to speak with them first. They may have attacked all of our passenger ships without warning, but I doubt they will pull the same move with ours. Let me speak with them first,¡± he said. ¡°But in the meanwhile, prep the soldiers and all of our defence systems.¡±


    The general nodded. ¡°Very well. That makes sense.¡±


    Arterius sighed again, rubbing his face. ¡°I will leave you to it then. Hopefully, I can make a little more progress on my wounds before I have to deal with whatever mess is headed my way.¡±


    "Of course, Archbishop," the general said. "Get all the rest you can. You''ll be needed very soon." And with those words, the blue screen vanished, allowing Aterius to return to his bed and begin his healing once again.

 Chapter 52 – First One Down

    The man under me tried to scream as my fingers circled his throat, the intense heat of the flames dancing on my hand too much for him. Unfortunately for him, he didn¡¯t get the chance to make a noise as my hand pressed down on his trachea, blocking his breath. With my other hand, I rained down strike after strike on his face, painting his nose bloody. But before I could wail on him for too long, the second man swung at me from behind. Without even looking, I ducked and rolled off of the man, shooting to my feet as soon as I cleared the sword.


    The man swung at me again, stepping over his comrade like he didn¡¯t even exist. I stepped back just enough to dodge, lobbing whatever fire I had gathered in my palm at the man¡¯s chest as I did. The move was crude ¨C the fire was barely even shaped enough to be considered a fireball ¨C but it was effective enough. The fire hit his chest and burned for a little before the man¡¯s Flux snuffed it out.


    The man grit his teeth through the pain and thrust his sword forward, but I leaned to the side the second before the tip found my shoulder, moving just enough that it whizzed past me. In the same movement, I reached out with a flaming hand, aiming to grab the man¡¯s face.


    The pirate had better reflexes than I¡¯d given him credit for, however. He couldn¡¯t cancel out his momentum in the time he had, but he still managed to lean back just enough to get out of my reach. Unfortunately for him, I reacted in time, pushing the fire off of my hand and onto his face.


    The man screamed as the flames engulfed his head, his arms swinging wildly as he tried to snuff the flame out.


    As he did, the man behind me, whom Ren was fighting, suddenly changed opponents. The metal-creating one who killed Leonard turned to me as he judged Ren to be too far away to intervene, swinging down on my head with a glistening blade.


    I sensed the blow coming, but I didn¡¯t even bother attempting to dodge. Instead, I aimed my hand at the second pirate I¡¯d been fighting, who was just now getting back up after completing a Revive. Gathering fire at the center of my palm, I squeezed it into as compact of a ball as I could.


    Just as the blade was about to crash onto my scalp, the man wielding it was knocked to the side as Ren¡¯s walking stick swung hard on his ribs. The blade just barely missed my head as it fell to the side.


    As the blade clattered to the ground beside me, the ball finally finished forming. It was about the size of a pearl, throwing off rays of light like a miniature sun.


    Satisfied with how it looked, I shot the thing forward at the man who had just gotten to his feet. It flew like a bullet, and did exactly what I¡¯d been hoping it would do.


    The moment it came into contact with the man, the little golden pearl exploded with the force of a small grenade, tossing the pirate back like a ragdoll. Flames coated his limbs and torso, burning with ferocity as he flew.


    With a blank face that reflected none of the usual happiness that followed success, I turned back to see how Ren was doing. My hand was already creating another ball, getting ready to launch it at whoever was open.


    As I watched, Ren quickly found himself in a predicament. He had an easy hit on the man in front of him, one that would do enough damage to put the pirate out of the fight for a while. However, the man behind Ren was also charging at him, a stone spear aimed at his back.


    My mini bomb had just finished forming at the moment, and in one smooth movement, I launched the thing at the man with the stone spear.


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    It was close, but the thing reached the pirate before he could get to Ren, letting Ren complete his swing instead of having to dodge. The man Ren hit on the head was knocked unconscious for a moment. He staggered back, barely keeping his balance as he faded in and out of consciousness.


    The pirate behind Ren had no idea what the little golden ball that came at him was, but he had enough sense to swing his spear at it before it hit him. The damage was mitigated, but the force still shattered the spear, hurling chunks of debris at his face and body. Some flame managed to catch him on his arms, adding to his disorienting haze.


    Suddenly, the man behind me ¨C whose face I had lit on fire a while ago ¨C returned, charging at me with all the fury of a man whose face had just been lit on fire.


    Without even turning back, I ducked low and rolled forward. Halfway through the roll, I saw a black blur above me as Ren leapt over me to clash with the man. Completing the roll, I quickly got to my feet and found myself right behind the man Ren had just hit. He was still dazed, wobbling in place as he stood.


    I grabbed his shoulder and forcefully spun him around. With a flaming fist, I threw punch after punch at his chest, holding him in place by his shoulder. In his dazed state, the man had no chance against me, and each burning blow that landed on his skin only decreased his ability to defend himself. Like a punching bag, the man was forced to take every full-powered blow, and I unleashed all the frustration and rage that had been boiling within me since Leonard died.


    Suddenly, a spurt of blood splashing my face and clothes brought me out of my hateful reverie, the slimy feeling on my cheek absolutely revolting.


    I paused for a moment, my eyes widening as I took in my handiwork. The man¡¯s shirt had been scorched off, and the imprints of my fist marked almost every inch of his burned skin. He was barely hanging on to life at that moment, with dark red blood dribbling down from his lips as his dull, almost lifeless eyes stared back at mine. Like unpolished steel, his eyes reflected only the barest glimmer of light, and my breath hitched, caught in my throat, as I locked eyes with him.


    ¡°Ruby! Finish him!¡± Ren¡¯s voice came from behind me, as if he sensed my hesitation. He stood far back, keeping the last standing pirate busy for me. The other two were still out of it for the moment, which meant I had the perfect opportunity to permanently remove the pirate in front of me from the fight. Bringing the fight down to a three versus two would make our burden far easier, and the man undoubtedly deserved death. Given the nonchalance with which they¡¯d ended Leonard, they were no strangers to killing. And if they were anything like Earthen pirates, their preferred prey were probably the weak and innocent.


    In short, I would be doing the universe a favour by ending the man¡¯s life, not to mention myself and Ren. And, most importantly, taking revenge for Leonard.


    And yet, I couldn¡¯t. I simply could not take the last step. I¡¯d ruthlessly beaten the man within an inch of his life, and not a shred of remorse had flickered within me. Even now, as the pathetic sight of the half-dead man wobbled before me, I felt nothing in me. That little soft part of me that had bothered me so for my entire life remained utterly silent for once.


    And yet, still, I couldn¡¯t. As I looked upon the man before me, whose pale face and dead eyes looked far too similar to Bartholemew¡¯s, I found myself unable to do what I had done so many years ago.


    Frozen still in some strange state of introspection and confusion, I simply held the half-dead man up with one hand and stared into his eyes. Time stretched on, almost as if speeding up and slowing down simultaneously. A restless feeling clawed at my chest, the strange emotion unbearably uncomfortable.


    Then, just as it seemed that I would spend eternity staring into the steel eyes of the pirate before me, a sudden blur sped past me, hitting me with a gust of wind.


    My clothes buffeted a little as my eyes involuntarily closed, flinching at the sudden movement. A second later, they opened again to find the steel point of a blade poking through the pirate¡¯s throat. The thin length of the steel was coated in scarlet, dripping with the same viscous liquid. The man¡¯s dull eyes dimmed out entirely, darkening as the life drained out of them. His pupils rolled up, eyes widened in shock as if, even after all this time, his death had still come as a surprise.


    A wet, gargling came from the man¡¯s throat as the blade slid out of his neck, silenced only when he thudded to the floor. And behind him stood Ren, bloodied dagger in hand, watching me with hooded eyes.

 Chapter 53 – Finish It Up

    Ren and I locked eyes as the pirate bled out at our feet. The singular moment seemed to stretch on longer than the entirety of the day. Ren¡¯s eyes, open for once, held within them a strange, almost indecipherable concoction of emotion. There was the ever-present, mild interest with which he viewed everything in life, but there was a sadness as well, tinged with solemn regret. And another emotion, one I couldn''t quite name.


    Surprisingly, there wasn¡¯t a hint of the disappointment I had expected in them. Disappointment was all I felt, at the fact that I was still too weak to take that final step. I¡¯d never once in my life doubted my own will, my own grit. It was the one strength I¡¯d always counted on, what I¡¯d always relied on, above and beyond my actual physical strength.


    But now, for the first time in my life, my inner strength had failed me. I had every reason and every opportunity to take the man¡¯s life, and I¡¯d failed. It was disconcerting, the kind of failure that this was. For the first time in a long while, I was at a loss.


    Ren shrugged suddenly, his face warping into a smile as his eyes closed. ¡°Well, that works too, I guess,¡± he said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I said, confused.


    ¡°You weaken them, I¡¯ll finish the job,¡± Ren explained. ¡°If you¡¯re not comfortable with killing just yet.¡±


    Before I could respond, Ren had already run off, going behind me to deal with the pirate he¡¯d left. After a moment, I turned around as well, surveying the room once again and taking stock of the situation.


    At one end of the room, Leonard¡¯s lifeless body lay slumped over like a sack of sand.


    There was the first pirate I fought a little further down, just now getting to his feet. He¡¯d probably Revived a while ago and was just gaining the strength to get to his feet. Reviving from wounds like the ones he suffered was an experience that really affected the mind. It had even taken me a couple of days to get back to functioning normally, even after Reviving. Granted, the wounds I¡¯d been recovering from were far, far worse in magnitude.


    A little further from him was the man who I¡¯d hit with the exploding fireball thing I¡¯d created. He lay passed out over a table, his charred limbs sprawled about. He would certainly be out for a while, meaning we didn¡¯t have to worry about him for now.


    That left the person Ren was fighting, and the earth-affinity mage who¡¯d also been hit by my fireball.


    Getting ready to get back into the fight, I let loose a deep breath and freed myself of the uncomfortable experience I¡¯d just had. Fighting the pirates was not something I could do while distracted, which meant I had to stop thinking about this failure of mine for now. And thankfully, boxing and shelving away feelings and thoughts had been a talent of mine for as long as I could remember.


    The earth mage was just picking himself up right now too, but he knew what my little fireballs were now. However, the first mage that fought me, the ice one, had never seen them before. So before the man could rejoin the fight, just as he was picking up his fallen swords, I launched my fireball at his back.


    He didn¡¯t even realize what happened when his back exploded. All he knew was that one moment, he was about to bend over to the ground to grab his sword, and the next, he was thrown forward into the metal wall of the room, his back scorching and on fire. He was out like a light bulb the second he hit the wall.


    With him dealt with for the time being, I turned around to face the earth mage, already forming my next fireball. Unfortunately for me, I found the man rushing at me with a massive axe of dirt, too close for me to throw my fireball.


    Acting before my thoughts could catch up, I clutched the small, pearl-sized ball in my fist and lunged forward, the golden rays of the ball escaping through the gaps of my fingers.


    My fist reached the man¡¯s chest before he could swing his axe down on me, both because of the axe¡¯s clumsiness and the fact that he wasn¡¯t expecting me to attack him first. My fist struck the man at the same second that I commanded the ball to explode. It wasn¡¯t exactly a bright idea, but it was the best my mind could come up with in the split second that it had.


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    The force of the explosion blew us both apart, sending us flying in opposite directions. Thankfully, the flame that caught on me was harmless, only providing a slight warmth, but the force that threw me was anything but. I landed on one table with a heavy smack, my momentum carrying me over and onto the next one before rolling me off the side. I fell to the ground with my limbs on fire and every part of my body aching.


    The other man didn¡¯t fare much better than I did, and the flames were not so merciful to him. He didn¡¯t even have time to scream before the pain knocked him out.


    I lay there on the floor for a minute, catching my breath as I basked in the pain. Blowing out a deep breath, I eventually pushed myself up to my feet and looked at where Ren still fought, a steadying hand gripping the table beside me.


    Ren had his opponent almost cornered. The pirate was clearly struggling, taking a hit for every one that he blocked. It seemed like Ren had been continually speeding up during the entire fight, and he was now reaching a point where the poor pirate could barely keep up. Ren had put his dagger away again, using only his stick to keep the dual-blade-wielding pirate at bay.


    For a moment, I wondered exactly what his stick was made of, for it to be able to keep going strong despite the many blows it had taken today. But I quickly gave up that line of thinking. There was much about Ren I still didn¡¯t understand; the stick was only another mystery, along with that dagger. Based on everything I¡¯d known, a weapon that dangerous should have been confiscated by the IG long ago.


    But while I didn¡¯t know much about Ren, I did know enough to know that I could trust him. Sure, at the end of the day, he could end up backstabbing me whenever it suited him. It had already been established that I wasn¡¯t the best judge of character, so I couldn¡¯t say for sure that he wouldn¡¯t, but I had already decided to trust him, and I was going to stick with that decision. At least until he gave me a reason not to; after all, he had yet to ever let me down.


    ¡°You just gonna stand there, or do you wanna help out?¡± Ren¡¯s voice came suddenly, dragging me out of my thoughts. With a small smile, I leapt over the table in front of me and made my way over to the pair.


    A small part of me was unsettled as I walked, knowing that the pirate Ren was fighting would soon be dead. A whole person, a living and breathing person ¨C albeit admittedly not a good one ¨C but a person nonetheless.


    But I silenced that voice. This was a part of the life I¡¯d chosen, and I couldn¡¯t hide from it any longer. This was a part of being ruthless, and ruthless was what I had to become. It was either Ren and me, or it was them. And if I wanted to do something with my life, if I wanted to become anything, if I wanted to make good on the promises I¡¯d made to myself and Ocean, then it had to always be them.


    I walked around Ren and the pirate, condensing fire into a small ball in my palm as I did, like a predator circling prey, waiting for the right moment to strike. It took a minute, but when the moment did come, I was ready.


    The pirate had his back to me, his entire focus on attacking Ren. I didn¡¯t blame him, since the man got very few chances to actually retaliate. Now that he had been given a chance, the man was not going to let it pass without doing some damage.


    Unfortunately for him, just as he began to swing at Ren¡¯s exposed side, my palm crashed into his back, the little fireball exploding as soon as it made contact with his shirt. The pirate was blown forward like he¡¯d been struck by a cannon in the back.


    My new method worked better than the last, but the force of the explosion still pushed me back a few feet. Keeping my palm open instead of closing it like a fist helped channel more of the explosion away from me, instead of letting the force radiate equally in all directions.


    I realized the second I made contact that I had forgotten about Ren, who was only about a meter in front of the man. Expecting them both to go tumbling backwards, I watched with a guilty expression and prayed for the best.


    But, it seemed I had underestimated Ren once again. In the split second that he had, Ren managed to palm out his dagger again, holding it in front of him and letting the man impale his own heart as he crashed into him.


    Ren skidded backwards still, but managed to stay on his feet the entire time. The pirate¡¯s heart quickly stopped beating with a dagger through it, and the man slumped on Ren as he breathed his last few breaths.


    By the time the pair had stopped moving backwards, the man was already dead, his weight resting entirely on Ren. With a shrug, Ren pushed the man off of him, letting him fall to the floor like a bag of rocks.


    I stared at Ren as he did, watching his face as he stared at the dead man. I realized once again, perhaps better than I ever had before, just how different he was from me. It was scary, the utter lack of emotion that he showed, the utter indifference with which he killed.


    Will I become like that one day? I wondered to myself. ¡­Do I want to?


    Ren looked up to me again then, a warm smile colouring his face once again. The kind image was ruined by the splatter of blood that coloured his cheek, making it a lot more macabre of a scene.


    ¡°Two down, three more to go, huh,¡± Ren said, exuding that same nonchalance as always. ¡°Let¡¯s finally finish this up, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 54 – Freed Captive

    Arterius masked his surprise as best he could as he stood, floating in space with his arms held behind him. He knew that the enemy had to be quite powerful for them to attempt to steal away such a high-profile catch from the Grand Order. But when he left his ship to go meet with the opposing three that had arrived, he had not been expecting, not in the least, to have three Monarchs emerge one by one from their respective ships. And each of them was infamous, notorious in their own right. As powerful pirate captains of equally notorious pirate crews, they¡¯d staked their claim on vast swathes of open space. They had risen to a point where they didn¡¯t even need to raid passing ships anymore. Instead, they simply collected tolls from merchants, as if it was understood that safe passage through their space was a privilege that needed to be paid for.


    Individually, they were undoubtedly powerful, but not to a level where they would ever instigate a conflict with the Grand Order. There was more of a tacit understanding between the Order and pirate crews of their level; one of mutual avoidance. But both parties knew that if a single crew was to go against the Grand Order, the Grand Order would always come out on top, albeit with some sizable damages.


    However, if three of them were to form an alliance, then they would become a real problem.


    The Grand Order had a total of four Monarchs within their ranks, but due to their level, they were usually spread out across the entire universe. Gathering them quickly for a fight would be nigh impossible. So Arterius knew, as he stood calmly and watched the Monarchs emerge from the ships, that there was little hope left for him to keep the Insect Monarch out of the pirates¡¯ hands, if he was truly what they were after. Even with Aya and the Cloud Saint with him, he didn¡¯t stand the slightest chance against the joint forces of three pirate Monarchs. Not only were they each in the same realm as him, they had also reached that level as pirates. That, above and beyond anything else, proved just how dangerous they were. To reach such a level in a profession that boasted such a high mortality rate was more than testament to their incredible battle skill.


    ¡°Ah, Arterius,¡± the first of them said as he arrived before the Archbishop. ¡°It¡¯s been far too long.¡± The man was aged, with the wrinkled, rough skin of a man who¡¯d lived a long, hard life. Arterius knew that it was unlikely the man would ever ascend to the next realm at this point. At the higher realms, the longer a mage spent in a realm, the more they physically aged. And the more they aged, the harder it got to ascend. Arterius had heard the man was getting desperate now, spending copious amounts of the treasure he¡¯d amassed looking for ways to cheat his way into the next realm.


    ¡°Mace,¡± Arterius responded by way of greeting. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure.¡±


    The next to arrive was a younger woman, who looked to be in her mid-twenties. She was clothed in a sea blue robe, and the elegance she carried herself was at odds with the dirty image of most pirates. Her most notable feature, however, was the pair of wings that sprouted from the center of her back, covered in sleek blue feathers: the mark of her proud Storm Falcon lineage.


    Arterius immediately narrowed his eyes with distaste as he saw the woman. Although the woman was a much more pleasant sight than the dirty old man beside her, the Archbishop was far more unsettled by her presence. The man, Mace, was a typical pirate, in every sense of the word. Wild and unrestrained, cowardly and evil. But the woman was different. She was intelligent, ruthless, and manipulative. She was incredibly young for a mage in her position, likely only around twenty-five hundred years old. She¡¯d risen like a meteorite, with vicious rumours surrounding her every step upwards. Rumours of assassinations, blackmail, and kidnapping, among other underhanded crimes.


    Arterius despised the lifestyle of all pirates, but he especially disliked criminals like her. Intelligent, patient people like her were far more dangerous as enemies than people who would openly hate you. At least normal pirates fought openly, face to face.


    Admittedly, that was largely because the majority of them weren¡¯t intelligent enough to fight the wars of information and manipulation, but Arterius stood by his opinion. He respected stupid pirates more than the smart ones.


    The last of the Monarchs to show was another of the stupid, more respectable ones. It was a young man, in the prime of his career, and the most recent Monarch of the three. He was cleaner than the old man, but still carried himself with the laidback nature that plagued most people of his profession.


    The four mages stood in silence for a moment, each side studying the other. The two men on the pirates'' side had smug grins stretched over their faces, content in the knowledge that they were guaranteed to win the fight.


    ¡°So, Arterius,¡± Mace began, smiling. He was one of the few pirates in the universe who would dare refer to the Archbishop of the Grand Order so casually. ¡°I think we are all aware of why were are here. And as much as I¡¯d like to sit down and chat like we used to, I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t have the luxury of time today. Those damn snobs at the¨C¡±


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    ¡°You idiot!¡± came the other man¡¯s voice, cutting Mace off before he could finish his sentence. ¡°I swear, is there even a single thought that goes through your fat head before you speak?¡± The man was clearly incensed, but there was a slight undertone of fear that Arterius did not miss.


    ¡°Both of you, shut up,¡± the woman finally spoke, ending the man¡¯s tirade. With a sigh, she turned to Arterius and addressed him instead. ¡°Ignore these two ignoramuses. We are here for one reason, and one reason only. Hand over the Insect Monarch, and we will be on our way. Resistance will only end with needless casualties on your side, and the result will be the same.¡± The woman spoke matter-of-factly, almost robotic in her lack of emotion.


    Arterius sighed in dejection, but an idea was already forming in his head. ¡°Well, you¡¯re right about that. As wounding as it is to my ego, the fact is undeniable that I won¡¯t be able to stop the three of you from taking the Insect Monarch ¨C but," Arterius paused for a second for effect, "I am the Archbishop, after all. With Aya behind me, even the three of you will never be able to kill me, no matter what. And if I decide that I will resist with everything I have, you will win, but your victory will be painful. Who knows, I might even take one of you out before you all manage to remove me from the fight for good.¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes narrowed at Arterius¡¯ words. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    Arterius smiled finally, the smile of a man in control again. ¡°Well, I¡¯m thinking that it would be better for all the parties involved here if we just came to an agreement instead. One that doesn¡¯t involve so much violence.¡±


    The woman was silent for a moment, clearly considering. The fact that the other two men remained silent still was all Arterius needed to see to know that they were only here as muscle. The woman was clearly the one making the executive decisions.


    ¡°And what is your proposal?¡± the woman finally asked.


    ¡°I will hand over the Insect Monarch to you, willingly and with no resistance. In turn¡­¡± Arterius paused again ¡°I want to know why you want him. An action like this will make you an enemy of the entire Grand Order, and I don¡¯t see a single benefit in this plan for you all. Not to mention, three Pirate Monarchs working together is unprecedented. So, satisfy an old man¡¯s curiosity, and you¡¯ll get what you want without having to lose a limb for it. How does that sound?¡± Arterius ended with a harmless smile, but the three pirates present weren¡¯t fooled. They could sense the terrifying power that hid behind the friendly smile; after all, humble as he was, an Archbishop of the Grand Order was no easy opponent, even outnumbered three to one.


    The woman entered a contemplative silence again, before letting out a small sigh as she came to a conclusion. Divulging the information Arterius was asking for was dangerous, but she¡¯d take that risk over having to deal with an Archbishop determined to stop her, even if she was sure she¡¯d win in the end.


    ¡°Very well,¡± the woman said, making her decision. The thought of Arterius not following through on his end of the deal didn¡¯t cross her mind for a second as she did. The man had a reputation, after all, and she knew all too well just how much the man deserved it.


    ¡°You¡¯re right about our alliance. We did not choose to work together, nor do we care for the Insect Monarch. We are here not of our own volition, and act at the threat of our lives.¡±


    Arterius raised an eyebrow at that, a reaction far more subdued than any normal person in the universe would have. Monarchs had reached a level that might as well have made them deities in the eyes of the common people; to hear that one, let alone three of them, feared for their lives was a shocking statement, to say the least.


    The woman smiled grimly at Arterius¡¯ reaction, blowing out a breath as she began her story. ¡°The three of us were individually approached by members of the Seven Petals, who informed us that we were to jointly intercept this fleet and retrieve the Insect Monarch while his core was still warm. In fact, we were given explicit instruction that we were to keep the man¡¯s core warm until we hand him over to them.¡± Her voice, as always, was temperate, completely at odds with the information she was revealing.


    Arterius¡¯ eyes widened as the woman spoke. ¡°You mean to say that they plan on reviving the man?!¡± he asked incredulously.


    The woman shrugged, her reaction noncommittal. ¡°They didn¡¯t say anything about it, and it is not my responsibility to make any conclusions on what they did say.¡±


    Arterius shook his head, barely even listening to the woman¡¯s response. His mind was reeling, preoccupied with the potential ramifications of the information he¡¯d just heard.


    The possibility of the Insect Monarch returning to life was problematic enough as it was, but the added factor that was the Seven Petals involving themselves in the mess made everything so, so much worse. Arterius was getting a headache just thinking about it.


    ¡°Now then, why don¡¯t you let us through, let us grab the man, and we can call off our ambush and each go on our merry little ways,¡± the old man, Mace, said with a laugh as the woman stopped talking, wanting to get on with the deal before Arterius could get back to his senses and decide to change his mind.


    Arterius sighed deeply, clearing his mind. Something big was afoot, he knew. A feeling had been nagging at him for a while now, ever since he¡¯d first started noticing the strange actions of the major players in the universe. Now, that feeling had been confirmed, but fighting it right now would be futile. For now, the best course of action was to rally the powers of the Grand Order together ¨C which meant getting as much of the fighting force that he had with him back to the main army alive ¨C and prepare for future developments, whatever they held.


    ¡°Aya,¡± Arterius said aloud, speaking directly into her ear even though she was sitting on her bed, all the way back in the ship. With a heavy voice, Arterius issued his command. ¡°Release the Insect Monarch.¡±

 Chapter 55 – Life Revives

    Ren sat atop the last of the pirates, his dagger dripping scarlet as he wiped it down with a ripped piece of fabric that he¡¯d taken from one of the dead men.


    The deep blue of his hoodie looked almost black in the dim lighting, which, together with the falling locks of hair that obscured his eyes, painted an eerie, shadowy picture. The splashes of blood that sporadically coated the walls and floor didn¡¯t help the image either.


    I could see in that moment, as I watched him sit in the darkness that seemed to embrace him with the familiarity of an old friend, the Ren that had once been. I could see the monster Ren saw himself as, the ruthless killer he¡¯d hinted at being.


    And then he looked up at me, a bright smile colouring his face, and the darkness that enveloped him seemed to recede again. The Ren that I¡¯d known returned, the happy-go-lucky nonchalance that defined him seeping back into his bearing.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s that, then,¡± I said, a complicated look on my face. I hadn¡¯t managed to gather the courage to land the final blow on any of the men, despite having ample opportunities to. That was a failure on my part, in every sense of the word, and the thought robbed me of every last shred of the happiness that usually followed a victory ¨C especially victories as one-sided as this. Even the fact that I¡¯d made an incredible advancement in my overall strength was dampened.


    My mood got worse as the thing that I¡¯d managed to avoid thinking of the entire fight barged its way back into my mind: the fact that Leonard was dead.


    I tore my eyes away from Ren and searched the dim room for Leonard¡¯s slumped figure. It lay at the other edge of the room, utterly still. Unnaturally still.


    Ren stayed quiet, although I was sure he could tell where I was looking, what I was thinking. A heavy silence fell over us, the full weight of Leonard¡¯s loss settling in. It was a feeling I was sure I¡¯d have to get used to if I didn¡¯t get strong enough, fast enough. It seemed the fate of the weak everywhere, even in another universe, was the same: destined to be trampled over.


    As the two of us sat in our silence, the elevator doors at one end of the room suddenly opened up with a sharp ting, the very same doors that Ren and I had stepped through only hours before.


    ¡°Ruby!¡± came Anabella¡¯s worried yell, and I turned to find her running to me, relief etched onto her face. She crashed into me before I could react, squeezing tight before leaning away to study my face.


    I grimaced as I realized what I would look like, but Anabella didn¡¯t seem to mind the splattered blood and the mess of hair that I sported at the moment. She practically glowed with happiness as she saw that I was more or less safe.


    I knew that she would lose that happiness soon, and I hardly had the heart to tell it to her now, to crush that happiness, but I knew I had to. But, before I could even open my mouth, Anabella had already begun speaking, the words falling out of her mouth like water down a cliff.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry you guys were forced to fight here,¡± she began, ¡°I rushed over as soon as I could after finishing up my own fight when I heard that you two and Leonard had been left to defend the Conference Hall by yourselves. If we¡¯d known exactly how many pirates there were going to be, we would have been far more prepared to defend ourselves. But the last ship managed to escape our detection entirely, since it was part of the fleet of a Pirate Monarch. The cloaking system on their ship was far more advanced than our detection was, so they took us by surprise.¡± She shook her head then, abruptly ending her explanation. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m rambling. You guys are probably too tired to listen to excuses.¡± Then she paused, looking around again. ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t see Leonard,¡± she said, her voice dropping a little, as if she was starting to realize something wasn¡¯t quite right. ¡°Where did he go?¡±


    ¡°Anabella, I¡¯m sorry,¡± I began, trying and failing to find the right words. ¡°He¡­¡± I trailed off, and before I could try again, Anabella filled in the blanks for me.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± she asked, her face blank.


    Wordlessly, I nodded.


    ¡°Is his core still warm?¡± Anabella asked, a frantic emotion beginning to seep into her voice. ¡°Did you guys make sure to keep his core warm?¡± By now her voice was rising, and she had turned around before I even got a chance to respond. Her eyes searched the room wildly, desperately.


    I had no clue what keeping a core warm meant, but it didn¡¯t matter since Anabella seemed to have already entered her own world. She had just spotted Leonard¡¯s body, and ran over with a swiftness I¡¯d never seen her move with.


    Ren and I stayed silent as she fell to her knees next to Leonard¡¯s body. She rolled his body over and put both her palms over the center of his chest, his bloodied shirt painting her hands in the same colour.


    Her back was to me, so I couldn¡¯t see what she was doing, but I could feel the Flux emanating out of her hands and going into Leonard¡¯s lifeless body.


    Once the Flux entered his body, however, I could no longer sense it, so I had no idea what she was doing.


    Eventually, however, after a few minutes of pouring Flux into him, Anabella let out a long breath as her body sagged, like a balloon deflating.


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    She stayed silent for another moment, utterly still, her head still held down.


    ¡°Uhh, Anabella?¡± I finally asked after a long moment, breaking the silence that had descended upon the room.


    Anabella¡¯s head shot up as she heard my voice, as if she had forgotten that I was still in the room. She turned around and gave me a bright smile, far brighter than any smile should¡¯ve been in the situation. Tear streaks marked lines down her cheeks, but her face still glowed with happiness.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine,¡± she breathed out, relief colouring her voice. ¡°I¡¯ve stabilized his core, and the machines at the infirmary should be able to do the rest.¡±


    There was a beat of silence as Ren and I tried to process the information, but we quickly realized that there was no way we could understand what she was saying.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± I asked, my voice calm enough to surprise even myself.


    Anabella gave us a small smile, pushing herself up to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve explained much about this to the both of you, right?¡±


    Ren and I simultaneously shook our heads, both of us paying rapt attention to her.


    ¡°When a mage¡¯s body dies, it isn¡¯t necessarily the end of the road for them. And I know that all this information is going to be a lot for you, but you¡¯ll understand it all more once you learn it in school. For now, I¡¯m just going to need you to trust me, ok?¡±


    Ren and I both nodded again.


    ¡°Ok, so, when a mage¡¯s body is killed, in the sense that their heart stops beating and their brain shuts down, their Flux core still retains a lot of the Flux that it had gathered over the course of their lives; after all, it is like the heart for the Flux of the body. Over time, that Flux will gradually seep out of the core, but if you manage to retrieve the body before enough of the Flux leaves, you can essentially pull off a more major version of a normal Revive, which can reboot every organ and cell in the body, effectively bringing the person back to life. Unfortunately, doing so requires a significant amount of the mage¡¯s Flux to be used as the spark to get the process going, so when the person comes back, they are left on a much lower level of strength than when they died.¡±


    Anabella took a breath then, watching our shocked expressions with a little smile. ¡°Obviously, that is a very gross oversimplification of the whole process. To be honest, even I don¡¯t understand the specifics behind the whole process; it wasn¡¯t my specialty in Healing, but I did take a few classes on it. It is a pretty big area of research for healing mages, since we¡¯ve been trying to figure out ways to lower the toll Life Revives take on the mage. But for now, what we have works. The medics should already be doing their rounds, so someone should be here shortly, and Leonard will be fine soon enough. You guys don¡¯t need to worry about it anymore. You two have done more than enough. You guys should head back down and get some rest. We¡¯re just passing Argonis right about now, and then we should be at Adonis just after that. And after this, I say you two should just take it easy until then.¡±


    Ren and I stayed silent again, still reeling from the information that Anabella had just dropped on us. I quickly understood why they hadn¡¯t told us all this before. For people just entering an entirely different universe, all of these fantastical things would be far too much to learn about so soon.


    I myself could sense that it was getting too much. I had barely understood Anabella¡¯s explanation, but I didn¡¯t much care since the gist of it was that Leonard wasn¡¯t actually dead. And that was all I cared to understand.


    Finally deciding to put aside the jumble of thoughts in my head, I returned to the conversation and nodded at Anabella¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m exhausted. I think I may have pushed myself a little too hard with all those Revives.¡±


    Ren laughed from beside me. ¡°Oh yeah, I saw that,¡± he said, remembering. ¡°That was honestly insane. I was genuinely in awe. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen anyone take such a painful gamble on themselves. The kind of confidence in yourself it must take to hope you understand something before you die in the middle of a fight with someone so much stronger than you¡­¡± Ren stopped there, shaking his head as he chuckled.


    ¡°Oh no, it was nothing like that at all,¡± I said defensively. ¡°You should know me well enough to know that there was hardly any thought that went into that plan. It wasn¡¯t that I assumed I would learn to control the Flux around me before he could kill me. I just noticed that every time I Revived, I could feel the faintest sense of the Flux entering through my skin. So I figured if I could pay enough attention while Reviving, I could unravel that feeling and start to sense the Flux around me.¡±


    Ren shook his head. ¡°Like I said, absolutely insane. But I guess I can¡¯t make fun of you too much, considering the fact that I learnt to do the same thing the same way.¡±


    I laughed at that. ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I think we can all agree that both of you are pretty insane,¡± Anabella cut in. ¡°Now stop talking and go downstairs, before I drag the two of you to your rooms myself.¡±


    Ren and I chuckled at her order. ¡°Alright, alright, we¡¯re going,¡± I gave in, starting to make my way to the elevator with Ren in tow.


    ¡°Let us know when Leonard is back, alright?¡± Ren asked over his shoulder as we made our way to the doors.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll let the both of you know right away,¡± Anabella answered just as the doors of the elevator opened up before us.


    But instead of the empty elevator room that we had been expecting, the two of us were forced to step to the side as five mages dressed in pure white robes stepped out of the room. Two of them carried a stretcher between them, which made it pretty obvious that these men and women were the medics that Anabella had mentioned.


    They seemed to be friends of Anabella, as they all greeted her warmly. But they quickly got to business, with the pair carrying the stretcher going over to where Leonard lay, while the other three went to the various places we¡¯d left the dead pirates.


    Having seen enough, Ren and I stepped into the elevator and made our way back to our rooms. The walk back was silent, but strangely companionable. It wasn¡¯t that we didn¡¯t have things to say, but that we didn¡¯t feel the need to say them. So instead, we stayed wrapped in our silence, the quiet a balm for my chafed mind. The pain of the Revives and my repeated failures had left their mark, and I didn¡¯t realize how much I needed the peace and quiet until the both of us started walking.


    Unfortunately, fate didn¡¯t seem to have peace and quiet on the schedule for me, not any time soon. Because the moment I stepped into my room, the exhaustion of the day finally settling on my shoulders, a loud bang sounded out through the ship, followed by an intercom message.


    ¡°Void Bats!¡± a young, terrified voice shouted. ¡°A colony of Void Bats has intercepted the ship!¡±

 Chapter 56 – Void Bats

    A tired groan was my reaction to the news. I was beyond fear at that point; I¡¯d simply been through too much too quickly.


    Casting aside all thoughts of baths and rest, I quickly grabbed my pole ¨C having sorely missed it during the fight with the pirates ¨C and made my way back outside. I found Ren not long after, and he let out a little laugh as he saw me.


    ¡°Just can¡¯t catch a break, can we?¡± he asked with a smile, and I shook my head at him in disbelief.


    ¡°How are you still so happy?¡± I asked incredulously.


    Ren laughed as he heard my question. ¡°Because life is just funner when you laugh at everything that comes your way. Especially when life seems determined to throw every curveball it has at you.¡± He spoke casually, his tone flippant, but I was startled by how much sense it made. I stayed quiet as I sunk into thought, pondering his words even as we began to make our way back to the elevator. Wordlessly, we had both agreed that going back up to the floor we¡¯d left Anabella at would be the best course of action.


    However, before we could make it to the elevator, a screech sounded out throughout the entire ship, the sound so high-pitched that it brought Ren to his knees. He clutched his head as he did, no doubt his extra sensitive hearing making the ordeal much worse for him.


    That didn¡¯t mean that I was fine, however. The sound made my head feel like it was going to split apart, forcing me to stagger and use the wall to stay on my feet.


    After what felt like an eternity, the sound finally ceased, leaving behind a strangely hollow silence in its wake.


    The silence was quickly broken again, however, as an older voice sounded out from the intercom above. ¡°The Void Bat colony is headed by a Saint Realm Bat, which means that we need all hands on deck. Medic mages, retrieve all dead mages and place them in Incubation Cells; leave the wounded for now and return to the battle. All other mages, if you are able to fight, come to the top floor. Otherwise, stay on your floor and keep order with our passengers.¡± With that, the orders ended.


    Ren and I looked at each other and instantly arrived at the same conclusion. Any normal person would turn back, but we were still going. You didn¡¯t get stronger by hiding away in your room, after all.


    With our decision made, we quickened our pace as we headed toward the elevator.


    The closer we got to it, the louder and clearer the sounds of the battle became. And as dangerous as I knew it would be, the sounds only served to further my excitement. My blood boiled at the thought of another, likely equally challenging fight. The exhaustion of earlier had already been forgotten in the excitement, especially since I knew it would be some kind of animal that I would be fighting. Which meant I would have no trouble killing them.


    Who knows, I thought to myself as we entered the elevator, maybe killing animals will help me get over my stupid unwillingness to kill people.


    There was a second of silence as Ren and I stood in the rising elevator, the both of us grinning in anticipation of what was to come. And then, with a lurching stop, the elevator arrived and the doors opened up, revealing one of the most chaotic scenes I¡¯d ever seen in my life.


    Dozens of massive bats flew around the now familiar room, while even more mages shot at them with beams of golden light. The room echoed with a cacophony of the bat¡¯s screeching and the shouts of the mages, making for an incredibly loud, jarring mess.


    A massive part of the room had been torn off, right in the center. Clearly, it was the place that the bats had entered through, but the hole had been closed now. A shimmering golden barrier was stretched over the gap, and beyond it stood the green-robed man who seemed to be the highest authority on the ship. He and four other men stood against an absolute behemoth of a bat. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure that it was the Saint Realm Bat that the man had mentioned earlier. I let out a small breath of relief at the fact that I wouldn¡¯t have to fight with a beast like that anywhere near me. I was confident in my own strength, but I wasn¡¯t delusional.


    Turning my attention back to the room, I paid closer attention to the bats, trying to judge if I was strong enough to join the fight. The bats were incredibly big, far larger than any on Earth. With a wingspan that was at least twelve feet long and bodies that were about half that, they were far bigger than any flying animal I¡¯d ever heard of on Earth.


    They swooped down on the mages below them with speed far greater than anything their size had any right to be, scratching at them with their long claws. The already dim room crowded with dark flying bodies painted quite the creepy picture, but I was anything but deterred. I¡¯d watched them long enough, and I was sure I wouldn''t be a hindrance in the fight against them. The Ruby who¡¯d first stepped onto this ship all those weeks ago would have been entirely helpless against them, but not anymore. Not since I¡¯d been gifted my flames.


    Igniting the air around my free hand, I let the bright orange flames swirl around my fingers for a moment, feeding it with some of my own Flux as I felt the warmth tingle on my skin. The fire greedily swallowed up my Flux, and the heat it gave off rose by dozens of degrees.


    A few meters in front of me stood a mage, a younger woman, who was being terrorized by a single bat. The dark beast would swoop down and claw furiously at her, forcing her to create shields of light all around her. Then, the bat would rise up out of reach before the woman could counter with her own light sword.


    With a grin, I pointed my hand at the bat as it came down on the woman again, waiting until I had a good shot before letting the flames surge forward. Moving as a swirling column, it burned a hole through the bat¡¯s thin wing and hit it on the side. The dark fur ignited with a bright flare, and a horrible screech was wrenched out of its mouth as it burned. Seizing the moment, the woman immediately dispelled her shields and materialized her sword, slashing at the beast¡¯s neck with a decisive strike. The woman had a deceptively strong swing, managing to sever the muscle and bone of the bat¡¯s neck completely. The head went flying off, followed closely by a spurt of thick red blood.


    With a grateful, somewhat questioning smile thrown my way, the woman made her way further into the room and joined the fight with another mage.


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    Ren and I looked at each other and, with a shared grin, leapt forward into the chaotic mess of the battle.


    The first of them to fight us was a slightly larger one. It swooped down on us a few seconds after we stepped into the fray, its maw opened wide as it directed a screech at us. It was a good tactic, since the whining sound could easily distract their prey long enough for them to rip them to shreds with their claws.


    Unfortunately for it, its plan didn¡¯t work so well this time. Just as it opened its mouth, I launched a small, pearl-sized ball at it. The golden thing flew with incredible speed, fast enough to make it into the bat¡¯s mouth before it could clamp its jaws shut.


    The little ball exploded as soon as the bat¡¯s mouth closed on it. The sound of it was muffled, but the smoke that filtered out of its ears and nostrils told me that it had done its job. The bat flew down with no control over its speed, its eyes barely holding a glimmer of its life.


    Seeing where it would fall, Ren stepped forward and did a quick twirl just as the massive body fell behind him. His thin dagger cut a swift line through the beast¡¯s neck, leaving behind only a small trail of blood. The giant bat fell to the floor with a thud, dead before it even hit the ground.


    Spurred on by our quick success, I jumped over the corpse of the beast with some extra spring in my step, my palm already gathering Flux for the next mini fireball.


    The next bat that came for us attacked from behind, and in the confusing symphony of the battle sounds, I didn¡¯t hear a thing as it swooped down like a hawk. Thankfully, Ren, with his spherical range of detection, managed to notice the thing before it could rake its claws over my back. Being ahead of me, he had little time to react, but he moved incredibly quickly. He spun around and kicked me in the side as he did, light enough not to break anything but hard enough to forcefully clear me out of the path.


    Unfortunately, that put him in the predicament of facing a speeding bat with its razor-sharp teeth just barely a meter away from tearing into him. He had no time to dodge or even put his dagger in front of him, but his calm didn¡¯t waver for a moment, his entire trust in me.


    And I made good on that trust. Despite the disorientation of being suddenly hit to the side, I reacted just in time. The action was a mix of instinct and conscious thought, but I managed to launch my fireball in the direction that I had been hit in, just in time to hit the bat on the side of the face.


    The thing exploded with the force of a small grenade, knocking the body of the beast to the side, just enough for Ren to avoid being hit by the full momentum of the bat. The edge of the wing still caught Ren on the side, but he managed to bring his walking stick up in time to deflect the dagger-like claws of the animal.


    I landed with a thud on my side immediately after, more than dazed after the sudden chain of events. By the time I got myself back up to my feet, Ren had already taken care of the grounded monster.


    ¡°That¡¯s two to zero now," Ren said with a grin as I staggered to my feet, "but hey, who¡¯s counting, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± I countered, giving him a glare. ¡°Both of those were mine. You stole them right at the end.¡±


    Ren opened his mouth to respond, but before a word could leave his mouth, the sound of glass shattering sounded out from above, cutting through the symphony of the battle.


    Both of our gazes immediately shot upwards to find the green-robed man falling from the roof, little pieces of the golden barrier following behind him. His once clean robes were now darkened with the dye of blood, and when he hit the ground, I saw even more of the liquid splurt out of his mouth.


    There was a second, the briefest moment of stillness that passed over the room, before the hole in the barrier began to suck everything in the room toward it. Chaos once again descended as everything not secured to the ground felt a strong tug upward. And even more terrifying than the hole that was pulling everything out was the fact that the massive bat outside the ship seemed to know that that was going to happen, as it had spread its massive jaws open right in front of the hole. Waiting for its lunch to be delivered straight into its mouth.


    The unfortunate bats closest to the roof were the first to go. They screeched helplessly as they clawed at the roof, but it was futile. The suction force was too strong, and they were dragged wailing through the hole and straight into the waiting jaws of the Saint Realm Bat.


    For the mages on the floor, however, there were plenty of handholds in the shape of the tables that provided safety. However, in a stroke of incredible misfortune, before Ren and I could grab the edge of the table beside us, a crazed, out-of-control bat crashed into me from behind, carrying me with its momentum and crashing into Ren as well. Despite the force of the collision pushing us sideways, the suction force from the roof immediately picked us up, pulling us like dolls with a string tied to their backs.


    Time slowed as I felt my body go weightless. I looked up as we flew, staring into the abyss that was the throat of the bat hungrily awaiting us. It was a certain death, I understood immediately, but I wasn¡¯t about to go down without a fight. Simultaneously channeling all the Flux in my body and the Flux around me into my pole, forcing it all into the point of it. Dark plumes of smoke flowed out of my hands and the pole as my mind ran faster than it ever had before, straining itself to gather and condense the Flux into as small a sphere as possible.


    Then, with half a thought, I ignited the ball of dark smoke, and it came to life in a blinding flash of golden. It was about the size of a tennis ball, but it was undoubtedly the strongest I¡¯d made to date. Pointing the thing directly upward, I immediately fired, only to notice that Ren had not been idly flying beside me.


    He¡¯d also channelled a massive amount of purple Flux into his dagger, and at about the same second as I fired my fireball, he swung heavily with his blade. Somehow, the Flux detached itself from his blade, speeding upwards in the shape of a crescent.


    The golden fireball and the meter-long crescent of purple smoke flew together as they sped toward the mouth of the bat, but I knew even as I watched them go that it would not be enough. Together, they would certainly do some damage, but killing the beast was far out of the question.


    Then, suddenly, a streak of green light flashed between Ren and me, and I looked down just in time to catch the green-robed man falling out of consciousness, his finger raised and pointed at us.


    Returning my focus to my impending death, I watched as the three projectiles ¨C my ball, Ren¡¯s crescent, and the green-robed man¡¯s arrow of green light ¨C all travelled through the hole and made contact with the inside of the monster¡¯s mouth.


    My fireball exploded just as Ren and the man¡¯s attacks gouged deep gashes into the animal¡¯s mouth. A wave of blood rained down through the hole and showered Ren and me, adding to the pirate blood we¡¯d yet to clean off.


    The combined force of the three attacks was just enough to knock the massive beast off the ship, clearing our way out of the hole. Still, although the beast¡¯s jaws were gone, what awaited us was still certain death, just not the same kind. Strengthened by Flux our bodies may have been, there was no way Ren and I were near the level of being able to handle the extreme stresses of being in outer space with no protection.


    With only a second left till we exited the ship¡¯s safety, I forced my eyes to stay open as I awaited my death, drinking in the dark beauty of the void of space with set eyes. If I was going out, I was going out facing death head-on, not cowering like a wimp.


    And then, all of a sudden, we were outside. I moved my gaze from the spangled horizon to Ren¡¯s face, finding it already watching me, adorned with that same smile as the day we¡¯d first met.


    I returned the smile as best I could, bracing myself for death.


    But strangely, it never came.

 Chapter 57 - Crash Landing

    It took an embarrassingly long moment for me to figure out why I wasn¡¯t dead. I spent at least the first five seconds in a weird state between shock and wonder, my dark eyes greedily taking in the fatal beauty of the space around me. It was truly a scene unlike anything I¡¯d ever witnessed before, and the grand scale of it dumbfounded me. To one side was sprawled out the expansive canvas of inky space, finely dusted with twinkling dots of white. And on the other side was a massive planet, covered in massive swathes of green and blue, with occasional patches of golden that I assumed were deserts. There was a sheen of whitish blue over the entire thing, more noticeable where the planet curved away from my sight, which I guessed to be the atmosphere of the planet.


    This is probably what astronauts felt like, looking at Earth from so far up, I thought to myself. And then, with a jolt, I realized that I was thinking, when I should have been dead, not gazing in awe at the sights before me. My body should have been utterly destroyed within seconds of being exposed to space, killed in the million different ways that space could kill the human body.


    And that was when I finally noticed the slight shimmer in the space just in front of me. Having been caught up in the beauty of my surroundings, I hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but now that I did, it was easy to see. I did a twirl in space ¨C only then realizing, to my great embarrassment, that I had been weightless since I left the ship ¨C and saw that the strange shimmer was all around me, like a bubble I was inside.


    Stretching a tentative hand outward, I brushed my fingers softly against the strange substance. It was hard, extremely so, and incredibly smooth. It didn¡¯t budge in the least, no matter how much force I put on it. Turning my body in a full, vertical circle, I traced the bubble the entire way around. As I did, I spotted Ren, who floated only a few meters away from me, doing exactly the same thing as me.


    He quickly noticed me watching and cast over an amused, half-questioning smile. I had no answer for him, so all I could respond with was a laugh. And once the laugh started, it just didn¡¯t stop. The laughter poured out of me like water out of a broken dam, filling my little bubble with the happy ¨C bordering on insane ¨C sound.


    Ren soon followed suit, and the both of us were left in fits of laughter for the next few minutes. I couldn¡¯t hear Ren, and I was sure he couldn¡¯t hear me, but it only served to make the strange circumstance even funnier. I couldn¡¯t help but think again of how quickly life had gotten so weird. Only a few months ago, life was entirely normal. I was getting ready to make my first step into the real world. I was nervous, excited, and, most of all, just happy. And now, here I lay, floating in a strange bubble in the middle of space.


    Then, suddenly, before the laughter had even subsided, I felt a strong pull tug at me from the side, slamming me into the side of the bubble. Ren felt the same thing, and very quickly, I felt our bubbles begin to pick up speed.


    Fighting against the force that held me to the bottom of the bubble, I picked my head up and looked downward, trying to see where we were headed.


    The last vestiges of the laughter still curved the corners of my lips upward as I stared at the planet, Argonis, getting larger and larger in my vision.


    My mind quickly connected that we had been caught in the gravitational force of the planet, which meant that we were about to crash land on the planet, with only the safety of a strange bubble protecting our lives.


    Still, the grin on my face was unfazed, and as I looked over to Ren, I saw that his wasn¡¯t either. He was right, I thought to myself. Life is just funner this way.


    But the grin on my face did not mean that I had given up, however. I wouldn¡¯t disgrace myself by accepting death so easily. Crash landing onto a planet was one hell of a way to go out, so I didn¡¯t have any problem with dying, but there was no way I was just going to sit by and accept it.


    The bubble around me was made of Flux, I could tell, and I quickly decided on my plan. With a set face, I placed both my palms on the surface of the bubble and channelled my Flux through my body. Focusing it in my hands, I pushed the stream of power out and into the barrier.


    My plan worked, and the bubble greedily drank up all the Flux I fed it. By now, the bubbles ¨C both Ren''s and mine ¨C were racing downward at incredible speeds, and sparks had already begun forming at their edges.


    Setting my mind to full throttle, I forced my focus to split into two parts. One kept the steady flow of Flux from my body into the bubble, and the other began to circulate whatever power could be spared throughout the rest of my body, actively strengthening my bones and muscles. No matter how hard the bubble was, the landing was not going to be a soft one, and I needed my body to be in its strongest state if I wanted a chance at surviving it.


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    Then, with a violent tremble, the front of the bubble suddenly burst into flames as the friction with the atmosphere heated its surface.


    An idea suddenly sparked in my mind as I watched the flames flare up. The flames had to be fueled by Flux ¨C there was nothing else for them to use aside from the bubble, and it was made of Flux. And if it was fueled by Flux, then I would be able to use it for myself, if I could get enough of my own Flux into it.


    Furrowing my brow in concentration, I pressed my palms harder against the bubble, trying to force my Flux out with more pressure to get it past the barrier and into the fire. I could sense the barrier getting thinner as the fire ate away at it, but that only served to make it easier for me to get my Flux into the fire.


    I could feel the reserves of the power in my Flux Core depleting as I forced more and more of the Flux through the barrier and into the fire. I was straining my body, I knew, but it was necessary. Trying to make the bubble strong enough to survive the landing while the fire was constantly eating away at it would be impossible. More so than what I was trying to do, anyway.


    It took an excruciatingly long minute, but eventually, I began to sense the fire in a very similar way that I could sense my own fire. With my reserves running out fast, I immediately began the next, and more improbable, phase of my plan.


    The entire principle was based on one haphazard theory I¡¯d only come up with seconds ago. My reasoning was simple: if, according to Leonard, my body was able to convert Flux into fire automatically, then it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to do the reverse. Which meant that I could potentially convert the fire that was eating away at my bubble into my own Flux, and then feed it back into the bubble.


    It was a foolproof, absolutely ingenious plan; I was sure of it.


    With a nervous breath, I suddenly reversed the flow of the Flux from my palms, pulling it in instead of pushing out. And, unbelievably, the Flux obeyed. The warm power flooded my arms, and I could feel it travelling through my body, spreading its warmth. It was a feeling akin to drinking warm tea, but starting at my palms instead of my throat. With a wild grin, I continued to greedily suck up the Flux from the fire, through the bubble.


    As I did, the bubble finally exited on the other side of the atmosphere with another violent shake. Below me spread out a vast ground of rolling clouds, white as paper. Like a meadow in the sky, the undulating hills of the clouds stretched out in every direction I could see, making for an awe-inspiring sight.


    The ride suddenly became much smoother as the turbulent friction ceased, but the fire continued to rage on the surface of my bubble, eating away at it.


    With a newfound urgency, I started pulling the Flux harder as I tried to put the fire out. Wispy white clouds zipped past me as I struggled, the misty water helping with my efforts. The fire had already lost its vibrancy and its ferocity, but it burned on with a stubbornness that only a fire could embody.


    The thick layer of clouds eventually pulled away to reveal the actual ground far, far below. For the first time, I got a proper sense of how high I was. I¡¯d never in my life seen a planet from this angle, and the sight was as terrifying as it was exhilarating.


    To one side stretched a lush green landscape, with tall emerald trees growing like grass as far as the eye could see. The ground wasn¡¯t flat, but it wasn¡¯t mountainous either; falling somewhere directly in the middle. It rose and fell drastically, but never climbed high enough to break out of the clutch of vegetation.


    To the other side stretched out a massive ocean, spreading out far into the horizon. The colour faded to a dark blue the further out I looked, but closer to the place directly under me, it became a much more pleasant, lighter shade.


    And directly under me was a thin slice of dusty yellow, drawing a long divide between the forest and the ocean.


    And as far as I could tell, that was exactly where I was headed.


    As much as I wanted to prove to myself that death didn¡¯t scare me, and that I was at peace with the prospect of dying by crashing onto a planet, I would be lying if I said that my breath didn¡¯t quicken as I neared the ground. My chest tightened as true fear tightened its fingers around my heart.


    Still, I didn¡¯t let the fear make me helpless, despite the ten-ton weight that now seemed to rest on my body. With one more grunt, I sucked in the last of the Flux from the flames, leaving the wind to put out the dying remnants.


    Power brimmed within my body, ready to be unleashed, to feed the bubble. But I didn¡¯t. Instead, I kept pulling, bringing the Flux of the barrier into my body.


    Potent Flux poured into my body, filling my Flux veins up until they threatened to burst. It was painful, in a soulful way words couldn¡¯t describe, but I kept going, greedily taking more and more in.


    The bubble closed in on the beach at breakneck speed. I watched with determined, almost wet eyes as the beach expanded in my vision, getting closer and closer.


    Then, just at the last second before the bubble made impact, I pushed myself upward. With a herculean effort, I lifted my body off of the bottom of the bubble, throwing myself to the top just as the bottom exploded under the force of the impact. The sound of glass shattering was loud, jarring, and everything happened so quickly that I barely had a moment to process anything.


    The last thought I had was the fleeting image of Ocean¡¯s face, her kind eyes watching me with glowing pride.


    And then everything went black.

 Chapter 58 - New Planet: Argonis

    Light faded in and out as I fitfully slept, bringing with it waves of intense pain every time it did. It came periodically, invading my confused mind for what felt like an eternity before creeping back into the corner it came from, allowing me to return briefly to my unsettled rest.


    Occasionally, when the pain was so intense it managed to clear my mind enough, I could feel the broken bones within me setting themselves right again, sliding back into their rightful places with wet squelches. The darkness would again claim me not long after.


    Finally, after what was surely years of sleep and torture, I awoke properly, the impenetrable fog of before slowly lifting from my mind. My eyes fluttered open, slowly focusing as they took in the streaming golden light of the sun and the faultless blue of the sky.


    My mind booted up lazily, taking its time as it slowly processed everything. I was lying on my back, my limbs sprawled out wide. My body was pressed into something soft, the substance moulded exactly to my outline.


    I passed my senses through my body, surprised when I realized I could feel every part of my limbs. I wasn¡¯t exactly sure why I was lying out here, in a place I didn¡¯t recognize, but I had the sense that I should have been horribly injured.


    I didn¡¯t understand why, but I didn¡¯t question it much, either. It was good news, and that was all I needed to know.


    Turning my attention back outside, I swept my gaze as wide as I could without turning my head, trying to make sense of where I was. Unfortunately, all I could see was the expansive sky, stretching in each direction seemingly endlessly. The blue was perfect, unfractured and faultless. No fluffy dots of white marred its canvas, and it was crowned only by the brilliant gold circle of the sun.


    I slowed my breathing as I took in the peaceful sight, knowing that once I got up, I¡¯d have to deal with a whole host of problems that I had no wish to deal with at the moment. So, instead, I took my time, stilling myself as I soaked in the serenity.


    I lost track of time as I lay there, my eyes gently closed as I breathed softly. Memories of how I ended up where I was slowly wandered back into my mind, unbidden and sporadic. Eventually, however, the sequence of events that led to me lying on the beach all clicked together, like a puzzle of memories in my mind. I remembered the spaceship, the pirates, the bats. Getting sucked out of the ship, hitting the Saint Realm Bat in the mouth.


    That solved the mystery of why my face and clothes were caked in some sort of crusty, smelly substance.


    Then came the memories of floating in space for a little while, in that strange bubble that had saved my life. And the rest followed quickly.


    With a deep sigh, I forced my eyes back open, knowing that I had to get up eventually. I was on a strange beach on a strange land, on a strange planet. I was completely unsure of the dangers that I could face, and running into some kind of enemy before I could gather my bearings could be fatal.


    With a rough groan, I pushed myself up, pulling myself out of the reluctant grasp of the beach. Sand rained off me as I got to my feet, the gritty feeling all over my body combining with the dried blood everywhere to make for an incredibly uncomfortable sensation.


    I stretched my arms as I stood, my muscles and joints groaning in protest. My eyes were opened wide as I drank in the sights around me, trying to get my bearings. I stood in a crater of some sort, no doubt made by my landing. It was circular, a few meters in radius, and about half a meter deep all around, which really drove home how hard of a landing I¡¯d had. And how much of a miracle it was that I¡¯d survived.


    Moving my gaze beyond the crater, I found the ocean that stretched out in front of me, so far into the horizon I couldn¡¯t make out any other landmass anywhere, no matter how far I looked. I stood there for a moment, captivated by the sight of the sparkling clear blue water lazily lapping against the shore of the beach. The wide expanse of the ocean was a breathtaking sight ¨C especially for me, since I¡¯d been born and raised in landlocked cities my entire life.


    Eventually, I tore my gaze away from the ocean and looked behind me. The sight was decidedly less pleasant. A lush jungle greeted me, lined with shrubbery and green plants of varying heights. Palm trees occasionally rose up past the dense undergrowth, reaching up high into the sky. But as picturesque as it looked, I couldn¡¯t help but shudder as I peered into the darkness that blanketed the depth of the jungle. The dense vegetation obstructed all light, and an ominous feeling rose in my chest as I looked at the dark underbrush.


    Shaking myself out of my paranoia, I looked to my right and left, but there wasn¡¯t much to see on either side. The dusty yellow of the beach stretched out in both directions, eventually curving inland and out of sight.


    My surroundings were similar to what I had seen as I had been falling, so it didn¡¯t take long for me to place myself. However, what had begun to nag at me was the fact that I hadn¡¯t seen where Ren had landed, and I hadn¡¯t spotted him anywhere I looked around either. A dreadful thought crept into my mind, but I banished it before it could even take form. I had to trust that Ren would be able to survive the landing; he was more than capable enough. It would be an insult to his ability if I doubted him.


    Casting the idea from my mind, I shook my head and quickly decided on a course of action. The number one priority was obvious: I needed to clean myself off. There was no getting used to the feeling of blood coating my skin, nor the smell of it. Not to mention the gritty sand that had managed to get everywhere.


    My first step forward, however, landed on a strange, hard and slim object buried shallowly in the sand. Curious, I bent over and picked the object up, pulling it out to find my pole. I narrowed my eyes as I studied it in disbelief, unable to understand how it had gotten there. It had been in my hand when I¡¯d been sucked out of the ship, but it certainly hadn¡¯t been in the bubble with me. There was almost no way I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it beside me in such a small space. But try as I might, I could not remember when it had left my hands, nor how it could have landed anywhere near me.


    Eventually, I gave up trying to understand it, instead shelving it with the rest of the mysteries I didn¡¯t care to try and unravel. It had happened; that was all I needed to know.


    Keeping the pole by my side, I made my way out of the crater I was in and into the ocean. I entered the water slowly, cautiously, unsure of what dangers lurked underneath the sand. The water was thankfully clear ¨C remarkably so ¨C but any number of lethal animals could have been hiding in the sand just under the water. Waiting for me to step on them.


    Using my stick to stir up the sand, I slowly made my way in. However, by the time I had gotten knee-deep into the water, I threw all caution to the wind, running in till the water reached my neck. The water was blissfully, deliciously warm, and all thoughts of potential danger flew out of my head as it washed over me.


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    I had no way to mark the passing of time, but I was sure it had been at least half an hour by the time I walked back out of the water, fully cleaned and dripping wet.


    I wasn¡¯t too worried about my clothes being drenched, since I was sure that the blazing sun would take care of it soon. And in the meanwhile, the clothes provided a cool refreshment against the rising heat.


    Making my way back onto the beach, I sat down on the soft sand, pole in hand, and started thinking through my situation properly. I was in the most typical survival story situation ¨C although the way I had gotten into the situation was quite atypical ¨C so I called up every piece of knowledge I could remember from all the survival stories I¡¯d ever read in my life. Admittedly, there weren¡¯t many, but I had read enough in the library to get the gist of them. I needed shelter, food, water, and maybe warmth, depending on how cold it got in the night. Although, based on the kind of plants I could make out in the jungle, I guessed that the temperatures wouldn¡¯t drop very much. Still, that was an assumption made on Earthen logic, which wouldn''t necessarily hold up where I was.


    I wasn¡¯t very hungry or thirsty yet, so I settled on making some kind of shelter first.


    Unfortunately, I hadn¡¯t a clue on how to go about doing that.


    In most of the stories I¡¯d read, they¡¯d only mentioned that they had built the shelter; likely because the authors themselves probably didn¡¯t know much about it either. And in the few that had explained in some measure of detail, I¡¯d skipped over their explanations in boredom. After all, I¡¯d never known that I would end up on some random beach somewhere on another planet.


    With a deep sigh, I forced myself up to my feet again, deciding that the first step would undoubtedly be to gather some wood. However, just as I got to my feet, I heard a rustle come from the jungle. I immediately froze, stilling my breath as I strained my ears and eyes, not wanting to miss any signs of whatever lay hidden in the underbrush.


    I rallied the power in my veins, getting ready to ignite the Flux at any moment.


    It was slow, excruciatingly slow, but the thing in the forest eventually began to reveal itself. Its shadow extended out past the line of the trees first, revealing a strange, humanoid form.


    I gripped my pole tight as I waited, covering my other fist in swirling flames.


    Then, suddenly, the thing burst out of the thicket with a loud racket. Immediately, without even bothering to see what kind of animal it was, I launched the fire I had gathered in my fist at the thing, lobbing the basketball-sized fireball at the thing.


    ¡°What the-¡± came a surprised yelp from the attacker, before the dark, lithe form of the talking animal ducked under the fire with the swiftness of a cat. Immediately, the animal countered with its own attack, leaping at me with its hand brandishing a long, singular claw.


    The claw was incredibly quick, far too fast for me to dodge. So, instead, I brought my pole in front of me, blocking its razor-sharp edge with a loud bang. The force of the collision blew away the sand below us, but I hardly noticed as my entire focus was on overpowering the surprising strength of my attacker.


    However, it soon became apparent that I wasn¡¯t going to beat the animal with pure strength. But thankfully, that wasn¡¯t all I had. Reaching my senses outward, I gathered Flux around my pole, getting ready to ignite it. Then, just before I did, the animal suddenly spoke again.


    ¡°Ruby?!¡± it asked in a suspiciously familiar voice.


    Caught off guard, I leapt backwards and angled my pole at the attacker, studying it with narrowed eyes. ¡°How do you know-" I began to ask, before finally recognizing the attacker."-Ren?!¡±


    "Ruby!" Ren answered with a wild smile. He looked exactly as I¡¯d last seen him. He¡¯d taken off the hood, letting his inky hair fall down just past his ears, but he still wore the same dark cape, shirt, and pants as before.


    "You''re alive!" I responded in surprise, the words escaping my lips before I could stop myself.


    Ren scoffed at my words. "Of course, I''m alive. You think I''d check out just when things were getting interesting?"


    I stared at him blankly for a moment, before the both of us simultaneously fell into laughter. I fell to the ground as the tension of the moment fully passed, robbing my knees of their strength.


    Ren followed me to the sand, sprawling out comfortably on the warm sand.


    ¡°Anyway, where are you coming from? Where¡¯d you land?¡± I asked finally, after a peaceful moment of silence.


    Ren shrugged. ¡°I dunno. I just landed in some random place in the jungle. I only woke up a while ago, and after I figured out what was going on, I made my way here.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you know where the beach was?¡± I asked in amazement. If I had landed in the jungle, I¡¯d have had no idea what direction anything was in.


    Ren shrugged again. ¡°It was lucky. I took a gamble, and it worked out for me.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°A gamble?¡±


    ¡°When I saw that I was going to land somewhere in the jungle, I aligned myself so that my head was pointed in the direction of the beach,¡± Ren explained. ¡°It was a long shot, but it worked out. ¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡±


    Ren waved off the compliment. ¡°It was more luck, to be honest,¡± he said. ¡°But anyway,¡± he continued on, ¡°what¡¯s the plan? What have you been doing?¡±


    Now, it was my turn to shrug. ¡°I have no idea, honestly. I was planning on trying to make some kind of shelter, since I wasn¡¯t that hungry.¡±


    Ren smiled at that. ¡°Do you know how to make a shelter?¡± he asked.


    I laughed. ¡°Oh, no. Absolutely no idea. But I figured I¡¯d manage something. All I need is some wood and some¡­leaves, maybe?¡±


    ¡°Well, that sounds like a great idea, but before that, why don¡¯t we eat first? I¡¯m absolutely famished,¡± Ren responded.


    ¡°Eat what?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯re going to need to hunt something, right? Since I have no idea what kind of plants we could eat. And then someone is going to have to, like, skin the animal, right? And¡­gut it, and stuff, right?¡± I shuddered at the thought. ¡°Do you know how to do that stuff? Because I sure don¡¯t.¡±


    Ren grinned at me. ¡°Well, you¡¯re in luck then, Ruby. I just happen to be great at all that stuff.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you joking?"


    Ren didn''t respond to my question, only giving me an insulted look before carrying on. ¡°And also, I just happened to be attacked by this weird deer-looking thing on my way here, so I killed him," he said. "I¡¯m pretty sure I know where I left him, and he looked like he had quite a bit of meat on him. Why don''t I go and drag him back here, and you can get a fire going in the meantime? Then we can cook and eat him, and then we can focus on shelter. How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°A deer? Why would a deer attack you?¡± I asked, my mind snagging on that one piece of information over everything else.


    Ren shrugged. ¡°I said deer-like. It looked like a deer, but it had crazy sharp teeth and antlers, and claws that came out of its hooves. It was the weirdest thing. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess that makes sense. We can¡¯t expect Earth logic to work here,¡± I said quietly. The full weight of the fact that I wasn¡¯t on Earth anymore had yet to settle in properly, and Ren¡¯s words were an uncomfortable reminder of the fact that I was trying to ignore.


    ¡°Anyway, that sounds like a good idea. I¡¯ll get some wood for the fire,¡± I said, shaking myself out of my thoughts. There was work to do, which meant there was no time to waste moping around about things I had no control over.

 Chapter 59 - Goblins

    About ten minutes later, I sat defeated in a scattered pile of sticks, utterly at a loss and beyond frustrated.


    It was then that Ren decided to make his appearance again. He emerged from the thicket with a loud rustle, startling me into dropping the stick I had been drilling on top of another.


    ¡°Ren!¡± I called out in annoyance. ¡°I was so close! I swear I was starting to see smoke!¡±


    Ren turned around to look at me, a comically confused expression spreading over his face as he surveyed the mess I¡¯d made. Sticks lay strewn around me, and I sat cross-legged beside a larger pile of them.


    A small, strange smile spread across his face as he focused on me, his face glowing like he was barely holding back his laughter. ¡°Ruby?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What?¡± I responded sharply, annoyed by his amusement.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked in response, his voice tinged with laughter.


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m trying to get a fire started, obviously. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve ever been taught this stuff. How am I supposed to know how to do-¡±


    I suddenly paused, a realization finally clicking in my brain. A serene moment of silence passed over the beach before I spoke again. ¡°Ah,¡± I said finally, my voice quieter, muted. ¡°Fire.¡±


    Ren nodded patiently. ¡°Fire,¡± he repeated.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­That¡¯s my thing, isn¡¯t it?¡± I asked, my voice still quiet.


    Ren nodded again. ¡°That is your thing,¡± he confirmed, like a parent talking to an especially slow child.


    A heavy sigh escaped my lips. ¡°Damn,¡± I said, too defeated to come up with anything else.


    In the silence that followed, I sent some Flux to the tip of my index finger, igniting it to make a small, candle-sized flame. As it burned on my finger, I touched it to the pile of sticks in front of me. The first stick, the driest of them, quickly caught on, slowly spreading it to the rest of the pile.


    Soon, the entire pile was ablaze, transforming into a miniature inferno burning in front of me.


    Ren opened his mouth to say something finally, but I silenced him with a pointed glare. Instead, he simply smiled again and hauled the deer he¡¯d been dragging off to the side.


    Curious and done with my duties, I made my way over to him, wanting to see what strange animal he had brought.


    Ren crouched down as he stopped, judging himself to be far enough to do whatever he needed to do. I came up from behind him, peering over his shoulder at the animal. It looked exactly like a deer at first glance. It was about as tall as Ren, with lean, muscled legs and brown fur all over its body. Only the underbelly was covered in a more off-white coloured fur.


    There was also a thin line of red that ran along the length of its neck, but I guessed that was a feature that only marked those deer unfortunate enough to cross Ren¡¯s path.


    However, as I looked closer, I quickly spotted other features that were alien to Earthen deer. Its antlers had sharpened edges and tips, making each of the branches a blade. The hooves each had three curved claws extending from their centers, and its jaws were lined with horribly sharp teeth.


    I didn¡¯t know how powerful the animal was, but judging by its arsenal of weapons and the lean muscles I could make out through the fur, it couldn¡¯t have been an easy foe. Which made Ren¡¯s clean kill of the animal all the more impressive since, as far as I could tell, the wound on the neck was the only wound Ren had left behind.


    All the while, Ren ignored my examination of the animal, whisking out his dagger as he got to work.


    I really, really did not want to watch, but I forced myself to sit down and try to memorize his movements. I needed to learn, and there was no space to accommodate for discomfort when our survival was at risk.


    Ren¡¯s hand worked deftly, skinning and gutting the animal with practiced ease. At some point, he needed my help to hold up the animal for a while, and I swallowed my disgust and forced myself to help. The smell was stomach-wrenching, but still, I forged on. The pinkish skin of the animal was warm and clammy, but I gripped it tight as Ren did his work.


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    The hot sun sank a little as Ren worked, cutting the animal up into smaller and smaller pieces. I stayed and watched the entire thing, staying silent as I tried to commit to memory every step of the process. I knew it would take a few more times until I could go through the whole process myself, and certainly many more before I could get to Ren¡¯s level of ease and speed, but I was sure I¡¯d get there someday. After all, we were stuck on the beach for the foreseeable future anyway.


    Eventually, Ren wrapped up his work, giving me a smile before heading off to the ocean to clean himself. He had blood all over him ¨C from the pirates, the bats, and the deer ¨C so he spent a considerably longer time in the water than I did.


    After a while, Ren finally made his way back out of the water, dripping wet. Making his way back to the deer¡¯s carcass, Ren picked up a few cuts of lean meat and brought them over to the still-blazing fire I had set up. Poking two of them through with a stick, Ren offered one to me and held his over the fire, sitting down comfortably as he did. Copying his movements, I sat down beside him and held the stick above the flames.


    As simple a thing as holding meat over fire should have been, I quickly came to find that I was absolutely horrible at it. I kept holding the meat either too high or too low, burning some sides and barely cooking others.


    Still, eventually, the pink cuts began to look more like the meats I¡¯d seen in advertisements for restaurants, and a mouthwatering smell began to waft off of them. My stomach rumbled as I soaked in the smell, realizing for the first time that I was far hungrier than I had thought.


    With a wide grin, I turned to Ren to ask if the meat was ready to eat, only to find that he had already dug in.


    With a huff of laughter, I moved to start eating as well, only to suddenly stop with the stick of meat halfway to my mouth.


    Ren eventually noticed my frozen state, breaking out from his gleeful reverie as he quickly found what had caught my attention.


    There was a glint that came from the dark thicket of the jungle, just the tiniest sliver of light that had caught my eye. But that wasn¡¯t what Ren saw.


    ¡°Five, humanoid, armed, I think,¡± Ren fired off in quick succession, his brow furrowed in concentration as he focused his senses in the jungle¡¯s direction.


    I nodded without turning my attention away from the jungle for a second. My free hand reached out in the sand for the pole I had left just a foot away. My grip tightened around it when I found it, the tension of the moment rising with every passing second.


    Whatever beings lay hidden in the jungle had to have known that we had discovered them ¨C likely because of my unabashed staring in their direction, although no one could say for sure ¨C because they quickly revealed themselves afterwards.


    There were actually six of them, but Ren was right about the rest of his observations. They were each armed, albeit with crude weapons of wood and stone. The assortment of daggers and spears in their hands were obviously homemade, but that didn¡¯t make them any less fatal. A jagged, sharpened stone through the heart would kill you just the same as any steel blade would.


    The sight of the beings themselves, however, was what caught my attention. They were unlike anything I¡¯d ever seen before, but they fit a description close enough that I was able to instantly classify them to a race I¡¯d only ever read about in fantasy novels.


    Goblins.


    Sickly pale green skin covered their small, gangly bodies. They sported elongated noses and wider ears, trademark qualities of the common fantasy race. Not everything matched exactly, however. They sported dirty brown beards and braided hair that fell down in varying lengths, with the claws and teeth of a wolf, and brown furred pelts over their torsos.


    It was instantly clear what their objectives were, as all six of their beady eyes immediately locked onto the sticks of meat in mine and Ren¡¯s hands, before making their way behind us to where the rest of the meat and what was left of the deer¡¯s carcass remained.


    The one closest to us, the one I assumed was the leader, emitted a low, menacing growl at us, as if warning us to step away.


    But the terror that had frozen my veins had long since vanished, transformed into a hungered rage as I realized what they wanted. They were weird and scary, sure, but they wanted my food, and I was hungry. And that was enough to push me over my initial fear. After all, with everything I¡¯d been through, goblins weren¡¯t even the weirdest things I¡¯d fought.


    And at the end of the day, no matter what kind of beast stood in my way, all I had to do was burn it to the ground.


    With that thought in mind, a maddened grin spread over my face as I faced down the goblins. Flux gathered above my palm as I ignited it, forming the flames into the rough shape of an arrow.


    The goblins'' eyes widened at the sight of the magic, the brilliant orange sparking fear in their eyes. Their leader, sensing his men¡¯s fear, shrieked a warcry as he raised his spear high. A moment later, the rest of the goblins responded in kind, their confidence bolstered, and the troupe raced forward as they came at us.


    The goblins all closed in on me first, clearly singling me out as the greatest threat. In response, I launched the arrow at the leader¡¯s chest, since he was the closest to me, but he managed to sidestep fast enough to avoid taking a fatal hit. Still, the arrow caught him on the shoulder, knocking him off balance and eliciting a painful hiss.


    Stepping forward to meet the charge of the remaining five goblins, I gripped my pole tight and formed swirling flames around my other fist, feeding the fire with my own Flux.


    ¡°Come and get it, boys!¡± I yelled out at them, grinning ear to ear in anticipation.

 Chapter 60 - Rens Choice

    My flames burst forward as I laughed maniacally. I moved my arm in wide, sweeping motions to keep the five at bay, my fist like a flamethrower as flames constantly poured off of it.


    The searing heat of the flames was enough to put a halt to most of the goblins, but the closest of them wasn¡¯t able to stop in time. The fur of the pelt he wore around him caught on fire almost immediately, but the goblin was smarter than I had expected. He quickly dropped to the sandy floor, rolling around as he tried to snuff out the flames.


    As he did, I leapt over him and into the fray, sweeping my pole in wide arcs as I landed in the middle of the four goblins. I managed to knock two on their heads in rapid succession, but the other two were more nimble. They ducked under my swipes and lunged at me with their daggers. Knowing there was no way out for me without taking damage, I focused the flames around my fist and reached out for the goblin trying to slice down on me. Almost simultaneously, both goblins reached me, the first burying his dagger hilt-deep in my thigh. The other goblin¡¯s blade sliced down on my palm, biting deep but eventually coming to a halt.


    Gritting my teeth against the sudden, overwhelming wave of pain, I gripped the goblin¡¯s dagger in my hand, curling my fingers around the blade. The raging fire around my fist encompassed the goblin¡¯s hand as well, making the thing screech out in pain. The goblin tried to pull its dagger away, but I didn¡¯t let it budge. Instead, I pushed the fire off of my hand and onto the goblin before it realized that it should leave the dagger and run. The flames travelled down the thing¡¯s bony arm and hit it in the chest, knocking it down to the ground.


    At just about the same time, the other goblin had just managed to free its dagger from my thigh, but I wasn¡¯t about to let it escape unscathed. Just as it pulled away, I brought my flaming pole down on the beast¡¯s head. It struck true, and the mixture of the blunt force and the heat dazed the creature long enough for me to jab at its chest with the pole again.


    As I did, I pushed the fire off the pole in a swirling column of fire. The fire carried the animal far back before dropping him down near the edge of the jungle, a scorched circle in the middle of his chest.


    Without taking a moment to breathe, I turned back to the goblin that had fallen next to me, his screams still puncturing the air as the fire on his chest raged on.


    With a steely look in my eye, I planted the pole into the sand and used my free hand to wrench the dagger out of my injured palm. Blood spurted out and showered the ground, but I paid the pain no heed. My eyes were glued to the pain-filled eyes of the goblin, watching the light of life flicker in them.


    Ruthless, I thought to myself, taking in a deep breath. It¡¯s us, or it''s them.


    My gaze never wavering from the goblin¡¯s eyes, I bent down and plunged the crude stone dagger deep into its chest, right where I assumed its heart was.


    The goblin¡¯s screams halted almost immediately, cut off by a wet gurgle before bluish blood gushed out of its mouth. My eyes didn¡¯t leave its eyes for a second, watching unblinkingly as the life in them dimmed and flickered out.


    The weight of a life taken weighed on me, but eventually, I stood up, leaving the dagger buried in the dead goblin¡¯s chest. A deep breath escaped my lips as I stood for a second, basking in the second of peace I had before going through a much-needed Revive.


    The wave of pain hit like it always did, never getting the tiniest smidge easier no matter how many times I did it. Still, it passed like it always did, and in its wake, I was left with the cool refreshment of a body made whole again.


    A quick survey of the battle told me that there were only two goblins left ¨C at least, only two that still posed any kind of real threat. The leader and the other goblin that had caught on fire first had quietly been taken care of by Ren at some point during my fight. I¡¯d taken care of two more, so all that was left was the two who I¡¯d knocked out in the beginning.


    However, the goblins were more cowardly than I had given them credit for.


    Instead of continuing their futile effort in an attempt to avenge their fallen brethren, they simply turned tail and ran for cover in the jungle.


    Watching their small forms scramble for safety made me pause for a second, something inside me not willing to hit something fleeing in the back in such a manner.


    Ren, however, had no such qualms. His dagger hummed with power as purple smoke gathered around the blade. I watched in curiosity as he held the blade, as if ready to strike, focusing a scary amount of Flux on his blade.


    Finally, when he judged that it was ready, he swiped his blade in the air. The purple smoke left his blade as he did, condensing into a crescent-shaped blade as it travelled at breakneck speed. The fleeing goblins had no chance in the race, and the blade reached the one on the right in a matter of seconds.


    The blade sliced right through the torso of the creature, separating the goblin into two bloody pieces. The blade continued on, cutting through the thick trunk of a palm tree and deeper into the underbrush before vanishing into the darkness.


    The other goblin managed to make it safely into the jungle and vanished as well, safe from our reach.


    A silence settled over the beach for a moment, before Ren and I both let out a breath in unison.


    ¡°Well, that was exciting,¡± I said finally, breaking the silence.


    Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, it was. Congrats, by the way.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°Killing that goblin. It¡¯s a good first step. You¡¯re gonna need to get over that hesitation in killing people at some point, you know. I¡¯m not always gonna be there to finish people off for you. And unless this world just happens to be all sunshine and rainbows, you''re probably going to have to kill someone at some point.¡±


    I nodded somberly. ¡°I know, I know. I just¡­I don¡¯t know what it is. ¡±


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    Ren nodded patiently. ¡°I mean, you have time for now. Who knows how long it¡¯ll take to get back to any kind of human civilization? If there even is some kind of civilization at all.¡±


    I laughed at his last remark. ¡°It really is kind of insane to think that we are on a different planet. There are so many things that might be different from what we¡¯re expecting. What if humans aren¡¯t even the dominant species on this planet.¡±


    Ren nodded. ¡°And then there is the whole problem of language, too. I have no idea how we¡¯re going to talk to whoever we meet.¡±


    A sigh escaped me. ¡°Well, all that is a problem for later. We¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get there. But, more importantly, what¡¯s up with that slash thing you do? Where¡¯d you learn to do that?¡±


    Ren grinned at my question. ¡°Oh, that? Remember when we made that deal, that if you showed me a projectile of fire by the time we landed, I¡¯d show you something equally impossible?¡±


    I nodded, beginning to understand.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s it. It¡¯s the first and most basic skill of proper Battle Mages. To be able to detach and launch pure, condensed Flux in some form. It¡¯s supposed to take about six to twelve months to learn.¡± He paused then, grinning at me. ¡°Took me a few weeks.¡±


    I whistled in admiration. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s impressive." I paused for a second. "So, you¡¯ve chosen Battle Mage as your thing, then?¡± I asked finally.


    Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah. I think, even if I awaken an affinity at some point, I¡¯ll probably still stick to Battle Mage as my main thing.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked in surprise. ¡°Even if you have the opportunity to use an element?¡±


    ¡°Yup. I looked through the stuff they had on Elemental Mages and how powerful they could become, and none of it really called out to me. I mean, it was cool, but it wasn¡¯t really my style, you know? Like fire mages, for example. Every example they had of a great fire mage was someone who was incredibly powerful and destructive, sure, but they were too flashy for me. They were the kind of people who could single-handedly turn the tides of any battle they entered, but they would also instantly be the center of attention. They would be grand warriors, but they won their battles through brute force and destruction.¡±


    My eyes had gleamed over by the point Ren had stopped talking. ¡°And, you don¡¯t think that¡¯s awesome?!¡± I asked incredulously. He had literally just described my dream, everything I was working towards being. And he spoke of it like it wasn¡¯t amazing.


    Ren chuckled at my reaction. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s what you would want to be, but not me. I was trained to be an assassin, and that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been almost my entire life. The shadows are my home. It¡¯s where I¡¯m the most comfortable, you know?¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you hate the people who made you into the assassin that you are now?¡± I asked. I knew I was pushing into unexplored territory with Ren¡¯s background, but he seemed to be okay with explaining, so I wasn¡¯t too worried.


    ¡°I mean, yeah, I hated them as people. But in the end, I¡¯m still grateful for what they taught me. They didn''t teach me my stealth; that was mine long before I ever met them. What they taught me to do was use my skills to kill people. And I¡¯m grateful for that, because it gave me the strength to do the things I needed to do. I¡¯m not sure if any of that makes sense for you, but my point is that is what I¡¯m good at. And it¡¯s who I want to be.¡±


    ¡°And being a Battle Mage is the path that will use your skills best?¡±


    Ren nodded. ¡°All the most feared assassins of the universe are primarily Battle Mages. And there are a whole bunch of different paths available, that all use my skills as their base. They all had titles, too, like Ranger, Hunter, Marksman, and Thief. And they had cooler-sounding ones, too, like Shadowstalker, Whisperwind, and Nightwing. I have no clue what any of those mean, how they differ from each other or how you specialize as any one of them, but the point is that they exist. And they all sound much more appealing to me than any class of Elemental Mages.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s crazy. But I guess that does suit you more than my path.¡± I grinned then, my mind drifting into fantasies of the future. ¡°We¡¯d make a killer duo, huh? My flames would be so eye-catching that they¡¯d distract everyone, and you could sneak around and pick them off while they¡¯re all busy thinking that I¡¯m the greatest threat. ¡±


    Ren smiled in response, which surprised me. I hadn''t expected him to indulge in my daydreaming.


    ¡°That does sound pretty fun," he said. "Things weren¡¯t looking so good for us in the middle there, so it¡¯s nice to finally get to look forward to the future again.¡±


    I nodded excitedly. ¡°I know! We don¡¯t have to worry about rules or expectations or money or jobs or anything like that now. All we need to do is focus on getting stronger and surviving whatever this jungle throws at us.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯d been meaning to say, letting those goblins go probably wasn¡¯t the best idea, you know.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why?¡± I asked.


    Ren shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s all speculation, since we have no actual information on those animals, but I think it¡¯s a pretty reasonable assumption that the goblins are pack animals, and those six probably weren¡¯t the entire pack. Which means that there is a possibility that the goblin we let go might return with a larger force. Of course, there are a lot of assumptions there, but I think it''s best to assume the worst in our situation.¡±


    I took a minute to go over his words, before eventually nodding. ¡°Yeah, I see what you mean. I didn¡¯t really think that far when I let the little guy go. I just didn¡¯t feel good hitting a fleeing thing in the back like that.¡±


    Ren nodded in understanding. ¡°I know what you mean. But sometimes, for the sake of your own survival, you have to do things that don¡¯t feel great. And that includes eliminating potential threats even if they seem harmless.¡±


    I smiled grimly at that. ¡°That¡¯ll take some getting used to, you know.¡±


    Ren shrugged. ¡°Yeah, it will. But you¡¯ll get there eventually.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s the plan now?¡± I asked, moving on to more pressing matters.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any hope for us to get rescued by staying here, so I think our best bet would be to head into the jungle, if we want to try and meet some kind of civilization.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very safe.¡±


    ¡°Do you want safe?¡±


    I grinned. ¡°Not particularly. Safe doesn¡¯t make strong.¡±


    Ren laughed. ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it. But you¡¯re right. We need to get stronger anyway, and hunting in the forest should be a pretty good way to do that. And hopefully, eventually, we¡¯ll run into some kind of city or something on the way.¡±


    I clapped my hands together, my mind already lost in the endless possibilities that awaited us. ¡°Well, that sounds like a plan.¡±


    ¡°But for today, we¡¯ve already wasted too much daylight,¡± Ren stopped me before I started moving, bringing me out of my thoughts. ¡°I think it¡¯s better for us to spend the night here, and make our way into the jungle first thing tomorrow.¡±


    I chuckled awkwardly, embarrassed. ¡°Of course. Makes sense.¡±


    Ren gave me a small smile in response. ¡°We¡¯ll need to take guard shifts throughout the night, to make sure the goblins don¡¯t come back,¡± he added.


    ¡°And we need to get some kind of shelter set up before we lose whatever daylight we have,¡± I continued.


    Ren nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve got a lot of work to do.¡±


    I grinned in response, excitement lighting up my face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to it.¡±

 Chapter 61 - Into the Jungle

    ¡°Am I crazy, or did the jungle get scarier overnight?¡± I asked Ren as the both of us stood at the foot of the greenery. Ren was silent for a moment, and the both of us simply stared into the ominous shade of the jungle.


    Finally, Ren shrugged. ¡°Eh, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine. Not like we have any other choices.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Well, no use standing around. Let¡¯s do this.¡± With that, I stepped forward into the waiting maw of the jungle, pole gripped tightly in hand. Ren followed just a step behind me, with only his dagger in hand. He¡¯d lost his walking stick somewhere in space apparently, although he couldn¡¯t seem to recall exactly when the thing had slipped out of his grasp, oddly.


    The serene quiet of the jungle was shattered as the both of us fought our way through the dense thicket, rustles and cracks echoing out in the silence as we made our way in with clumsy footsteps.


    It wasn¡¯t until fifteen minutes into our foray into the jungle that we finally found some kind of cleared path, making our progress much faster and easier. We didn¡¯t really have a destination in mind, so we¡¯d decided to simply pick a direction and walk straight until we came across something ¨C or anything.


    Not wanting to risk ending up walking in circles, we¡¯d picked the direction of the sun¡¯s arc over the sky to follow; which meant that for half the day, we¡¯d walk straight away from the sun, and the other half we¡¯d walk straight to the sun.


    It was quite the intelligent plan, and I was more than proud of myself for coming up with it.


    Once we got onto a proper path, I noticed that the sounds of walking behind me immediately quieted. The sounds quickly became so muted that I had to turn around occasionally and make sure Ren was actually following behind me. The only sound that I did hear periodically was Ren¡¯s whisper-like breaths, and even then, I had to strain my ears just to catch them.


    It was an unnerving feeling, like I was being hunted. I could feel the eyes on my back, but all my other senses warned me of nothing behind me.


    Eventually, I forced Ren to go in front of me, nominally for the sake of learning from him, but we both knew that it was because I didn¡¯t like the feeling of being stalked so silently.


    Not that I wasn¡¯t trying to learn how Ren moved, either. We were going to be in the jungle for the foreseeable future, and even with my general ignorance of living in the wild, I knew the importance of being able to move silently.


    Unfortunately, copying Ren¡¯s movements was much easier said than done. I tried my best to emulate every single movement he made, but it was like my body just naturally made more noise than his.


    Beyond my own failures, however, getting to watch Ren stalk through the forest was truly a treat, like watching an artist paint. I could see what he had meant when he¡¯d said that he was most comfortable in the shadows. His every moment seemed so natural, so fluid, it was mesmerizing to behold.


    I followed behind him as quietly as I could, my full focus centred on trying to learn as much as I could from him. Time slipped from my mind as I tried and repeatedly failed to silence my movements, the rest of the world blurring in my mind as I slowly made progress.


    It was only when Ren suddenly came to a stop that I was wrenched out of my focused state. Turning to look back at me, Ren brought a finger to his lips in the universal command for silence.


    ¡°Stay here,¡± he whispered. ¡°I need to check something out. I¡¯ll find you in a few minutes. Try not to make too much noise.¡±


    I nodded, my face blank as I tried to hide my dejection. Ren hadn¡¯t said it, but I knew he was leaving me behind because I would make too much noise for where he was headed.


    With a quick smile, Ren turned back and headed off the path, stepping into what I only then noticed was a thinner, more obscured path. With a muted sigh, I sat down right where I stood and closed my eyes as Ren disappeared into the dense undergrowth.


    Knowing that my paranoia would get the better of me if I did nothing, I busied my mind with Flux. I still hadn¡¯t had the chance to sit down and think over what had happened during my fight with that first pirate. I¡¯d been so busy with everything that had been happening that it¡¯d fallen to the backburner until now.


    But now, in the tranquil silence of the jungle, broken only by the occasional buzz of the insects or the more terrifying howls and roars of whatever larger animals inhabited the place, I finally relaxed enough to go through what had happened.


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    What I knew was that somehow, I¡¯d gained the ability to command the Flux around me almost as well as the Flux that flowed within me, which went against every assumption I had based my understanding of Flux on. I had thought that Flux was simply a power that my body could only passively absorb ¨C barring Revives, of course ¨C and that its only function was to make my body stronger and faster.


    But now, not only could the Flux within me come out and ignite on my command, but I could do the same with the Flux around me. It was only a small radius that I could interact with, a sphere of barely half a meter around me that I could only really sense when I focused. But nonetheless, it was incredible. It was like awakening an entirely different sense, both similar and, at the same time, wholly different from each of my other senses.


    It was like a colourless smoke that hung around me in a sphere, that I could only see in my mind. And when I closed my eyes and focused really hard, I could see what Ren had meant. I could sense the way it warped and twisted around objects that entered it. Of course, my radius was nowhere near Ren¡¯s, nor was I able to sense it at all times, but I could see the beginnings of his incredible ability in what I could sense, and it made his feat all the more impressive.


    Although the control my mind had over the Flux around me was not as precise as the Flux within my veins, the boost in strength it offered was amazing. I no longer had to worry about expending the limited pool of Flux within me to fuel my flames. Instead, I could use my Flux to only strengthen my body and occasionally add heat to my flames when I needed it, and the endless Flux of the atmosphere to fuel my flames normally.


    A snap suddenly sounded out in front of my closed eyes, startling me so badly that I almost yelled. Thankfully, I managed to clamp my mouth shut just before I could make a sound, my eyes snapping open to find Ren barely holding in his laughter in front of me.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he whispered under my glare, sounding suspiciously ingenuine. But before I could say anything, he continued on. ¡°Guess what I found,¡± he asked, a twinkle shining in his eye.


    ¡°What?¡± I whispered back.


    ¡°Goblins,¡± Ren answered with glee. ¡°A whole lot of them.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at his excitement. ¡°And that¡¯s a good thing?¡±


    ¡°Depends on what you enjoy, I guess,¡± he answered, his grin taking on a malicious tone.


    I looked at him in confusion, not sure if I had understood him correctly, and hoping that I hadn¡¯t.


    Instead of responding, Ren gave a little huff of laughter as the glint in his eye vanished, his lips curling into a wide smile that held no trace of the bloodlust it just had.


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding,¡± he said, chuckling. Then, sobering up, he continued on. ¡°More importantly, they seem to have some kind of really interesting treasure that I want to get my hands on.¡±


    ¡°Treasure?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°And also, why are we whispering?¡±


    Ren grinned, with a face that instantly told me that whatever he was about to say, I would not like in the least. ¡°Because there¡¯s this massive gorilla thing sleeping a little bit to our left. Pretty strong by the looks of it.¡±


    I stared at Ren in silence for a bit, before nodding to myself in resignation. ¡°Yeah, I thought it¡¯d be something like that. I never trusted this jungle.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Ren said. ¡°Wasn¡¯t expecting that.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Having to react to every new surprise gets old real fast, y¡¯know.¡±


    Ren nodded in agreement. ¡°Fair point.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Follow me; stay as quiet as possible; we go around the gorilla and raid the goblin camp; steal their treasure; get rich,¡± Ren fired off in rapid succession. ¡°Any questions?¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get why you want this treasure, but sure, let¡¯s go. Not like I have anything better to do.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, when you get this treasure in your hands, you¡¯ll thank me,¡± Ren replied with confidence.


    I smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it. Lead the way.¡±


    Ren returned the smile before wordlessly turning around and stepping back through the leaves. I followed as closely as I could, careful to stay just out of the range of the branches that were whipping back at my face.


    Now that he was actually trying to stay silent, Ren was on another level of undetectable, putting my meagre efforts to shame. He moved like a ghost, somehow managing to stay entirely silent while also keeping up a shockingly quick speed. Compared to him, I felt as clumsy as a giant in a dollhouse, making what sounded to me like a deafening racket with every step I took.


    Splitting my attention between trying to stay quiet and following Ren was incredibly difficult, especially because I more or less only had my eyes to track him since he left little to no audio clues for me.


    Thankfully, on the plus side, the path Ren took gave the gorilla a sufficiently wide berth, enough that I didn¡¯t get the chance to even see the gorilla from a distance, despite my best efforts.


    Finally, after a stressful hike that felt long enough for a lifetime, Ren began to slow down a little, before quickly coming to a stop. Slowly, he dropped down to a prone position, making himself comfortable hidden in the dirt and green shrubs.


    I made my way over to him and got down beside him. The wet, earthy smell assaulted my nose as I did, stronger than ever before. The dirt under me was damp and moist, but I ignored the sensation as I tried my best to hide myself.


    Following Ren¡¯s gaze, I quickly spotted what he had been referring to, nestled neatly in a vast clearing almost a dozen meters away from where we were, and just a little below: the goblin camp.

 Chapter 62 - Goblin Village

    The goblin camp was much more sophisticated than I had been expecting. Of course, by Earthen standards, it would barely pass as a small village, but it was amazing by animal standards. They had erected something not quite a wall, but akin to a low wooden fence around a circular clearing. Within the space were almost a dozen ramshackle huts spread around sporadically, with no apparent order or design in placement. Between them, goblins lay about, almost all of them armed the same way as the goblins who had attacked us. Most of them seemed to be lazing about, with only the occasional goblin that seemed to be doing something with any semblance of purpose.


    ¡°So,¡± I whispered to Ren after I¡¯d studied the village long enough. ¡°Where¡¯s this treasure you spoke so highly of?¡±


    Ren grinned at me. ¡°You see that building over there?¡± he asked in response, pointing subtly at one specific hut. It was the furthest hut from us, and notable because it was the most well-built of the huts. Of course, well built was a relative term, since the building was still just constructed of hollowed dirt and an assortment of sticks and stones.


    ¡°Yeah, I see it,¡± I said. ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°The first time I came here, I saw what was probably a hunting group ¨C like the one that we encountered ¨C returning from a trip with some animals. I wasn¡¯t too interested at first, but they started doing something curious with the animals. They split them into two piles, and the way they divided them up seemed almost random. My best guess was that one pile was weaker than the other, but the criteria still seemed super haphazard.


    But then, as I kept watching, they finally showed what they were doing. They cut a line directly through the chest of the animals in the stronger pile and took out these glowing blue-ish orbs. They stored them in that hut. Those balls are what I¡¯m after.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°And you want them¡­because they were pretty?¡± I guessed.


    Ren laughed dryly. ¡°Very funny. I want them because I got a pretty strong whiff of Flux from the things, and I wanna know what they are.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, finally interested. ¡°...you think those were Flux Cores?¡± I asked after a pause. That was the only possible explanation I could think of for that. The fact they were orb-like and came from the center of the animals¡¯ chests fit with the theory too.


    Ren nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I assumed, too, but I¡¯ve never seen one in person, so I can¡¯t say for sure. And I also wanna know what they plan on doing with them too. As far as I know, no one on Earth ever figured out a use for them. Actually, it was a really big taboo to take the Core out of a dead mage¡¯s body. Even the organization I was from didn¡¯t lower themselves to doing that to anyone they killed.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s interesting,¡± I said. I¡¯d never heard of anything like that before, but it made sense. I¡¯d never been near any of the circles where that would be common knowledge. The thugs I''d spent my life with were far too callous to care for the taboos of the elite circles.


    ¡°But anyway, what¡¯s the plan?¡± Ren said, cutting into my dark reminiscence.


    I looked at him blankly. ¡°I dunno, I assumed you¡¯d have a plan.¡±


    Ren scoffed. ¡°I can¡¯t do everything now. I¡¯m amazing, I know, but even I have limits.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me you can¡¯t figure out a way to get us past fifty-odd bloodthirsty goblins and into what¡¯s probably their most guarded hut?¡± I said, giving him a disappointed look.


    ¡°And you can?¡± Ren responded.


    A smug smile spread over my face. ¡°Of course,¡± I assured, dripping with confidence.


    Ren scoffed in obvious disbelief. ¡°Really? You have an idea?¡±


    I grinned. ¡°Remember that little plan I talked about yesterday?¡±


    Ren looked confused for a moment, before he finally caught on. ¡°Ah, you mean your daydream?¡±


    I scoffed at the condescending phrasing. ¡°Plan,¡± I corrected, ¡°not daydream. And believe it or not, the time for that plan to be executed has already come.¡±


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    ¡°Huh? How¡¯s that gonna-ah¡± Ren began, before realization finally dawned on him. ¡°I see. But are you sure you¡¯ll be able to handle fifty-odd goblins on your own?¡±


    My grin faltered a little, but I quickly reassured the both of us. ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t need to kill them all. I just need to distract them, create havoc and all that. And I¡¯m great at that.¡±


    Ren shrugged. ¡°I mean, if you¡¯re sure, I won¡¯t stop you. If enough of them are distracted, getting into that hut and getting the Cores should be a cinch.¡±


    I nodded happily. ¡°Alright then. Sounds like a plan.¡±


    Ren smiled. ¡°Sounds like it. But before we start¡­¡± Ren trailed off, as if unsure of how to word his question.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I asked when he didn¡¯t say anything for a moment.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± Ren asked finally. ¡°We¡¯re taking something from them for no reason beyond our own interests. This is the first time you are going to be the aggressor, and I want you to be ready for what that entails before we begin.¡±


    I smiled a small smile at him. He was right. This would be the first time I wouldn¡¯t be on the defensive side of a fight. I wasn¡¯t doing this to save my life, or protect my own people. I was doing this purely for greed, not survival.


    I¡¯d always known the time for me to face this would come, even when I had been daydreaming of running a world-class gang on Earth. I wasn¡¯t delusional, I knew that I would eventually have to take from others if I wanted to reach great heights, but I¡¯d always avoided thinking about it because the notion had made me uncomfortable. But I was no longer the same Ruby who wanted to achieve greatness while maintaining her childish pacifism. I knew what the world was like now, what undoubtedly the universe would be like as well, and I was ready. For the sake of the people I¡¯d promised to take to incredible heights, and for the person who granted me the freedom to dream of those heights in the first place, I would no longer hesitate when I was presented with opportunities. I was faced with two choices and two choices only: being ruthless and reaching greatness, or being stupid and living a life of servitude and menial work destined to be forgotten by history.


    It wasn¡¯t really a choice at all, when I thought about it. Not when I owed so much to so many people.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said finally, after a long moment of thought. ¡°I know. It¡¯s about time I stop acting like a child.¡± I let out a deep breath, my eyes taking on a harder, determined light. ¡°I understand what I need to do.¡±


    Ren smiled at me, a complex, almost indecipherable look in his eye. ¡°Sounds great,¡± he said, his voice cheery as always. ¡°Let¡¯s go ahead with the plan then. I¡¯m gonna circle around and get closer to the hut. How am I gonna know when I should start?¡±


    I grinned at him, feeling lighter and better by the minute as I revelled in the freedom of having finally dealt with the dilemma that I''d been avoiding for such a long time.


    ¡°Trust me, you¡¯ll know when I start,¡± I said with glee.


    Ren chuckled at my words. ¡°Alright then. Good luck.¡± With that, Ren pushed himself back up to his feet and disappeared back into the thicket.


    In the silence that followed, doubts started creeping their way into my mind, trying to make me question if I could actually do what I assured Ren I would. But I banished those thoughts with a firm push, clenching my knuckles till they turned white.


    Pushing out a forced breath, I cleared my head of all thoughts aside from my task. There was no time for doubts or second-guessing. I was going to do my job, no matter what.


    With a resolute face, I pushed myself up and retreated from where I came. From what I¡¯d seen, there was only one actual entrance to the little village. Their fence had a little break about halfway along its circumference, and there was a relatively wide, cleared path that led to the break in the fence, so it was obviously meant to be the entrance. Of course, the actual fence presented very little protection against me, but sneaking in would defeat the whole purpose.


    So instead, I would be taking the main entrance into the village and facing the horde of goblins head-on ¨C like a normal, sensible person would.


    Five minutes later, I waltzed right through the entrance of the village with the relaxed gait of someone who owned the place, my pole tapping lightly against the dirt with every step.


    The goblins had a moment of utter confusion as they watched the human walk into their territory with no fear or hostility, as if needing a second to remember that I didn¡¯t actually belong in their village.


    Then, all in unison, as if they¡¯d planned it out, they all turned hostile as they finally realized that I was an intruder. The lazing goblins all leapt to their feet as they bared their teeth, brandishing the assortment of weapons they clutched in their hands. A hostile goblin on its own was a strange, slightly scary sight, but the feeling of fifty of them staring at you with bloodlust practically dripping out of their eyes was in a league of its own.


    However, under the threatening glares of the monsters, the only feeling I felt was elation. A mad grin spread over my face as I lit a ball of fire over my free palm. There was something about facing impossible odds that was just so addicting, so blissfully thrilling, that I knew at that moment that I would never be able to live without it.


    The goblins visibly toned down their aggressiveness as they witnessed my magic, but the taunting cackle that left my lips at their cowardice restored their confidence. With a resounding roar, the goblins lifted their weapons in the air and charged at me from all sides, like a green tidal wave crashing down on me from every direction. Seconds away from swallowing me whole.


    And in the face of the overwhelming attack, my grin only widened.

 Chapter 63 - Distraction

    I waited until the last possible second that I had to act. The longest of the goblins¡¯ spears were mere millimetres away from my clothes when I finally moved. Instead of launching the fireball in any of the directions that I was being attacked in, I threw it down to the ground at my feet. At the same moment, I launched myself up in the air with a blast of flames from my feet, propelling myself almost three meters into the air. As I did, I brought my knees over my head as I rotated in the air, stopping just when my head was pointed directly down to the ground.


    By the time I was in position, the fireball was just about to hit the ground, only a fraction of a second away from erupting into waves of flame.


    The timing was impeccable.


    Curling my thumb and index around my lips, I finally let loose the breath I¡¯d been holding in since the idea had struck me, before I had even stepped into the goblins¡¯ village.


    The pool of Flux that I¡¯d been rallying with my breath rushed out of my mouth, through the hole of my fingers ¨C where I ignited the stream ¨C before finally spreading out as it hit the ground.


    The result was a perfect union of flame and chaos, blooming outward from under me like a brilliant orange flower. The fireball exploded at the same moment that my flaming breath hit the ground, the two combining as they spread out in every direction. The flames rolled over the convened bodies of the goblins, scorching them mercilessly as they bathed in it. The pained screeches of the goblins sounded out through the village, flooding the air. The sound was loud enough that there was no way anyone in the village hadn¡¯t heard it.


    Completing the flip, I brought my feet back under me just as I landed on the now-seared dirt. It crunched under my weight as I settled on top of it, the sound an echo of the maniacal cackling that escaped my lips.


    All around me lay the burned bodies of almost a dozen goblins, and at least five more with severe burns all over their green skin. The wounded cried out in fear and pain, and the air mingled with their shrieks and the rotten smell of their scorched flesh.


    Unsurprisingly, it didn¡¯t take long for the entire village to be alerted. Dozens of goblins poured out of the various huts scattered around the camp. The number of angry goblins staring at me quickly rose far higher than my initial estimates, but the elation that flowed in my veins didn¡¯t diminish in the slightest. I laughed loudly in the face of their rage, letting flame coil its way around my arms and my pole. The goblins circled around me once again, their ever-increasing numbers giving them more and more confidence.


    And their confidence was not unfounded, either. There were far too many of them for me to deal with at the moment, with my current level of strength. At least, I couldn¡¯t handle them in a situation where they had me circled up like this. Especially not when my Flux reserves were already running so low. The new flame breath idea had been a great success in my books, but it still used up an incredible amount of my own Flux all at once. For the first time in a long while, I could feel my Flux veins running a little ragged, the familiar cold exhaustion of an emptying Flux reserve spreading in my chest.


    However, the goblins had misjudged the situation. I wasn¡¯t there to pick a fight with them, I was there to distract them. That meant all I had to do was wreak havoc to the best of my ability, not actually face them in a fight. So, instead of taking the next wave of attacks head-on, I burst into movement suddenly, giving as little warning as possible as I leapt to the left of me, barreling into the unsuspecting goblins that stood in my way.


    My momentum pushed the goblins directly in my way to the ground, and the others around me backed off quickly under the oppressive heat of the flames. But despite the space they had given me, the goblins still kept as tight of a circle around me as they could bear. Spears of various lengths poked out from their ranks, sometimes trying cautious swipes and jabs at me.


    Knowing I had little time before the massive crowd of goblins got to me, I relied once again on the now-familiar technique of boosting my jumps. Taking a single step forward, I leapt off the ground as flame erupted from my feet, boosting me at least a couple of meters in the air.


    As I flew, my eyes landed on the wooden hut closest to me, a glint shining in my eye as an idea formed. Acting as quickly as I could, I ignited a large amount of Flux in front of me, forcing it into a cone-like shape with the tip pointed toward the hut. I launched the thing with a laugh as I fell back to the ground, watching with the rest of the crowd as the brilliant flames flew over their heads and crashed into the sticks and dry wood of the hut. The materials were the perfect fuel for the fire, and it showed. The hut went up in flames almost immediately, the roof crashing inward under the force of the strike. The flames roared as they reached up high into the sky, their arms dancing in ecstasy.


    While the goblins stared in dumb shock, I landed on the ground and immediately booked it, running as fast as my legs could carry me in the direction with the least goblins in my path.


    The sudden movement broke the mass of goblins out of their trance. They immediately shrieked in rage and charged after me, weapons raised high as they pushed their lanky legs as fast as they could.


    My longer legs and inhuman strength gave me a pretty massive advantage in speed, so I wasn¡¯t very worried about getting caught. I was really only worried about getting cornered, but in the worst case, I could simply hop their fence and escape into the thicket. The entire crowd was unlikely to follow after me, since it would mean leaving the entire village undefended.


    And the few that did follow me could be dealt with.


    But that was only a worst-case plan, since leaving the village would put Ren¡¯s mission in jeopardy. For the moment, I simply laughed and ran like the wind, throwing flames at whatever flammable structure I came across. The goblins, with their limited intelligence, didn¡¯t even try to put a stop to the infernos that were dotting their village, swallowing up their houses. Instead, the entire crowd chased me with an unwavering focus, as if stopping me was the only thing on their minds.


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    Freedom burned its way through my veins as I ran, a feeling unlike anything I¡¯d ever felt in a long, long time embracing me.


    This is what I was born for, I thought to myself in elation as I pushed my legs harder and harder. Flames played along my body as their arms danced in the wind, providing a pleasant warmth that was entirely at odds with the searing heat that had begun to press on the rest of the village. By now, all but a few of the buildings in the village had caught on fire, and a thick layer of hazy smoke had settled over the space, gradually making it harder to see and breathe. The heat didn¡¯t bother me much, but I was not so lucky with the smoke. Every breath began to burn its way down to my lungs, making my throat itch as my body begged to stop and cough.


    Thankfully, the mob of goblins behind me had also been hit by the smoke the same way I had been. The majority of them had fallen off the chase, dropping to the ground as they hacked and coughed as their lives depended on it.


    My eyes began to water as I finally slowed myself to a stop, realizing that the goblins had all stopped as well. Ignoring the pain, however, I searched the hazy space as I looked for Ren, hoping that he was done. My job was more or less done, which meant I could leave if I wanted to, but I wanted to see where Ren was.


    Spotting the hut that was Ren¡¯s target ¨C one of the only buildings that I¡¯d spared my flames ¨C I began to make my over to see how Ren was doing. However, just as I began to make my way over to the hut, Ren burst out through the wooden door with a crash, stumbling over his feet as he scrambled to get out of the building. He¡¯d fashioned his half cape into a makeshift bag that he clutched over his shoulder. As he zipped past me, I saw that it was full to the point of overflowing, and leaking a powerful amount of Flux into the air.


    ¡°Ren?!¡± I yelled out as he ran like his feet were on fire. Ren turned around as I called out his name, skidding to a stop as he recognized me.


    With a wild, unabashed grin splitting his face, he yelled back at me through the smoke. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We gotta run!¡±


    My face twisted in confusion for a moment, but I quickly abandoned it. I trusted him enough to simply act without understanding, for the moment. With a burst of fire from my feet, I leapt forward as I sped towards Ren, and not a second too late.


    The place I¡¯d just been standing blew up the second that I left it, the dirt thrown up meters into the air as a jagged hole the size of a manhole cover appeared in the spot.


    ¡°What in the world-¡± I started, turning around to see what kind of monster had just done that, but I was stopped as Ren grabbed my wrist and yanked me with him. I stumbled a little but caught my balance again before I could fall to the ground. I let myself be dragged by Ren as we raced out of the village, noting in the back of my mind that Ren was far faster than I had given him credit for. I pumped my legs as hard as I could, but Ren still seemed like he had to slow himself a little to keep pace with me. It was embarrassing for me ¨C although I was sure Ren didn¡¯t even notice ¨C but the competitive streak in me didn¡¯t like it one bit.


    Still, I had little time to stew in my competitiveness as we quickly reached the edge of the village. We hadn¡¯t headed for the entrance of the village, so we came up against the fence instead. Fortunately for us, however, the fence was barely more than half a meter high, and both of us jumped it in stride.


    We crashed into the jungle on the other side with a loud racket, ignoring the leaves and branches as we kept running further and further.


    Eventually, we stumbled into a wide clearing, with only grass and some other tiny shrubbery dotting the ground. Ren finally stopped as we entered the clearing, studying the place for a bit before nodding to himself.


    ¡°So,¡± I began as we both stood in the middle of the clearing, catching our breath. ¡°You wanna let me know what¡¯s going on now?¡±


    Ren chuckled to himself as he took in a breath, setting the bag he''d been carrying over his shoulder down on the ground. ¡°Sorry, wasn¡¯t a lot of time. There were these two other goblins inside the hut that I went into. They were way stronger than the normal goblins. They were, like, buff and could use Flux. They were using the same kind of Cores that I grabbed, actually. They were sitting cross-legged with the Cores in between their legs, and their hands on top of them. I think they were somehow absorbing the Flux out of them to get stronger.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow. You think that¡¯s why they harvest the Cores?¡± I asked.


    Ren shrugged. ¡°Probably. That¡¯s why I grabbed a bunch of them. They just had them lying around, so I grabbed as many as I could and bolted from the place.¡±


    ¡°Annd?¡±


    ¡°And what?¡±


    ¡°Why did we run like our lives were on the line?¡±


    Ren smiled sheepishly, a look on his face so foreign to him it took me a while to place it. ¡°I may have accidentally slipped as I was leaving, which woke up the two goblins,¡± he admitted embarrassedly.


    I laughed as he said that, which earned me a glare, but I paid him no heed. ¡°So, even the great Ren isn¡¯t infallible, huh?¡± I said in between my chuckling, amused more by his embarrassment than his actual mistake.


    Ren grumbled something I didn¡¯t hear before shaking his head, a small smile creeping up on his lips. ¡°Yeah, I know it¡¯s hard to believe, but even I¡¯m not perfect. But enough about that, there are more pressing matters to deal with.¡±


    I nodded as I tried to stifle my laughter. ¡°Of course. What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d love to try and experiment with these Cores, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have the time for that.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, catching the ominous hint in his words. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The goblins that I stole these from were chasing us, and I don¡¯t think they stopped at the end of their village.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re coming here?¡±


    Ren nodded. ¡°I would have fought them in the village, but someone," he gave me a pointed look, "burnt the entire thing down, and the smoke would have hindered our ability too much. I don¡¯t know how strong they are, but to be on the safe side, I¡¯d like to be able to fight in normal conditions. And I didn¡¯t wanna fight them in the crowded jungle, so I figured a clearing like this would be the best place to fight.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. My Flux reserves had passively refilled enough to handle another fight, granted that they didn¡¯t try to make it a battle of attrition. But I had enough faith in my abilities to end the fight before I risked running out.


    At least, that was until the two monsters burst through the foliage with a sudden crash, growling and glaring at the both of us with a hatred and bloodlust only an animal could be capable of.

 Chapter 64 - Higher Goblin

    The monsters were massive. They were at least two and a half meters tall, and they weren¡¯t lanky by any stretch of the imagination. With bodies like they¡¯d been sculpted out of stone, each of their muscles rippled with power. They were so large I could make out the strength in them, even hidden behind the thick brown pelts that they wore around their bodies.


    They shared the same green skin as their lesser cousins, but the colour was a much more lush, earthy green. Nothing like the pale, sickly colour of the other goblins. Their jaws sported two overgrown canines, like the sabre-toothed tigers of Earth, and from their fingers sprouted claws that looked like they wouldn¡¯t lose out to any tiger in the world.


    The mystery of who had exploded the ground under me in the village was soon solved as the first of the goblins arced his arm back, a round cannonball-like rock in his hand, before whipping it forward with incredible speed. The only reason I was able to roll out of the way was because I had started moving before the goblin let go of the rock.


    The ground where I had stood once again erupted as the cannonball struck the ground with easily enough force to rip my body to shreds.


    I shot up to my feet as soon as I completed the roll, my mind slipping back into the trance of a fight. The monsters were powerful, undoubtedly so, but my confidence was unfazed. A grin spread on my face as I faced down both the monsters, ready for the fight to come.


    Almost entirely on instinct, Ren and I got into a position that suited our styles, with me taking front and center on the stage while he slipped back unnoticed.


    Although I was left facing the two monsters alone, at least at first glance, I knew that he would do more damage hidden than he could if he was fighting out in the open beside me. And I would be lying if I said I was annoyed at the fact that I had to face the two monsters on my own. It wasn¡¯t like I had to kill them on my own, just keep them busy and get as much damage as I could get in; my blood ran hot with excitement at the mere thought of it.


    With a thought, fire erupted all around my arms and my pole, the bright orange apparently signalling the goblins to start the fight. They both burst forward with more speed than was fair for their size, rushing at me together as they brandished their claws.


    I didn¡¯t know if they had both chosen me first because Ren was simply so good at hiding that they¡¯d already forgotten about him, or if it was because they had decided that they¡¯d simply deal with me first ¨C likely it was a mix of both of them ¨C but the fact remained that they had chosen me as their target, which meant I¡¯d have to work doubly hard to make sure I stayed alive.


    Wanting to get some distance to start the fight, I took a step towards the monsters before leaping off the ground, using my flames to assist my jump. I easily clear three meters off the ground, flying over the goblins¡¯ heads and landing on the other side, rolling forward to soften my landing.


    Without taking a moment to breathe, I whipped around and tried an idea that had just sparked in my head. I swiped my flaming pole in a horizontal arc in the space in front of me. The goblins were too far to be in my reach, but I hadn¡¯t been meaning to hit them with the pole at all. Instead, I pushed the fire off of my pole in the shape of a crescent blade. The fire moved exactly the way I wanted it to, travelling at a breakneck speed as the wide edge of the crescent struck the goblins¡¯ back.


    Unfortunately, the blade wasn¡¯t sharp enough to actually bite into their skin, but the fire was still searing hot. The force the fire hit them with brought the two to their knees while the greedy flames latched onto their pelts and began to eat away at them.


    But the goblins didn¡¯t let the fire burn long. Quickly getting back to their feet, they both stomped on the ground in unison, and the wind generated by their combined stomps was strong enough to stifle the flames. Still, the pelts smouldered and smoked, no doubt incredibly uncomfortable and hot on their skin.


    With a wide, taunting grin, I lit another fireball in my free palm and faced down the enraged beasts. The success of my newest move gave me a kind of high I knew I¡¯d forever be chasing. There was nothing else in the world that was quite like the feeling of knowing that you were stronger than you¡¯d been before, even if it was only a tiny step forward.


    I didn¡¯t have too long to revel in the feeling, however, since the goblins rushed me again almost immediately. This time, one of them hung a few steps behind in case I tried the same move again, but I wasn¡¯t planning on it. There was another idea that I wanted to try, and these goblins were proving to be the perfect test subjects.


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    Instead of dodging again as the first goblin came at me, I burst forward in as quick of a lunge as I could perform. As I raced through the air towards the goblin, I readied a flaming fist and then exploded my arm forward igniting the Flux behind my elbow. The effect was beyond just noticeable; my fist sped up fast enough to throw me off balance as my body was dragged forward by my arm. Still, despite my stumble, I managed to land my punch square on the goblin¡¯s chest, hitting him with more force than my body could ever generate on its own.


    Joy washed over me as I realized that my second experiment had also worked out. I wasn¡¯t sure how the physics behind the trick worked ¨C I¡¯d never been much of a physics person, or even a numbers person ¨C but I was content to know that it worked. I didn''t care much to understand more than that.


    Unfortunately for me, despite the greater force that my flaming fist packed, the goblin was only slightly pushed back. Punching his chest felt like what I imagined punching a marble pillar would¡¯ve felt like, and I was convinced that I¡¯d hurt my knuckles more than I had his chest.


    The monster proved me right a moment later as he instantly counterattacked, swinging his massive arm at me like a bat. I was too close to him for his claws to reach me, but my head was still at risk of taking a heavy hit. I was still off-balance from my own strike, but I just barely managed to duck my head down as I stumbled forward, passing under his strike.


    Regaining my footing, I quickly launched another flurry of fiery jabs at the goblin¡¯s exposed chest. His chest was no softer than before, but I figured enough hits would start to wear him down at some point. Not that it would happen any time soon, but ¨C as my burgeoning new life philosophy dictated ¨C enough fire would burn anything down, eventually.


    I backed up after almost a dozen punches to the goblin¡¯s chest, leaving his brown pelt on fire and threatening to fall apart at any second.


    The second goblin suddenly appeared to my left the moment I took a step backwards. His fist was already racing to my face, and I knew instantly that I wasn¡¯t going to be able to dodge the attack. So instead, I bunched up my shoulders and twisted my body as much as I could, taking the blow to the side of my shoulder instead.


    The force rattled my brain as it travelled through my body, throwing me like a ragdoll across the clearing. I crashed into the dirt at least five meters away, rolling on for another two. My entire body ached, and I knew without needing to check that I¡¯d definitely broken more than a few bones.


    With a grin of victory, the goblin stalked over to where I lay, savouring the moment like any classic villain would. I smiled to myself as I noted how that was clearly a trait shared by humans and beasts alike.


    As the goblin made his way over to me, he left behind his partner, who was still dazed by the beating he¡¯d taken. I was surprised that he was, since I knew that my fists hadn¡¯t done much damage. Which meant that the fire must''ve done more damage than I had thought.


    As I watched the other goblin stalk closer and closer to me, I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes, getting ready to Revive. But then, just as I did, the sound of something exploding out of the tree line came, distracting me. My eyes snapped open again, tracking the black and purple blur of movement as it sped out of the thicket and to the dazed goblin in the middle of the clearing.


    Both the goblin who was about to reach me and I watched, mesmerized, as the figure shot towards the goblin, a purple haze trailing after him. He stopped right in front of the goblin, and I managed to catch just the slightest glint of purple as something swiped the air in between the figure and the goblin. Then, with a fierce kick to the chest, he knocked the goblin down to the ground, letting it fall on its back. As it did, the beast brought its hands to its throat, circling its fingers around its own neck like it was trying to strangle itself.


    Bluish blood leaked out from between its fingers as gurgling sounds echoed across the clearing. Ren stood above the dying monster; his dagger held loosely at his side as it dripped with the same dark blue blood.


    With a sudden shriek, the goblin that was coming at me turned around and burst toward where Ren stood, shaking the ground with every thunderous footstep. Ren looked up at the goblin as he heard it, giving it a small, taunting smile. He didn¡¯t move a muscle as he stood where he was, letting the goblin get closer and closer until it was only a few steps away from him. Then, just as the goblin was about to get into attacking range, a flaming pole crashed into his back like a meteorite, tracing a bright orange arc through the air.


    Ren instantly reacted to my attack, launching a kick at the falling goblin¡¯s chest. The kick and my pole¡¯s momentum cancelled each other out, leaving the goblin standing in place, wobbling on his legs before crashing to the ground with a thud and a cloud of dust.


    Ren and I locked eyes across the clearing as the goblin fell, our faces sporting wild grins of victory. The fight was all but over now, but more important than our victory was the fact that our debut fight on the planet as a duo had been a decisive success. Our plan had worked beautifully, and although it would need some more refining before we could pit it against more intelligent opponents, there wasn''t a doubt in my mind that the goblins were only the first of many who would fall to our team.

 Chapter 65 - Ascending

    The second goblin didn¡¯t last very long after Ren showed up. The poor beast tried its best, but with my flames constantly distracting it and Ren¡¯s blade constantly drawing wounds that severed muscles and tendons, the single goblin didn¡¯t stand a chance.


    The teamwork between Ren and I had only gotten better and better as time went on, especially as we began to specialize further in our own paths. Our styles complimented each other far more than I had thought that they would, and I couldn¡¯t wait for what our duo would look like as the both of us got stronger.


    As the massive goblin finally fell to the ground, cuts and burns marking almost every inch of his skin, Ren and I simultaneously let loose a breath of exhaustion. Wide grins split our faces, the euphoria of a satisfying battle running in our blood like a drug unlike anything else in the universe.


    I let myself fall to the ground as the adrenaline of the battle slowly faded, still breathing hard. ¡°Alright then," I said eventually, after a moment. "Let¡¯s see what those Flux Cores are all about.¡±


    Ren nodded, a smile still lingering on his face. ¡°Let¡¯s,¡± he said in agreement as he made his way over to where he¡¯d left his makeshift bag. The bulging sack let loose all of its contents the moment Ren untied the top of it, letting glowing blue orbs freely roll around the space.


    I studied the orbs curiously, having never seen anything quite like them. They were about the size of a cantaloupe, with swirling blue streams of smoke within them. Even with all the technology of Earth, I¡¯d never seen such a peculiar, mesmerizing object. It was like someone had filled a glass sphere with glowing blue smoke.


    Seeing the mess of orbs rolling in every direction, Ren shrugged to himself and simply picked up one of the orbs at his feet. ¡°Now then,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s see what these guys can do.¡±


    With a grin, I reached over to the closest Core to me and picked it up as well, studying it from up close. It was hard to the touch, smooth like glass, with an unnaturally perfect exterior. As I ran my hand along the surface of the Core, I felt no dents or cracks or even any rougher patches. The thing also radiated a pleasant warmth that was not unlike the feeling I got when I enveloped my hands in my own fire.


    Trying to figure out what to do with the strange objects, I remembered that Ren had mentioned that the goblins were sitting cross-legged with the Cores in between their legs and their hands on top of it. Ren had already gotten in that pose, his brow furrowed as he concentrated on the Core.


    Copying his position, I placed the Core between my legs and closed my eyes as I placed my hands on top of it. I waited for a second, excitement bubbling in me as I wondered what would happen, but I was quickly disappointed. The seconds ticked by, and absolutely nothing happened.


    I quickly realized that whatever was supposed to happen wasn¡¯t going to happen without me doing something. But what? I thought to myself. What is the key to unlocking Cores?


    I was sure that Leonard and Anabella would have known, but they obviously assumed that we¡¯d learn about it all when we got to the school. But going to that university was out of the question now, so I was left to figure everything out on my own. But I didn¡¯t mind; I¡¯d learnt almost everything I knew about Flux ¨C and fighting in general ¨C through sheer trial and error, intuition, and a little deduction. I had enough faith in myself to believe that I would figure it out eventually.


    My first thought was to use my newest advancement in Flux to help me. Focusing on the sphere of Flux that I could sense around me, I aimed to try and direct the Flux into the Core. I figured if I could get Flux into the Core, I¡¯d get at least a hint on how to get the Flux out of the Core. But, I was stalled for a moment as soon as I focused on the Flux around me, because the moment I did, I realized just how shocking the amount of Flux within the Core in front of me was. I¡¯d known that there was Flux stored in it, since I could feel it even without needing to try and focus on the Flux, but I had no idea how much it would be.


    After calming my fluttering heart, I realized that it kind of made sense. After all, it stored all the Flux that the animal had gained throughout its life.


    My eyes shone with greed as I wondered if it was possible to make all the Flux at my fingertips into my own. My limited pool of Flux had always been a headache for me, but as far as I¡¯d known, the only way to expand it was to continually spend it and wait for my body to naturally replenish it by diffusion. But that process was incredibly slow and gradual, and progress was hardly noticeable on a day-to-day or even week-to-week scale.


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    But now, if I could harness the Flux in the Core and make it mine, my Flux pool would finally take a sizable jump forward. It wouldn¡¯t double or anything ¨C the Flux in the Core of the animal couldn''t hope to rival the Flux in mine ¨C but it would definitely give me an incredible boost in strength. After all, the more Flux I had running through my veins, the stronger I could make my body. I would no longer have to rely on the insanely painful method of Revives, nor be bound by the snail-like pace of improvement for my strength.


    But, unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, I could not figure out a way to get the Flux of the atmosphere to penetrate through the solid surface of the Core. I pushed the Flux down onto the Core, enveloped it and tried from every angle, but the Core stubbornly refused to let anything in.


    Eventually, I gave up on that idea and tried pushing my own Flux into the Core. I gathered the Flux from my own Core at my fingertips before pushing it out into the Core. But instead of breaking through the surface, the Flux simply dispersed as black smoke that swirled and danced on its way up to the sky.


    Letting loose a frustrated breath, I opened my eyes and stared at the Core with the hungry eyes of a starving woman gazing upon a feast she wasn¡¯t allowed to touch. The Core was testing me, and I would be damned if I was going to let it win.


    Taking in a deep breath to calm myself, I quieted my mind and absentmindedly let the Flux within me circulate through my body. It was a relaxing exercise I¡¯d gotten into the habit of doing when I needed to think. The warm feeling of the strange liquid power running through my body was soothing in a way I couldn¡¯t quite explain, like a river running through my veins.


    However, today, as I sat scraping my mind to find another way of accessing the treasure locked within the Core, the exercise did far more than comfort me. As the Flux within me revolved around my body, from my own Core to everywhere else and back, the Core in my lap suddenly opened up, the Flux locked within pouring out and in through my fingertips like water out of a broken dam.


    I didn¡¯t even notice at first, so lost in my mind that I missed the sudden increase of the Flux within me. By the time I did realize, the volume of the liquid that flowed within my veins had gotten noticeably larger, and I could already feel the extra strength in my body.


    With a glee so euphoric it felt blinding to every other sense, I greedily sucked in as much Flux as I could from the Core. The secret, I soon realized, lay in the revolving of my own Flux. With every cycle through my body, I drew in more Flux through my fingertips and into my ever-increasing pool. With every rotation of Flux through me, I could feel my muscles and bones get stronger and stronger, the difference minuscule but far greater than any other progress I¡¯d ever made before.


    More! I roared in my own head, the greed twisting my own voice into a violent echo I barely recognized. I want more! More! More! More! Mo-


    Suddenly, the Flux in the Core ran out, leaving me with a gaping hollowness at my fingertips that ached every time my Flux cycled without siphoning off more. In an almost enraged desperation, I threw the hollow Core aside and reached to grab another one, my frenzied fingers scrabbling at the dirt as they searched for the closest Core.


    As the black soil dirtied my fingers, the cool sensation of the ground rubbing against the raging warmth that had taken over my body, Leonard¡¯s words suddenly floated through my mind.


    My body instantly froze, holding still like a statue hunched over the ground. Shame washed over me as I realized how desperate I looked, and I quickly sat up and straightened myself out, trying to salvage as much of my dignity as I could. Mercifully, a glance over to where Ren sat told me that he hadn¡¯t moved a muscle since he¡¯d started, which meant that he¡¯d likely not seen me go crazy.


    I smoothed out my hair as I gathered myself, reflecting on what had just happened. It was scary how blinding the euphoria had been, how utterly under its influence I¡¯d been. In that moment, had Leonard¡¯s words not come to me, I wasn¡¯t sure if I would have even paused for a second if taking an innocent life had been the only way to get my hands on another Core. For the first time, I finally understood why Lenoard had warned me of the allure of strength. I wasn¡¯t about to walk it any time soon, but I could finally see the path that a person would walk to end up like the Insect Monarch. And worse, I could see why someone would choose to walk that path.


    I blew out a breath from my mouth as I cleared my head. I wasn¡¯t about to turn into some kind of genocidal maniac. I was still me, still Ruby. No allure, nor temptation or euphoria would ever change that. I would fight for myself and my people, and I would kill if necessary, but I wasn¡¯t going to murder for no reason.


    With that thought in mind, I walked over to the nearest Core and sat down beside it, a determined light in my eyes. The temptation may have made a fool of me once, but never again would anything make me act like that. Never again would I so desperately, so thoughtlessly, serve at the altar of another. Even if that other was my own emotion.


    Setting my fingers atop the glassy surface of the Core, I took in another deep breath and began once again, slowly beginning to revolve the Flux in my body again.


    And then, just as I started, the pain hit.

 Chapter 66 - Rock Gorilla

    I doubled over as my lips parted in agony, the pain immediate and excruciating, not to be denied. It felt like a fire was burning the insides of my body, every organ in me rising to a temperature that should not have been possible. The pain started everywhere in my body, but as time passed, it slowly centred near my torso, the temperature highest right where my Core should have been.


    With nothing to do but endure the pain, I let myself fall to the floor, my face pressed against the soil, and breathed in laboured, measured breaths. Every movement of my lungs chafed against my burnt insides, bringing waves of agony as it did. I¡¯d dealt with pain before, but the pain of the moment was unlike anything I¡¯d ever felt before. It wasn¡¯t the worst I¡¯d ever felt, but it was certainly the most unique. The only thing remotely similar that I¡¯d ever felt was when I¡¯d Revived that one time when that rock had bashed my head in.


    As I waited and waited in silent torment, my barely open eyes caught sight of movement from where Ren sat. Gathering what little will I had left at the moment, I moved my head slightly, just enough to see what had happened. My vision had blurred with the pain, but I eventually made out Ren¡¯s figure slumped over the ground, clutching his chest in pain.


    For a second, I wondered if this would be the end of us. If the pain wasn¡¯t because of my Core but simply some hidden predator in the jungle that hunted like this. It was entirely possible, and I had to squash the disappointment that rose in my throat at the prospect. I had been so excited for everything the future had held, but I¡¯d always known in the back of my head that something like this could happen. After all, I¡¯d been dropped onto a random planet in the middle of a jungle, with almost no knowledge of anything about it. It had been childish to expect the jungle to not be hostile.


    But I shut that thought away, banishing it from my mind. I wasn¡¯t going to accept the end until I couldn¡¯t possibly do anything more. And right now, as scary as the pain was, it hadn¡¯t killed me yet, which meant I could still fight.


    But as I waited for whatever had done this to me to emerge from the shadows, I soon realized that the pain had not been caused by an enemy. Instead, as the pain slowly began to fade, I realized that the same reddish brown smoke as the first time I¡¯d undergone my Cleanse had begun to rise off of my skin. The nostalgic, pungent smell pervaded the clearing, and I quickly noticed that the same was happening from where Ren lay as well.


    Time passed as the both of us lay there, immobile and in pain. I didn¡¯t know how much time, but it was enough for me to slip in and out of sleep a few times. Eventually, as the sun succumbed to the claws of the night, the pain finally backed off a little, the heat in my chest waning with the sun. I was left sweating in the dirt like I was breaking out of a fever, but the relief that came in the wake of the pain far overshadowed the discomfort.


    Soon, I felt good enough to pick myself off the dirt and up to my feet. I was shaky, wobbling at my knees, but I pushed myself through it. I had not enjoyed the feeling of feebleness that accompanied the pain, and the anger that coursed through me gave me the strength to quell my weakness.


    Taking a few deep breaths, I brought my dirtied palms before me and studied them, trying to understand what had happened.


    Pushing my senses inward, I experimented carefully with the Flux contained within my Core. And the second I touched upon the dormant power within me, understanding came to me, complete and immediate. The volume of Flux within me had almost doubled, and I could tell it was far more pure than it had ever been before.


    As my mind was silenced in disbelief, I began to move the Flux through myself almost on instinct. The liquid moved through my veins smoothly, far faster and better than before. A lightness filled my body as the power reached every crevice of my body, filling me with strength. I clenched my fist, feeling like I could shatter rock with a simple punch. I could tell at that moment I was stronger than I had ever been, and I had no clue why.


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    As the wheels in my head spun, I arrived at the most likely theory I could come up with, given the knowledge that I had. I must have met some kind of condition that sparked an upgrade, some kind of step into a higher realm of strength. Maybe it was a certain amount of Flux that I needed in my reserve, I wondered. It makes sense, I guess. The body would need to constantly become stronger to handle an ever-increasing amount of Flux, and a Cleanse is probably the way we upgrade our bodies when our Flux reserves get too much for us to handle.


    My line of thinking made sense to me, but I knew that I had no basis for my assumptions. For the first time, I wished that we had actually gone to the school instead of crashing here. At least that way, I would have gotten the answers I craved so badly.


    On this planet, in the middle of this jungle, there was no promise of ever finding any kind of information. Even if we happened to stumble across some kind of civilization, there was no telling if they¡¯d even be hospitable or help us out in any way. And that was assuming we figured out some way of comprehending their language in the first place.


    I was getting a headache just thinking about it, so I simply dropped the matter entirely. After all, no amount of thinking about it would help me at the moment. And more importantly, I had just gotten an incredible boost in strength. The fact that I was still standing here, wasting time thinking when there was a fight to be had was embarrassing. Ten-year-old Ruby would have been so disappointed.


    Especially when the opponent that had presented itself was a massive alien gorilla that looked like it had come straight out of the pages of a fantasy novel. Ten-year-old me would have been ecstatic to have a chance to fight something so unique.


    Ren and I hadn¡¯t bothered to clean up the Cores that had rolled all around the clearing, and they¡¯d been leaking Flux into the air the entire day. Judging by the way the gorilla stared unblinkingly at the Cores, it was obvious why it had come. And I quickly realized that it had not been the only animal that had shown up. I could feel the presence of dozens of other animals hidden in the thicket around the clearing, their eyes of varying colors peering through the darkness. Yet, despite the clear hunger that simmered in their eyes as they watched the veritable feast before them, not a single one of them dared to approach or attempt to steal anything.


    And I didn¡¯t blame them. The gorilla was terrifying, no doubt the strongest animal I¡¯d ever seen in my life. And it was likely the strongest animal in this part of the jungle, too, if the actions of the other animals were any indication. It stood at a proud twelve feet tall, with piercing red eyes and golden brown fur everywhere on its body aside from its chest and face. Random patterns of black lines marked its fur, which was peculiar, but by far, the most interesting feature of the frightening animal was the jaded stone spikes that poked out through its fur. Like the spikes on the back of a stegosaurus, the sandy brown stones drew a line on the gorilla¡¯s arms and spine, joining at the animal¡¯s neck before traveling higher and making a ring around its head resembling a crown.


    It was a regal, if terrifying, sight.


    The dying rays of the setting sun painted the massive animal in golden, giving it a majestic brilliance. The animal sat crouched at the edge of the clearing and didn¡¯t move an inch, its chest puffed out as it posed in the light.


    It took me a moment to understand why the thing hadn¡¯t already attacked, but eventually, I realized that it was posturing in an attempt to intimidate us. But unfortunately, that only made me more confident in facing the animal. If it was hoping to rely on intimidation to deal with us, then it likely wasn¡¯t entirely confident in its own ability to defeat us in a fight. Which meant that it wasn¡¯t as powerful as I had imagined it to be.


    Ren was still out of it for now, but I was sure he¡¯d come back soon enough. And come back stronger than ever. Which meant all I had to do was hold off long enough for him to wake up. And with my newfound strength, I was more than happy with that. I was already itching to test my new limits, see what kind of benefits my new Cleanse had brought. The ordeal had been excruciatingly painful, but I was slowly realizing that Flux was very fair. Pain was always followed by reward, and the greater the pain was, the greater the reward would be.


    So, instead of cowering like the gorilla was hoping I would, I stared it down with a wild grin, letting the Flux within me run faster and faster through my body. With a kick, I popped my pole off the ground and grabbed it, lighting my hands on fire.


    ¡°Alright then, you overgrown ape!¡± I called out to the monster. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got!¡±

 Chapter 67 - Stronger

    The gorilla didn¡¯t take very kindly to my taunt. I saw its prideful eyes darken as it heard my tone, not needing to understand my words to know that I was insulting it.


    It was clearly an animal used to being obeyed by others, which only served to prove me right in my guess that it was the strongest animal around. So the fact that I didn''t scamper away in fear was more insulting than anything I could have said.


    With an earth-shattering roar, the beast rose to its full height and beat on its chest in a classic gorilla move before jamming its fingers into the ground and yanking out a massive chunk of the dirt. Its arm arched back before launching forward at an incredible speed, sending the boulder-sized clump of soil flying at me.


    With a determined face, I stood in the path of the attack and angled my pole at it. Fire churned at the tip of the pole as I gathered more and more Flux there, before it suddenly burst forward and struck the clump of earth right in the center.


    The fire was hotter and stronger than ever before, and the slightly tapered point I¡¯d made split the dirt apart as soon as the two forces collided. The fire didn¡¯t have the arrowhead-level of sharpness I¡¯d envisioned, but the result was good enough. The dirt was thrown in every direction except for mine, exploding apart as my fire ran through it. The strength of my beam was greater than even I had expected, and it somehow made it all the way to where the gorilla stood. The gorilla took the fire in stride, however, dispersing the beam with a simple swipe of its hand. The heat seemed to do almost nothing to it, but I wasn¡¯t discouraged.


    Anything could be burned, after all. I just needed more fire.


    Lighting a ball over my palm, I raced towards the giant gorilla with a speed that even I didn''t expect; the strength that coursed through my body was almost alien to me. But I got a hold on my boosted speed quickly, basking in the air rushing through my hair for a quick second before I arrived in front of the animal. It looked even taller close up, like a golden, furry mountain of muscle. Channeling extra Flux through my legs, I threw my fireball on the floor and leapt upwards as hard as I could, using the force of the explosion at my feet to help me gain height. The animal had just begun to look downwards as I flew upward, but my pole caught it on the chin and knocked its head back. Fire burned on the fur of his chin as I flew above its face, meeting its eyes as it looked straight up.


    With a slight malicious curve of my lips, I grabbed my pole with both hands and swung it down on the gorilla¡¯s face with all the force I could muster.


    The flaming metal smacked down on the brown skin of its face, but the surface was far harder than I had been expecting. The attack didn¡¯t manage to do nearly as much damage as I had been hoping it would, which meant that I had been underestimating the defense of the gorilla. Still, there wasn¡¯t much I could do at that point, so I stuck to the plan and tried to use the gorilla¡¯s face as a springboard to launch myself back and away from it.


    But it seemed I had underestimated the gorilla far more than I had realized. As I pulled myself back, I suddenly noticed my body start to get heavier, and a strange vice-like grip began to circle around my ankles. Since I was still in the air, I began to drop far faster than I was supposed to, too fast for me to control. As I fell, I looked down at my ankles and realized that, strangely, stone bracelets had appeared around them, sandy brown and incredibly heavy.


    I was still busy wondering how the bracelets had gotten there when the gorilla¡¯s fist rammed into me like a speeding semi-truck.


    The world blacked out for a moment before it rushed back as I struck the trees on the other side of the clearing. I fell down to the ground just as three stone spikes crashed through the trunk of the tree that had stopped me. As I landed face-first in the dirt, I dimly realized that I should have expected a rock gorilla to be able to control and create stone. This was a whole new planet, of course ¨C one that had Flux for far longer than Earth ever had.


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    I also realized that I had several broken bones, which meant that I had to Revive. But as much as I wanted to complain, I had to admit that a blow like the one I¡¯d just taken would have left me in a far worse state only a few hours ago. Broken bones would have been the least of my worries if my body hadn¡¯t been strengthened to the level that it had.


    The gorilla was not so merciful as to allow me time to get back to my feet, however. Before I could even begin to prepare myself to Revive, I heard the whistling of what I knew to be more of those stone spikes headed my way. With a groan, I rolled myself over just a second before they crashed into the dirt, ripping through the ground and burying themselves deep. The spikes were each at least a foot long, cone-shaped and fatally sharp. The gorilla was not playing around; that much was clear.


    Before the gorilla could launch more of those spikes, I quickly sucked in a deep breath and held it as I let Flux run through my body, setting right all the different bruises and cuts and broken bones. The pain was as intense as always, but I could feel that the improvement that came with the Revive was slightly better than it had been before. As if the upgrade had not only improved me, but also increased the rate at which my body improved as well.


    A fascinating prospect, but unfortunately, not one I had long to think about, as the thudding of the ground around me told me that the gorilla had finally decided to make its way over to me.


    Rallying the Flux within my veins, I pushed my mind harder as I tried to come up with a plan as fast as I could. I didn¡¯t have much available to me; I had basic strength and speed, a five-foot-long metal pole, and fire. The body enhancements, as cool as they were, weren¡¯t enough to overcome the gorilla¡¯s defense ¨C that much was obvious from my previous failure. The pole didn¡¯t offer much either, unfortunately.


    That left fire as my only option. And while I¡¯d been using fire as my main thing for a while now, I¡¯d always carried a nagging feeling that I wasn¡¯t using it to its fullest potential.


    And as the gorilla got closer and closer to my prone form, I decided on what my newest experiment with my power would be. I¡¯d used the flame to make me move faster and jump higher, I¡¯d made two different kinds of projectiles with it, and I¡¯d used it to coat my body. I couldn¡¯t rely on continually coming up with new uses and ideas ¨C I was already coming up blank on that end ¨C and what I had was already enough. What I needed to focus on was simply volume and temperature. I simply needed more fire.


    The gorilla was almost in front of me by the time I decided on my plan. I was apparently its only target, as it had walked past Ren¡¯s body with no reaction, but that worked in my favor. I didn¡¯t want to have to deal with having to protect Ren¡¯s body while I fought.


    The gorilla paused over my face-down body for a second, before reaching over a hand to grab me. I waited until the second its thick fingers had closed around my body to unleash the flame. Simultaneously igniting the Flux around me and releasing the Flux inside of me, I boosted the temperature of the fire to a level far higher than ever, and the results were obvious.


    Swirling flames surrounded the beast¡¯s fingers, instantly scorching the brown skin. The ape roared in pain as it immediately released me, yanking its burning hand away and shaking it in the air.


    Still face down in the dirt, I grinned wildly to myself as I basked in the pleasant warmth of the fire around me, feeling so alive within the flame, so at home, in a way I¡¯d never been before.


    I sent the fire around me downward and propelled myself straight up in the air, bringing myself high enough to be level with the gorilla¡¯s face. As soon as I was, I swiped the air in front of me and sent a blade of flame flying at its face. Not bothering to check how much damage it did ¨C I knew it wouldn¡¯t do much anyway ¨C I landed on the ground and ran to the side, fire burning through me as much as it was around me. There was a restless flame in my veins that pushed me to move faster, to fight, to win.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the gorilla to collect itself once again, although I was sure the pain in its hand wouldn¡¯t leave any time soon. And the pained anger with which it roared at me only made me grin wider.


    You think that hurts, you big ape? ¡®Cause I¡¯m just getting started.

 Chapter 68 - Beauty Sleep

    The gorilla, it seemed, did not take kindly to being burnt. With every surge of flame I showered it with, it roared and swung madly at me, using all kinds of stone weapons to attack. Its preferred weapon was a giant club, which it used to smash the ground in every direction around it. But I was too small and too quick for it to hit, especially with my newest upgrade. And with every swing that it missed, I returned a beam of brilliant orange flames that scorched its golden fur, leaving its skin pockmarked with blackened circles.


    But still, it wasn¡¯t enough. My flames irritated the beast ¨C painfully so ¨C but they weren¡¯t enough to kill it. At least, they wouldn''t anytime soon. I needed them to be hotter, stronger. Better.


    I tried to push more and more of the Flux within me out every time I sent a wave of flames at the monster, and I was making progress. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless. Every attack was hotter than the last, and by the half-hour mark (or what felt like the half-hour mark, since I had no way of actually marking the passing time), my flames were leagues better than they had been when I started.


    Every crescent blade I sent left a flaming streak on the ground as it passed over it, the heat emanating from the dense fire enough to instantly ignite the vegetation on the ground. Every step of mine also left flames in its wake, so the clearing was already well on its way to becoming a pit straight from hell. The wetness of the plants provided some resistance, but under the unending onslaught of heat, they eventually gave in.


    Fortunately for Ren, I¡¯d picked him up halfway and dumped him off the edge of the clearing, hoping that no animal would decide to make a quick meal out of him while I was distracted.


    With him out of the way, I was allowed to play with my flames as much as I wanted, and I held nothing back. I danced about in the rising flames as the gorilla raged, growing more desperate with every passing second. Although my flames hadn¡¯t done much more than superficial damage by that point, the gorilla knew it was only a matter of time. The constantly rising temperature of the clearing would soon go beyond the realm of mere discomfort. And once that happened, it wouldn¡¯t be long before the gorilla fell. And it knew that as well as I did.


    Eventually, as the clearing got hotter and hotter, the gorilla finally fell to his final resort: a full-body suit of stone armour. The suit was terrifying, undoubtedly taking a lot out of the gorilla, but it helped it just as much. My flames, which had just gotten hot enough to scorch more than just the fur of the beast, were suddenly rendered almost useless, barely leaving blackened marks on the sandy stone surface of the armour.


    With newfound confidence, the gorilla doubled its efforts as it tried to squash me. Fortunately for me, the suit of armour noticeably slowed its movements, but it also increased the force of its strikes. Every jab or swing of its spear or club ripped through the ground, leaving massive craters at my feet. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if I got caught underneath a single strike of the animal, I would be flattened like a pancake.


    I was dancing at the edge of my life, but at that moment, I felt more alive than I ever had on Earth. My shoulders felt loose, my every muscle relaxed and fluid. My body performed at its best, and it showed. I fought better than ever. Every movement was calculated, every slight adjustment just perfectly enough to accomplish what I needed, and nothing more. And all the while, I didn¡¯t lag behind on my offence either. The Flux running through my veins pushed me faster and faster, my pool now so vast that I felt like I would never run out again. I thoughtlessly dumped as much Flux as I could into every burst of fire I sent at the gorilla, but it seemed like I couldn¡¯t even make a dent in my reserves.


    Of course, the bulk of the Flux I used to power my flames came from the area around me, but I had realized through my experimentation that the Flux within me was far more potent, and boosted the heat of my flames more. Unfortunately, after a point, stuffing more Flux into my flames felt like trying to fill up a bottle with more water than it could hold. In this case, the bottle was slightly elastic, which meant that if I was delicate enough, I could continually add more Flux to it, but more than once I¡¯d gone overboard and had my own flames explode in my face.


    It was a fickle and delicate process, one that was made all the more difficult to accomplish considering the pressure under which I was working, but I was making progress. Slowly but surely, my flames were getting hotter and hotter ¨C but it still wasn¡¯t enough.


    The armour of the gorilla was too powerful, too solid for my flames to get through. The tables had turned, and now I stood at a disadvantage that only grew the longer the battle stretched on. The gorilla would eventually die from the heat of the flames that dominated the clearing, but I had no hope of surviving long enough for that. My body was at the best it had ever been at the moment, but I had no delusions of being able to keep the same level of speed up for long. I would slip up sooner or later, and that would mean instant death.


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    I racked my brain as the fight continued, trying to come up with a way out of the losing battle. But nothing came to me. I was desperately improving upon my fire as best as I possibly could at the moment, but there was little else I could do. And if that weren¡¯t enough to kill the thing before I slipped up, then that would mean I had lost, utterly and completely.


    But I was okay with that. As I was at that moment, I could not possibly have been doing anything better. Which meant that if I did die, it would be with no regrets. This was the life I had chosen to walk, after all. Even if the current situation was a bit beyond the scope of my original plans, it was still, in essence, what I chose. And so, if I did die on this path, in this fight, I would die with a smile on my face.


    Time passed as the two of us played at a stalemate, the gorilla getting closer and closer to landing a blow on me while my flames slowly improved. We were nearing the end, the both of us knew.


    But neither of us could have guessed how that end would come about.


    In the midst of our battle, just as the gorilla arced his club backward and prepared for another strike, a dark purple crescent blade suddenly burst out of the undergrowth behind me, trailing a lighter purple streak across the clearing as it crossed the space in the blink of an eye. The pure volume of Flux condensed into the blade made my instincts shudder with fear. The blade was, beyond a doubt, one of the strongest attacks I¡¯d seen to date.


    The attack made it to the gorilla unimpeded; the exposed chest plate of the gorilla took the brunt of it, and it did not fare well under the force. Chunks of rock exploded out as the blade dug through the armour, gouging a deep scar through the plate.


    The gorilla roared in pain and anger as it was knocked off balance and crashed into the ground. A relieved grin spread over my face as Ren¡¯s voice came behind me.


    ¡°How could you guys start the party without me?¡± Ren complained from where he stood, right outside the edge of the clearing, where the fire had yet to reach.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to interrupt your beauty sleep,¡± I replied without turning back. "You really need it, y''know?"


    ¡°Wow,¡± Ren exclaimed in exaggerated hurt. I knew what his face would look like without even needing to turn around, just by his voice. ¡°I just saved your life, you know. And this is how you thank me?¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°Pssh, I had it under control. He wasn¡¯t going to hit me any time soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± he answered in obvious disbelief. ¡°So you want me to sit this one out, then?¡±


    ¡°Ah-¡± I began before stopping again, realizing he had me in a corner. Finally, turning around, I faced down his smug grin through the flames and glared at him. ¡°Talk about being shameless,¡± I said finally. ¡°You slept through half the fight, and now you have the nerve to ask to sit out the rest?¡±


    Ren''s smug grin didn¡¯t faze in the slightest. ¡°So you do need me in the fight?¡± he asked instead of answering.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± I replied without missing a beat. ¡°I just object to having to do all the work myself. Especially when I had to save you in your sleep while I was fighting.¡±


    Ren opened his mouth to respond, but his eyes suddenly flicked upward, looking above my head. I knew instantly what he was looking at, and I was ready for it. In fact, I had been waiting for it.


    The gorilla, realizing that I had naively turned my back on it, had put everything it had into its swing, moving incredibly fast for something its size. But unfortunately for it, I whipped around and leapt towards it before it could smash its club down where I stood.


    As I leapt towards the gorilla¡¯s chest, I reached out my right hand. It was glowing white with only the barest hints of orange around its edges ¨C a testament to the obscene amount of Flux I¡¯d jammed into the little flame around my hand. The gorilla immediately understood the danger my hand presented to it ¨C I could tell by the fear in its eyes ¨C but it was too late for it to do anything about it.


    My hand slipped through the valley in the armour and contacted the thick skin of its chest. As soon as I felt the rough pelt touch my fingers, I let the raging Flux loose. Flames poured forth from my fingers and rippled across the animal''s skin, trapped within the stone armour with nowhere to go. Within a fraction of a second, almost half of my newly upgraded Flux reservoir poured out of my hands. I ignited the Flux as it left my skin almost on instinct, feeling exactly what Leonard had told me about so long ago. The more I played with the flame, the faster my body got at converting the raw Flux into the blazing element. I had little to no idea how it worked, but the fact that it did was enough for me.


    Unfortunately for me, I didn¡¯t get to barbeque the gorilla for more than a second as it slapped its massive hands at me in its desperate frenzy. I jumped up just a second before it slapped itself in the chest, falling to the ground a few metres to the side.


    The gorilla roared thunderously and stomped around as it slowly cooked inside its own suit, the pain of it all driving the animal mad. I watched with a grin that I was sure would look sadistic to anyone watching, but I didn¡¯t care much at the moment. The euphoria of knowing that the fight was all but over now was sweeter than anything I¡¯d ever tasted.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± I said with glee, cracking my knuckles. ¡°Let¡¯s wrap this thing up.¡±

 Chapter 69 - Red Core

    The gorilla was more resilient than I had given it credit for. The thing managed to stay alive far longer than I expected, resulting in more than a few close calls as I underestimated the speed it could still manage. The gorilla tanked all the attacks it received with a blind rage that paid no heed to the pain it was feeling, even taking the full brunt of Ren¡¯s blades without backing down.


    It was obvious by that point that it had given up on the notion of winning the fight, but the pure hatred in its veins drove its body to its physical limit, utterly destroying its own flesh and bone in an attempt to drag me down with it. Pain seemed to become a foreign concept to it, and I almost felt bad for it by the time it finally collapsed to the ground in a heap of scorched flesh and matted fur. The stone armour had fallen apart at some point near the end as the gorilla lost control over its own Flux, and what was left behind on the ground was a mere echo of the majestic animal that had once been.


    The clearing still raged with flame, and I could see that the surrounding trees were finally beginning to catch on, too, which meant that it was likely that the fire was going to spread until it naturally came to a stop. That worked in my favour, since I didn¡¯t want to deal with all the other animals that had their eyes on my Flux Cores at the moment. Not only was my Flux reserve running low, but my body was also incredibly exhausted. The constant pressure I¡¯d been dealing with was quickly catching up to me, and my limbs were already feeling leaden.


    Ren, much to his chagrin, was unable to enter the fire either, but I was kind enough to throw him a couple of Cores. The Cores, which had spent the entire time being cooked in my flames, were still completely unblemished, somehow retaining their unnatural perfection. And I was grateful for that, because it would have been a tragedy if I had fought so hard just to find that I had destroyed all my treasure.


    With all threats held off for the time being, I decided to have more fun with another Core. I had no delusions that I¡¯d be able to trigger another upgrade with the next Core, but that didn¡¯t mean that it couldn¡¯t offer me a great boost, and hopefully speed up the recovery of my Flux reserve.


    However, just as I sat down with a Core and closed my eyes, moving my senses from the physical and into the world of Flux, I suddenly realized a massive pool of it sat just a bit to the left of me. My eyes shot open as I immediately figured out what it had to be.


    With excitement spurring me on, I jumped to my feet and raced over to where the dead gorilla lay. As I approached, I closed my eyes again and double-checked, and sure enough, I could feel the gravity of a massive pool of Flux drawing me closer to the corpse of the beast at my feet.


    Opening my eyes again, I grinned to myself and got to work. It wasn¡¯t dignified work, not for me and especially not for the gorilla, but I had no other choice. I wasn¡¯t about to let a treasure like the gorilla¡¯s Core slip by me just because I was too spoiled to get my hands dirty.


    The gruesome work was made all the worse by the fact that I had no sharp blades to get through the thick pelt of the animal, but thankfully, the fire had weakened it to a point where it wasn¡¯t very difficult to rip apart the corpse of the animal.


    Ren had said that the goblins had searched in the centre of the animals¡¯ chests for the Cores, so that¡¯s what I aimed for, too. And sure enough, as I ripped open the gorilla¡¯s rib cage, a perfectly spherical glowing ball sat under its heart, with a glass-like surface and swirling smoke trapped within.


    The only difference was that it was glowing red, not the blue of all the other Cores I¡¯d seen. But it was undoubtedly the Core of the gorilla; I could tell by the amount of Flux that I could feel ¨C and see ¨C leaking out of the sphere. There was so much Flux leaving it every second that I could see it rising out of the thing, like there was a layer of water on its surface that was constantly evaporating.


    With an eager grin, I plucked the thing out of the animal and dropped it into my lap, crossing my legs around it. As I felt the weight of the ball on my legs, however, a strange thought floated by my brain. A moment of introspection overcame me as I stared down at my bloody hands, at the hands that had just desecrated the body of an animal for selfish desire.


    The face of me at five years old appeared before me in my mind, and I wondered what she would think of me now. Would she be disgusted by the sight of me?


    My mind was silent for a moment, a serene moment of quiet that passed through me at the thought. But eventually, I shook my head, both physically and mentally. There was a reason why I strived to live my life the way five-year-old me had wanted to. She had understood something that I had forgotten at some point in my journey. She understood that life wasn¡¯t the romanticized, rose-tinted epic that I had begun to believe it was. She couldn¡¯t have, given the world she lived in. She understood the darkness of humanity, maybe better than even I did at the moment. And she had embraced it, incorporated it into her dreams, into her image of the person she wanted to be. I knew that, because I had once been her.


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    And somehow, at some point, as I lived through Toronto, I had forgotten that.


    But I understood once again. In a world of darkness, shining a light would never achieve anything. Life wasn¡¯t parallel to the story of the night sky, where brave twinkles of light fought off endless onslaughts of darkness. No, here, the stars of the world were devoured by the monsters of the night, who thrived in the dark and fed off the bright fools who didn¡¯t know how to dim the light they were born with.


    The only way to survive in the darkness here was to embrace it. The only way to beat the monsters that hungered in the shadows was to be better than them, hungrier than them.


    And that was exactly what I had to do. I would learn to dim the light that Ocean had sparked in me, and I would survive in this universe, no matter what. No, I would do better than survive. I would thrive. I was never one to settle for less than the best, and this would be no different. I would take the name of Rosefire and rise above all else, all others. And I would do it for the lives that had paved the way for me; I would do it in the stead of the person who had given up her freedom so that I could have a chance for my own.


    Ocean. The person to whom I owed a debt greater than could ever be captured by mere words.


    A strange thing happened as I remembered Ocean¡¯s face. A strange memory bubbled to the surface of my consciousness, a memory I was sure I¡¯d never experienced but, at the same time, was undeniably mine.


    I remembered Ocean standing before me, with a face that glowed with happiness I was sure she¡¯d never experienced. She wore a long, flowing white dress that I was even more certain she¡¯d never worn. The picture was blurry in my head, and when she spoke to me, her words were muted, as if some force wouldn¡¯t let me experience the moment fully.


    Shaking my head, I dismissed the memory as a conjuration of my distressed mind, and the moment floated away from me. Bringing myself back to the present, I once again looked down at the glowing red Core in my lap, and the bloody hands that held it.


    Maybe I was simply coping with my own fall from the morals that I¡¯d held, but I no longer felt disgusted as I looked at myself. And I was sure that Ruby, at five years old, would feel the same way. If anything, she¡¯d be proud of me. I was finally embracing the world as it was, in its entirety. And once I did, nothing could stop me from reaching what I wanted.


    With my heart and mind settled, I took in a deep breath and began to revolve my Flux within myself once again. Just like the last time, the Core responded to my own Flux, seeping in through my fingers with every cycle it ran through my body. I immediately felt the difference, the sudden spike of Flux in me. My body seemed to have no problem incorporating the foreign Flux in my own pool, and I could feel that I had the same level of control over the new as I did the old. So that wasn¡¯t something I had to worry about, although I had admittedly not even considered if that would be a problem when I had begun.


    Time slipped away quickly as I sat in the cradle of the waning flames, my mind entirely preoccupied with the raging Flux within me. When I did finally wake up for a moment, I looked down at the Core and realized that it was close to halfway emptied. The proud red glow had dimmed noticeably, and it no longer smoked at all. A spike of desire and greed stabbed at me to continue consuming the thing until it was completely emptied, but the selfish emotion wasn¡¯t able to take control of me this time. That unique flavour of greed was an unpleasant reminder of how I¡¯d been after the first Core I¡¯d tasted, and the thought of being controlled by any emotion into a state like that again repulsed me.


    And so, driven more so by spite for the greed within me than any notion of kindness, I picked myself up to my feet and walked over to where Ren sat at the edge of the clearing and threw him the half-empty Core. It wouldn¡¯t have the same amount of Flux as the blue Cores that Ren was using, but I could tell that the Flux that came out of the red Core was of much better quality, in a way I couldn¡¯t really explain. It just felt more powerful, more potent. Ren would undoubtedly benefit greatly from it.


    Ren, who¡¯d awakened from his meditation the second I approached him, caught the Core without a word and studied it curiously for a second. It didn¡¯t take long for him to realize what it was, and what a treasure it was. He looked at me again, and wordlessly gave me a short nod that conveyed his gratitude better than any words could.


    I responded with a small, happy smile and turned back to the clearing, ready to return to taking everything I could from the Cores.


    And waiting for me, sitting patiently in the middle of the burning clearing, sat a sleek black panther, watching with almost bored blue eyes.


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said to myself, giving a small little snort. ¡°Nice.¡±

 Chapter 70 - Water Panther

    The panther had strikingly blue eyes. The sleek black of the pelt made the animal look almost like a formless black void, which made the colour of its eyes all the more noticeable.


    I didn¡¯t know much about black panthers ¨C I didn¡¯t know much about anything aside from Flux and fighting ¨C but from what little I remembered, I was sure that almost every picture of one that I¡¯d seen had yellow eyes, not blue. And given the circumstances, I figured the slight change probably conveyed something important.


    The panther rose to its feet as I stepped into the clearing, the bored look in its eyes morphing into a more dangerous one as it studied me. I took a step closer, and it bared its fangs at me, a deep rumbling sound echoing from its chest. The message was clear. If I stayed at the edge of the clearing, it wouldn¡¯t mess with me. But it wouldn¡¯t take kindly to me coming any closer.


    However, I ignored the threat entirely, walking closer until I was just a bit more than three metres from it. By then the panther had spread its paws out a little, its jaws just slightly open as it stared me down, ready to pounce at any moment.


    But in the face of its hostility, I simply smiled and lit my hands on fire. There was a freedom in not fearing death, I realized as I faced the fearsome panther. Only excitement burned in my chest; I was completely unhindered by fear ¨C my mind was clear and open.


    The panther eventually made the first move, ending our staredown as it realized I wasn¡¯t about to back off. With a sudden ferocity, it leapt towards where I stood, moving like a dark bullet. I dodged before my conscious mind even realized what happened, rolling to the side purely on instinct and muscle memory.


    However, the panther wasn¡¯t done. As I rolled, the animal sent out a crescent blade made of water at my feet. I couldn¡¯t see it, nor hear it, but I instantly switched my path and threw myself to the side, landing clear on the dirt as the blade gouged a scar into the ground I would have been. I stared in dumb shock for a moment as I realized what had happened, and what I had just done.


    The panther, however, wasn¡¯t one to let me revel in my surprise. Not a moment after I stopped rolling, the animal let loose another blade. The thing was incredibly quick, crossing the two metres in between us in less than a second. But my instincts were quicker, and with the help of the Flux running through my veins, I ducked under the blade a fraction of a second before the thing shot over me.


    This time, I responded with an attack of my own, spraying a stream of flames from my palm in the general direction of the panther. The animal hissed and jumped backwards, its coat steaming as if water was evaporating out of its fur. The flames died out immediately after touching the thing, which further proved my guess.


    Coupled with the water blades I¡¯d seen, and the prominent blue eyes of the animal, I assumed that the panther was some kind of water-based beast, which made me grin. Fire was the best possible match-up for water, and I intended to use my advantage fully.


    Seizing the moment, I rushed forward with my flaming hands and started blasting beams of fire at the panther, forcing it to retreat continually. Still, the panther didn¡¯t accept being pushed back passively and began firing little streams of water at me.


    The streams of water began from little drops that formed in the air around the panther, and I was forced to dodge and duck under each stream as it appeared. They were quick and definitely dangerous, if the way they bored into the ground with ease was any indication. But dodging them wasn¡¯t very difficult, especially with the help of what I was quickly realizing was the newest of my advancements. My mind was getting better at sensing the Flux around me, even when I wasn¡¯t focused on it. I couldn¡¯t feel the Flux at all times, but I could sense when something entered it almost immediately.


    The feeling was still a bit vague, and difficult to grasp if I wasn¡¯t paying attention, but it was a great boon nonetheless, and it made dodging a much easier game to play.


    The fight progressed little as the time passed. My reflexes were enough to keep me safe from the attacks of the panther ¨C both the physical and the water-based ¨C and the animal rarely stayed within the range of my flames long enough for me to do anything more than superficial damage. When it did attack physically, usually by launching itself at me while raking its claws through the air or snapping its powerful jaws at me, I was forced to duck and roll, and it would be out of my range again before I could get back up.


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    Still, I was slowly tiring the animal out; I could see it. Well, drying it out would be more accurate, I corrected myself with a smile. The sheen of the glossy black pelt was slowly lessening, and with the loss of the water came the slowing of the panther¡¯s moves. I figured that enough time spent around the heat I was generating would eventually wear the animal down enough for me to finish the job. The heat of the clearing was helping, but not as much as it could have been if it was still on fire. Unfortunately for me, there was little left on the ground that I could use to start a fire, since the previous fight had left the ground a charred and blackened mess. And the few places where embers still glowed and crackled would quickly be doused when the panther walked near them.


    Fortunately for me, nothing unexpected happened over the next while, a rare blessing for me. Things progressed exactly as I had planned, and the panther grew slower and slower as my flames kept heating the air around us. The thing didn¡¯t have as much intelligence as the gorilla I¡¯d fought earlier, and it showed. Despite its growing disadvantage, it stuck to its pattern of water blades and streams ¨C of which only one had caught me on the shoulder ¨C and occasionally lunging at me physically.


    Eventually, as the panther dried out more and more, I was finally able to hit it fully with a stream of flames as I ducked under it. The fire enveloped the torso of the animal, immediately boiling the water hidden in its pelt. The beast let out a pained roar as it landed on its feet and stumbled, its fur hissing and steaming.


    Not wanting to let the moment go, I immediately got up from my roll and lobbed the fastest fireball I could make at the back of the panther. This time, the fire won out over the moisture in the fur, and the flames stuck onto the panther¡¯s haunches. The now-dried black fur provided ample fuel for the flame, and the intense heat made the panther screech again in pain.


    The panther finally realized that it wasn¡¯t in a good position now, and decided to make a run for it. Seeing as the fire on its fur was dying out quickly, I figured it would survive if it managed to escape the clearing, but I wasn¡¯t about to let my hard-fought Core run away from me so easily.


    The panther was slowed with its back legs on fire, which meant I had a little time before it made it to the edge of the clearing and into the safety of the undergrowth. I could have easily followed after it, but I had a better idea.


    Above my right palm, I gathered some black smoke and ignited it into a small, candle-sized flame. It was small, but it was fueled entirely by my own potent Flux, so it was much hotter than any normal flame. I kept adding my own Flux into it, letting it grow hotter and hotter while moulding it into the rough shape of an arrow.


    I could feel that the precision and control I had over my flame had increased, and the arrow that I made reflected that. It looked much better than the first one I¡¯d made, and it was done much faster as well. The arrowhead actually looked sharp, enough that it could probably pierce through human skin without needing to rely on the force of its momentum.


    The panther was near the edge of the clearing by the time I was done, which meant it was almost to safety. Unfortunately for it, however, a flaming arrow buried itself just under its neck just a few steps before it could reach the edge. The arrow sizzled but kept burning, leaving the panther dead before it could hit the ground.


    A rush of satisfaction hit me as the fight ended, the feeling made all the more pronounced by the sight of the arrow hitting exactly where I¡¯d wanted. The happiness was enough to drown out the stinging pain from the gash in my left shoulder, where one of the water blades of the panther had caught me. I knew I¡¯d have to Revive soon, to ensure that the wound didn¡¯t turn infected, but I put that off for later. A Revive was never a tempting prospect, and I wasn¡¯t in the mood to endure more pain at the moment.


    Instead, I let out a deep breath and studied the corpse of the animal, not feeling a twinge of guilt or sadness for the panther¡¯s death. There was a little respect in my heart ¨C I wasn¡¯t so far gone as to not understand the importance of the passing of any life, and the life of a worthy opponent at that, but there was little else. I didn¡¯t know if that was a good thing or not, but it was certainly helpful. I would no longer be hindered by my useless empathy.


    With the fight over came time to harvest my reward, but I wasn¡¯t quite in the mood to rip apart another corpse with my bare hands; especially not the corpse of the graceful panther.


    Instead, I made my way over to where I¡¯d left Ren, hoping to borrow his dagger again. However, Ren was nowhere to be found, which was curious. I doubted that he would have simply wandered off on his own, and a little poking around quickly proved me right. I found him only a dozen metres deeper in the forest, wrangling a giant python with golden scales and red patterning all over its body.

 Chapter 71 - Fire Python

    I couldn¡¯t get an exact estimate on how long the python Ren was fighting was, since it had curled a few times on the ground, but it had to have been at least five meters in length, and its body was about as thick as my torso. Ren faced down the snake with his dagger out, purple smoke curling in the air as it rose off of him. He was already breathing hard, and the charred lines of grass drawn all over the clearing told me the fight had already been going on for a while.


    As I watched, the python opened its jaws slightly and breathed out a stream of flames, in a manner similar to the flaming breath I¡¯d used on the goblins. But, unlike the mass expulsion of ignited Flux that I¡¯d done, the python did it in a much more controlled, forced way. As a result, the stream was faster and hotter, and easier to aim.


    The flames struck the ground at Ren¡¯s feet just as he rolled forward, bringing himself closer to the python and just under the stream coming from its mouth. Before the python could adjust its aim and scorch Ren, he lunged forward and served the snake a hard uppercut that shut off the stream of flames. With his dagger-wielding hand, Ren made to stab down at the thick body of the python at the same time, but before he could, the python whipped out its tail at Ren.


    The python''s tail was the last thing that Ren wanted to be hit by, since the last foot of it was constantly raging with flame. So, abandoning his attack, Ren ducked and rolled away just a second before the flaming tail of the python struck the ground.


    I wondered if I should help out as I hunkered hidden near the edge of the small clearing they fought in. Eventually, I decided against doing anything for the moment, since I didn¡¯t want to risk throwing Ren off with my flames. Ren didn¡¯t seem like he needed much help anyway, at least for now, and I didn¡¯t think my flames would be particularly helpful against the fire-wielding python.


    Instead, I settled down in the thicket, content to watch the show unfold. I¡¯d step in if Ren were in any danger, but so long as he seemed fine, I¡¯d focus instead on trying to learn from Ren¡¯s moves. My flames had given me a great boost in strength, enough that I was now confident in facing Ren, but he was still a far greater fighter than I.


    Well, for now, anyway, I thought to myself, trying to lessen the blow to my ego the admission had made.


    Ren only served to prove me right over the course of the fight. Not once did he falter or slip up, a calm smile plastered on his face the entire time. As if the fight was always under his control. The python was a tough opponent, quick but brutally powerful with its body alone, and the flames only made it far more dangerous. But Ren dealt with every trick it threw at him gracefully, his incredible spatial awareness and reaction speed taking center stage as they saved his life more times than I could keep track of.


    Watching him made me realize again how incredible of a skill his Flux Sense was. It gave him ample time to react to any attack, from any angle. The little, half-a-meter of Flux that I could sense around me made dodging so much easier, but I could only imagine how much of an advantage having a range of three meters would give.


    Ren used that advantage, coupled with his nimble form, to slip through every attack of the python, only occasionally getting close enough to the flame to suffer a few minor burns; nothing a Revive wouldn¡¯t take care of.


    The python, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t so lucky. Ren¡¯s dagger painted countless bloody trails on the snake¡¯s skin, and its scarlet blood dripped down from each of them, coloring its scales a dark red. The scales were thick enough to prevent any of Ren¡¯s attacks from cutting too deep, but with Ren¡¯s speed, the python could do little to prevent him from constantly peppering it with wounds.


    Eventually, the python began to slow noticeably, as more and more of its blood painted the ground beneath it. The battle between man and snake had always been one of speed, and slowing down a little for either of them would spell the end. Unfortunately for Ren, however, the python had also managed to light much of the ground on fire, which prevented him from moving as freely as he needed to fully take advantage of the python''s slowed movements.


    The fight quickly settled into a game of time, but it was apparent that the python was on the losing side. The wounds it had sustained were too many for it to keep fighting for long, and if it didn''t find a way to disengage and heal somehow, it would die long before the fire in the clearing could kill Ren. The pair understood this, but Ren was in no position to stop the snake from slithering away if it decided to.


    The python understood the same, and with one last breath of fire that sealed Ren away, it turned around and darted into the thicket as quickly as it could. For a second, it seemed to Ren that the python would successfully escape, and his hard work would all be for nothing. But, just as the python burst into the leaves, Ren saw a bright flash of orange as I finally revealed myself.


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    Stepping into the path of a massive, speeding python was something I¡¯d never imagined I¡¯d have to do in my life, but it was a thrilling experience. The python, upon seeing another human in its path, opened its jaws and let out a stream of flames at me in the hopes that it could deal with me quickly.


    Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t so easily defeated.


    Propelling myself up in the air by blasting out fire from my feet, I grabbed onto a branch above me with one hand and shot down my own stream of fire with the other. The python, moving too quickly to slow down in time, ran straight through my flames. The bright orange engulfed the python''s body, making it writhe in pain. However, unlike other animals, it wasn¡¯t immobilized by the pain, and managed to counter while being cooked alive. Its massive head shot out at me like a loaded spring erupting, its jaws opened wide as it made to bite down on me.


    I immediately let go of the branch I was hanging on and dropped to the ground, landing in a low crouch and rolling backward not a second before the flaming tail of the python crashed onto the ground I¡¯d landed on. As I did, I couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge the python¡¯s ability. The two-pronged attack required more intellect than I had given the snake credit for, and the speed at which the animal pulled it off, given how injured it was, was impressive.


    With its second attack failing, the python lowered its head back to the ground and surveyed me again, its tongue flickering out for a second before it burst forward again, moving with lightning speed.


    But, before I could decide how to dodge, Ren exploded out of the undergrowth to my left, pouncing on the python¡¯s head like a tiger with a lock on its prey. The timing of his attack was impeccable, and the arm holding his dagger swung down just as the top of the python¡¯s skull appeared in his path. Ren put all the force he had into the attack, and it showed as the blade buried itself hilt deep into the python¡¯s skull, skewering through the thick scales and bone.


    The python came to a violent stop barely a meter from where I stood, the light in its eyes snuffed out almost instantly. For a second, Ren and I stayed where we were, not moving a muscle as the adrenaline of the fight drained from our bodies.


    Finally, Ren broke our silence with a chuckle. ¡°Tryna steal my kill there, were you?¡±


    I grinned at him. ¡°I only stepped in ¡®cause I had to, since it looked to me like you couldn¡¯t finish the job yourself.¡±


    Ren chuckled again in response, trying to find an argument but coming up empty. After all, I was right. The python would have escaped had I not stepped in, but Ren wouldn¡¯t ever admit that, so I took his silence as admission enough and gave him my most smug smile.


    Shaking his head, Ren wordlessly wrenched the dagger out of the python¡¯s skull and, after making sure that the fight was truly over, sprawled down on the ground near the base of a tree. His hood had fallen off, letting his hair fall freely to his shoulders, and the fight had left his clothes and hair dirty and disheveled, but I was in no position to criticize, since I was surely in no better a state.


    I made my way over to where he lay as well with a wide smile on my face, wanting to savor the rare peaceful moment. Despite the dirt and exhaustion, I couldn¡¯t have been happier then. I felt free in a way I hadn¡¯t in a long, long time; maybe not in my entire life. Not even the peaceful days I had spent in the community I had built with Rosefire compared. Those days had been exciting and fun, but there had always been a prevailing burden of responsibility on my shoulders, one that I hadn¡¯t even noticed until it was gone.


    But now, none of that mattered. I had responsibilities to no one but myself ¨C and maybe Ren, though he didn¡¯t really ask for much beyond entertainment. And unlike my days in Toronto, before I¡¯d met Ren, I was under the foot of no one either. There were no gang territories I had to watch out for, no debt collectors always a step behind me. My life was entirely mine, and whether I thrived or died depended entirely on how I did.


    I understood that the future would be perilous, and the chances of both of us ¨C or worse, one of us ¨C dying were high, but the prospect wasn¡¯t nearly as terrifying as I¡¯d imagined it would be. I was at peace with what I had at the moment, and I would savor every second of freedom that I had.


    The peaceful moment stretched on as we basked in the rays of the sun, the golden beams dripping through the gaps in the canopy overhead. Neither of us spoke for a while, content in the embrace of the wind and sun and grass ¨C the cradle of the earth.


    But of course, the peace could never last long in a jungle like this. Before long, the wind started picking up around us, slow at first but quickly getting violent enough that we both knew it couldn¡¯t be natural.


    Ren and I looked at each other for a moment before I heaved a sigh. All this fighting is fun, but I really wouldn¡¯t mind a break at this point, I thought to myself. A little rest would do wonders at the moment, for both my Flux reserve and my mind. And I would have liked to grab my pole again, and take the rewards of my fights too. At this point, it was more than likely that another animal had already taken the water panther I¡¯d stupidly left lying there.


    But, unfortunately, the massive bird that swooped down on us, breaking through the overhead canopy with a crash, seemed to have other ideas.

 Chapter 72 - Living in the Jungle

    The bird was fast, incredibly so, and the only reason I managed to evade its grasping talons was because I moved the second I heard the sound, not wasting a second to see what it was.


    Ren did the same, so the foot-long talons were left holding a chunk of dirt and grass instead. The bird shot back up immediately, breaking past the canopy again and vanishing.


    My eyes searched the leaves overhead with sharp focus as the rough winds buffeted me, every fiber of muscle in my body steeled and ready to fight. Flux flooded my veins, filling me with power. The shift from relaxed to primed for a fight had been so smooth it was almost instantaneous, and a small, hidden-away corner of my mind glowed with pride at the fact.


    Ren and I didn¡¯t have to wait long for the bird to return, and when it did, we were ready. It crashed through the leaves above at incredible speeds, moving so fast that all I could make out was a black-and-white blur. What I knew for a certainty, however, was that it was headed straight at me, and I reacted before I even registered the thought. Flux welled in my palms and burst outward, igniting into brilliant marigold flames as it did.


    The stream of fire was powerful and hot, enough that the violent winds only served to fuel its strength instead of suppress it, but strangely, as they engulfed the blurred form of the bird, a sudden gust of wind burst outward from the bird and snuffed out the flames immediately. The wind also hit me with a powerful shove, knocking me off balance and onto the ground.


    My mind raced as I fueled the flames on my palms with as much Flux as I could gather, the disorientation of the wind and my fall making it hard to focus on what I had to do. So, instead, I stopped thinking and let my body work as instinct dictated, knowing that I would be dead before I could consciously decide what to do.


    My body moved seemingly on its own as I punched outwards the second the bird¡¯s beak entered the sphere of Flux that I could sense. The timing was perfect. My flaming fist contacted the side of the bird¡¯s face a second before the animal¡¯s beak pierced my chest, knocking the thing to the side enough for me to roll in the other direction and out of the way.


    The bird¡¯s momentum drove it into the ground in a massive cloud of dirt, the shock of my punch likely knocking the bird off guard enough that it couldn¡¯t change its direction fast enough.


    I wasn¡¯t about to let the bird have a break, though, and neither was Ren. Before the dust even settled enough for either of us to make out the bird¡¯s form, both of us began to attack. I put my hands together and let out two streams of flame that met right where the cloud of dirt was centered, and Ren fired off one of his Flux blades into the mess.


    Both attacks found their marks, if the spray of blood and pained squawking was any indication. The violent wind around us began to pick up as I cooked the bird, whipping my hair into my face as it raced around the clearing. Soon, it got hard to stay on my feet, and even harder to keep the stream of fire going long enough to reach the bird.


    Eventually, I had to stop since my Flux was just being wasted. The winds rapidly died down as I stopped, and the cloud of dust was finally allowed to settle, revealing the scorched, wounded, furious bird in the middle. There were no human features on its face for me to read, but I could still see the utter rage in the animal¡¯s eyes.


    Unfortunately for it, Ren¡¯s blade had bit deep into one of its wings, which would have greatly hindered its ability to fly on its own, but my flames had sealed the deal. The bird was now as land-bound as the rest of us, which meant its greatest weapon ¨C its incredible speed ¨C was now useless.


    Still, that didn¡¯t mean that it was entirely helpless now. I sensed more than saw the wind blade that it sent out at me, rolling to the side just as the blade entered my Flux sense¡¯s range.


    The wind blade passed by me with a whoosh, traveling into the jungle behind me and severing a few taller plants before dissipating.


    Once again, I felt a rush of gratitude at my new sense, knowing that there was no way I¡¯d have been able to dodge the blade without it. It had traveled silently and with only the slightest visible distortion in the air it moved through, which made it almost impossible to discern with normal senses alone.


    I didn¡¯t take the attack passively, however, and fired my own attack as I rolled to the side. What I sent was the product of a sudden flash of inspiration: a kind of elongated bullet of compressed flame, about the length of my finger and tapered to a sharp point on one end. The purpose was to speed up the process of creating projectiles, as the arrow idea I¡¯d had took too much time.


    And the product fulfilled its purpose well enough for me. The orange-red bullet sped off toward the bird in response to its wind blade, and although it certainly had the reflexes to dodge my attack, the scorched half of the animal rendered it nearly immobile. So the bullet found its mark, biting deep into the soft underbelly of the animal, sizzling as it did.


    The bird threw up its head as it screeched in pain, exposing its neck as it did. I didn¡¯t notice that at first ¨C I didn¡¯t have an assassin¡¯s instincts, after all ¨C but Ren certainly did, and he capitalized on it mercilessly. Moving faster than I could possibly hope to, he burst forward with one forceful step and sped past the pained animal, landing on the soft dirt a meter on the other side of it within the second.


    The bird, who¡¯d only raised its face to the heavens for the briefest of moments, never got to look back down to the earth as it fell on its back, a bloody line drawn across its neck. Half of its feathers were scorched black, and the down under its neck was drenched in the scarlet of its lifeblood, leaving the once-graceful animal only a sad echo of itself.


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    Fortunately for it, it didn¡¯t live long enough to see its own fall from grace, and before long, the small clearing returned to the quiet peace that Ren and I had been enjoying not a minute earlier.


    I looked at Ren as the two of us let loose a breath, our muscles relaxing at the same time. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go grab my pole before we get ambushed by another animal,¡± I said tiredly, knowing that it was unlikely that we were done fighting for the day. I had a growing suspicion that the denizens of the forest weren¡¯t going to be very gracious hosts during our stay. It would be best if I kept my weapon close, and my guard up at all times. Daily life in the forest didn¡¯t seem like it would be very accommodating to slips in focus.


    ¨C


    I had no idea how right I¡¯d turn out to be. Three weeks and countless slain beasts later, the real effects of the dangers of the forest had begun weighing on me in full force. The exhaustion of three weeks of constantly being on guard burned in my limbs, but I forced my body to move, dodging to the side as a rock crashed into the dirt at my feet. I fired another fire bullet as I did, the action almost muscle memory at that point. My aim was true, and the fifth monkey fell from the branches and thumped on the dirt floor, a hole still sizzling right in the center of its throat.


    Ren moved in the second that the three remaining monkeys wasted watching their fallen comrade. A swift swipe ended one monkey immediately, but the second managed to jump just a second before Ren could reach its throat. Still, he nicked it on the shoulder hard, enough to knock it off balance in the air and make it miss the branch it had been aiming for.


    Two fire bullets lodged themselves into its head and chest before it could hit the ground, leaving it dead as a rock as it crashed into the dirt under it. The last monkey, true to the cowardly manner I¡¯d come to expect from its kind, didn¡¯t spare its fallen comrades a glance before vanishing into the leaves with a screech.


    Ren sighed and fell off the branch he¡¯d been on, landing with his customary grace. Neither of us cared to hunt down the animal. One more dead monkey would hardly make a dent in their immense population. The jungle had a serious monkey infestation, I¡¯d come to find.


    I walked up to the seven monkey corpses on the ground and toed one, wrinkling my nose at their smell. ¡°Looks like monkey meat is on the menu for tonight,¡± I said, feeling neither apprehension nor anticipation at the prospect. Monkey meat was a little gamey, tough to chew, but it tasted fine if we cooked it right. Which, admittedly, was a big if. We¡¯d had three weeks of practice, but it was far from enough to turn either of us into a proper cook. Thankfully, there was usually an abundant amount of meat ready for us by evening, more than we could ever finish in a day, so a few burnt cuts weren¡¯t the end of the world.


    Ren chuckled in response, handing me his dagger without a word. I sighed and got down to work, trying to remember everything Ren taught me while keeping my stomach from emptying itself. The work was revolting, and the daily practice had done little to help. And the monkey¡¯s smell certainly didn¡¯t make matters easier either, not to mention the fact that their anatomy was a little too similar to humans¡¯ for my liking.


    Still, survival was more important than my tastes, and I did the work without complaint. Well, with minimal complaint, if I was being honest, but I didn¡¯t see the need to disguise my disgust around Ren; it wasn¡¯t like I needed to keep up appearances around him. We¡¯d spent so much time together by that point that we hardly needed words to understand each other ¨C which, I¡¯d come to find, was an unexpectedly helpful skill in the jungle ¨C so we¡¯d all but abandoned the veil of politeness that friendships normally demanded.


    I made quick work of the first dead monkey ¨C quick, but decidedly not skillful ¨C and I¡¯d salvaged enough meat for the day. And that was about all we needed, mainly because more than that would be too much to carry, but there was also the fact that finding more meat tomorrow was almost guaranteed. Not a day had passed since we¡¯d entered the forest that at least three different species hadn¡¯t assaulted us, and I saw no reason for that pattern to change.


    And indeed, it didn''t. Life continued in much the same manner as the first three weeks, although I got noticeably better at handling it. Having to be on edge constantly was incredibly taxing, but I eventually got the hang of balancing relaxing and being on guard. It was a matter of always being ready for an attack, but never expecting one. It was a slight change, but it made all the difference.


    In practice, it meant walking through the forest without fearing an attack from every hidden spot that could potentially hold an enemy; there were too many of those spots, after all, and being on guard against each of them was too much for any mind. Instead, I learnt to stamp on the fear I felt at the sight of every hidden nook, but always be ready in case those fears came true.


    Sleeping, on the other hand, was much harder to get the hang of. Ren adapted very easily, which saved my life multiple times as it still took me almost five seconds to shift from sleeping to ready to fight. Five seconds wasn¡¯t a long time, but when a python was inches away from your face in the dead of night, five seconds was the difference between life and death.


    We¡¯d taken to sleeping on thick, high branches, which mitigated the danger of most of the animals in the night, but there was one particular nocturnal snake whose favourite hunting grounds happened to be exactly the kinds of places we slept, and more than once I¡¯d awoken to Ren¡¯s dagger poking through the head of a python mere seconds away from biting my face off.


    But beyond the dangers, life was good. I relished the freedom, the knowledge that no one had any control over my life. And the forest, when we weren¡¯t being attacked by it, was a beautiful place. The constant nature was an amazing change of pace after having spent my entire life in a corporate, concrete jungle. And not having to experience all of it on my own made everything so much better; it made the bad parts tolerable, and the good parts all the more enjoyable.


    Life settled into a comfortable rhythm, one of constant improvement, constant movement, and a prevailing sense of peace that I¡¯d so sorely lacked in my life it almost tasted sweet on my tongue; like the sweetness of water in a parched mouth.


    The peaceful routine remained relatively unbroken for a while, and before I knew it, three months had passed us by. Then, early one day, as we continued our seemingly endless journey of trailing the sun, we came upon a sight that we hadn¡¯t seen since the first day we entered the forest: a village. But this wasn¡¯t the simple goblin¡¯s village that we had razed to the ground. No, this was a step above in construction and sophistication. And, most importantly, this village wasn¡¯t inhabited by those simple little green creatures; it was inhabited by humans.

 Chapter 73 - Lost Key

    The Storm Monarch shuddered under the oppressive weight of the shadowy presence at the center of the room. The being seemed to meld perfectly with the darkness that suffocated the grandiose room, like the shadows themselves had manifested a human form.


    To her side kneeled the other two Monarchs she¡¯d been tasked to work with, and they seemed to enjoy being in the room no more than she did. Which was to say, not at all.


    ¡°The Insect Mage?¡± a disembodied, guttural voice came.


    ¡°He¡¯s being transferred to the specified dungeon as we speak, Emperor,¡± the Storm Monarch answered, her voice holding only the barest hint of the fear within her chest. She¡¯d taken on the mantle of speaking for the three of them, not trusting the imbeciles at her sides to have the decorum required to speak to an Emperor ¨C and a Seven Petal¡¯s Emperor at that ¨C but that didn¡¯t mean she wanted the job. After all, the slightest hint of disrespect could have their heads rolling on the floor, within a fraction of a second.


    ¡°Very well,¡± the inhuman voice came again. ¡°You have fulfilled your purpose; you may remove the seals on your ships.¡±


    The two Monarchs at her side visibly sagged with relief at that, no doubt more than eager to leave this room and put the disgraceful ordeal behind them.


    But she had other plans.


    ¡°Your Excellency,¡± she began, still not daring to raise her eyes from the floor. The two beside her froze, shocked that she would risk continuing such a dangerous conversation. ¡°There was another matter that I believe I should report. An incident that took place during the ambush.¡±


    The eyes of the two Monarchs at her side widened in fear and shock, knowing exactly what the Storm Monarch was referring to. They had been explicitly warned by her not to mention it, after all. She¡¯d assured them that she would take care of the matter herself, and ensure that word of their negotiation with the Archbishop never reached the ears of the Seven Petals.


    Still, they didn¡¯t dare interrupt just yet.


    The being remained silent at her words, but she could tell that she had its attention, and she steeled herself for what was to come: the riskiest part of her play.


    ¡°At the beginning of our ambush, the men to my sides let it slip that we weren¡¯t acting of our own volition, but I managed to shut them up before they could spill anything important, and I kept them silent even when the Archbishop offered a hefty sum of gold for more information.¡± By now, it had become clear to the two men that the woman had crafted a story that would get them both killed, but they still didn''t dare to interrupt her. Firstly, because interrupting her ran the risk of angering the Emperor, which would spell certain doom for them. And second, they had hope that the Emperor wouldn¡¯t believe the woman¡¯s blatant lies; she had no proof beyond her word, after all. And only a fool would try to lie so boldly before an Emperor.


    ¡°However,¡± the Storm Monarch continued, ¡°it has come to my attention that on our return trip, the two men conspired to sell the information despite my interdict. I have this on the good authority of my own spies in their crews, and I believe that reporting this matter to Your Excellency bears worth.¡± With that, the woman concluded her practiced speech, her face the perfect picture of severity and respect.


    Her stoic appearance betrayed not a sign of the turmoil that raged within her as the being remained silent. The very prospect of lying to an Emperor was terrifying, but the act itself was beyond anything she¡¯d ever done in her life. Of all the lies she¡¯d ever told, all the plays she¡¯d ever acted out, this one moment topped them all. It would be the crown jewel of her saga; she¡¯d known it from the moment the daring idea had come to her. Having an Emperor deal with two of her biggest rivals with only a slight dose of deception was a stroke of genius, and pulling it off was the culmination of the years she¡¯d spent perfecting her craft.


    ¡°I believe,¡± the being spoke finally, after an agonizing moment of silence. The two words carried with them enough pressure to drive the two Monarchs to their knees. ¡°I made it abundantly clear that I wanted no evidence of the Seven Petal¡¯s involvement with the ambush. Did I not?¡±


    ¡°Your Excellency,¡± the oldest of the Monarch¡¯s present finally spoke, the desperation he felt clear in his voice. ¡°The blasted wench lies! We did nothing of the sort!¡±


    The being remained silent at the Monarch¡¯s outburst, emboldening the younger man to speak up as well.


    ¡°He speaks the truth, Your Excellency,¡± the man said. ¡°She only wishes to use your strength to get rid of us. She speaks nothing but lies. We followed your commands to the letter.¡±


    The man¡¯s last word hung in the silence that followed, his pleading voice echoing in the dark room.


    The silence stretched on for a seemingly infinite moment. It went so long that the Storm Monarch began to doubt if her lies had worked. She adjusted herself ever so slightly and patted her thigh, a small tic that had provided her comfort for longer than she could remember. The small scar that lay there was a proud mark of her commitment and grit; the pain that accompanied the surgery had almost ended her, but the little gem she¡¯d deposited into her own flesh had paid itself off many times over.


    And now, as she sat sweating under the scrutiny of an Emperor, she let the presence of the gem calm her beating heart. The gem had never let her down ¨C it was a treasure of immense strength, after all ¨C and she was certain that it wouldn¡¯t this time around either. An artifact as ancient and valuable as the gem, combined with her superb acting skill, would assuredly fool the Emperor, she told herself. She was certain of it ¨C she wouldn¡¯t have taken the risk if she wasn¡¯t, not when she was playing with stakes so high.


    Then, suddenly and without warning, the two Monarchs at the side of the woman felt the hard stone under them soften. Before they could understand what was happening, they began to sink into the circular shadow under them like it was a pit of quicksand.


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    Immediately, the pain invaded their bodies, and they began to shriek and beg as they sunk lower and lower into the inky depths of the void beneath them. Struggle as they did, and struggle they did, they could not manage to break free of the sticky hold the shadow had on their bodies.


    The entire time, the Storm Monarch sat in between the two tortured, dying men, her eyes glued to the ground as she trembled in fear ¨C and just the tiniest hint of elation. She did not mind the pained wailing of the dying men ¨C she¡¯d heard, and caused, far worse herself ¨C but the fear of the moment was unlike anything she¡¯d ever experienced before.


    She was sure the Emperor did what he did for that exact reason, but it mattered little. She¡¯d endured far worse stains to her dignity before, and when the ordeal was over, she¡¯d have two massive swathes of space ripe for the picking. And with the resources she¡¯d be able to get her hands on with the riches that would follow her acquisition of their territories, the realm of the Emperors would only be a matter of time.


    The ordeal lasted all of five minutes, but it felt much longer to the Storm Monarch, and certainly much longer to the two men, who suffered in that time exactly the amount of physical pain they¡¯d ever caused anyone else in their lifetimes; which was not a small amount, by any stretch of the imagination.


    But eventually, their screams died out as they were dragged into the void, vanishing from where they had sat without a trace. The woman couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to herself at the situation. Thousands of years of painstaking effort, of blood, sweat, and tears, and it had vanished just like that. That was the power wielded by Emperors; the thought made her giddy with anticipation.


    ¡°Now then,¡± the being began as the two Monarchs disappeared. ¡°Moving on to you, little girl.¡±


    The Storm Monarch readied herself for whatever was to come; the hard part was over, after all. All she had to do now was to get away as quickly and smoothly as possible.


    ¡°I have something I¡¯d like to ask, and I would be delighted if you would grace me with an answer,¡± the being continued, ignoring the change in the woman¡¯s heart rate at the sudden turn in his tone. Obviously, this was beyond the scope of her calculations.


    ¡°Of course, Your Excellency,¡± the woman answered with as steady of a voice as she could manage. ¡°I¡¯d happily answer any questions you may have, if I am able.¡±


    ¡°Splendid. Now, what I was wondering was this: what could possibly embolden a mere Monarch to attempt to lie to me?¡±


    The Storm Monarch froze in place immediately at the being¡¯s words. A million thoughts raced through her head at that moment, but one thought quickly drowned out the rest.


    It was over.


    She was done. All her plans, everything she had ever worked towards, it was all over.


    Still, that didn¡¯t mean she resigned herself to her fate. She¡¯d never done so in the past, and she wouldn¡¯t today either. Her entire body tensed as she steeled herself, ready to run at the first chance she got. And if she didn¡¯t get a chance, then she would throw every possible thing she had at the Emperor. It would be futile, she was well aware, but she wasn¡¯t going to go down without a fight.


    At her silence, the Emperor continued with his questioning. ¡°Could it be that adorable little gem you¡¯ve got stowed away in your thigh? The Veil, I believe, is what the mortals call it, if memory serves. Though, it has been a few hundred millennia since I¡¯ve heard of it, so perhaps it goes by another name these days.¡±


    The woman hung her head as the Emperor spoke. She realized then just how badly she¡¯d underestimated the being before her. She¡¯d known the gem was ancient, but even her most generous guess would have placed it at a few hundred thousand years old. To think that it was at least a hundred millennia old was mind-boggling, even for a mage who¡¯d lived as long as she had. And the added fact that the Emperor had been alive long enough to recognize it from so long ago only furthered her embarrassment at the fact that she¡¯d believed that it would be enough to fool the being.


    ¡°Well, its current name is of no importance. The name it was christened with, however ¨C the name I bestowed upon it ¨C is far more accurate. The Heavenly Body Stone, I¡¯d called it. It has far more potential than a mere veil, but I suppose mortals cannot be expected to fully comprehend such a precious stone. Such a stone,¡± the being paused for a second, and the Storm Monarch felt a strange tug at her thigh. Before she could understand what was happening, the stone buried within her flesh suddenly, and painfully, ejected itself from her leg, flying over to the Emperor while she fell on her side. Her body was wracked with waves of intense pain, far beyond anything she¡¯d ever felt before.


    But the Emperor paid no heed to the woman. ¡°Such a stone,¡± he repeated in an almost wistful voice, ¡°could never be used to its fullest by children like yourself.¡± The Emperor studied the bloody little golden gem for another second before waving it away and turning his attention back to the woman on the floor.


    ¡°Your audacious plan would have worked, girl, but for a single miscalculation. Even at your level, the stone would have the power to hide you from the senses of an Emperor, but you see¡­I am no mere Emperor, child. I am far above such a realm. Far above any hierarchy of strength you¡¯ve ever heard of. The Heavenly Body Stone, as powerful as it is, could never have hidden you from my senses, even if it was supplied with more power than it could handle.¡±


    The woman on the floor barely registered the being¡¯s words, trapped in the haze of the pain that had settled over her.


    The being, noticing that the woman was no longer paying attention to the conversation, simply beckoned a servant out of the shadows with a wave of his hand.


    ¡°For returning me the gift of the Stone,¡± the being spoke to the woman again, his voice taking on a booming note that forced the woman to listen. ¡°I will spare you the punishment of the Void. I have even granted your wish of dealing with your rivals, and I will grant you dominion of both of their territories, as well as your own territory. But as payment for your crimes, for the next two thousand five hundred and twenty-seven years, you will serve me as a sealed Mage.¡± With his verdict made, the being motioned to the servant once more. ¡°Mark her.¡±


    Hearing those two words, the Storm Monarch paled, terror painting her face. Within the second, wings burst out of the woman¡¯s back as she took flight, ignoring the pain coursing through her as she burst through the massive doors behind her, her body transforming into her true form as she flew: the form of the sleek Storm Falcon.


    The being watched the woman flee motionlessly, not bothering to try and stop her. Instead, the servant at his side, an elderly man with a neat white goatee, sped after her with wings of coalesced darkness.


    With that matter taken care of, the being allowed himself a rare smile, breaking the stony expression he usually carried. After all, today was a day worth celebrating. He¡¯d finally gotten his hands on the elusive Insect Mage. He was so close to obtaining the key, and once he did, the 80th floor would be all but his. All that remained in his plan was to extract the information he needed. And he had just the tool he needed to do that.

 Chapter 74 - Chaos Flame

    The being stood for a moment within the empty, cavernous hall, draped in shadows and darkness. Then, with a mere thought, he forced the space of the universe to bend, folding it in on itself right in front of him until, with a single step, he traversed millions of miles and directly into a tiny cave, hewn into sandy stone and gated with black metal bars at its only entrance.


    The room was dimly lit, dark save for the light of one unique candle. The silvery glow cast from the candle illuminated the only other man in the room. His arms were spread like an eagle¡¯s wings, his wrists cuffed and chained to the stone wall behind him. He slumped as low as he could, held up only by the chains pulling at his arms.


    The man hardly noticed the arrival of the being, so focused was he on the candle that burned opposite him. The silvery light reflected in the man¡¯s fearful eyes, illuminating the shock and terror that painted his face.


    He¡¯d seen the flame before, but only ever illustrated on the yellowed pages of the oldest of manuscripts he¡¯d ever come across. But the descriptions of the flame had been so harrowing that they had been burned into his mind; there was no way he would fail to recognize the strange flame.


    The flame itself displayed a most peculiar form. The edges were of a dazzling silver color, silver like the purest of moonlight. The core of the flame, however, was pitch black, an abyss as deep and captivating as the void of space itself.


    The flame was small, hardly bigger than the Monarch''s thumb, but it was by far the most valuable object he''d ever seen. Rare could not even begin to describe the flame¡¯s scarcity.


    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± the being asked the Insect Monarch as he grasped the small circular dish that the candle sat atop. The being¡¯s gaze was almost reverent as he gazed into the silver flame.


    ¡°Chaos Flame,¡± the Insect Monarch answered, his voice but a breathless whisper.


    The being grinned. ¡°Indeed. It seems you are as well read as they say. Savor the sight, mage; you are among the few in the universe privileged to do so. This is Chaos Flame, the most powerful flame ever to exist. It is the flame that Death himself wielded, so many eons ago. A flame that has not sparked anew in so many millennia that the universe has all but forgotten of it.¡±


    ¡°The records claim it to be fake,¡± the Insect Monarch said, his voice hushed in awe and fear. ¡°A flame like it cannot exist, they say. Its very existence defies the Astros. It cannot¡­¡± the Monarch trailed off then, unable to find the words to continue.


    The being scoffed. ¡°The authors of those records have not the strength to speak on such matters. They accept Astros'' word as the law of the universe, as most do, but they don¡¯t know. They have no idea how powerful mages can be. They have no idea how powerful Death had become, how powerful the Primordial Deities of today are. The mind cannot comprehend their strength; not yours, nor mine. And that is why we cannot understand the existence of a flame capable of doing what this flame can do.¡±


    ¡°Even if it can exist, how-¡± the Insect Monarch cut himself off suddenly, realizing who the person he was speaking to was. But, a second later, he continued again; he was going to die now anyway ¨C why not sate his curiosity first?


    ¡°How could you have such a flame?" he continued. "The universe hasn¡¯t seen even a spark of this flame in longer than most Immortals have been alive. Even with your strength and position, it should be impossible to capture even a candle¡¯s worth of this flame.¡±


    The being nodded. "Indeed. Even with the power I command, I could not even begin to form an existence that so boldly violates Astros¡¯ law. No, this flame you see before you is not something anyone under the realm of the Primordials can hope to replicate. This flame you see is a relic, a relic of an age before you were even born. Before the first of your lineage was even born. It is the relic of a battle, a most legendary battle, the likes of which has not been witnessed since.¡± The being paused for a moment, fixing his gaze on the chained man before him. ¡°Tell me, are you familiar with the saga of the Sword Deity?¡±


    The Insect Monarch thought for a second. ¡°Only the end,¡± he said finally. ¡°Everything I could find on the Sword Deity merely referred to him as the most prodigious warrior to ever live, but frustratingly few actually detailed accounts of his life. In all my travels, I¡¯ve only been able to piece together the story of his final battle.¡±


    The being nodded. ¡°It is a shame, but time is blind and merciless to the legacies of men; it does not spare even the greatest of them. Little is known of the man today, but I had the privilege to enlist in his personal army. I was but a humble Emperor then, ranked as no more than a mere foot soldier. Still, I was able to witness the final battle of the great Deity. I was present on that day, fighting on those plains. It was¡­¡± the being¡¯s voice twisted wistfully, his eyes fully reverent as he recalled the great day. ¡°It was nothing short of beautiful, the battle that concluded that day. But that is a story for another day. What is relevant is the blow that ended the Sword Deity¡¯s struggle. The Sword Saint gave it his all, gave everything he had in that last battle, but in the end, all it took was a mere swing of a Chaos Flame blade, and it was over for him. One single blow, and he was gone, reduced to dust. All that was left of his legacy was the ruined planet on which he fought.¡±


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    The being paused for a moment, shifting his gaze back to the flame in his hands. ¡°Do you know what Chaos Flame does, that makes it so dangerous? That makes it such a blasphemy to the universe?¡±


    ¡°The records say it attacks the soul of a mage,¡± the Insect Monarch replied. ¡°They say it rips the soul to shreds in the most painful way imaginable, reduces it to nothing but ashes.¡±


    ¡°It does destroy the soul,¡± the being said, ¡°but that is only a fraction of what it really does. It erases, erases from existence. Whatever it burns simply ceases to be. It doesn¡¯t obliterate, it doesn¡¯t destroy. No, it erases from the very fabric of reality itself. You see? It destroys the very essence of the universe; it destroys space and time, it destroys energy, it destroys matter, in a way that should not be possible. It damages Astros itself.¡±


    The being paused again, letting the full weight of his words settle. ¡°The Legends ¨C the most ancient of writings ever found ¨C say that Astros created the universe in balance. ¡®All that is is all that was and all that will be,¡¯ they say. We as beings of this universe are embedded into its very fabric; we exist within it, and we are not allowed to leave, for what could possibly exist beyond existence? And as such, the volume of everything within is constant ¨C it permutates, changes, of course ¨C but ultimately nothing is truly destroyed.


    When you burn a leaf, you have not destroyed the matter of that leaf. You have changed it, mutated it, broken it down into its parts, but you have not destroyed it. When you kill a man, you do not erase him from existence. His body returns to the physical universe, to nourish it and eventually be recycled into another life. And his soul returns to the metaphysical universe, to nourish the energy of the universe and maybe, eventually, be recycled into another soul. ¡±


    The being paused there again for a second. ¡°But Chaos Flame¡­Chaos Flame is different. Chaos Flame violates that sacred rule. It ruins the balance of the universe, for when it destroys, it truly destroys. It expunges from the very universe, from existence itself. That is what makes it such a blasphemy to Astros; that is why it should not exist, why it should not be possible for it to exist. That is why Death had to be put down by Astros itself, for Death was rotting the universe with its flames. That is why the Primordial Deity who killed the Sword Deity has not come out of seclusion since that day, for Astros holds a personal grudge against users of this flame, and the Primordial Deity is not yet strong enough to face the full wrath of Astros the way Death had.¡±


    The being looked to the Monarch again then, staring into his eyes with the strangest, twisted glint in his eye. ¡°Now then, tell me, Monarch. Do you wish to break free of existence?¡±


    The Insect Monarch didn¡¯t pause for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Whatever you need, whatever you want. If I can do it, I¡¯ll do it. Just keep that away from me.¡±


    The being was silent for a moment, an almost disappointed look in his eye. ¡°Very well,¡± he sighed at last. ¡°The Frost Blade. The Lost Key of the 80th floor¡¯s command gate. I hear you know of its location.¡±


    The Insect Monarch shook his head. ¡°I came across some hints on my travels. I never made finding it a high priority, though, because the most I could do with it if I did find it was present it to someone else for a favor. But from what I did find, I am reasonably confident that it should be on either of two planets: Adonis, or Argonis. But beyond that, I have no idea.¡±


    The being frowned in thought. ¡°Adonis makes sense, given its history and the mages who run it, but Argonis? I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve ever even heard of it.¡±


    The Monarch smiled. ¡°Argonis is a small wild planet neighbouring Adonis. The only reason I say it could be either is because the manuscript I found the name in was too faded for me to tell which one it was specifically. And because the two are so close, they both fell into the bounds of any coordinates I could find as well. But given the difference in the two planets, I¡¯d say it is far more likely to be on Adonis.¡±


    The being was silent again, his face pensive. If the thing truly were on Adonis, it would be quite a headache for him to get. There was little chance the rulers of the planet wouldn¡¯t have found the blade, given the aura it had. And there were only two ways he could get it from them: fight them, or trade it for what would surely be extensive favors. Both options were unappealing to him.


    If he were to fight them, he would surely come out on top, but it would be at a sizable cost. And he couldn¡¯t squander his troops now; he¡¯d need his strength to face whatever lay on the other side of the command gate.


    But the very idea of trading favors for the Council grated on him. His pride would not allow him to do so. Those conceited old bags would hold that favor up like a badge of honor, and every time they spoke of it, it would be a stain on his pride. And he would not have that.


    With a heavy sigh, the being put the matter aside for the moment and made to leave the room, taking the candle with him. Then, just before he left, he glanced over his shoulder at the Insect Monarch once again. ¡°A man will come by to mark your Core, and relay my first instructions. Serve me well, and you will ascend and find the strength you so desperately seek.¡±


    With that promise hanging in the air, the being took another step and vanished from the room, leaving the chained man alone in the dark cave.

 Chapter 75 – The Village

    Ren and I turned our heads away from the village and shared a look, both of us finding no help in the eyes of the other, before turning back to the village in silence.


    ¡°Should¡­we go meet them?¡± I asked finally as we watched the people of the village move around. We were still in the early hours of the morning, but it seemed business was in full swing already. The men and women of the village all walked about with purpose, not a single one of them lazing about. Each seemed to have a job to do, and they went about them with more efficiency than I expected from villagers.


    In fact, the longer I studied the place, the more strangely un-village-like things I began to notice. And Ren seemed to notice the same.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he answered. ¡°Something about the place doesn¡¯t seem right. I feel like there¡¯s more to it than we think right now.¡±


    I nodded in agreement. He¡¯d put in words my gut feeling exactly. I studied them in silence for a moment longer, before the thing that didn¡¯t quite seem right finally clicked. ¡°They¡¯re too disciplined,¡± I exclaimed as the epiphany hit me.


    Ren nodded from beside me. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it. It¡¯s way too quiet for a village, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. And there are no street vendors, or kids. Actually, now that I focus on the people a little more, they seem too strong to be simple villagers. I can¡¯t see a single person who looks like they can¡¯t fight, and they¡¯re all armed, too.¡± The village was nestled in a cleared valley, so our vantage point gave me a good view of the entire thing. Granted, it wasn¡¯t a very large village, but it was still big enough to house at least a hundred people. So, I was pretty confident in my judgment that there wasn¡¯t a single person in the place who would be a liability in a fight.


    ¡°I mean, I guess that makes sense,¡± Ren said. ¡°They are in a monster-infested forest, after all. I imagine it would be hard for people who couldn¡¯t fight to survive in a place like this. Their walls don¡¯t seem secure enough for any of them to avoid having to fight if they were attacked.¡±


    I nodded, agreeing with his assessment, before a thought suddenly hit me. ¡°By the way, how can you see the village? I thought your range was like three-ish meters.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about three meters in a fight, yeah. But that¡¯s only because I need to focus on the most minute changes in my Sense,¡± Ren explained. ¡°The less detail I need to see something with, the further I can see. I¡¯ve never really tested it, but I think about fifty meters is my max, but things are super blurry at that distance.¡±


    ¡°Wow. That¡¯s¡­¡± I trailed off there, unsure of what to say. I wanted to say that it was incredibly impressive, but I didn¡¯t think that was a good idea. It was impressive from my perspective, but considering both the reason why Ren had to develop the Sense to the level he had, and the fact that it was still far inferior to actual sight made me think Ren wouldn¡¯t see it the way I did.


    Ren smiled at my reaction, a sad look on his face. ¡°I miss color,¡± he said simply. ¡°But what I have works for my purposes, so it¡¯s not all bad.¡±


    I stayed silent at that, once again unsure of how to respond. The fact that he¡¯d said he missed color implied a lot, and I wanted to ask about it, but I didn¡¯t want to push too far. And since the many years of having no friends in Toronto had left me with no idea how to comfort people, I resorted to the only method I knew: changing the subject.


    ¡°So, should we go meet them, or do we go around and forget about them?¡± I asked.


    Ren smiled at me, no doubt catching the obvious attempt, but mercifully did not bring attention to it. ¡°I dunno,¡± he answered with a shrug. ¡°You¡¯re the boss.¡±


    I groaned. ¡°Oh, come on.¡±


    Ren chuckled. ¡°Ok, ok.¡± He thought about my question for a second longer before answering. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s a chance that they could turn out hostile and that they are too powerful for us, and they either kill or capture us. That¡¯s about the worst-case scenario I can imagine. On the other hand, if we can figure out a way to communicate with them, they could help us get our bearings here and maybe make it to proper civilization. That¡¯s probably the best-case scenario.¡±


    I considered his words. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense to me. And if they are hostile, it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that they¡¯ll be able to kill us. I¡¯m confident enough in our ability to escape if we need to, or at least bring quite a few of them down with us before we die. I mean, if they were strong enough to kill us on the spot, they would¡¯ve noticed us by now, right?¡±


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    Ren nodded. ¡°Makes sense. But what about communication? Without that translation rune or whatever from the ship, there¡¯s no way we¡¯ll be able to understand them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point, but I say we deal with that when we get to it. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to work something out.¡±


    Ren laughed. ¡°Fair enough. Sounds good to me.¡±


    I let out a breath. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go make some friends, shall we?¡±


    The village had its main entrance at the point furthest from us, which meant that we had to circle the entire thing to get there. We could have just broken through the wall, as Ren astutely pointed out, but I figured that wouldn¡¯t make the greatest first impression on the people.


    As we made our way around the circular palisade, I couldn¡¯t help but think that the wall was a little too makeshift for a village in the middle of such dangerous territory. It looked like they¡¯d set the thing up only recently, and only spent a day or two on building it, max.


    Eventually, we made it around to the front entrance, which looked exactly like the rest of the wall except that the logs were a little taller. The path leading up to it was cleared out, probably artificially, and Ren and I had only stepped on it for a few moments when the people on watch spotted us.


    Immediately, three men jumped up onto the tips of the logs that made up the door, their bows nocked and drawn, ready to be unleashed upon us. Ren and I had anticipated something like this, though, and reacted by calmly raising our open palms in what we hoped was the universal sign for ¡®we mean you no harm.¡¯


    The watchmen, understandably, had no clue what to do with us. After all, they were likely on guard for the monsters that would surely attack, not two barely adult humans with tattered clothing.


    The clothing that the Grand Order people had given us was all that we¡¯d had, and they¡¯d taken quite the beating over the past few months. Mercifully, staying clean wasn¡¯t too difficult as there were streams and rivers aplenty scattered throughout the forest, but there was little we could do about the rips and tears that accumulated over the countless fights we¡¯d been through.


    After studying us for a moment, and taking in our apparent lack of weapons ¨C aside from the steel pole tied to my back ¨C the men finally decided that we didn¡¯t pose an immediate threat and shouted down to us.


    ¡°*&$#%!¡± the man in the middle yelled what sounded to us like literal gibberish. Much less a word, I could hardly recognize a sound the man made, which made it more than clear that the language wasn¡¯t like any Earthen language I¡¯d ever heard of. Earthen languages differed wildly, but for the most part, they were still built on the same sounds.


    ¡°#$%# %^$#!¡± the man shouted again at our confused faces.


    ¡°We don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying!¡± I yelled back at the man, making sure to keep my voice and pose as non-confrontational as possible.


    There was a beat of confusion as the guards looked at each other, clearly going through the same shock we¡¯d just been through. Eventually, the one to the right tried his luck with it.


    ¡°#$%!! %^&^%$# #$%%$# #$#!¡± he shouted down. Again, his words sounded like nothing more than a jumble of alien noises.


    I looked to Ren then, but I knew better than to expect help. And unsurprisingly, Ren seemed to be enjoying the scene far more than any of the other parties involved. He responded to my look with nothing more than a cheeky I-told-you-so face.


    With no help from his corner, I turned back to the men and opted for the mime route, since language was clearly getting us nowhere. However, a second after I pointed at them and followed up by spinning my index in a circle beside my head in the universal mime for ¡®crazy,¡¯ I realized that telling them that they were crazy was perhaps not the most constructive way to say ¡®I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying.¡¯


    The men, somehow understanding the gestures, were insulted. Or at least, the one on the left was, as he responded by jabbing his gloved finger in our direction before miming the same ¡®crazy¡¯ motion. The other two simply laughed, which I took to be a good sign. It was clear to both sides by that point that we wouldn¡¯t be able to understand each other anytime soon, so the one in the middle said a few words to the man on the right before jumping back down behind the wall. The man on the left went with him, so Ren and I were left staring at the single man remaining on the wall in awkward silence.


    I had no idea where the other men had gone, but I hoped that they hadn¡¯t just decided to ignore us. The guard who stayed behind to watch us hadn¡¯t raised his bow again, which I took to be a sign that they weren¡¯t completely hostile.


    Turning to Ren, I gave him a little smug smile. ¡°Well, looks like that went well.¡±


    Ren raised an eyebrow. ¡°For all we know, they could have just decided to ignore the crazies on the other side of the wall and hope we leave.¡±


    ¡°Just can¡¯t admit that I¡¯m a genius, can you?¡± I responded. He had a fair point, but I chose to ignore that possibility.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how smug you are when we¡¯ve been waiting outside for a whole day-¡± Ren began, but the groaning of the left door as it shifted and opened up cut him off. The sight sent unimaginable satisfaction running through my veins, and I turned to give Ren the most smug smile I could possibly muster up.


    Ren, for once, had no response, giving me a conceding smile and a shrug that made my win all the more sweet.

 Chapter 76 – Learning the Language

    The palisade door swung open slowly, revealing an entire party of a welcoming group. It was an intimidating troupe of about fifteen men and women, including the guards from before. Each of them was armed, with weapons ranging from bows to longswords to battleaxes.


    There were five among them that immediately caught my eye. I was quite proud of my eye for strength ¨C the product of years of experience ¨C and I immediately clocked the five as exceptional.


    There was the tall, built woman wielding a massive battleax with a blade larger than my head, and beside her the gallant man dressed in a full body of armor save the helmet, showing off his flowing blond hair. He also wielded a massive broadsword that he¡¯d stabbed into the ground and was leaning on.


    Opposite that pair stood another eye-catching duo. The first of them was an absolute hulk of a man, easily the largest of the people gathered. He was draped in brown robes reminiscent of what I imagined a tribal priest would wear. The man¡¯s eyes were closed in a way similar to Ren and his face was brightened by a kindly smile. He wore around his neck a necklace of six massive pearls, each one the size of my fist. But on his neck, they seemed like pebbles.


    Standing beside the man was a much smaller woman, probably a few inches shorter than me. She was also dressed in flowing robes, though they were less priestly and more fashionable in design and color. In her hands, she loosely held a straight wand, which I would have assumed to be a toy if I were still on Earth. Here, it was in my best interests to assume that thing was as dangerous as any weapon.


    Lastly, there was the boy in the middle, who seemed to be about my age. He was dressed in simple and unassuming red leather armor, and he held in his hands a simple wooden bow. He had the tanned skin you would expect of a person living in such a sun-rich environment, and straight dark brown hair that was parted in the middle and fell just past his eyes.


    All in all, he was the most unassuming and unremarkable of the bunch, except for the fact that he seemed to be the leader of the group. At least, that was the impression I got, judging by the way everyone else had positioned themselves to his sides.


    Both parties studied each other in a long moment of tense silence. I wasn¡¯t even sure where the tension was coming from, but I could feel it steadily rising as the silence stretched on. The other side hadn¡¯t seemed hostile at first, but they seemed to grow more and more ready to fight as the seconds ticked by.


    In response, I also began to subtly ready myself for a fight, my hand inching towards the pole strapped to my back. Ren also shifted into a position I¡¯d come to recognize as his ¡®seconds away from slitting something¡¯s throat¡¯ pose.


    Although I was confident in our abilities, I was hoping that things wouldn¡¯t come to a fight. The ten or so people behind the five looked like they could be dealt with pretty easily, but the five people themselves seemed like dangerous opponents. That was what had drawn my eye to them in the first place.


    I was sure I could take any of them in a one-on-one, but the odds for a five-on-two were stacked quite high against us. And there was the slight problem that was the fact that I had yet to kill a human, and I really wasn¡¯t looking forward to having to do so anytime soon.


    The other party looked surprised that Ren and I were also gearing up for a fight, but that seemed only to make them want to fight even more. Then, just as it seemed like the tension of the clearing was about to boil over, the boy in the middle raised his hand and immediately dispelled it all. In an instant, the four at his side dropped their hostile act, their faces returning to passivity ¨C although the battle ax woman kept her eyes trained on mine with a battlelust I all too happily returned.


    The boy in the middle walked forward then, stepping into the middle of the clearing with his bow held down. ¡°$%#$,¡± he said with a polite smile on his face. ¡°$%##$ $#^#$% #$^^$# ^%#%.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help the smile that tugged at my lips then, as the sight of a seemingly normal person speaking in utter gibberish with a completely straight face was comical. But the strangeness of the scene aside, I decided to let the boy know that he was wasting his time trying to communicate with us. Putting up a hand to stop him, I shook my head and spoke to him. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve got no clue what you¡¯re saying. I don¡¯t speak your language.¡±


    Once again, I watched as confusion rippled through the faces of the man¡¯s party, their reactions shifting from amusement to disbelief to curiosity. But my speech had done its purpose, which was getting the boy to stop speaking to us like we understood what he was saying. Instead, the boy simply stood in front of us for a moment, studying us with the eyes of a child given a new toy.


    An awkward silence settled over the clearing ¨C or at least, awkward for everyone except the boy in front of me. And Ren, for that matter, since he still seemed to be enjoying the spectacle, as if he had no stake in what was happening.


    Finally, after almost two minutes that felt like days of silence, the boy suddenly came to a conclusion. With a face of brightened interest, the boy pointed to me before lifting his finger to the side of his head, tapping the right side of his forehead and asking me something.


    I stared at the boy in confusion, having no idea what he wanted from me. Seeing that, the boy seemed to grow even more interested. He dropped his bow then and raised his hands, before slowly stepping closer to me. I raised an eyebrow in confusion, but I didn¡¯t stop him. At this range, I was more than confident in Ren¡¯s ability to end the boy¡¯s life before he could pull anything.


    But the boy¡¯s intentions seemed to be harmless, albeit more than a little strange. With a gentle touch, he turned my head to the side with his gloved hand and studied the side of my forehead, the same place he¡¯d been tapping a second ago.


    Not finding whatever it was that he was looking for, he turned my head the other way and studied the other side, before backing away and nodding to himself, like a doctor who''d figured out what the problem was.


    Turning back to his people, he issued out a short string of noises that I assumed were commands, as one of the men in the back of his party promptly turned and sprinted back into the village, only to return within the minute. He returned with a brown leather pouch, with a drawstring pulled tight at its opening. The thing was small, probably just big enough to fit my fist inside, but the man handled the unassuming bag with as much care as he would a diamond of the same size.


    He came over quickly and placed it into the waiting hand of the boy before making his way back to the party. The boy, with a muttered word of what I assumed was thanks, opened the bag and placed his hand inside. I looked on in curiosity, wondering what it was that warranted such care from the deliverer.


    And to my surprise, the absolute last thing I could have imagined to be within the bag was what he pulled out. As his fingers retreated from the bag, I saw that he had pulled out an identical bag from inside of it. The sight would have been comical had it not been so utterly strange.


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    But things only proceeded to get stranger, as the boy considered the second bag for a moment before tossing it aside and reaching his hand back into the original bag, pulling out yet another identical bag. Once again, he considered the thing for a second before tossing it to the ground again before repeating the process again. And again.


    I would have been convinced by that point that I had officially gone insane, were it not for the fact that everyone around me ¨C Ren included ¨C was acting like it was the most perfectly normal thing in the world. The others at least made sense ¨C this was their world, after all ¨C but I had no clue how Ren was totally unfazed by the magic trick the boy was pulling right in front of our eyes. But no matter how much I stared at Ren, he ignored me and just stood there, eyes closed and a calm smile on his face.


    Making a note to ask him about it later, I turned back to the boy just as he finally found the bag he was looking for. By then, he¡¯d made a small pile of identical leather bags on the ground that had all originated from the first bag. I didn¡¯t know how he knew which bag was the one he was looking for, since they all looked exactly the same, but at that point, that was very low on my list of mysteries to unravel.


    With his target acquired, the boy dropped the original bag and began to rifle through the new one ¨C which, once again, seemed to have far more space within than should have been physically possible.


    This bag, however, did not have more bags inside of it. What the boy pulled far too much of out of the bag this time were little trinkets of ¨C as best I could tell ¨C technology. Not any kind of technology I¡¯d ever seen, but they were all little bits of metal welded into weird, different shapes, with multicolored wires and lights decorating them in different ways. And, like the bags, they all went down to the floor to create yet another pile of discarded items until, finally, the boy pulled what it was that he was looking for: two little disks.


    They were gray and metal, with a blinking blue light in their centers. And they were incredibly small, about the size and shape of a contact lens. And they looked about as delicate, too.


    The boy handed the little disks over to me and Ren, speaking to us while gesturing to the side of his head.


    Ren and I looked to each other, before looking down at the disk in our hands, before looking back at each other. I could read Ren¡¯s face pretty easily, and I knew he was saying that he¡¯d go with whatever I did. So, the decision to trust the boy or not was entirely up to me.


    I looked at the face of the boy again, searching his happy face for any signs of treachery or malice. But I found none, and I wasn¡¯t getting any gut feelings against him, either, so I eventually decided to go with it. Life was all about taking risks, after all.


    With my decision made, I slowly lifted it to the side of my head. The boy, delighted that I was trusting him, mimed touching the disk to his head, prompting me to do the same.


    Bringing the thing up, I touched the cool gray surface of the disk to the right side of my forehead. The instant I did, a sharp pain shot through my brain, like a bolt of lightning running from where the disk was to the other side. The sudden and intense pain wrenched out a surprised yelp from me as I fell to the ground, my vision darkening as sleep threatened to claim me.


    In the haze of disorientation and pain, I felt a slight gust of wind as someone moved suddenly at my side, followed by a few shouts of alarm. I knew immediately what had happened, and I knew that losing consciousness then would be terrible for everyone involved, so I fought off the heavy blanket that was settling over me and forced my eyes open.


    I found, as the light of the world flooded back in, Ren standing right next to the boy, the silver length of his dagger pressed against the tan skin of the boy¡¯s neck. The blade had drawn blood, but thankfully, not enough for it to be fatal. Behind the pair, the boy¡¯s entourage was up in arms, each of them practically brimming with the desire to jump forward. Yet, somehow, they managed to restrain themselves, leaving the clearing at yet another standstill. But this time, we decidedly had the upper hand.


    The boy, to his credit, had not a shred of fear in his eyes, despite the fact that his life was a simple push away from ending. He stood tall, his face calm and his palms raised.


    ¡°#$*lm d#w% p%$#s#,¡± the boy said, his words beginning to sound strangely normal. ¡°I pro%#$# it¡¯s ^#$ th# bet%$#. The ch#p do#$ no harm.¡±


    ¡°Ren, it¡¯s fine,¡± I called out from where I sat. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I think.¡±


    Both Ren and the boy looked over to me, and I could tell that they both understood me. Which confirmed my suspicions.


    Seeing that I was more or less fine, Ren quickly backed off, letting the boy breathe normally again. With a quick movement, Ren¡¯s dagger disappeared from sight once again, vanishing into whatever hidden sheath Ren kept it in.


    Turning to the boy, I tried addressing him again. ¡°Can you understand me now?¡± I asked.


    The boy nodded. ¡°Mostly. I don¡¯t think the ch#$ has fully sync&$%ornized with you yet, but I can under%$and you enough.¡±


    ¡°That chip, what is it?¡± I asked, noting with some small amusement that Ren seemed utterly confused at what was happening now.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Nexus Chip,¡± the boy said and stopped, as if that explained everything I needed to know.


    ¡°Annnd?¡± I prompted.


    The boy looked confused. ¡°You don¡¯t know what a Nexus Chip is?¡± he asked. I would have been annoyed at the question, but it seemed to be coming from a place of genuine surprise. As if he couldn¡¯t believe that someone would not know of a Nexus Chip.


    ¡°Nope,¡± I responded. ¡°Never heard of it.¡±


    The boy narrowed his eyes then, as if trying to see if I was messing with him. Under his scrutiny, all I could offer him was a shrug.


    ¡°Where are you from?¡± the boy asked finally. ¡°And on that point, where are you com%ng from anyway?¡±


    I paused for a moment, not sure if I should divulge the information without consulting Ren. ¡°Before I answer that, these ¡®Nexus Chips,¡¯ are they perfectly safe?¡± Admittedly, the person who gave it to me probably wasn''t the best person to ask, but it was the best option I had.


    The boy nodded at my question. ¡°Practically every sentient being in the universe has one, so I¡¯d hope so.¡±


    As best as I could tell, the boy didn¡¯t seem to be lying, so I turned to Ren and gestured to the disk in his hands. ¡°Put that on, Ren. It should be fine.¡±


    Ren considered my words for a moment, before shrugging and placing the disk against his head, like I had. And exactly like I had, he doubled over in pain ¨C though, unlike me, he didn¡¯t let out a sound ¨C clutching his head as he did. As he did, I pushed myself up to my feet and walked over to the boy, extending my hand for a handshake. ¡°I¡¯m Ruby, by the way. Ruby Redthorn. Who¡¯re you?¡±


    The boy smiled at my introduction, taking my hand in a firm shake. ¡°Formally, I am Najam von Shay, of the Bow Hawk Saint¡¯s lineage. But please, call me Najam.¡±


    ¡°Well, Najam, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. Apologies for my friend trying to kill you there. We¡¯re both very on edge, as I¡¯m sure you can imagine. And having to spend months in a monster-infested forest hasn¡¯t helped either.¡±


    The boy waved my apology away. ¡°Of course, I understand. I would have warned you of the pain if I could have. And I must say, that was an impressive show of speed there. I was sure when I approached that I would be able to safely retreat if I needed to, but I see now how wrong I was.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I just had the element of surprise on my side,¡± Ren¡¯s voice came from behind me. ¡°I doubt I would¡¯ve gotten you otherwise.¡±


    Najam shrugged. ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯m not confident enough in those odds to bet my life on it. But that¡¯s enough of that. Now that we can speak properly, allow me to fulfill my responsibility as a host and invite you to our humble camp. I am quite curious about you two, I must say. And I¡¯m sure you have plenty of questions as well. I¡¯d be more than happy to answer anything I am able to.¡±


    I smiled at his invitation. For someone living in the middle of a jungle, surrounded by a bunch of rough, warrior-looking people, the boy had the manners of a Victorian noble. ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 77 – Dungeons

    ¡°So,¡± Najam began, having sat us down in the largest building in the camp: the inn. Which I felt spoke to something about the kind of people they were, but I wisely kept that thought to myself. ¡°About my earlier question. Who are you?¡±


    I smiled at the direct question. Ren had wordlessly given me full discretion over our answers, and I''d decided to hold nothing back. ¡°As I¡¯ve said, I am Ruby, and this is my friend, Ren. We come from Earth.¡±


    Najam and his company looked confused at that. ¡°Say that last part again?¡± Najam asked.


    ¡°We come from Earth,¡± I repeated.


    Once again, no one present aside from Ren seemed to understand what I was saying. ¡°Huh. It seems our language does not have a word that translates that name,¡± Najam concluded. ¡°Strange.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. ¡°Ah, that makes sense. I doubt Earth is a name you¡¯ve ever heard before.¡±


    ¡°Where is it?¡± Najam asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never taken much of an interest in geology, but I believe I would have at least heard of anything this far into the Border Forest. Are you perhaps from a continent past the beach?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I think you misunderstand,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°We aren¡¯t from this planet at all.¡±


    That information seemed to catch their attention. Najam¡¯s people, who sat scattered around us on various tables and chairs, all leaned forward in interest then. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t think I follow," Najam said. "Where are you from, then?¡±


    I took in a breath, collecting my thoughts. ¡°Well, everything I know is gathered from what the Grand Order people told us, and I have to say, a lot of what they did tell me kinda went over my head. But I¡¯ll tell you exactly what they told me.¡±


    The words ¡®Grand Order,¡¯ seemed to register with the people, which I took to be good news. ¡°The planet that we¡¯re from, Earth, from what I understand, was separated from the rest of the universe by something called¡­the something Seal, I think?¡± I turned to Ren, who filled in for me.


    ¡°The Planet Seal, I believe it was called,¡± he said.


    I snapped my fingers in recognition. ¡°Yup, that¡¯s it. The Planet Seal. That¡¯s what she called it. Not that we have any idea what that is. Speaking of which, do you?¡±


    Najam nodded, a clear fire of intrigue burning in his eye. ¡°You¡¯re from the other side of the Planet Seal? That¡¯s amazing. I never thought a universal wonder like that would be revealed in my lifetime. I heard that the rune work on the Seal was so powerful that it even cut off the Flux of the universe. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, I think? I mean, all I know is that Flux only reached Earth about a hundred years ago. But I wasn¡¯t alive at the time, I don¡¯t really know what it was like before Flux. Also, you still haven¡¯t explained what the Planet Seal is.¡±


    ¡°Ah, my apologies. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s odd having to explain such a thing, you know. The Planet Seal is one of the universe¡¯s most famous mysteries. It¡¯s been around far longer than even most Immortals, and no one really knows what its purpose is ¨C or was, I suppose. All we could tell was that it was made by an incredibly advanced group of people, as its rune work was far, far beyond what even the best research mages of today are capable of. There have been many theories of what lay on the other side, but no one could really provide any proof. Honestly, it is an honor to be able to speak to people on the other side.¡±


    Ren and I were silent for a moment, digesting the interesting knowledge. ¡°I guess that explains why the universe seemed almost impossibly empty from our side,¡± Ren remarked eventually. ¡°Turns out we were just in jail.¡±


    ¡°Impossibly empty?¡± Najam echoed in confusion.


    ¡°Well, given how massive the universe that we could see was, it just seemed statistically unlikely that Earth was the only planet to develop life. But as far as we could tell, that was the case,¡± Ren explained.


    Understanding lit up Najam¡¯s face. ¡°Ah, I see. That¡¯s fascinating. So tell me, how did the Planet Seal fall apart?¡±


    I shrugged at the question. ¡°We have no idea. That¡¯s all beyond anything we know. All we know is¡­¡± I went on, detailing everything that Ren and I had learned about the situation ¨C which, admittedly, was a very small amount ¨C before going over the sequence of events that led to us ending up on Argonis. The story seemed to enrapture the men and women gathered, and I could feel the tense environment begin to fade away as I regaled them with our tale. More than a few of the warriors even grabbed their own drinks as they began to relax.


    ¡°...and that¡¯s pretty much how we spent the past three months before we ran into this little village,¡± I concluded, bringing my story to a close.


    ¡°I must say, that is a splendid story,¡± Najam said, leaning back in his chair, a wide smile splitting his face. ¡°You¡¯ve had quite the adventure getting here, huh?¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Not to mention impressive,¡± the golden-haired man finally spoke, a grin curling his lips. ¡°I have to commend your survivability. The fact that the both of you are still alive and well after everything is amazing.¡±


    I flushed a little at the praise. ¡°I mean, there was a healthy dose of luck involved, so we can¡¯t take all the credit for it.¡±


    The big man waved away my point. ¡°Luck only sets the stage. It¡¯s up to the individual to act with strength and tenacity.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I just realized,¡± Najam cut in then. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve introduced my men to the both of you, have I? Where are my manners,¡± he said, almost as if chastising himself. Getting up from his seat, the boy went around and quickly introduced his people.


    ¡°This here is Gyda,¡± Najam said, beginning with the tall woman with the battle ax. ¡°She¡¯s our resident berserker, a Battle Mage whose main job is, as you can imagine, to rush into the enemy line with her massive ax swinging.¡± As he spoke, Gyda flashed us a great big grin ¨C the exact grin I imagined she would sport as she decimated her enemies.


    ¡°Nice ta meetcha,¡± the woman said, putting her hand out and gripping mine and Ren¡¯s hands with a firm shake.


    Moving on to the golden-haired man beside her, Najam spoke again. ¡°This is Lionel, our Paladin/Guardian ¨C he hasn¡¯t decided yet. Whatever he chooses will change his job a little, but essentially, he¡¯s in charge of tanking and a little healing.¡±


    The man, following Gyda¡¯s lead, also stuck out his hand, giving us a charming grin as we shook hands. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure,¡± the man said.


    ¡°Likewise,¡± I responded, matching the man¡¯s grin as best I could.


    ¡°This here is Galas,¡± Najam continued, gesturing to the biggest of the men gathered. I realized then that I¡¯d missed a strange feature of the man in my initial inspection of him. The man¡¯s earlobes were long, far longer than any human¡¯s should be. They fell almost to his shoulders, but despite their strangeness, it looked oddly right for his style.


    ¡°He¡¯s our Shaman, which means he can communicate with and tame spirits and spirit beasts, although I doubt you know what those are at the moment. Essentially, his job is mainly to heal, but he can also summon apparitions of animals to assist with offense.¡±


    The giant man nodded to us, his wide, kind smile and closed eyes giving him a gentle look.


    ¡°And last, but not least,¡± Najam said, moving on to the short woman with a wand, ¡°we have Tara, our rune specialist.¡± Najam looked at the girl then, a teasing smile on his face. ¡°Don''t let her tiny figure fool you,¡± he said, making the girl bristle, ¡°she¡¯s by far the oldest person here.¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t forget,¡± Tara added, her words dripping with irritation, ¡°also the most destructive of you lot.¡±


    Najam chuckled nervously in response. ¡°Of course, of course, I would never forget,¡± he responded, before turning back to us. ¡°Tara here is responsible for the damage output of our group, thanks to her wide arsenal of destructive Artes.¡±


    I put up my hand then, catching Najam¡¯s attention. ¡°I¡¯ve got questions,¡± I said.


    Najam smiled. ¡°Shoot,¡± he responded.


    ¡°Ok, first. These roles that everyone has, what¡¯s up with that? Are you guys soldiers or something, and if so, who or what are you guys fighting? And, more generally, what are you guys doing living here in the middle of the forest?¡± I fired off, making my way through the list that had been building up in my head.


    ¡°Ah, I see I forgot to explain what we are to you. My apologies,¡± Najam said. ¡°To begin with, we don¡¯t actually live here. This little camp was set up as a temporary base for our exploration team. We, here,¡± Najam gestured to all the people gathered, ¡°are adventurers. Which means we work for the Adventurers Guild. Our jobs include a massive range of things, enough that I couldn¡¯t possibly go over all of them with you today, but at the most basic level, we essentially fight stuff. Usually beasts, and usually in dungeons, but that¡¯s not a hard-and-fast rule.¡±


    ¡°Dungeons?¡± I asked.


    Najam nodded. ¡°Yeah, dungeons.¡±


    I waited a beat, but it was clear Najam wasn¡¯t going to explain beyond that, so I prompted him again. ¡°And what are these ¡®dungeons¡¯ you speak of?¡±


    Confusion colored Najam¡¯s face again. ¡°Did your home planet not have dungeons?¡± he asked.


    I shook my head. ¡°I mean, we had man-made prison dungeons and stuff, but something tells me that''s not what we¡¯re talking about here.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Well, that¡¯s interesting. But, ultimately, beyond my pay grade. Anyway, dungeons. They are¡­¡± Najam trailed off there, trying to find the words. ¡°Well, they¡¯re a little hard to explain if you¡¯ve never seen them before. The magical theory behind them is very complex, but most people don¡¯t care for that. Essentially, all you need to know about them is that they randomly spawn little portals anywhere in the world. And those portals take you into these strange new dimensions that are rich with powerful monsters and incredibly valuable resources. As such, adventurers make teams and go into these dungeons, kill all the monsters, and plunder all the resources. And the most valuable of all those resources are the Dungeon Cores. And once those are destroyed or otherwise removed from their spots, the dimension will simply fold in on itself and be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°And so long as the Core isn¡¯t removed,¡± added Tara, ¡°the dungeon will repeatedly form the monsters within over and over again, using the ambient Flux of the surroundings to do so.¡±


    Najam nodded in agreement. ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why adventurers are needed to go in and clear these dungeons. Dungeons have specific capacities to them, and if one is left alone for too long, it¡¯ll make more monsters than it can handle, and end up spewing them out of the portal. As you can imagine, that can be a problem for a number of reasons.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you guys are here?¡± Ren asked.


    Najam nodded. ¡°Kinda. We are an exploration team ¨C about a hundred and fifty adventurers strong ¨C with the mission to investigate and document the surrounding dungeons, and wildlife, too. Ideally, we want to get an accurate report of every dungeon nearby, with their strength levels, types, and other details that the Adventurer''s Guild can add to their database. And, even more ideally, we''re hoping to find some kind of untapped resource vein, since we''re so far from most human activity.¡±

 Chapter 78 – Karmore

    ¡°Fascinating,¡± I said as Najam wrapped up his explanation of dungeons. ¡°Sounds fun.¡±


    Najam chuckled a little. ¡°I suppose, depending on what you enjoy. But they are equally dangerous; the monsters within them are quite powerful, and relentless.¡±


    ¡°All the better,¡± I answered, giving the boy a grin. ¡°But, that¡¯s for later. Moving on,¡± I continued, ¡°what are these runes and Artes everybody keeps talking about?¡± I asked, finally asking one of the oldest questions I¡¯d had about the universe. ¡°The Grand Order people never really explained.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have some cursory knowledge of what exactly they are,¡± Najam answered, ¡°but I believe Tara would be the best person to ask.¡±


    Tara nodded sagely. ¡°About time you stopped pretending like you had all the answers, boy,¡± she said to Najam, before turning to us with a glimmer in her eye. ¡°Now then, as for what Artes and runes are¡­I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t really know.¡±


    A pin-drop silence followed. Najam¡¯s people seemed just as surprised as Ren and I, if not more so. The embarrassment on Najam¡¯s face was almost comical, but mercifully, Tara didn¡¯t let the silence persist for too long. With a mischievous cackle, she threw her head back and laughed hard at the reactions of her people.


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding,¡± she said finally, as her laughter subsided. ¡°Well, not entirely. I know enough to sate your curiosity,¡± she said to us, her eyes still smiling, ¡°but if anyone ever claims to fully understand the essence of what Artes and runes are, they are lying to you.¡±


    With that warning made, Tara planted herself atop a table and began her lecture in earnest. ¡°Now, at their most basic level, Artes are ways of interacting with and manipulating the ambient Flux of the universe. There exists a set of symbols that have the power to control that Flux ¨C researchers and historians debate the origins of the language, but the most prevalent theory is that it is the ancient Draconic tongue. But their origins aren¡¯t relevant to most. What is important is what they can do. Now, you¡¯re aware that Flux can be converted into any element, yes?¡±


    Ren and I nodded, our attention entirely raptured by her speech.


    Tara smiled at our enthusiasm. ¡°Well, most mages¡¯ bodies are limited to one affinity, meaning that they can only convert Flux into one element. But with the language of runes, we can surpass that limitation. Runes, when put together in the correct order, can accomplish almost anything the mind can dream of ¨C even feats beyond simple elemental spells. Artes are simply prewritten sets of runes that accomplish specific tasks. In a way, it¡¯s like any other language. Runes are the letters and words, and Artes are the sentences made up of those runes.¡±


    Ren and I were silent for a moment after she stopped talking, digesting the information she¡¯d shared. ¡°What about translation runes on the Grand Order ships?¡± I asked finally. ¡°I can sorta understand how they work with elemental stuff, but how can Flux be involved in translating one language into another?¡±


    Tara smiled mysteriously. ¡°And that is why I say that no one mage can ever claim to fully understand runes. At least, not one under the realm of the Immortals. Runes are powerful things, far more than you and I could ever understand. Fortunately for us, we don¡¯t need to understand them to use them.¡±


    ¡°And how do we get our hands on these Artes?¡± Ren asked.


    Tara smiled and tapped the side of her head. ¡°Those chips Najam was generous enough to give you? They¡¯ll give you all the information you need.¡±


    Both Ren and I were confused by her answer. ¡°Really? How? And speaking of which, what are those chips anyway?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Those are Nexus Chips,¡± Najam responded, jumping back into the conversation. ¡°Nexus Chips are the lifeline of every mage in the universe, more or less. They are connected to the Nexus Tower at the center of the universe ¨C and, as you can guess, that¡¯s where they get their name. As with everything else, the ¡®why¡¯ and ¡®how¡¯ of them are beyond most people, but the functions they provide are essential to life in this universe. They keep track of one of the universe¡¯s most common currencies: Nexus Coins. These coins are earned in dungeons, and while they can be traded for other goods, their main function is to buy Artes from the Tower itself.¡±


    There was a beat of silence as Najam stopped speaking. It seemed today would be a day of much learning, and the deluge of information already had my brain bursting at the seams.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    But it seemed they weren¡¯t done yet. ¡°Your chips won¡¯t really work right now,¡± Lionel added on, ¡°because you need them to be authenticated by the Adventurers Guild. But once you get that done, you¡¯ll be able to access all of its functions.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll need that,¡± Gyda continued, ¡°if you wanna make a career out of adventuring ¨C which, I¡¯d guess, is what youse is planning on doing.¡±


    Tara nodded then. ¡°As you should. It¡¯d be far too great of a waste of your potential if you two chose anything else. Being able to survive these lands for so long on your own is more than testament to your talent for the career.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± I began, trying to hide the flush of embarrassment on my face, ¡°how far are we from normal civilization? Or at least, how far is the closest Adventurers Guild branch?¡±


    The people gathered seemed a little uncomfortable with that question, which confused me. After a beat of silence, Najam finally answered. ¡°Well, we¡¯re actually quite deep into the wilderness here. In fact, we¡¯re quite literally in uncharted territory at the moment. Part of our mission is to begin mapping out this edge of the forest, since it¡¯s actually never been done before.¡±


    ¡°So¡­how far are we, exactly?¡± I asked.


    Najam shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s about a five month journey walking,¡± he said lightly. ¡°Well, for the two of you, it should be, anyway.¡±


    Ren and I went silent at the new information, our faces dropping in unison.


    Seeing our reaction, Najam smiled weakly. ¡°On the bright side, that means you should be able to make it in time for Karmore¡¯s entrance exam, which should be taking place in about eight months.¡±


    ¡°Karmore?¡± I asked, the confusion on my face mirroring Ren¡¯s.


    Najam nodded. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s where you guys should be headed, in my opinion. It''s an academy renowned across the continent for the quality of the mages it produces. They have different faculties, but they¡¯re mainly geared towards adventurers. They have high standards, though, but I¡¯m sure the two of you will be able to get in.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯ll be a great thing for you if you do,¡± Tara added. ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to imagine how disorienting being dropped into an entirely new universe must be. Going to an academy like that should make the transition less overwhelming for you ¨C help ease you into society.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense,¡± I said. ¡°Karmore, huh? Seems like a solid plan.¡± As I spoke, I tilted my head just slightly in Ren¡¯s direction. Ren, immediately catching the slight movement in the sphere of his Sense, simply smiled and nodded, seemingly to himself, but I understood what he meant.


    ¡°So, do you have a map or something, for us to get there?¡± I asked.


    Najam nodded. ¡°Yeah, of course. Though the path isn¡¯t that difficult.¡± He reconsidered then. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a difficult path in that there aren¡¯t many turns. But the path itself is quite dangerous. No less than what you¡¯ve already been through, though, I suppose.¡±


    Ren piped up then, steering the conversation in a different direction. ¡°Before we make plans to leave,¡± he began, ¡°about these Nexus Chips you gave us. Are they expensive?¡±


    I was surprised at the question, unsure of why Ren would ask.


    Najam seemed conflicted. ¡°Well, Nexus Chips are usually pretty cheap ¨C they are, after all, incredibly abundant.¡±


    Ren gave a knowing smile at that response, as if his suspicions had been confirmed. Turning to Tara, he spoke again. ¡°Now, really, how valuable were the chips he gave us?¡±


    Tara laughed at his question, an approving look in her eye. ¡°An observant one, aren¡¯t you?¡± she said. ¡°Najam wasn¡¯t lying; the average Nexus Chip isn¡¯t very expensive or valuable at all. But that¡¯s only true of their basic versions. The ones Najam gave you are of top quality. They¡¯re the only ones with translation runes inscribed in them, after all.¡±


    ¡°Tara,¡± Najam said in admonishment, seeming simultaneously annoyed and embarrassed that she¡¯d spilled the truth, but Tara simply waved him off.


    ¡°Oh, he basically already knew, Najam,¡± she said to him. ¡°I simply confirmed it for him.¡±


    With a light smile, Ren spoke again. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s right. I would have left it alone, though, but the idea of leaving without acknowledging it didn¡¯t sit right with me. And I imagine Ruby would feel the same way.¡±


    I nodded emphatically. ¡°Of course. And forget just acknowledging it, I won¡¯t leave until I pay you back for it somehow,¡± I declared. I was touched by Najam¡¯s display of genuineness, and I liked to consider myself someone who repaid kindness manyfold.


    Najam shook his head at my words. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s really no big deal. The chips are expensive, sure, but I¡¯ve got plenty of them. I really couldn¡¯t ask you guys to repay me for them.¡±


    I shook my head at his refusal, my eyes adamant. ¡°No, no, I will pay you back. There must be something we can do for you.¡±


    Najam looked like he wanted to refuse me again, but as he met my steeled eyes, he quickly realized I wasn¡¯t about to back down from my position. A conflicted look passed over his features as he contemplated what to do. Eventually, he turned to Tara, who wordlessly nodded to the boy. With her input, Najam seemed finally to arrive at a conclusion.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± he began, somewhat unwillingly, ¡°I suppose there is something you could help us with...¡±

 Chapter 79 – Three Star Dungeon

    ¡°There¡¯s a dungeon that we¡¯ve been having a spot of trouble with,¡± Najam began, and my heart immediately leapt with joy. I wouldn¡¯t have complained if Najam had simply asked menial chores of us, but I¡¯d been hoping beyond hope that he¡¯d ask for something like this.


    ¡°It¡¯s a five to ten-man dungeon, ranked at three stars,¡± Najam continued. ¡°It¡¯s the highest-ranked one around, that we¡¯ve found. We¡¯ve run the dungeon a few times now, with the best of the men we¡¯ve brought, but we¡¯ve never even managed to get past the second stage. If you two are up to it, I¡¯d like for you to help us out with it.¡±


    ¡°Our biggest problem for the dungeon is our damage output,¡± Lionel added. ¡°Usually, Gyda and Tara are enough, but this one is a special one.¡±


    Gyda nodded then. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s absolutely crawling with zergies. No matter how many of them I cut, they keep coming.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Tara said. ¡°Gyda and I are geared towards handling smaller groups of high-strength mobs, not endless hordes of weak little buggers. I¡¯ve only got a few wide-area offensive Artes, and they¡¯re too costly for me to deal with too-large groups.¡±


    ¡°Zergies?¡± I asked, cutting into their complaints.


    Gyda nodded. ¡°They¡¯re these nasty little critters with sharp claws and teeth. Not a lot of muscle, though. Pretty short too. They¡¯re faster than they are strong, but they aren¡¯t much of either, to be honest. A good swing will end ¡®em quick enough, but the problem is they just don¡¯t stop coming atcha.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you think we can help with that, then I am more than happy to. I¡¯d love to see what a dungeon is like,¡± I said.


    Ren nodded from beside me. ¡°Yeah, sounds about good to me, too. Just one quick question. You said you¡¯ve already run the dungeon a few times, right? What does that mean? I was under the impression failing would mean death.¡±


    Najam shook his head. ¡°Were Life Revives not a thing on your planet?¡± he asked in response.


    Ren shook his head. ¡°But we have heard of them, though. The Grand Order people explained a little.¡±


    Najam nodded in understanding. ¡°I see. Well, thanks to Life Revives, so long as a mage¡¯s Core remains untouched, death is not so permanent a fate. You pay for it with the loss in strength, of course, but I think few wouldn¡¯t take the deal. After all, a few day''s worth of blue Core¡¯s should be enough to restore all that was lost ¨C for the average mage, at least.¡±


    Najam paused there, realizing he¡¯d gotten off track, and focused himself back on Ren¡¯s question. ¡°Now, as for the dungeon runs. Essentially, we keep going until we lose enough people that the chances of successfully completing the dungeon are zero, and then we grab the corpses of our people and head back.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s convenient,¡± I said in relief. ¡°So your life isn¡¯t really on the line in these dungeons, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, technically, no,¡± Najam said, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean you should take death lightly. It¡¯s a painful process, for one, much more than normal Revives. Not to mention, it¡¯d still take you days to regain your strength. And if you lose enough strength, even a Life Revive won¡¯t be able to bring you back. After all, the Flux in your Core is what does the heavy lifting of the process, and if there isn¡¯t enough within it, then death really will be the end.¡±


    ¡°How do you know if you have enough?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, usually, the Nexus Chips would indicate that, but that¡¯s obviously not an option for the two of you,¡± Tara answered me. ¡°However, you two both certainly have enough for at least one Life Revive ¨C I can sense that much from your auras alone ¨C and we really could not ask more from the two of you beyond one death.¡±


    Najam nodded fiercely at that. ¡°Yes. One run is all that I ask for, and all that I will permit. I will not have you risk permanent death for the sake of a single dungeon.¡±


    The steel behind Najam¡¯s voice then warmed my chest. His care was apparent, and demonstrably genuine; it was more than clear that he was a truly decent person. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing one run is all we¡¯ll need,¡± I stated confidently, giving the people gathered a grin. ¡°So, when do we head out?¡±


    Najam tilted his head and touched a finger to the side of his head, his eyes staring off into space as if watching someone only he could see. ¡°Hmm. The day is young, so we have plenty of time,¡± he said. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have breakfast first, and then we can run through a few spars with the both of you ¨C I want to get a good sense of your strengths and styles before we head in ¨C and then we can walk you guys through what to expect from the dungeon, and then we can start.¡±


    I gave Najam a look. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re one of them, aren¡¯t you?¡± I grumbled.


    Najam and most of his people seemed utterly confused at my remark, but Ren ¨C and surprisingly, Gyda ¨C both cackled loudly with amusement.


    Unfortunately for me, however, it appeared Najam¡¯s word was more or less law in the camp. So, after a quick breakfast ¨C a supposedly humble affair that Ren and I found heavenly ¨C we all gathered around a sandy clearing near the center of the camp. And all meant, quite literally, all. It seemed the entire camp had gathered around the ten-meter-wide circular ring that would serve as the sparring grounds for us. The news that the strangers from a different planet would be sparring with Najam¡¯s people had made rounds in the camp far more quickly than I had thought possible.


    I would go first, as Najam decided, and my opponent would be Gyda. ¡°I have a hunch your styles will be the most similar,¡± he¡¯d said, ¡°so she¡¯ll make the best match for you.¡±


    And that was how I came to be stood in an open, sandy clearing, under the gazes of many new men and women, facing down Gyda ¨C for the second time today.


    I was nervous as I stepped into the ring, but that tension quickly evaporated as I limbered up, staring down Gyda and her massive ax. The prospect of the upcoming fight quickly drowned out all apprehension at being watched and studied by so many people. Gyda would be a tough opponent, undoubtedly, likely far stronger than I, but I was itching to test myself against her.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Najam began, standing at the side of the ring. ¡°The rules are simple. We have healers present, so most non-lethal wounds should be fine, but no unnecessarily painful hits, got it?¡±


    Gyda and I nodded.


    ¡°The winner will be decided by forfeit, or by Galas stepping in if either of your lives are at risk. And lastly, play fair, ok? We¡¯re all friends here, and I want this to be a respectful fight. I want no bad blood after this.¡±


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    Gyda and I nodded once more, and Najam smiled as he saw the barely concealed impatience in our eyes. ¡°Very well,¡± he said, ¡°if everyone understands, you may begin.¡±


    Immediately, Gyda rushed at me, her ax already poised to launch a wide swipe. Taking in the speed she rushed at me with, I quickly opted for the best route I could think of. Sending Flux down to my legs, I pushed off the ground and ignited the Flux at my feet, sending me high into the air. With practiced ease, I swung myself around in the air and blew downward. The stream of flames that left my lips was concentrated and just wide enough to encompass Gyda, and leagues more powerful than the first time I¡¯d done it.


    But Gyda was no weak goblin, and she immediately dealt with the trick. In the second she had, she brought up her ax and held it above her head, spinning the thing in place fast enough to dispel the stream of flames. By the time I lost my momentum and landed behind Gyda, she was completely unharmed.


    With a swift twirl, Gyda turned around and swung her ax at my back, but I was ready for it. With a flaming hand, I swiped in the air and threw a stream of flames in the shape of the arc my hand traveled. The crescent of flames intercepted Gyda¡¯s strike, but her ax blew through the fire with ease. Still, the dispersed heat was enough for Gyda to reflexively shut her eyes for a mere moment, but a mere moment too long.


    I leaned back enough for Gyda¡¯s slowed swing to slip by just short of me, before leaning back in for a rapid hook and jab combo. The first fist, still inflamed, landed square on her jaw, while the second connected with her gut. Gyda was pushed back a few steps, stumbling, but I immediately knew then that I had been severely underestimating the woman. Her skin had been hard as any stone I¡¯d ever punched in my life, and I could tell that the fire had done little to damage her, either.


    Gyda, for her part, seemed genuinely delighted that I¡¯d managed to land the first hit, and the wild grin she gave me was downright terrifying.


    She took a few measured, slow steps toward me again, while I readied myself to defend against whatever she threw at me. However, quite literally throwing her ax at me was possibly the last thing I imagined, nor did I imagine that anyone could throw a thing as hefty as her ax with the speed that she managed.


    The massive blade spun through the air as it raced towards me, and following it was a speeding Gyda, who ran at me with the eyes of a demon. I immediately realized that she was banking on me dodging the blade, which meant I had to do anything but. However, the alternative was catching a spinning, speeding ax with a blade that could glide through my neck like it was paper. Something only an insane person would attempt.


    And yet, I found myself flooding my body with Flux as my senses all roared to life, bringing the world into focus as my entire brain single-mindedly concentrated on the blade of the ax. Surprise flickered in the eyes of Gyda and the people gathered as they saw that I wasn¡¯t making a move, but I was far too focused to notice.


    I waited and waited, muscles taut and eyes alive, as the blade drew nearer to me. Then, when instinct declared the time to be right, I lunged forward and grasped the handle of the ax, gripping it tight enough to cancel its momentum just before the blade could reach me.


    With a victorious grin, I flipped the handle and swung the blade at the approaching woman, forcing her to duck under it instead. As she did, I brought my other hand in front of her and blasted her with a stream of flames. The brilliant orange doused her entirely, scorching her for a few seconds before she could bring her momentum to heel and retreat.


    As she backed up, shaking off the flames that clung to her leather armor, I gave her a grin and stabbed the massive ax into the ground, letting its weight sink the blade into the sandy dirt. The flames didn¡¯t seem to have done much against her ¨C which was to be expected, considering how tough her skin was ¨C but with her disarmed, the fight had just become far easier for me.


    Or so it should have been, but as the fight carried on, I began to realize just how outclassed I really was. Gyda had just about every possible advantage over me. She was faster, stronger, and had a body tougher than steel. And beyond the physical, she seemed to have a wealth of experience more than I, often reading my moves before I even decided on them. It was as if she¡¯d fought so many people that she knew the exact patterns I¡¯d follow, patterns I didn¡¯t even know I had.


    But, despite her overwhelming advantage, she seemed to let me fight to my heart¡¯s content. She took a more passive role in the fight, letting me attack with absolutely everything I had while only offering light counters of her own.


    An hour after we¡¯d started, my knees finally lost their strength, forcing me to the ground as I panted, sweating hard. On the other side of the ring, Gyda still stood tall, seeming hardly even winded. She gave me a fierce grin as I stared at her, my eyes unwilling to stop despite my body¡¯s adamant refusal to stand back up.


    ¡°Ya done yet, girlie?¡± she asked, to which I would have responded had I not been busy trying to even out my ragged breathing.


    Najam finally stepped in then, calling an end to the match without forcing me to forfeit on my own. ¡°Don¡¯t feel too bad about it, Ruby,¡± Najam said with a smile as he offered me a hand. ¡°Gyda¡¯s a B-Rank adventurer, after all. On the cusp of hitting A-Rank, even.¡±


    Gratefully, I took his hand and forced myself up to my feet, giving Najam a questioning look. ¡°B-Rank?¡± I asked.


    Najam nodded. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t really understand the meaning of the rankings until you have enough experience to reference them against each other, but they¡¯re essentially how we rank the strength of adventurers. The scale goes from F-Rank to S-Rank.¡±


    My eyes widened in surprise. ¡°And Gyda¡¯s only B-Ranked?!¡± I asked incredulously. That seemed far too low for the level of skill that she possessed.


    Gyda looked flattered at my surprise, but she didn¡¯t hesitate to humble herself. ¡°Oh, please, I¡¯m not all that. Some adventurers are strong beyond all reason. The legendary ones ¨C the ones at the higher end of A-Rank and the few in S-Rank ¨C are so powerful they¡¯re considered military assets in any country they go to. They can single-handedly turn the tides of wars.¡± There was a look of reverence on Gyda¡¯s face, and the faces of the rest of the adventurers gathered, as she spoke of those legendary people.


    ¡°I¡¯ve even heard of the existence of higher ranks, too,¡± Lionel piped up. ¡°Apparently, the King¡¯s Guard employs a mage of a rank higher than S.¡±


    Another adventurer nodded then. ¡°I have a cousin whose friend works at one of the super-elite Adventurers Guild branches,¡± he said. ¡°They said that they saw Freya the Fire Witch come in for a mission, and her portfolio read her ranking as SS-Rank!¡± His words were hushed at the end, as if he was sharing top-secret information.


    There was an audible reaction from all the people present ¨C save for Ren and me ¨C as the man revealed his information. Clearly, the news was both shocking and more than welcome.


    ¡°Freya¡¯s an SS-Rank now?¡± one man said. ¡°That¡¯s amazing! That¡¯ll make even the Wruris maniacs think twice before trying us!¡±


    A murmur of assent rippled through the people. ¡°I sure hope so,¡± a woman said. ¡°We can¡¯t handle a war at our doorstep, with the way the imperial family is at the moment.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why I fear,¡± responded another, one of the eldest gathered, ¡°that war is soon to come knocking. Wruris has had its eyes on our lands for many years, and the imperial family, divided as they are at the moment, are entirely unprepared to handle any kind of war. Wruris is well aware of that, and they know that the chance they have right now is better than any they¡¯ve ever had before, and likely will ever get in the future.¡±


    A hush settled over the people as they considered the implications behind the man¡¯s words. But, before anyone could add on, Najam clapped his hands and brought the people''s attention back to him.


    ¡°People, people, half the reason I came out to this uncivilized, uncharted forest was to get away from the headache of politics,¡± Najam said, earning a few chuckles of agreement from the crowd. ¡°We are all well aware of how close we stand to war, both civil and foreign. But at the end of the day, there¡¯s little any of us can do about it, so there¡¯s no point worrying.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not strictly true, now is it, Bow Hawk boy?¡± Tara called out from the crowd with a teasing grin. The people gathered nodded along with her words, seeming to agree.


    Najam flushed a little. ¡°Just because I¡¯m part of his family doesn¡¯t mean I have his influence,¡± he said defensively. ¡°All my name does is give me a way into the politics of the noble houses, but I¡¯ve never cared for that, so there¡¯s no way anyone would listen to me anyway.¡±


    Tara raised an eyebrow at that, clearly about to say something that Najam wouldn¡¯t want her to say. Najam was smart enough to guess that from her face, though, and he didn¡¯t give her a chance to speak again.


    ¡°Alright then, why don¡¯t we move on to the next spar, huh?¡± he said, addressing the crowd like a showman. ¡°Lionel, Ren, could you please step up to the ring?¡±

 Chapter 80 – Assassin

    Ren and Lionel faced each other in silence as the crowd watched on. Both fighters seemed far too relaxed for the occasion, but I supposed that was to be expected. Ren and Lionel both seemed like similar people ¨C the kind that found it difficult to take things seriously.


    Still, when the fight began, it was no less exciting than my own. Ren burst forward the second Najam stepped off the ring, moving with the speed that marked his style. He seemed to have understood that these adventurers ¨C or at least, the four with Najam ¨C were far beyond our capabilities, and knew to hold nothing back.


    Moving like a dark blur, Ren approached his opponent¡¯s tall, armor-clad frame with an unerring focus on his throat, his dagger already unsheathed. Lionel smiled under the threat of Ren¡¯s approach, bringing his greatsword down on the boy as soon as he entered its range.


    The blade was a good meter and a half long, double-edged and a foot wide. Lionel wielded the thing like it weighed nothing, but it was undoubtedly a hefty weapon. And the way that it descended upon the ground was a testament to that; the ground coughed up a cloud of dirt as it was struck by the weapon.


    Fortunately for Ren, his superior reflexes allowed him to sidestep the blade with ease, and as he did, he struck out with his dagger, the tip of the blade racing toward Lionel¡¯s throat like a homing missile.


    But before it could reach its target, Lionel brought the handle of his sword up and knocked Ren¡¯s arm to the side, letting the dagger pass wide of his neck. Following up, Lionel swung his blade at Ren¡¯s side, but Ren, in the fraction of a second that he had, ducked under the blade and then shot back up, driving his knee into Lionel¡¯s gut as he did.


    As Lionel¡¯s breath rushed out of him, Ren followed up with another kick to his side, then an uppercut just as Lionel bent forward slightly. Then, as the large man reeled, Ren backed off to reset the fight. He stopped a few meters away from his opponent, poised in a slight crouch.


    A few whoops rang out from the crowd as the excitement of the clash settled. Ren¡¯s showing of speed and precision had genuinely impressed the people, I could tell. After all, Lionel was probably known for his strength, so to be able to land such hits on a man like that showed incredible skill on Ren¡¯s part.


    But as the fight carried on, it soon became clear that despite his speed and ability, Ren had nowhere near the raw strength he needed to overcome Lionel¡¯s defenses. Lionel¡¯s armor, coupled with his innate toughness, made it a struggle for Ren to even leave a scratch on the man, even when he managed to strike directly on Lionel¡¯s skin with his dagger.


    Still, that didn¡¯t mean Ren¡¯s showing was anything less than amazing. Everyone present realized the utter epitome of skill and talent that was Ren, when it came to fighting. It was the first time that I¡¯d even been able to witness Ren fight without distractions, so I had much the same reaction to Ren¡¯s skill that everyone else did. I¡¯d known he was beyond talented, of course, but I¡¯d never really seen exactly how good he was.


    And he was good. Good in a way I hadn¡¯t known a person could be. His every move was like a step in a dance, so fluid and graceful he was. He knew exactly how much to move, exactly where to be, and seemed to have an almost infinite control over his own body. Every attack he received was dodged by only the barest sliver of space, and every attack he gave in response would have been lethal for anyone of lesser strength. He was like a well-oiled machine, whose entire purpose was to kill the opponent as efficiently and cleanly as possible.


    Lionel, for his part, lived up to his reputation. The man wielded his blade with expert control, using its length and weight to its fullest potential. I was captivated as I watched, drawn to the destructive power of its style. There was a strange beauty in the contrast between the grace of the blade and its savage force.


    As with my fight, Lionel¡¯s purpose seemed to be more to let Ren display everything he had, and less to try and win ¨C and so, like my fight, the fight came to an end only when Ren had nothing more to give, his body failing him as he finally fell to the ground. He fell straight to his back, sprawling out on the sandy ground as he breathed hard, a wide smile stretched over his face. His dagger was still loosely held in his palm, and the sweat plastered his inky hair to his forehead.


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    Lionel, standing at the other edge of the ring, was in better condition, but not by much. He was sweaty, his armor was scratched, and he bled just a few drops from a shallow cut on his neck. It was closer to a paper cut than a wound, but it was a mark of honor for Ren regardless, considering the wide difference in strength levels.


    Lionel was grinning as he dropped to the floor himself, the satisfaction of a good fight written all over his face. The crowd clapped for the pair as they realized that the fight was over, and Najam let the air of excitement settle a bit before stepping up into the ring.


    ¡°Alright, alright, that¡¯s enough of that,¡± the boy said as he gathered the crowd¡¯s attention. ¡°Those were some exciting spars, but we all have plenty of work to do, and the day¡¯s not gonna get any younger.¡±


    His words elicited no shortage of grumbling from the people, but eventually, the crowd picked themselves off of the floor and began to disperse, talking amongst themselves as they did.


    Najam and his group made their way over to where Ren lay, and I joined them as they sat down in a circle.


    ¡°Now then, with that over with, we can finally talk strategy,¡± Najam began, sounding more excited than I believed anyone should be about strategy. ¡°As for your styles, they¡¯re more or less exactly as I¡¯d expected. Ruby, you¡¯ll be very useful for the zergy hordes, since your flames are more suited for widespread damage. And Ren, you¡¯ll be needed for the first boss, the Zergyll Origin, and her protectors, since they¡¯re much harder to kill.¡±


    Lionel nodded at that. ¡°Indeed. Those things have these plates of hardened skin that wouldn¡¯t lose out to any steel armor. And the few places they have soft skin are very hard to hit, but with your skill, you should have no trouble sticking that slippery little dagger of yours right in them.¡±


    Ren grinned. ¡°Sounds fun.¡±


    ¡°Now, as for what to expect from the dungeon,¡± Najam continued, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a quick summary of the place first, and then we can go through the details properly afterward. Sound good?¡±


    Ren and I nodded.


    ¡°Alright. So, the dungeon is ranked at three stars, and it''s got three stages to it, with two mini-bosses and one master boss. There¡¯ll be a mini-boss at the end of each of the first two stages, and the master boss will be at the end of the whole thing. So far, we¡¯ve gotten to the last mini-boss, which is the Zergyll Origin.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s a problem,¡± Gyda jumped in, ¡°because the Origin is supposed to be a master boss, not a mini one.¡±


    Najam nodded. ¡°Exactly. Because the Origin appeared earlier than expected, the final stage may have an entirely different monster type altogether. And not knowing what they could be puts us at a great disadvantage, since we have no way to prepare for them. And that¡¯s why this run¡¯s purpose ¨C the ideal outcome ¨C would be to get past the Origin and figure out what awaits on the other side. That¡¯ll put us a step closer to clearing it, since we¡¯ll be able to go in the next time fully prepared.¡±


    I scoffed at that. ¡°What? Why would we not aim to try and clear the dungeon from the beginning?¡±


    The people gathered smiled knowingly. ¡°You say that now, Ruby,¡± Najam said, ¡°but you¡¯ll understand when you see the dungeon for yourself. There¡¯s a reason there is an entire industry behind clearing dungeons. Taking the first clear on one takes meticulous planning and preparation. Usually, a team has to run a dungeon dozens of times before they can achieve the first clear. After all, the master boss itself usually takes a few runs to fully understand.¡±


    ¡°Pff, that¡¯s lame. It¡¯d be so much cooler to just run through the thing first try,¡± I said. Obviously, I understood that in the real world, things didn¡¯t work the way I¡¯d have liked them to, but the systematic and formulaic way it seemed these people cleared dungeons didn¡¯t jive with me. I was a free spirit, and I disliked their overreliance on predetermined plans.


    Still, it was Najam¡¯s call, after all, so I would behave for their sake.


    Najam moved on after my little interruption, going into the exact details of the plan, from what path we¡¯d take to what we had to pack. The entire conversation took about an hour, and then another as we ¨C really Najam¡¯s group ¨C went about packing and gathering the materials. By the time we were done, the sun had just about risen to its zenith. And so, under the pleasant warmth of the overhead sun, our group finally set out to the dungeon.

 Chapter 81 – Style

    ¡°You¡¯ve got no style,¡± Gyda said suddenly, just as we crossed over a modest little ravine that ran through our route to the dungeon. ¡°That¡¯s your biggest problem.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I responded dumbly in surprise, belatedly realizing she was speaking to me.


    Gyda nodded to herself, her face content as if she¡¯d figured out a problem that¡¯d been bugging her. ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s holding you back. You¡¯re a mess of potential right now, but you''ve got nowhere to direct it. You¡¯ve got good instinct and good movement. But you don¡¯t have a style.¡±


    I frowned in contemplation. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Gyda paused for a moment, trying to come up with the words. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ah, it¡¯s like a candle''s light.¡± Excitement colored her face as she landed on an example. ¡°Imagine you¡¯re like a candle right now, and the light you give off is your strength and skill.¡±


    I nodded, following along but unsure of where she was going with it.


    ¡°Now see, when a candle is left out on its own, with no covering or anything, then its light radiates outward in every direction. So everywhere gets some light, but nowhere is the light as strong as it could be, because it¡¯s spread out like it is.¡±


    I nodded again. ¡°I see.¡±...kinda.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you are at the moment. You have a good foundation, good talent and potential, but you¡¯re kind¡¯ve all over the place. You use bombs, streams, blades ¨C a very impressive arsenal of things with your flame, but at the end of the day, they¡¯s is all over the place. You don¡¯t have a style to focus your talent into.¡±


    My face twisted as I thought hard, halfway to understanding what she was trying to tell me.


    ¡°See, if you wanted a candle to shine brighter on something, you¡¯d cover up most of it, but leave a little hole for the light to come through. You¡¯d focus the light on one spot, and doing that would make it much more powerful. Because, instead of wasting effort in a buncha different directions, it focuses its entire strength on one singular direction.¡±


    Understanding dawned on my face, the realization clicking in my mind like a puzzle piece snapping into place. Immediately afterward, my foot snagged on an unearthed root, and I went sprawling ¨C face-first ¨C onto the dirt, much to the amusement of everyone else.


    But I hardly cared, hardly even noticed that I¡¯d fallen; the entirety of my mind was focused on the truth behind Gyda¡¯s words. They had cleared away the fog that had layered my mind for so long ¨C ever since the fight with the pirates, even. There¡¯d always been a nagging feeling in my head that I wasn''t using my flames to their fullest potential. I¡¯d tried to solve the problem by making my flames as diverse as possible, trying to figure out how I wanted to use them. But, now, it seemed that had been the wrong direction for me.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said finally, as the group continued to make its way through the winding path in the forest. ¡°But how do I pick a style? How do I know what fits with me?¡±


    Gyda smiled at me. ¡°Well, that¡¯s something really only you can know for yourself. Now, the most common path for fire Elementals is similar to Tara¡¯s ¨C basically, they stand in the backline and rain Artes and flames on their enemies. But I¡¯d be willing to bet that doesn¡¯t appeal to you much, now does it?¡±


    I shook my head vigorously.


    ¡°Exactly, and it shouldn¡¯t. You¡¯re far too good at close combat to sideline yourself to the back. But that puts you in an interesting place. See, most of the front-line fighters are Battle Mages, but the Elemental Mages that occasionally pick the front lines are almost always Earth or Ice or metal, something like that. Basically, something that''s hard and moldable. Fire Elemental Mages usually have a hard time with brawling, ¡®cause even though fire can hurt up close, there aren¡¯t a lot of fire Artes that focus on close-up fighting. And most people ¨C since they¡¯ve had Artes for as long as they¡¯ve been fighting ¨C don¡¯t really experiment with their flames as much as you have.¡±


    Tara spoke up then. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t really know,¡± she said to me, ¡°but what you¡¯ve managed to accomplish with your flames is incredibly impressive. Innovation like that is something that¡¯s very rare to see among Elemental Mages. Because they start out their training with set styles that have been made long before them, they don¡¯t really see the need to get creative on their own. But that¡¯s a problem, because only by playing with your element like that can you really understand it, and understanding your element is a crucial part of getting stronger.¡±


    ¡°So, does that mean that there¡¯s no way for me to fight up close with fire?¡± I asked.


    Gyda shook her head. ¡°Not at all. After all, your imagination is essentially the only limit on the kind of style you want to pick. If you can figure out a way to make your flames work with you in close range, it¡¯d make you leagues more dangerous in a fight. But the way you are right now, you¡¯re only holding yourself back by trying so many different things. And on that note, what¡¯s your plan with that little pole tied to your back? From what I can tell, it seems that you¡¯d like to use it, but the style just doesn¡¯t fit you, does it?¡±


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    I grinned sheepishly at that, inwardly astonished that she¡¯d managed to so easily read what I¡¯d had trouble even putting into words for myself. ¡°You¡¯re right. I want to use it, but using a pole just doesn¡¯t come naturally to me. It feels forced.¡±


    Gyda nodded. ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s what anything that isn¡¯t your style will feel like. I¡¯m not sure why you want to use that pole, but you may have to abandon it if your style needs you to.¡±


    I was silent at that, my mind working as I turned over her words in my head. She had a point, but I really could not see a future where I didn¡¯t use the pole. The whole point of the pole was so that I could bring it with me wherever I went, after all.


    ¡°You could try those little bombs of yours,¡± Tara suggested, referring to the little pearl-sized bombs I¡¯d first made against those pirates. ¡°Making them a central part of your style would make you a very destructive fighter.¡±


    I considered her words, before eventually shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯ve tried to use them in close combat, but it doesn¡¯t really work. The force of the explosion affects me as much as my opponent when I¡¯m fighting in that range.¡±


    There was another silence as everyone walked. It was eventually broken by a new voice, one I didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°Well, it might help to think of what kind of fighter you want to be first,¡± came a girlish voice, far too pitched for it to be from anything but a child.


    Startled, I whipped around and found myself staring into the eyes of what I could only describe as a ghost. I¡¯d never seen one before in my life ¨C never had thought they were even real ¨C but as I took in the strange wispy body before me, that was the only word I could come up with.


    The ghost, whose form resembled, as I¡¯d guessed, that of a child no older than nine, floated calmly over Galas¡¯ shoulder, watching me with an amused expression. Her entire body was an icy blue color, cobbled together by wisps of cloud.


    Beyond the strange, ethereal quality of her body, however, the girl was absolutely adorable. Her cheeks still held onto the chub of childhood, looking like perfect little spheres that rounded out her face into a circle. She had wide saucer eyes and a button nose, pigtails and a long flowing dress that fell past her feet. Long enough to have been a tripping hazard, had the little girl not literally been able to float.


    And fly, too, I learned, as she floated over to me, taking in my shock with an adorably mischievous smile. ¡°What? Never seen a spirit before?¡± she asked.


    I shook my head, knocking myself out of my trance as I did. ¡°Can¡¯t say I have,¡± I said, a smile slowly coloring my face. With everything I¡¯d been through, a mere ghostly child was hardly enough to throw me off. Now, it was simply a delight to see such a novel thing.


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t believe you¡¯ve been introduced, have you?¡± Najam said as he saw our interaction. ¡°Ruby, this is Angel. Angel, Ruby.¡±


    ¡°Are you one of Galas¡¯ spirits?¡± I asked. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you can fight much.¡±


    The people gathered stifled laughter as Angel fixed me with a crossed look. ¡°Of course I don''t. I''m not a fighter. I¡¯m not like those barbaric, lower realm spirits. I¡¯m a higher spirit. I¡¯m civilized.¡± The girl put her nose up as she spoke, but it was hard to take her seriously, given her childlike demeanour.


    The girl flew back to where she appeared from, then, resting over Galas¡¯ shoulder. ¡°My job is far more important,¡± the girl declared. ¡°I do the talking for Galas, here,¡± she said, ¡°so that he doesn¡¯t need to lower himself to your level.¡±


    Galas immediately turned to the girl on his shoulder and gave her an admonishing look, which should have been difficult considering his eyes were still closed, but the idea still carried across effectively. Clearly, he¡¯d had a lot of practice giving those looks, and I could imagine why.


    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± the girl quickly relented under Galas¡¯ look. ¡°Galas says that he¡¯d love to talk to you guys if he could, but this is the next best thing. And he says that I have to apologize for what I said.¡±


    I don¡¯t think that counts for an apology, I thought to myself with a smile, but I didn¡¯t bother pushing the idea. I¡¯d taken no offense anyway ¨C the girl was adorable in her arrogance.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± the girl continued on, ¡°what Galas was actually trying to say was that you should consider the kind of fighter you want to be before picking your style. You say you want to be a close combat fighter, but even amongst them, there are differences. You could pick Ren¡¯s style, which favors speed and precise movement, and aims to kill as quickly as possible. Or you could go Gyda¡¯s route, which takes less skill in technique and is more centered around brute forcing your way through the enemy''s defense.¡±


    The girl paused for a second there, before sheepishly continuing. ¡°Galas says he didn¡¯t add the part about taking less skill. I was simply saying that because it¡¯s true.¡± The girl paused again. ¡°Galas says that¡¯s not true, but I disagree. Anyway,¡± the girl said quickly, moving on before Galas could continue the silent, telepathic argument, ¡°or you could be like Lionel, who uses his massive body to absorb tons of damage, and swing around his massive sword when he gets the chance.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said, considering the girl¡¯s ¨C or, I supposed, Galas¡¯ ¨C point. ¡°That does make sense.¡± I was silent for another moment, when a thought suddenly occurred to me.


    ¡°Wait, you said that most Elemental Mages who fight up close usually have affinities with something hard and moldable, right?¡± I asked, turning to Gyda. ¡°So is fire not able to become hard, if you compress it enough or something? Because those arrowheads I can make could cut through stuff.¡±


    Gyda shook her head. ¡°No, fire is able to turn hard, if the mage wielding it has enough practice and strength. And it¡¯s easier for smaller things like those arrowheads you used, but the larger things get, the harder it gets to make them solid. That¡¯s why it¡¯s just easier for mages with harder affinities.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The wheels of my head were turning now, close to landing on an idea ¨C I could feel it. The idea was just barely out of reach; I was only missing one piece of the puzzle, and once I had it, everything would snap into place.


    Suddenly, Najam and Lionel, who were leading the group, came to a stop, forcing the rest to stop as well. I was dragged out of my thoughts as Najam shrugged off his bow and turned to face us.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re here,¡± he said, a big smile on his face. To his side, Lionel unsheathed his greatsword from his back, unveiling its great silvery length before the world. And as my eyes took it in, that last piece finally fell into place, and all of a sudden, I knew exactly what I wanted to be.

 Chapter 82 – Stat Board

    Our assembled group stood at the entrance of the dungeon ¨C which was both exactly what I¡¯d imagined and nothing like what I imagined. Sitting placidly right in the center of an unassuming clearing, the portal entrance looked like nothing I¡¯d ever seen before.


    It was ovalish in shape, though it had no defined edges as far as I could tell. The thing consisted of a mass of purple and blue streaks of what I could only describe as energy spiraling around a glowing white-blue center. The streaks gradually lost their vibrancy and faded away as they travelled further from the middle. It was about a meter tall, and half as wide, and it pulsed sporadically as it sat, sending out waves of Flux that I could feel caress my skin.


    The seven of us spread out in the clearing, taking a seat in a circle as we ran through our strategy once more. Formation, I¡¯d learned, was an important thing. The bounds were loose ¨C after all, nobody could really hope to have an ordered formation in the chaos of battle ¨C but the general outline had to be adhered to strictly.


    For the first stage, it was outlined with Lionel and Gyda in front ¨C and Lionel usually just a step ahead ¨C Galas somewhere in the middle, and Tara and Najam in the back. Ren¡¯s place was somewhere in front of Galas, though he had the most freedom of the group. He had his place, but he was allowed to break away and circle around if he deemed it necessary.


    The decision for my place was handed over to me, and I happily placed myself right behind Gyda. She and Lionel were the people I wanted to learn from the most, and also it just seemed like the funnest place to be. Throwing stuff from the back seemed so boring.


    Aside from formation, there were the materials we needed, too. And the most important of those materials was a little thing called a Flux Potion. Packaged in little, clear glass flasks, a Flux Potion was a bright, sea-blue liquid that apparently acted both to provide emergency healing and a boost to the drinker¡¯s Flux reserve, if healing wasn¡¯t needed.


    They were apparently cheap ¨C although, since I¡¯d gathered by now that Najam was probably affluent by most people¡¯s standards, I didn¡¯t know how accurate that statement was. Regardless, we¡¯d brought thirty-five of the little flasks, which meant there were five a person. I¡¯d been warned to use them sparingly, since dungeons were long and exhausting affairs, and once a person was out, it would only be a matter of time before they eventually died, even with a designated healer healing.


    It took a short few minutes for us to run through the strategy again, since Najam had already drilled it into our heads before we left, and for the Potions to be handed out. And with that done, we were finally ready to enter the dungeon.


    We entered in formation, so Lionel was the first to step inside. Ren and I watched in wonder, standing beside each other, as Lionel tossed back a smile at us, stepped into the purples and blues of the portal, and simply disappeared, as if the mass of energy ate him up.


    Gyda followed a step behind him, and after her was me. I took a deep breath, and, with a shared look with Ren, the both of us stepped in at the same time.


    The energy brushed against my skin with a funny tingle, like tickling fingers all over my body. There was a flash of white as I felt some resistance, like I was stepping through jelly, and then, all of a sudden, I was on the other side.


    The white of the world faded away to reveal a vastly different sight. I was stood in a dimly lit stone hallway. The only light present came from the torches that were hung on the side walls, spaced with about a meter between them. Their orange, dancing glow cast about the cobbled pathway at our feet, leading down a seemingly endless length forward.


    Gyda and Lionel stood waiting a few meters in front of Ren and me, watching us with smiles. They seemed to be expecting something, but as I walked over to them, I couldn¡¯t figure out what exactly it was that they were waiting for.


    ¡°Do you see it yet?¡± Gyda finally asked as we reached them.


    I shook my head. ¡°Nope. What are you talking about?¡±


    Gyda smiled again. ¡°Just give it a second. You should see it soon enough.¡±


    We waited a moment, but nothing happened. Najam and Tara finally walked in then, and they made their way over to us with the same expectant smiles. ¡°Do you guys see it?¡± Tara asked as soon as they reached us.


    I was just about to shake my head, and ask what exactly we were waiting for, when it finally happened.


    ¡®Synchronization complete,¡¯ a voice suddenly sounded in my head. The voice was metallic, but distinctly feminine, and I immediately traced it to the chip I¡¯d stuck to my head. There was no other explanation, after all, for a voice in my head. Unless I¡¯d finally cracked and gone insane.


    A second after the voice sounded, a holographic window flickered to life before me, like an old TV screen turning on. The window was a light sky blue, semi-transparent, and floated in front of my face.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Ren said from beside me. ¡°Color.¡± His voice sounded strangely emotional, like he was saying the name of a friend he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. A friend he¡¯d never thought he¡¯d see again.


    Najam and the rest, seeing the both of us staring into the space in front of us, all burst into great smiles. ¡°You see it now?¡± Tara asked excitedly, affirming my suspicion that the screen was only in my head.


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s this weird screen. What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the dungeon¡¯s stat board,¡± Najam explained. ¡°It should show you things like its name and difficulty rating, monster type, stuff like that.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Nope. That¡¯s not what I¡¯m seeing.¡± And indeed, that wasn¡¯t at all what I was seeing. The board showed nothing at all about the dungeon, in fact.


    ********


    Name: Ruby Redthorn


    Gender: Female


    Age: 17


    Level: 15


    ~~~~~~~


    Strength: 14


    Agility: 12


    Toughness: 15


    Mental: 13


    Reaction Time: 147 ms


    Strike Power: 1132 fin


    Flux Reserve: 200/200


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ~~~~~~~


    $#^#: $#@


    $#@%: %@#^^$#


    ********


    What I did see, however, seemed to be all about myself.


    Najam and the rest seemed as confused as I was, at my refusal of his words. ¡°So, what are you seeing, then?¡± Najam asked.


    ¡°Uhh, I¡¯m not too sure myself. It¡¯s showing me my name, my age. That much I get. Then it¡¯s showing me a bunch of other stuff I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Understanding dawned on the faces of the people gathered, aside from Ren.


    ¡°Ahh, I see. It¡¯s your own stat board,¡± Najam said in amazement. ¡°That¡¯s very interesting. I didn¡¯t know it was possible for a chip to fully synchronize without the Adventurers Guild¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it makes sense, though,¡± Tara said, ¡°if you think about it. They say that dungeons are really just pockets of the Tower itself. If that¡¯s true, then, given the connection between the chips and the Tower, it would make sense that a dungeon would be able to fully synchronize a chip.¡±


    ¡°Ok, but what is this?¡± I asked, still staring at the strange screen before me.


    Najam smiled. ¡°It¡¯s your stat board. It¡¯s essentially a way of quantizing your strength.¡±


    ¡°Quantizing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah. It basically attaches a number to your physical attributes ¨C it helps compare yourself to others, roughly.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± I went silent, considering my board again. ¡°Wait¡­why am I so low??¡±


    Najam¡¯s group laughed at my exasperation. ¡°Oh, I doubt you¡¯re very low, Ruby," Najam assured me. "Especially for your age.¡±


    I shook my head vigorously. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s way too low. All my stats are like, in the low teens.¡±


    Najam laughed. ¡°That¡¯s perfectly normal, Ruby. Amazing, even. The numbers being low doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re weak, just that you have a lot of room to grow.¡±


    ¡°Think about it this way, Ruby,¡± Tara said. ¡°A ten in any of the stats is the absolute limit of what the human body could possibly achieve without Flux, assuming perfection in every aspect that plays a role. Perfect genes, perfect diet and training ¨C the absolute limit of the human body¡¯s potential is a ten. If you¡¯re already past that, even if it''s by a little bit, it¡¯s an amazing achievement.¡±


    My crushed self-esteem slowly seeped back into me as she spoke, relief washing over me.


    ¡°Wait, what about Level?¡± Ren asked from beside me. ¡°I can get the gist of most of the other stats, but I don¡¯t understand what Level is supposed to mean.¡±


    ¡°Level is essentially the broadest summary of your overall strength,¡± Najam responded. ¡°It¡¯s what¡¯s used most commonly to measure strength, since it¡¯s the most convenient. It¡¯d be hard to compare every single stat of a person to another¡¯s, after all.¡±


    ¡°But because of that,¡± Tara said, ¡°it¡¯s also the most inaccurate. Because it¡¯s an average, there¡¯s a whole host of problems that can crop up with it. For one thing, people of exactly the same level could have wildly different stats.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention,¡± Lionel added, ¡°the stat board itself isn¡¯t really an entirely accurate assessment of someone¡¯s overall fighting strength either. It¡¯s purely focused on the physical aspect of a person, but it fails to take into account things like creativity, intelligence, experience, stuff like that.¡±


    Gyda smiled then. ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why Level isn¡¯t the biggest part of deciding who¡¯d win a fight. That¡¯s how you get people like our little Najam over here,¡± she gave the boy a little elbow nudge and a teasing grin, ¡°who can defeat people several Levels higher than themselves.¡±


    Najam flushed under the praising looks of his group, and I took their attitudes to mean that it was quite a feat to do what Najam could.


    ¡°Well, anyway,¡± Najam began, trying to divert attention away from himself. ¡°It¡¯s great that you can see your stat board, but we should be moving on now. Put the screen away so that you can access the dungeon¡¯s board.¡±


    I gave Najam a look. ¡°And how do I put this screen away?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Uh, just, kinda think it away? I guess,¡± Najam said, in a faltering voice that told me this was another thing that was supposed to be common sense. ¡°It kinda just goes away when you want it to.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I said. I didn¡¯t find Najam¡¯s explanation very helpful, but to my surprise, it worked out pretty much exactly that way. I simply decided that I wanted it gone, and the screen flickered away. It was strange; like flexing a finger: something that was both a conscious decision and yet not one I had to form into words.


    When the first screen left, another popped up a second later.


    ********


    Welcome to the Zergy Dungeon!


    Welcome, player of this deadly game!


    Welcome, brave warrior!


    Prepare to fight, to win, to find glory!


    Or else, find Death.


    ~~~~~~~


    Name: Zergy Dungeon


    Difficulty Rating: ???


    Level Suggestion: 15 ¨C 20


    Party Suggestion: 5 ¨C 10


    Status: Uncleared


    Stages: 3


    Monster Type:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">First Stage: Zergies</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Second Stage: Evolved Zergies</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Third Stage: Unknown</li>


    </ul>


    ~~~~~~~


    Do you wish to challenge this Dungeon? (Y/N)


    ********


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said as I finished reading over the information on the board. ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ve finished reading the dungeon board,¡± Najam said, ¡°just answer the question at the bottom to proceed.¡±


    I opened my mouth to ask how I was supposed to answer, but the question died in my throat. I figured it was better to try something first, before asking. So instead, I simply thought to myself, Yes ¨C feeling more than a little silly as I did.


    The board, fortunately for me, reacted to my thoughts. The blue screen flickered, and the writing on it changed.


    ********


    Do you wish to join the Bow Hawk party? (Y/N)


    ********


    Following the same process as before, I thought a quick Yes to myself, and the board changed again, showing me a list of the names of everyone in the party already, displaying my name amongst them. Ren joined just a few moments after I did.


    Seeing that everyone was finally in, Najam clapped his hands together and let a smile of anticipation stretch over his face. ¡°Alright! We should be all set, now. Let¡¯s get a move on, shall we.¡±


    With matching smiles, the rest of the Bow Hawk party fell into formation, and we began to make our way down the seemingly never-ending, dim stone hallway.

 Chapter 83 – First Stage

    The hallway ended abruptly after about a hundred meters or so, feeding into a cavernous hall as it did. The smooth stone of the hall¡¯s domed ceiling rose to a few dozen feet at its highest point, and the floor was a clear circle about the same in diameter. Three other hallways led into the same hall, neat little squares cut into the stone of the side opposite us.


    A ring of torches, the same as the ones that lit the hallway, cast their glow over the eerily empty hall, but the three other entrances were unnaturally dark, enough that we couldn¡¯t see into them at all; as if the shadows within drank up the light entirely.


    ¡°Spooky,¡± I said with a smile on my face, surveying the hall. I had known what to expect, but Najam¡¯s words hadn¡¯t quite done the ominous air of the hall justice. Our group was still in tight formation, and I gripped my pole tight as I awaited what was to come.


    The pole, which Gyda had bluntly ¨C but correctly ¨C identified as something that didn¡¯t really fit with my style, was something I should have abandoned, by all rights. It was a hindrance to my strength, as it was, but something about the way in which Lionel wielded his greatsword called out to me, and an idea had been gnawing at my mind since his fight. An idea that required the pole.


    Not long after we¡¯d stepped into the hall, a rumbling shook the ground. The group tensed up, and from behind me, Galas summoned his spirits in preparation. There were three wolves made up of the same wispy smoke as the little girl from earlier, Angel. Their forms looked as incorporeal as ever, but the ferocious jaws they sported, and powerful Flux that leaked off their bodies told me that underestimating them would be a fatal mistake.


    There was a faceless woman, too, clad in flowing robes of cloud and holding a staff in her hands. She would be the healer, according to what Najam had told me.


    Lionel and Gyda tightened their grips on their weapons, Ren unsheathed his dagger, and Najam nocked an arrow in his bow as the group prepared. And a few short moments later, the source of the shaking finally revealed itself. Or rather, revealed themselves.


    For it was not one singular monster that was causing the rumbling, but the combined footsteps of hundreds upon hundreds of zergies. They flooded the room in an instant, and yet seemed to continually pour out of the hallways still.


    I shuddered as I got my first real look at the beasts. They were grotesque things, not much bigger than the short goblins of so long ago, with ball-shaped heads and no facial features aside from a mouth that seemed perpetually drawn into a malicious grin. Within which glimmered rows of tiny little teeth, fatal pearls that gleamed in the torchlight.


    Dusty orange skin stretched over their sinewy limbs and body, covering their stout little legs and long, thin arms. The three fingers at the end of each limb transformed into black claws that seemed dusted with some strange white dots, like stars in the night. The claws were like little daggers, and they clattered against the stone as hundreds of the beasts surrounded us, their creepy smiles chattering endlessly.


    There was a tense and loud impasse that lasted all of a brief moment before Lionel raised his greatsword up high and yelled a great warcry. The sound spurred both sides on, and our group immediately and seamlessly assumed what Najam called ¡®battle formation,¡¯ as the horde finally descended upon us.


    The formation was simple enough; Lionel, Gyda, Galas, and I formed a loose diamond, with Lionel at the point, Gyda and I at the sides, and Galas a straight shot behind Lionel. The formation provided each the space they needed to fight, while protecting our backs from flanking attacks. Ren, in the meanwhile, had a much looser position. He was free to move in and out of our diamond, with the objective of keeping the inside of the diamond clear, should any beast manage to slip through the gaps. And if he wasn¡¯t needed in the center of the diamond, he was free to flit around the battlefield, helping out wherever he was needed most and just generally killing as many of the monsters as he could.


    Najam and Tara were placed a bit behind Galas, almost backed up into the hallway behind us, where they stood poised to let loose a barrage of arrows and magic at the monsters. Without, ideally, hitting any on their own side.


    As the zergies moved on us, I was immediately met with a semi-circle of five of them. They all simultaneously jumped at me, their fangs bared and gangly arms spread and poised to rip at me. I responded with a wide swipe of my flaming pole, holding the thing near the bottom to increase my range as much as possible. And also because I was finally attempting my newest idea.


    The idea was simple, really. Instead of wielding the pole like a pole, a style that felt clumsy and awkward to me, I would wield it like Lionel did his greatsword. Obviously, the pole wouldn¡¯t have the heft nor the sharpness of his blade, but that was fine by me. I was confident I¡¯d eventually be able to compress flame enough to form a blade capable of cutting, and until then, I was fine simply bashing heads in. And I didn¡¯t want heft, either; I had fire, after all, and that was much better in my eyes.


    The five beasts that leapt at me were all swept away by my pole, surprising me with their weakness. The one my pole hit was engulfed in flame on one side, the heat wrenching out a terrible scream from the wretched thing.


    Quickly settling back into the groove of fighting, I felt a mad grin tug at my lips as I pulled out all the stops, letting Flux flow unfettered through and out of my body. Fire ringed around my feet, creating a circle that scorched any that ventured too close. I swung my pole like a bat, with the glee of a destructive child lighting my eyes. My free hand blasted out flames and lobbed those little bombs of mine at whatever poor creature was closest to me.


    The world faded away as I slipped into my blazing dance, dozens of dying and aflame monsters falling at my feet every minute. I wielded my flame like a second limb, letting it become a part of my movements in a way that I¡¯d never before. And best of all was my pole; no longer did it hinder my movements, making me second guess and consciously work through my attacks. No, now it felt natural, like an extension of my body. Every swing elicited a beautiful bliss in my veins, my every movement faster and smoother than the last.


    Still, I had nowhere near Ren¡¯s grace, nor even Lionel¡¯s skill with his blade, but I was finally on the road to reaching it. I could finally see how to get there; now, I just needed practice.


    And practice, it seemed, was one thing I would get loads of in the dungeon. Despite felling what must have been hundreds of the beasts within the hour, it seemed like I¡¯d barely made a dent in their numbers. Thankfully, they¡¯d stopped pouring in by then, but the massive cavern was still packed with the orange blight.


    Not that I was complaining, though. The fighting wasn¡¯t very difficult, and I was thoroughly enjoying bashing and burning the zergies. The scorched smell of the burning monsters was pungent, but in the chaos of the battle, I hardly noticed.


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    Instead, I focused on staying alive, on moving faster, hitting harder. Burning hotter. My improvement over the course of the hour that passed was tangible; the swirling flame around the length of my pole had gotten hotter since I¡¯d begun, and I was getting better at wielding it by the minute.


    Still, despite all my improvement, I was far from perfect. I took my first wound about a quarter past the hour mark. I stepped out too far from the formation, in the haze of my bloodlust, and a zergie managed to slip past me and leapt onto my back, its three claws raking deep across my skin.


    I bit back a scream as the pain blossomed on my back, stinging like a hot poker against my skin. I whipped around and brought my pole down on the monster¡¯s head before it even landed on the ground. The thing¡¯s skull couldn¡¯t handle the force and crashed inward as the flames caught onto its upper body. It was dead before it hit the ground.


    I was still surrounded by the monsters, so, despite the roar of pain on my back, I gritted my teeth and whipped around again, the fire around me blooming with deeper hues as I channeled more and more Flux out of me. The sudden increase in heat pushed the monsters back a few steps, granting me a moment of reprieve. I knew better than to waste such an advantage, and so, despite the daunting prospect that was Reviving, I prepared for one as I shot a glare at the beasts.


    But, before I could go through the process, I suddenly felt a pleasant tingle all along the three gashes on my back. It was the strangest feeling; like a Revive, but without the pain. I could feel the Flux flowing into me ¨C instead of out, for once ¨C and, more strangely, I could feel my flesh stitching itself back together.


    Within moments, the wound was gone, taking its stinging pain with it. But I banished the utter confusion that reigned in my mind, as the zergies had finally gathered their courage and leapt through the ring of fire around me.


    With my survival on the line, I threw out all other thoughts and immersed myself back in the fighting. I moved with a new ferocity, my eyes alight with the bloodlust of a predator as I jabbed and swung with my makeshift flaming greatsword. Swirling columns of flame tore through the legions of zergies, leaving charred and broken bodies in their wake.


    In the hours that followed, I slipped up a total of seven more times, and each one resulted in the claws of the zergies tearing deep through my skin. Of those seven, three were taken care of by what I eventually realized to be Galas¡¯ summoned healer spirit. The other four I dealt with myself, fighting through the painful Revives for the sake of efficiency. With six other people to look after, Galas¡¯ healing spirit could take a while to get to me ¨C and often, I didn¡¯t have the time to wait.


    Despite their seemingly endless numbers, the zergies went down at a noticeable rate under the constant attacks of our group. At just a bit past the three-hour mark, the last of them finally fell to a quick swipe of Lionel¡¯s greatsword, leaving the cavernous hall suddenly silent save for the heavy breathing of the people gathered.


    Sweat plastered my scarlet hair to my forehead as I finally took a breath, letting the tension seep out of me. As I did, I took stock of the battlefield. The place absolutely reeked of death and rot, the sickeningly scorched smell of burned flesh mingling with the rest. Not a spot on the ground could be seen, either. Every inch of the floor was covered with dead bodies, their blackened blood painting the ground and much of our clothing and armor.


    ¡°Well, that would seem to be the end of the first round,¡± Najam finally said after a moment. Broad smiles immediately broke out among the group as we all relaxed, and Gyda gave Lionel a little nudge.


    ¡°How many didcha get?¡± she asked.


    Lionel gave her a triumphant grin. ¡°332,¡± he said.


    Gyda visibly deflated at that. ¡°321,¡± she said glumly.


    ¡°Ha!¡± came a derisive laugh from Tara in the back. ¡°405,¡± she said proudly.


    ¡°Wait, you guys were keeping track?¡± I asked in bewilderment. I could hardly imagine doing that; the mental capacity required to count the beasts killed while fighting was far beyond me.


    The group chuckled good-naturedly at my confusion. ¡°No, no, the dungeon board does it for you,¡± Najam explained.


    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± I asked in surprise. I brought my finger up and touched it to the side of my head, the way I¡¯d seen Najam do more than a few times, and as I did, the holographic screen popped up again.


    ********


    Bow Hawk Party (2000):


    Ruby: 302


    ********


    A wide grin settled over my face as I saw my number. A small part of me was upset that I didn¡¯t have the highest amount, but realistically, I understood that there was little chance for me to compete with the likes of Gyda and Tara and Lionel. They were seasoned adventurers, after all. The fact that I was only twenty away from Gyda was impressive enough.


    ¡°What about you,¡± I asked, turning to Ren. ¡°What¡¯d you get?¡±


    Ren gave me a small, knowing smile. ¡°Probably less than you. I don¡¯t really have the skillset for battles like these.¡±


    I grinned, having suspected as much. It was a fair point, after all; Ren¡¯s style didn¡¯t favor killing lots of monsters fast.


    ¡°Pff, all I¡¯m hearing are excuses,¡± is what I said, though. There were few things that I was better at than Ren, and I wasn¡¯t about to let this one pass without bragging a little. ¡°I got 302,¡± I continued, puffing out my chest.


    Gyda whistled at that. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s better than I thought you¡¯d do,¡± she said. I flushed a little then, having forgotten that they would hear me, too. Bragging to Ren was fine, but I didn¡¯t want the rest of the group to think I was a show-off. After all, they hadn¡¯t seen how many times Ren had effortlessly outclassed me in almost everything else.


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve gotten the hang of your pole there, huh?¡± Lionel asked, oblivious to my thoughts. ¡°I saw the way you were swinging it; looked like you were using it less as a staff and more like a¡­¡± Lionel trailed off there, seeming unsure of what exactly I¡¯d been trying to use it as.


    ¡°Sword,¡± I finished for him, nodding as I did. ¡°I think I¡¯ve settled on what kind of fighter I want to be. I want to be the kind of fighter that Gyda is. A berserker, I think, is what Najam said.¡± Gyda nodded at that. ¡°I¡¯ve been a brawler all my life, more or less, so that just seems like the easiest path. And I¡¯ll use my pole like a longer and lighter version of a bat, at least until I can make flame around it capable of cutting. I¡¯m not exactly sure yet how I¡¯ll use my flames with my fists, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll figure it out soon enough.¡±


    Gyda seemed elated at that. ¡°That¡¯ll certainly be interesting. Flame berserkers aren¡¯t common, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯re many great ones out there. And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be just like them soon, Ruby.¡±


    I smiled warmly at that, but before I could thank her, the ground suddenly rumbled again. As it did, the immense number of carcasses ¨C 2000, exactly, if I was reading the dungeon board right ¨C suddenly began to break apart into little fluffy dots of white. The glowing dust rose upward toward the ceiling, like snowfall reversed. Within moments, the floor was once again left spotless, with not a trace of the great battle that had just taken place.


    Najam and the rest grimaced as they saw the strange phenomenon. ¡°Looks like the second round is about to start,¡± Najam said. ¡°Just two more rounds to go, and then it¡¯ll be the mini-boss fight.¡±


    Ren and I nodded, knowing that he¡¯d added on the last bit for us.


    Moments later, the rumbling came to a stop, and a tidal wave of zergies once again burst through the darkness of the three hallways. I grinned and clenched my pole, flame flaring up all around me again. According to Najam¡¯s information, the zergies of this round would be stronger and faster than the first, and the zergies of the third round even more so.


    But I was hardly cowed. In fact, anticipation and excitement swirled in my veins at the thought; I couldn¡¯t wait to test myself against the stronger enemies.

 Chapter 84 – Mini Boss

    The second and third rounds of the first stage passed much the same as the first. The zergies did indeed get stronger and faster with every round, but even by the third, they weren¡¯t nearly as powerful as even the monkeys of the jungle. They would have made up for their lack of strength with their sheer numbers, but against our rock-solid formation, it was only a matter of time before they were wiped out. Even I had to begrudgingly admit that having prepared a formation to handle the fight was more than likely what allowed us to win. Not to mention, the design of the formation itself was very intelligent.


    The greatest danger I could have faced over the course of the battle was running out of my Flux reserve, but since I¡¯d have to Revive every so often, I was never really at any risk of that. And because there was so little danger, I had an absolute blast in that stone hall. Aside from the occasional zergie slipping past my defenses and dragging their claws over my skin, of course, but that was a part of the game, after all.


    With that nagging feeling in my head finally gone ¨C that feeling that I wasn¡¯t using my fire the way I was supposed to ¨C I felt a lightness in me that translated into a grace in the way I fought. I danced with my baton of flame as I swung and jabbed and parried, every movement like a familiar friend, a step in a dance etched into my soul, and I felt complete in a way I¡¯d lacked for far too long.


    Gyda¡¯s words rang true, it seemed; I¡¯d been stuck in my indecision for so long it had stalled my progress, hindering the talent and skill in my blood from truly shining. But now that I had a path, a direction to focus myself on, I could feel myself improving by the minute ¨C as if I was catching up to where I should have already been.


    By the time the third round came to a close, I was absolutely brimming with joy, itching to continue onward and fight anything and everything that I could find. And it showed on my face, apparently, as Tara gave me a look and shook her head. ¡°Yup,¡± she said, as if to herself, ¡°you¡¯re a berserker, alright. I¡¯ve seen that face on Gyda more times than I can count.¡±


    I gave her a grin in response, and Gyda looked like a proud mother hen as she nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Alright, the mini-boss should be just ahead now,¡± Najam called out, addressing the group. ¡°We¡¯ll take a ten-minute break, and then continue on. Now, how many Flux Potions do you all have left?¡±


    The people gathered called out their numbers one by one, and I was shocked to find all, save for Ren, had already used at least one, if not two. I¡¯d honestly forgotten that we¡¯d even had them on hand ¨C after all, this was the first time I was fighting with them.


    Najam¡¯s group seemed impressed that Ren and I still had five of them left, but nobody made a comment about it.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Najam said, looking rather pleased after he took stock of the situation. ¡°We¡¯re doing pretty good, resource-wise. We have a good shot at making it to the third round, as long as we keep this up.¡±


    And clearing it, I thought to myself, but I decided against voicing that. Najam had made it clear that he had no hopes of clearing the dungeon this run, but that didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d given up on it.


    Ten minutes later, our group finally made its way into the middle of the three dark hallways, rested enough and ready for the fight ahead. The hallway lit up as we stepped into it, looking like an exact replica of the previous one. Whoever designed this thing must be lazy, I couldn¡¯t help but muse to myself as I took in the familiar stone walls. Though, I suppose, I can¡¯t blame them. I¡¯d probably do the same.


    This time, though, the end of the hallway didn¡¯t immediately feed into a stone room, but instead met with a double wooden door. Our group came to a stop there and ran through our preparations once more, before Najam finally laid a palm against the doors and pushed the doors open.


    The doorway was an important point because, according to Najam, once a party entered a mini-boss¡¯ room, it was nigh impossible to leave until the boss was fully defeated. And that meant that if we were wiped out here, it would mean death, from which the chances of coming back were near zero.


    ¡°Well,¡± he¡¯d amended then, ¡°that¡¯s all true for us. When you get to the higher level dungeons, and you go with better equipped and higher leveled adventurers, most of those rules don¡¯t apply. But they do for us, so keep them in mind.¡±


    The warning rang fresh in my mind as we stepped into the new chamber. The place was, as with the rest, ominously dim, with only a ring of torches near the top of the domed ceiling casting a glow down on us. Shadows danced in the corners of the room, their darkness rich and almost alive.


    Stone pillars rose in a circle near the center of the massive room, leaving a space of almost a dozen meters in between them. The boss ¨C or rather, the bosses ¨C wouldn¡¯t appear until we walked to the center of the circular space, based on previous experience. As for the bosses themselves, they were three giant centipedes; modified, of course, to be suitably terrifying ¨C because giant centipedes on their own obviously weren¡¯t enough.


    So now we had to watch out for their venomous spit, venomous mandibles, and venomous tails. Not to mention, their plated keratinoid armor was highly resistant to any bladed attack our group could manage, mostly resistant to blunt trauma damage, and only slightly less so to magical, elemental damage.


    Their only weakness was that the plates of their armor had little gaps to allow for mobility. The soft skin that bridged those gaps was our target ¨C or rather, Ren and Najam¡¯s target. They were the only ones with the skill and precision required to hit those tiny gaps, so the rest of us were sidelined as decoys, with the goal of weakening the monsters until one of the two could come along and finish them.


    This information gave Ren no shortage of satisfaction, of course, as he¡¯d fallen to last place in terms of kill numbers over the course of the first stage, much to his embarrassment.


    The group wasted no time in making its way over to the center of the makeshift stage, getting into formation as we did. Our new formation, specifically designed for the boss fight, was quite different from the first. We¡¯d split into groups of two ¨C Lionel and Ren, Gyda and Najam, Tara and me ¨C and each pair would handle one centipede. Meanwhile, Galas would stand in the center and offer healing to each group, while directing his wolves to help out where they were needed.


    No sooner did we break out into formation did the ground start rumbling once more, signaling the beginning of the fight. A horrible clacking echoed out as hundreds of feet tapped against stone. Tara and I looked up at the closest pillar to us, sharing a look of disgust at the obscene creature we found circling down from it. Its twelve-meter-long body wrapped around the pillar in winding loops as it crawled down from whatever corner it¡¯d been hiding in.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    I got my first proper look at the thing only after it fully came down to the ground and faced us; the bug seemed to recognize that we would be its opponents. The length of its body was segmented with foot-long plates of ruddy brown armor, and from each of the hundred segments branched out two thin, razor-sharp claw-like legs from each side. Two long mandibles jutted out from the end that faced us, and in between them was a jaded abyss of teeth and venom.


    The sight was unpleasantly reminiscent of the mutated bugs that had ruined Earth, but I refused to cower before the traumatic response my body had at the sight. I steeled myself and forced my eyes to stare at the grotesque thing, knowing that I would feel no small amount of satisfaction bashing that thing as hard as I could. I was unlikely to kill it, according to Najam, but that would hardly stop me from trying my hardest.


    Tara looked just as determined to end the fight without help from either of the two boys, likely miffed that no one thought she had the accuracy required to deal with the centipedes. I gave her a grin before I stepped forward, letting her fall behind as I lit up the space around me.


    The centipede seemed fascinated by the fire around me ¨C though I couldn¡¯t really tell, since the thing had little more than its terrifying mouth in terms of facial features. It immediately began the fight with a deluge of greenish venom, the viscous fluid squirting out of the thing¡¯s mouth and drawing an arc as it flew over to me. I rolled to the side just in time for the venom to sail right past me. The liquid puddled on the ground just a foot to my side as I got up, the stone sizzling under the acidic attack.


    I didn¡¯t give the bug a chance to continue its attack, pressing forward as I brought down an overhead swing with my flaming pole. The pole struck true, landing directly on the middle of its raised head. The thing screeched in pain as the swirling flame engulfed its head, but I could tell right away that it had hardly felt the physical blow of the pole.


    Najam wasn¡¯t kidding about this armor, huh, I thought to myself as I rolled back just before the centipede clamped its mandibles on me. As it did, I hit it again from underneath, and then again from the side as I got back up to my feet, just before I backed up out of reach again.


    The fight had begun only a few seconds ago, but I¡¯d already managed to land three good hits on the thing. I¡¯d have been proud of that achievement, had my hits done any kind of noticeable damage. As it was, the thing looked almost exactly as it had when it¡¯d come down, save for a few scorch marks on its head plate.


    I gave the thing a grin as we stared each other down once again. So what if you¡¯ve got armor? I thought to myself. Enough fire will burn through anything.


    Tara, it seemed, was thinking along similar lines. As the centipede launched itself at me, it¡¯s mandibles open wide as they closed in, a spiralling ball of flame suddenly shot past me, aimed directly at the monster¡¯s face. The boss had the intelligence to shut its open mouth before the ball could get in, but the flame still exploded on the thing¡¯s face, burning against the armour for a few seconds before running out of fuel.


    Those few seconds bought me time to batter its face once more with my pole, and this time, I knew to use my flames as much as possible. So, as I jabbed and swung, I made sure to use my free hand to send sweeping streams of flame all along the length of the bug, hoping that the flame would get into the softer areas of skin.


    The bug did not seem to like being cooked alive much, writhing in pain and letting out wailing screeches every time I set it alight. Still, the thing fought back with the tenacity of a warrior, and the fight was nothing short of life-threatening. As the fight carried on, the thing caught me more than a few times with its venom, either with its spit or a graze with its mandibles or tail.


    The venom was potent, but it wasn¡¯t as bad as I¡¯d feared, not doing much beyond burning my flesh ¨C which wasn¡¯t to say that it was a pleasant experience ¨C only that it wasn¡¯t the kind that slipped into the bloodstream or dulled a person¡¯s senses. And because of that, it wasn¡¯t difficult to Revive when I did get hit. Tara would take the heat for a little bit, letting me fall back and deal with the wound, before falling back once I returned.


    The pain of the Revives had a unique flavor to it, I noticed, different from the pain of a Revive after a normal burn wound. And then I realized how sad it was ¨C that I could tell the difference between such a thing. The thought distracted me for only a fraction of a second, but it was just long enough for the boss to graze me with a flick of its deceptively quick tail, which cost me yet another Revive.


    The fight continued much the same for the next three hours or so, by which point I¡¯d accumulated about five Revives. The centipede, thankfully, had no option to rejuvenate itself as I did, so it was forced to tank our barrage of attacks with no reprieve. Its obscenely tough armour held up, of course, but the constant heat and pain had taken their toll. The monster was noticeably slower, almost sluggish in its movements. It wasn¡¯t quite on death¡¯s doorstep yet, but it was slow enough that Ren would¡¯ve had little trouble bringing it there.


    Ren and Najam were still busy with their own battles, though, so Tara and I couldn¡¯t count on their help any time soon. But the fight was getting much easier as time passed, and by the end, I was having just as much of a blast as I was having in the first stage. I danced about the space, cooking and bashing the centipede with everything I had. It felt utterly amazing to let loose on the insect, as if I was taking revenge for the sins of its brethren.


    Tara seemed to be having just as much fun, letting loose a barrage of elemental spells on the karotenoid punching bag. As the stress of the battle tapered off, I finally got the time to watch her, and her Artes, in action. And they were an absolute wonder to watch. Tara¡¯s wand traced glowing golden strokes in the air, spelling out strange, incomprehensible symbols that pulsed with power. The language was written in a spiraling script, starting from the outermost ring and circling inward.


    Tara¡¯s hand moved rapidly as she drew, drawing out simple spells with mere flicks of her wrist. When a spell was written out, she would simply point her wand through the floating circle, and the spell would shoot off the tip. She rained down bolts of lightning, balls of flame, foot-long icicles; I was astounded by the variety of elemental spells she had at her disposal. She stuck mainly to the three elements ¨C fire, lightning, and ice ¨C but the ways she could use them made it look like she had an affinity with all three.


    Eventually, as the centipede continually slowed, Tara was able to land an icicle in between the monster¡¯s armor. The blue shard bit deep into the flesh, spilling out brown, viscous blood as it did. The wound made the beast cry out louder than ever, and then louder still when my flames melted the icicle and wormed their way into the open wound.


    The last straw for the creature came as a flash of brilliance on my part. I was in the air, having just barely dodged its lunge, when I saw my opportunity. Just above my palm floated one of my signature pearl bombs, and just below me was the part of the centipede with the wound. And so, with an almost impossible twist of my body in the air, I flipped myself around just in the right way to jam the golden ball right into the hole left by Tara¡¯s icicle.


    I kept my hand against the hole as I exploded the bomb, the rest of my body still in the air, forcing the force of the explosion to travel into the bug¡¯s body. The soft inner flesh was charred to ash as the ball exploded with a muffled boom. Smoke leaked out of the bug¡¯s mouth as I landed softly right next to the monster.


    Tara and I watched in a tense moment of silence as the bug flopped to the floor, unmoving and still smoking. When it became clear that the bug wasn¡¯t about to move again anytime soon, massive grins broke out in unison on our faces. Tara and I shared a look of utter satisfaction, having fulfilled our desire not to give up our kill to someone else.


    ¡°You know, Ruby,¡± Tara said as the both of us breathed hard, ¡°I think you¡¯ll make a damn good berserker.¡±

 Chapter 85 – Second Stage

    The rest of the first boss fight didn¡¯t take very long, after Tara and I dealt with ours. Ren and Lionel had already dealt with theirs by then, which had left one poor centipede against the entirety of our group.


    The wretched bug put up a good fight, but there was little it could do against the odds. Especially with Ren on our side, who seemed to have truly settled into his position. He moved like a wraith across the battlefield, a dark shadow that cast fear into the centipede¡¯s heart. The bug seemed to realize that Ren was its greatest threat, but there was little it could do. With six others to deal with, Ren was allowed to flit around unhindered, attacking wherever and whenever he wanted.


    Before long, there wasn¡¯t a single gap on the bug¡¯s body that hadn¡¯t tasted the steel of Ren¡¯s blade, and the monster eventually slumped to the ground, bleeding from every inch of skin that wasn''t armoured.


    Ren came to a stop as the bug fell, a calm, content smile curving his lips. Sweat shone on his forehead, and his shoulders heaved with exertion, but he looked just about as happy as I¡¯d ever seen him.


    With the fight done, Najam once again allowed for a moment of celebration before getting back to business, taking stock of the situation again. As before, Ren and I had yet to use a single of our Potions, much to the group''s amazement. It seemed our reliance on Revives wasn¡¯t a common thing.


    Everyone else in the group had taken at least one; Gyda had taken four already, leaving her with one bottle left. Lionel had three left, and the rest had four.


    Najam didn¡¯t seem as pleased with the situation as he had after the first stage, but he didn¡¯t say anything about it. The group was seasoned, after all ¨C they knew just as well as him how the situation looked. Well, minus Ren and I, of course, but we didn¡¯t care much for the worries of the group. We were just happy to be there, and happier still to move on to the next stage of bashing things.


    The second stage was, according to everyone, harder than the first. There wouldn¡¯t be as many of the monsters, but they were harder to kill. Evolved Zergies were exactly that: evolved versions of the monsters in the first stage. That evolution manifested as plates of armor that coated their limbs and torso, venomous claws, and a general increase in speed and intellect.


    The arena was also more challenging, I found as our group made our way in. Most of the room was copied from the first stage¡¯s arena, but the ground was no longer the same smooth stone as before. No, now it was a murky bog, with a layer of soft and spongy moss cratered with puddles of water. The moss sank deep as we stepped into it, and clung with greedy fingers to our boots as we tried to step out.


    The general dampness of the area seemed to seep into the Flux, too. It made it much harder to ignite the Flux in the atmosphere, and while I still could, the process was noticeably slower, and the flames weaker.


    The place seemed to be designed specifically to annoy Ren and I, since it perfectly targeted both of our styles. Still, I wasn¡¯t to be denied my fun, so I set myself up in my spot and planted my feet deep into the moss. With more mental effort than should have been required, I ignited a ring of flames around me and covered my pole in the same, yelling at the zergies as I did.


    With the goal to stay rooted in the same spot for as long as possible, I met the hoard that descended upon us with glee colouring my face, my pole a brilliant orange streak as it weaved between the monsters. I had gotten leagues better with the pole, and was getting a handle on using my flame with it. A few times, I even managed to sharpen the tip into something solid enough to pierce through the skin of the zergies.


    But as much as I¡¯d improved, the zergies had not fallen behind. Beyond just the increased strength and reflex, their intelligence began to play a big role. In the first stage, they fought individually, like their comrades didn¡¯t even exist. Because of that, their immense numbers were manageable. But given the brainpower to work together, both with each other and with the environment, they became far more dangerous.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Not to mention, with their venomous claws, even a light scratch would fester and burn horribly until it was treated.


    But because they were so much more dangerous, they also came in much smaller numbers. There were three waves, as with the first stage, but there were only two hundred of the monsters in each, as opposed to the two thousand of before. Because of that, the stage progressed much faster, and within two hours, the hall was fully cleared of the orange pests.


    By that point, I stood in a ring five meters across of pure scorched dirt, the damp moss and water all but burnt away. Fresh blood dampened my tattered clothing, and drew a scarlet river down the side of my face, from where a lucky claw had caught me. But despite the haggard picture I painted, I was about as happy as I could be.


    ¡°It is a blessed thing,¡± Angel spoke suddenly as the fight ended, looking at me, ¡°to find the place in which one is truly within their element.¡± She paused for a second, before continuing. ¡°And a blessed thing to witness another find such a place.¡±


    I smiled at that. ¡°I¡¯m guessing those are Galas¡¯ words?¡±


    Angel nodded.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s damn right,¡± I said. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be the type to say this about anything, but I could honestly do this all day, every day, for the rest of my life.¡±


    The group laughed at that, and I grinned in response. ¡°I mean it, though. I can¡¯t think of a single other thing I¡¯d rather do. Constant, easy fighting with little to no real stakes ¨C it¡¯s honestly a dream come true. If I didn¡¯t have bigger plans, I¡¯d live in here.¡±


    Gyda nodded at me while everyone else laughed again.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve finally found someone who understands you, huh?¡± Lionel said to Gyda, who smiled in return.


    The group talked for a little while before Najam finally brought us back to business. Najam counted up our remaining Flux Potions again, and I offered to give Gyda some of mine, since I¡¯d still yet to use them and Gyda was already out, but Najam and Gyda both refused my offer.


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of principle,¡± Najam said. ¡°If an adventurer thinks they can rely on their teammates to supply them, they won¡¯t be as careful with their Potions.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really understand, but I also hadn¡¯t cared much either way, so I didn¡¯t push the matter.


    With the second stage cleared, we finally prepared to move on to the second boss fight. It was an important point, since it was the furthest the team had ever gotten. The team had never even set foot into the place, even the times they¡¯d cleared the second stage, because they¡¯d never been sure that they could win the fight. Walking in underprepared would mean death, after all.


    Still, we knew what monster we would be up against, since the dungeon board displayed a boss¡¯ information once the stage before it was cleared.


    The screen that popped up when Najam touched the doors to the next arena was simple, but surprisingly informative.


    ********


    Zergy Dungeon Mini Boss #2: Zergyll Origin


    Stats:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Strength: 25</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Agility: 23</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Mental: 7</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Toughness: 32</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Reaction Time: 103 ms</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Strike Power: 2034 fin</li>


    </ul>


    Resistance:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Blade: 43</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Blunt: 38</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fire: 20</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Electricity: 37</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Poison: 54</li>


    </ul>


    ********


    After that screen went away, another one popped up


    ********


    Protectors:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Zergyll Centipede</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Penultimate Zergy</li>


    </ul>


    ********


    There were stats for each of the protectors, too, but I skipped them. Partly out of disinterest, but mostly out of impatience. I was itching to go into the fight, and Najam could tell, shooting me a grim grin as he pushed the doors open.

 Chapter 86 – Zergyll Origin

    The doors of the second boss fight opened up to reveal a grand hall much the same in architecture as the others, only far larger. And there was no ring of torches lighting up the place; instead, the domed ceiling shone with a dusting of silvery white, an echo of the night sky outside. It also looked a lot like the claws of the zergies, which I found interesting for about half a second, after which I promptly forgot. After all, there were far more interesting things present.


    The floor of the room was covered in a layer of serene, reflective fluid that mirrored the ceiling almost faultlessly. The fluid itself was slimy and viscous, almost mucous-like, and it squelched under my boots in a way I did not enjoy in the least.


    The perfect tranquillity of the liquid was broken in the center by a throne, a gilded pulpit studded with jewels, atop which sat curled what I could only guess as the Origin herself. She had a lower half much like the centipedes of the first boss fight, but her upper portion was built like that of a human woman. She wore the same keratinoid armor on her torso and limbs, and her scaled hair fell down in shimmering waves. In her hand, she clutched a forked spear of dirty gold.


    She stared down at us with the haughty eyes of a queen, her lips curled in a sneer. She raised her fork up high as we walked up to her, preparing what would surely be a scalding speech.


    Unfortunately for her, before she could even start, she was hit in the face with a stone boulder almost exactly the same size as her face. The sudden blow snapped her head backward, which elicited a joyous whoop from Tara, who¡¯d fired the thing.


    Immediately, the rest of us who could followed her lead, launching whatever we could throw at her face.


    Najam, who¡¯d laid down the plan for the fight, had instructed us to begin as soon as possible. According to the guides he¡¯d read on battling Zergyll Origins, there were no weaknesses to exploit, nor tricks to make the fight much easier. There was little we could do beyond just wear down the boss until it died, which made me as happy as it did Najam sad.


    The one thing we could do to gain an advantage was try to get as much damage done as possible before the Origin¡¯s protectors showed up. Once the protectors showed up, our damage output on the Origin would decrease, since we¡¯d be split among the three monsters. And worst of all, according to the guides, the protectors would never truly die until the Origin did. Killing them would buy a few minutes before they would regenerate and return at full health. The only way to finish the fight would be to deal with the Origin herself, which meant we had to damage it as much as possible, as quickly as possible.


    The Origin, however, was not helpless on her own either. She took our first volley out of surprise, but she wasn¡¯t idle for much longer. Extending her lower half out fully, she rose up to a towering twenty feet high. Far too high for her fork to be of any use, I thought, but I quickly understood.


    The fork was not the weapon itself, it seemed, but a wand, not unlike Tara¡¯s. With far quicker movements than I expected from a thing her size, she drew out a circle of those same strange symbols, before poking her fork straight through, pointing directly at Tara.


    Najam had warned Ren and I that this was something that would happen. Dungeon bosses tended to target the ones with the highest damage outputs, which usually happened to be the squishiest caster-type mages. And so it was the job of the tankier mages to protect them.


    And, just as the projectile of green acid neared Tara¡¯s face, Lionel did exactly that. Moving swifter than I thought he could, he appeared directly in front of Tara and raised his greatsword, batting away the acid with the broad side of the blade.


    The blade sizzled a little, but came away otherwise unmarked. The acid landed harmlessly against the fluid of the floor, evaporating it as it did. Meanwhile, Najam and I did not cease our assault on the Origin¡¯s long body ¨C though our attacks had seemed to have done a grand total of zero damage to her.


    The Origin continued firing her acid Arte for the next little while, staying irritatingly safe atop her raised platform. Ren had tried to join her up there a few times, but seemed to be repelled by some strange invisible barrier that allowed nothing physical through. Even Najam¡¯s physical arrows seemed unable to pass, so he stuck to his wind arrows ¨C which I only then realized was something he could do. It seemed he¡¯d had a wind affinity that he¡¯d finally decided to show.


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    The arrows were silvery and almost transparent, and seemed just as solid as normal arrows. I watched them for a moment before an idea suddenly struck me. Lighting up a fireball in my palm, I waited until the perfect moment before launching it directly in line with Najam¡¯s arrow. The two met in midair, and with a flash, the flame expanded and warped into the mould of the arrow, visibly brighter and certainly hotter.


    The arrow struck true on a plate of the Origin¡¯s armor, and left behind a scorched mark that visibly angered the bug woman. Najam shot me a surprised look as it did, as if he couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯d thought of that before him.


    I gave him a cheeky grin in return.


    We began to match our attacks every time from then on ¨C running and jumping around as we did, since our tactic was one the Origin decidedly did not enjoy. The other melee fighters took it upon themselves to protect the rest, when they weren¡¯t firing projectiles of Flux of their own.


    About fifteen minutes after the fight started, the protectors finally made their appearances. The centipede was exactly the same as the first mini-boss, while the Penultimate Zergie was just a gorilla-sized, armoured zergie.


    Immediately, and seamlessly, our group split into our duos. Lionel and Tara stuck with the Origin ¨C who was now, at last, open to physical attacks ¨C  since they were the most classic formation for a team. Ren and I would deal with the centipede, and Najam and Gyda would handle the gorilla zergie. Galas, as always, was healing and attacking when he could with his wolves.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if the centipede was easier now or if I¡¯d just gotten much better, but Ren and I were able to deal with the protector with far more ease than I had expected. Likely, both of those were true, but the most likely reason, I eventually realized, was that Ren and I had near impeccable teamwork. Those months in the jungle truly showed their fruits as the two of us fought, hardly needing to exchange a word with each other as we did. Neither of us had Revived by the time the centipede fell, the both of us covering for each other in a way no one else from Najam¡¯s group had been able to.


    We rejoined Lionel and Tara not ten minutes after the protectors appeared, leaving a charred and bleeding centipede behind us. We had about fifteen minutes of fighting before the protector was brought back to life, if the guides were accurate, and we intended to make the most of that time.


    Ren immediately threw himself at the Origin, his dagger flashing as he stabbed and jabbed at the not-so-soft skin in between the Origin¡¯s armour plates. He drew blood ¨C a vile, brown sludge ¨C but not much, not even enough to draw the Origin¡¯s unerring attention from Tara.


    Tara, for her part, seemed to be simultaneously having a terrible time, and the time of her life. She was hardly given a moment''s respite from the now-various Artes that targeted her, which meant she had to constantly be on the move. And even then, more than once, she survived an attack only because Lionel and his bulky armor managed to step in just in time.


    On the other hand, she seemed to be unleashing loads of pent-up frustration on the punching bag that was the Origin, and seemed to be having a great time as she did. Her hands were a blur as she cast Arte after Arte, her tiny figure releasing a maelstrom of ferocious elemental attacks as she darted around the arena as fast as her little legs could carry her.


    I was hardly idle during the time we had, either. Now that I could physically approach the Origin, I unleashed everything I had on the thing¡¯s armour; every swing of my pole swung with all the strength I had. At some point, I began to imagine the ruddy brown of the armour as Leo¡¯s face, just for the fun of it, and I could have sworn I hit harder when I did.


    Eventually, Najam and Gyda dealt with their protector and joined the main group, and not a few minutes later, I noticed the centipede begin to stir once again.


    Ren and I arrived promptly, ready to teach the wretched thing yet another lesson.


    The boss fight continued on much the same afterward. It¡¯d be a race to deal with the protectors as quickly as we could, before we¡¯d jump back into the main fight and unleash everything we had on the Origin.


    It was an exhausting routine, both mentally and physically, and the toll the fight took on us was noticeable. I began to slow as the time passed, until I eventually took an entire acid Arte straight to the back. The pain was exquisite, and it resulted in one of the more torturous Revives I¡¯d had in the past while. The Revive rejuvenated me for a while, of course, but inevitably, the same pattern would repeat again and again.


    The others weren¡¯t faring much better than I was, but we made sure the Origin wasn¡¯t having a good time either. Our attacks had finally begun to break through her armor, and a few plates had even cracked in some places. More than half of her was scorched black, and she bled from numerous wounds all over her body.


    Finally, after a good five or so hours of continuous fighting, and a good twenty-some Revives on my end, the Zergyll Origin cast her last Arte before falling face-first into the slime that coated the floor. A blue screen popped up not long after, declaring the boss dead, and the second boss fight of the dungeon officially cleared.

 Chapter 87 – Ember Lion

    The celebratory mood that descended was almost tangible as the group realized that the fight was finally over. I was so exhausted I fell straight to my back, not even caring that I was lying in the strange, slimy liquid of the floor. I was already practically covered in it anyway, after the five hours I¡¯d spent in the room. Not to mention, I was an absolute mess in every other way, anyway. My already tattered clothes were barely recognizable now, with much of it having been liquified under the acid of the Origin and centipede.


    I¡¯d have been embarrassed had not most of the group been in near similar condition. Even the ones with armor hadn''t been spared. Najam¡¯s leather armor was falling apart, and Lionel was a mess, though his armor still held up. Regardless, no one was in any place to criticize me.


    Fortunately for the group, Najam¡¯d had the foresight to bring everyone extra clothing, so we wouldn¡¯t have to suffer our indecency for long. And since we¡¯d all unanimously decided to take a nice long break before moving on to the next stage, we had plenty of time to change. Tara and I were even able to work together to make hot water to bathe in, since Najam had also packed buckets, like the utter preparation freak that he was.


    An hour or so later, our group stood fresh and ready in the hallway before the third stage, wearing brand-new clothes and having washed off the slime that had been slathered all over us. Najam had no replacement for his armor, though, so he wore what little of his original stuff remained after the fight.


    Broad smiles adorned the faces of everyone in the group as we prepared to walk into the third stage. According to Najam, just figuring out what kind of monster we would face would be enough for this run to be considered a success, but I still hadn¡¯t given up on my hope to clear the dungeon in its entirety, despite having witnessed how difficult the dungeon was. The practical side of me understood that the formations Najam had devised had played a major role in our ability to get so far ¨C but a deeper, more stubborn part of me still held out hope.


    The stone hallway eventually ended, leading us out into a very different landscape than the last. Instead of a dim, stone cavern, we stepped out into a lush meadow. A thick carpet of grass lay sprawled over the undulating hills, verdant and rich in color. The room was square in shape and, as with the rest, absolutely massive in scale. It was boxed off with massive sandy stone walls that rose far, far up high before they ended at the ceiling. The faces of the walls were seamless, as if they were made of a single block of stone.


    The ceiling itself glowed a gentle golden white that mimicked the sun with surprising accuracy. The light wasn¡¯t harsh, but still bright enough to liven up the massive room.


    Our group studied the place with curious eyes, taking in the strange scene with wonder. Still, no one stepped out of formation, despite the innocuous appearance of the room. We were still in a dungeon, after all, and dungeons were not innocent places. Even I knew that.


    Our group, which had adopted the same formation we entered the dungeon with, made it about halfway into the room before we finally met the enemy. It was a pride of lions, or at least, lions in general shape. In everything else, however, they were starkly different.


    There were about thirteen of the animals, and they all wore ashen gray coats of fur. The manes of the males were of the same color, though the ends of the hairs glowed the orange of dying embers.


    The group had just reached the top of a hill when we saw the pride. The animals lounged in the valley just at our feet, and our appearance seemed as much a shock to them as theirs was to us.


    ¡°Well,¡± Lionel muttered quietly, as if not to startle the animals, ¡°at least we know what we¡¯re up against, now.¡±


    Grins spread among the group as we readied for battle. Although, technically, we¡¯d accomplished what we¡¯d set out to do, there was no point in turning back without a fight. We may as well witness firsthand the lions¡¯ strength, even though Najam¡¯s books would undoubtedly contain all the information we¡¯d need on them.


    With no set strategy, we simply stuck to our original plan, retaining our fish-shaped formation. Following Lionel in a controlled charge, we made our way to the lions, who seemed to only then realize we were hostile.


    The lions transitioned from their prone, lazy states into battle-ready within seconds, the biggest of them coming forward to meet us while the rest stayed a little back. As they met our charge with their own, I noticed for the first time that their eyes glowed a deep orange, like the burning heart of an ember.


    The lions painted a fearsome picture as five of them ran at us, their majestic silvery bodies moving in unison as they crossed the space between us, fangs bared and bloodlust echoing in their eyes. I grinned as I met their stares, letting flames burst into life around me.


    I met the leftmost lion with a jab straight into its open jaws. The steel tip met the top of its mouth while the swirling flames rushed down its throat and engulfed its entire head, mane included. My other hand crashed into the thing¡¯s chest as a flaming fist, sinking into the surprisingly thick pelt of gray.


    The lion, to my surprise, responded by clasping its jaws down on my flaming pole, holding it still in place as it glared down at me, staring at me through my own flames. Meeting the beast¡¯s eyes felt like staring into the eyes of a king, but I was not to be cowed. I steeled my eyes and stared it down, taking the blow it lashed out with with as much grace as I could manage.


    The massive paw struck my middle like a sledgehammer, sending me flying like a ragdoll thrown. I landed some thirty feet off to the side, rolling over the lush grass for another meter or so before I finally came to a stop.


    I Revived the moment I stopped moving, a fire alight in my eyes. The lion had issued me a personal challenge when our eyes met ¨C I was sure of it in a way I¡¯d never be able to explain, and I wasn¡¯t about to back down.


    And indeed, the massive lion had broken away from the larger battle, its lone gray figure cutting a striking picture as it padded through the lush emerald of the meadow. Its eyes were fixed on mine, the glowing flame in them matched by mine.


    By now, the main fight had begun in earnest, and every lion had joined in the fray, and yet none followed behind the one coming for me; as if even they understood that this was a fight to be respected.


    The lion had abandoned my pole where we¡¯d met, which meant I would be fighting with my bare hands. It would definitely be a disadvantage, I knew, but a small part of me was excited for it. Something about the challenge made me want to take it down with nothing but my fists.


    The lion reached me soon enough, and the both of us began to slowly circle each other ¨C an apex predator and a flaming girl sizing each other up. The beast was massive ¨C my head only came up to its shoulders ¨C but I was used to fighting against larger opponents, so I was hardly daunted by the prospect.


    As we circled each other, I flooded myself with Flux; my body absolutely brimmed with strength, the liquid power almost begging to be let out and set the world ablaze. But I kept a tight rein on it, rallying myself for the fight to come. What little did seep out came as sparks off of my body, painting bright orange arcs as they fell to the ground, burning against the grass as they landed.


    The lion moved first. It burst forward with a sudden, explosive leap, its paws outstretched and maw open wide. It had given absolutely no warning before attacking, or at least, no warning that I had the experience to pick up on, but I was still ready for it when it came. The power within me burst out as an explosion of flame, the brilliant orange erupting out of my skin as the lion closed in on me.


    The flames met the lion as a wave of fierce heat, knocking it off balance just long enough for me to roll under the leaping animal. I shot to my feet just as I cleared it, and the lion landed where I¡¯d just been, dazed but largely unhurt still.


    The lion whipped around to face me again, a glare of annoyance ready to be thrown my way, but I was upon it the second that it turned. My fist crashed into its jaw, knocking its massive head to the side. I followed up with another rapid two jabs to its face before backing up quickly.


    But not quite quick enough, I found. The lion¡¯s paw found me just before I stepped out of its reach, its long claws ripping through my clothes and tearing into my skin.


    I bit back a scream of pain and blasted the animal¡¯s face with twin streams of flame from my hands, staggering backwards as I did. The Revive came quick, thankfully ¨C even my body seemed to know that even a second¡¯s delay would cost me my life ¨C but it was as painful as ever.


    By the time the lion came for me again, I was perfectly refreshed and ready for it. Flame swirled around my body as I ducked and weaved through its claws and jaws, peppering its thick pelt with punch after punch. I settled back into the groove of my fighting style on Earth, that mix of boxing and brawling I¡¯d designed and tempered through countless street fights. It had served me well then, as I hoped it would do now.


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    Granted, I¡¯d never fought an honest-to-god lion on the streets, but I¡¯d also never been able to shoot flames out of my fists, either.


    Not that the flames seemed to be doing much for me then, though. I could see what Gyda had meant about fire mages being at a disadvantage in brawls. My flames were painful as all hell for the lion, undoubtedly, but without something sharp or hard enough to pierce its pelt, it would take a long while for me to wear the animal down and kill it. And as much as I had faith in my abilities, I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to think I¡¯d be able to outlast the lion in a fight like that.


    Still, I refused to believe that there wasn¡¯t a way for me to use my flames the way I wanted to, and I was sure I¡¯d come up with it soon enough. And I was determined to stick with my style until I did.


    But the idea, whatever it was, eluded me. The fight dragged on, devolving into what was essentially a slug match between me and the lion. The lion had every possible advantage, of course, aside from one thing. It had far more muscle, far better defense, claws that tore through my skin, and jaws powerful enough to tear my limbs off. What I had, the only thing I had, was my capacity for pain, and the Revives to make use of that capacity. And maybe my insanity, too ¨C though I wasn¡¯t quite sure if that counted as an advantage.


    Within half an hour, my brand-new clothes were reduced to dirty, blood-soaked tatters. The lush grass was charred and blackened in a five-meter circle around us as the lion and I stood facing each other once again, both of us breathing hard. But despite the objectively horrible situation I¡¯d found myself in, the wild grin on my face told of the lighting that coursed through my veins. I felt more alive than ever before, the world clearer, in better focus.


    The lion pounced forward again, and I took its claws to my forearm before retaliating with a clubbing fist, simultaneously pulling a Revive as I did. I doubled down on the attack, stepping closer as I swung again and again, the flames alive and dancing on my arms.


    My assault was brought to an end as the lion caught my fist between its teeth, its powerful jaws threatening to clear through the bone. With defiant eyes, I stepped closer still, refusing to back off. Instead, with a herculean push, I inserted my other hand into the thing¡¯s mouth and began to pry its jaws open.


    Blood ran freely down my arms as its teeth dug into my palms, but I hardly noticed as I strained every muscle in my body, slowly but surely prying its mouth open wide. My arms shook under the force of the lion¡¯s jaw trying to clamp down again, and pearly teeth poked through the skin on the back of my hand, having dug through my entire palm.


    But I kept a tight grip on the animal¡¯s jaws, and eventually, its jaws were wide open, its warm breath leaking out and caressing my face. I grinned as I saw the pink flesh of the lion¡¯s mouth. With a clear shot in, I rallied the Flux I¡¯d been holding onto and blew it out in one condensed breath, igniting it as it passed my lips.


    The stream of scorching hot flames burst out of my mouth and burned their way down the lion¡¯s throat, all the way down into the thing¡¯s stomach. When I had emptied out all the Flux I¡¯d gathered, I pushed the lion off, tearing my palms off of its teeth as I did.


    The lion staggered back, its mouth hanging open and smoking, the insides charred black. Yet still, the thing refused to fall. Its legs buckled under its own weight, but it met my eyes with adamant refusal, reflecting the resolve in my gaze in its own.


    I stared the thing down from where I stood, not having moved a muscle from where I¡¯d pushed it back. Both of my palms were mangled messes of flesh that bled profusely, and a streak of scarlet ran down my forehead and over my right eye, but the steel in my dark eyes was unwavering.


    The lion closed its jaws then, though gray smoke still leaked out from the corners of its lips, and it turned to me with what I could have sworn was a grin. Then, with a sudden blur of movement, the cat pounced on me, its massive weight bearing down on me with more speed than should have been possible for something of its size.


    Still, my body reacted just in time, Reviving as I moved entirely on instinct. I watched myself as I rolled under the beast, my newly restored ¨C and now glowing red ¨C fingers raking themselves against the gray underbelly of the lion. I didn¡¯t quite understand why I did that ¨C it wasn¡¯t like my fingernails were sharp enough to cut through the lion¡¯s thick pelt. But as I shot up to my feet on the other side of the lion, understanding quickly came to me.


    I looked down at my own fingers to find them wrapped in an almost solid, peculiar flame. The flame had taken the form of a cone-shaped claw, encasing each of my fingers. But that wasn¡¯t the peculiar part of it. No, the peculiar thing was the color of the flame. They glowed a deep, bloody scarlet, so rich in color it reminded me of my own hair. I¡¯d never seen fire of such a color before, and certainly never created such, and the sight was more captivating than I would have imagined.


    So captivating was the color, in fact, that I only remembered where I was when the lion¡¯s claws were mere inches away from the back of my neck. I ducked as fast as I possibly could, but the lion¡¯s paws followed, raking over my back as they did.


    Without even bothering to Revive, I whirled around and slashed at the beast¡¯s neck. The lion was quick enough to pull back, though, so my sharpened fingers only caught a few hairs of its mane. The animal wasn¡¯t expecting me to push further, though, so a step forward brought me close enough to sink my claws into the thing¡¯s chest.


    The lion responded with a paw to my gut, sending me flying back. I Revived before I even hit the ground, sparing myself the agony of having to land on a back torn open ¨C though, with how painful the Revive was, I questioned if the trade had even been worth it ¨C and then Revived again as I hit the ground, breaking more than a few bones with my landing.


    I was up to my feet in seconds, just in time to greet the lion as it charged at me. A grin stretched on my face as I crouched slightly, my body primed and ready for the fight. The claws had been an innovation of my subconscious, as best as I could tell, but no matter where I¡¯d gotten the idea, they were perfect. Like a gift from some unknown source, and I accepted them graciously.


    The lion and I went blow for blow another hour or so, and I steadily gained the upper hand as the fight went on. I began to shed the civility of my fighting style, emulating and slowly beginning to match the wildness of the lion. A feral grin spread over my face as I fought, and before long, the lion was left a bloody, mangled mess of red and gray. Blood dripped down from endless gashes running along the length of its pelt, staining the charred grass below.


    I stood opposite the majestic animal, standing tall as the wind swept my scarlet hair and tattered clothes. The lion should have, by all rights, lost its royal bearing, bloodied as it was. But that was not the case. No, the lion seemed just as dignified a beast as ever, the utter confidence in its eyes unwavering as it met my gaze. The blood that stained its pelt only served to give it the look of a great warrior, as valiant as the heroes of legend.


    Suddenly, I felt a strange current caress my skin as I gazed into the deep ember eyes of the lion, as if I was passing through a cloud. In my peripheral vision, I noticed that my surroundings were beginning to slowly change, the sprawling emerald meadow and the fierce battle that waged atop it fading away into a blank dark canvas. But something prevented me from taking my eyes off the lion¡¯s, as if an invisible force had taken control of my mind


    Then, all of a sudden, that force dissipated, and I was freed from the strange hold it had on me. As clarity returned to my mind, I found myself in an alien world, far from where I should have been. I stood in a field of bronzed grass, so tall that the tops brushed against my hips. The field stretched out in every direction, endless as an ocean of swaying golden. The land was utterly flat; not a mound rose higher than the rest, nor a ditch lower.


    Beyond the earth was a dark wrapping of sky, dusted with the silvery white of distant stars.


    I stood alone, utterly confused and more than awed by the strange sight, for almost a minute before a being finally materialized before me. Wisps of smoke condensed into the form of an aged man, his grayed beard and kindly, wrinkled face telling of a great many years lived.


    A golden crown sat lopsidedly atop the man¡¯s head, and he was draped in fancy, fur-lined robes that gave him an air of royalty. A single glance was enough to tell me the man before me was a king; a true king, through and through. Beyond the appearance, there was something about his aura that marked him as one. He was a man who would command authority, no matter where he went.


    I met his eyes with as much confidence as I could muster, given the strange circumstance I¡¯d found myself in. I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but I refused to show a hint of weakness.


    The old king studied me in silence for a moment, an indecipherable light in his eyes and a broad smile on his face, before he finally spoke. ¡°It was an honor, fallen Ember, to witness the rebirth of your scarlet flame.¡± His voice had a gravitas that matched his appearance, but his actual words made absolutely no sense to me.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I responded dumbly, when I realized the man was waiting for a response.


    The king smiled kindly and shook his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect you to understand, at the moment, anyway. I apologize for intruding upon your little¡­dungeon excursion. I simply couldn¡¯t contain my excitement when I felt your signature resurface in the universe. Even now, I can hardly believe my eyes..." The man trailed off again, before shaking himself and speaking again. "To make up for my intrusion, I¡¯ll handle the rest of the dungeon for you. Someone like you should hardly be¡­¡± the man seemed to reconsider whatever it was he was about to say then, shaking his head once more.


    ¡°The dungeon rewards should be waiting for you when you return,¡± the man continued. ¡°I hope they should cover any inconveniences I may have caused. Beyond that, I have but a simple request, after which I will leave you to your life once more. Will you hear my request?¡±


    I looked at the man blankly, before nodding my head.


    ¡°When you are well and ready ¨C and you will know when that is for yourself ¨C I hope that you will stop by my palace once again, on my home planet. There are matters that must be discussed ¨C once, of course, you are prepared to.¡± The man fixed me with an intense look. ¡°Can you promise me that, fallen Ember?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­sure?" I answered. It occurred to me that agreeing when I had absolutely no idea what exactly my promise would entail wasn''t a great idea, but something about the way the man asked made me want to agree. "I guess.¡±


    The man¡¯s face lit up at my response. ¡°Splendid. Absolutely splendid. I await our next meeting with bated breath, fallen Ember. I expect a great many things from you.¡±


    With those weighty words of parting, the man bent into a slight bow and drifted away. Not long after, the strange world went with him, bringing me back to the meadow of the third stage.

 Chapter 88 – Dungeon Rewards

    I found myself lying against the soft bed of grass that carpeted the meadow, staring up into the blank golden white of the ceiling. It took a while for my brain to catch up to where I was, still processing the strange turn my fight with the lion had taken.


    One moment, I¡¯d been totally in my element, blood racing and my body alive, and the next, I was talking to a strange man on a strange planet, and I¡¯d hardly been given a moment to understand our conversation before I was dropped back off here. The drastic shifts were rattling, and I lay there for a long moment, basking in the strangely pleasant light and wind and grass.


    The presence of any kind of wind, of course, defied all logic, but it seemed logic was not a consideration in dungeons; or at least, not the normal logic of the world. They seemed to run on their own brand of it.


    I was forced to return to the present when Ren and the rest walked up to me, peering down at me like scientists in a lab, studying a curious specimen.


    I gave them all a glare for interrupting my rest, a glare that was met only with broad smiles. Ren offered me a hand, hoisting me up to my feet. ¡°Glad to have you back in the land of the living,¡± he said.


    I gave him a confused look. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Ren shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t really understand much of it, but far as I can tell, that lion king guy forcefully completed the dungeon for us. ¡®As recompense for any inconvenience he may have caused in our planning,¡¯ according to him.¡±


    Najam nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s about what happened. It¡¯s terrifying, thinking about it. The kind of power that man must wield is beyond comprehension. The fact that he could play with the rules of a dungeon like clay in his hands is absolutely insane. Dungeons are irrevocably linked to the Tower, and the Tower is not something just anyone can mess with. I doubt that man is even from our planet. I can¡¯t think of a single person on this planet with that level of strength.¡±


    Najam¡¯s group nodded seriously at his words. ¡°That¡¯s probably why the Zergyll Origin came before the end,¡± Tara said. ¡°I bet the Origin was actually supposed to be the master boss, but that man restructured the dungeon to add on this stage.¡±


    ¡°But the question then, though, is why? What is a man of that much strength doing messing with a mere three-star dungeon?¡± Lionel asked.


    Immediately, all eyes turned to me, as if I would be able to explain everything. I returned their stares with a blank face. ¡°Why are you guys looking at me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re the only one that had a different experience than the rest of us,¡± Najam said. ¡°We were just fighting the lions like normal, and then suddenly the lions vanished and that strange man appeared, apologizing to us for messing with the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°But you went off on your own to duke it out with that other lion,¡± Gyda said. ¡°Which, by the way,¡± she added, ¡°was epic. I watched the fight a bit, and it was thrilling. Going toe to toe with a lion with your bare hands is insane, and that¡¯s coming from me.¡±


    I grinned at her words, the feeling of fighting the lion coming back to me. It had been an utterly thrilling battle.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Najam said, ¡°when all the lions vanished, you kinda just dropped back onto the ground. You¡¯ve been lying there comatose since.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± I said. That was interesting. So it hadn¡¯t been my body that was transported to the other world, but my brain ¨C or soul, or something.


    I noticed then that everyone was still waiting for me to explain, so I did, recounting the entire experience with as much explanation as I could provide ¨C which, admittedly, wasn¡¯t much.


    By the time I was done, the group seemed about as utterly confused as I was.


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure you don¡¯t recognize the man?¡± Najam asked.


    I nodded at the obvious question. ¡°Yup. Never seen him before in my life. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    Having gotten nowhere, we deliberated a little longer before, eventually, giving up with a unanimous shrug. After all, we simply did not have enough information or clues to piece together anything, really. And anyway, it seemed that I was really the star of the event. The others just happened to be there, which meant the whole mystery was really my problem. And I didn¡¯t particularly care to sit there and try to put together the impossible puzzle.


    So instead, we put the strange events behind us and focused on the more important matter: the fact that the dungeon had been, so far as we could tell, completely cleared.


    The dungeon board had been updated, clearly declaring us as having obtained the first clear of the dungeon.


    ********


    Congratulations, valiant warriors!


    You have successfully cleared the Zergy Dungeon, and are the first to do so! Your names shall be enshrined as pioneers in this here dungeon, to ensure that all those who enter know the great team in whose footsteps they follow.


    You shall be rewarded as is suitable for your achievement of being the first to clear this dungeon. Each member will be granted an individual piece suited to their needs, and the Classic Rewards shall be doubled.


    Enjoy!


    ********


    The moment I wished away the screen, smoke swirled at my feet, coalescing and growing for a few moments before suddenly pulling away again, vanishing into nothingness as it did. The smoke left behind a treasure chest that seemed to have appeared from thin air, like the showy magic trick of a cheap magician¡¯s show.


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    The chest was about as typical in design as one could get.  A wooden body with metal braces, it seemed rickety and old. It was unlocked, and out of curiosity, I bent down and flipped the thing¡¯s lid over.


    Inside were two things: a pair of black leather gloves, neatly folded over each other, and an oval, egg-like gemstone. The gem glittered a brilliant mix of swirling orange and red, like the heart of a fire.


    I picked up the gem first, something about its aura calling out to me. It felt warm against my fingers, and as I held it in front of me, I could feel the Flux within my Core reacting to it.


    Turning to Najam, who was currently preoccupied with looting his own chest, I waved the gem and asked, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Najam looked at me, confused for a moment, before his eyes glinted with recognition, and a hint of shock. ¡°That¡¯s a Fire Essence stone,¡± he answered, walking over to me. ¡°That¡¯s an amazing reward! I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of a three-star dungeon handing out an Essence stone as a reward. Even for first clears.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said, studying the strange gem in a new light. ¡°Why are they so good?¡±


    ¡°They can increase the body¡¯s affinity with an element,¡± Najam answered. ¡°It¡¯s one of the only objects in the universe to do so.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Your affinity with an element is originally decided at birth,¡± he explained. ¡°But you can increase your affinity by getting to understand the element. It''s a difficult thing to explain, but you have to understand your element at a deep, bodily level. And the only way to do that normally is by playing with the element, being enveloped in the element, stuff like that. But Essence stones can increase your body¡¯s understanding without having to rely on your brain. It¡¯s like a cheat code, or a shortcut, for increasing your affinity.¡±


    I nodded slowly, starting to understand. ¡°But, what¡¯s the point of increasing your affinity in the first place?¡±


    By now, the rest of the group had gathered as well, giving the stone in my hands curious looks. ¡°Increasing your affinity is an incredibly important thing for Elemental Mages,¡± Tara answered this time. ¡°It becomes absolutely vital at the later stages, but even at the moment, it can immensely boost your strength. It increases the quality of the flames that you create, the speed at which you can create them, your control over them, and the volume of how much you can make.¡±


    My eyes widened in shock. Benefits like that were incredible! And all from a single stone, too. Or so I thought, but Tara¡¯s next words quickly doused that idea.


    ¡°Of course, with only a single stone, the effects won¡¯t be out of this world, but they¡¯ll definitely be noticeable.¡±


    ¡°Not that getting a single stone is stingy on the dungeon¡¯s part,¡± Najam said. ¡°Essence stones are beyond rare, and incredibly hard for people like us to get our hands on.¡±


    I smiled a little at that. I got the feeling that Najam and the rest of us didn¡¯t quite count as the same kind of people, at least in terms of money and connections. But I didn¡¯t say that. Instead, I turned to the rest of them and asked, ¡°What did you all get?¡±


    Grins spread around as the group¡¯s thoughts returned to their own harvests. One by one, everyone went around, showing off their rewards.


    Gyda received a fancy shortsword, which she was immensely happy with. She¡¯d had a problem with super close-quarter fighting, since her ax became unwieldy ¨C even for her ¨C at a certain range.


    Tara received a set of high-quality, white and golden robes. They gave her an angelic look that Najam noted did not match her personality, earning him a glare from her and laughs from the rest of us. Still, despite Najam¡¯s jab, Tara¡¯s mood was clearly through the roof, her face glowing with happiness.


    Lionel received a shield that I learned was the last piece of the armor set he¡¯d been collecting from the dungeons around. It was kite-shaped and light enough for him to wield like a toy, though it seemed solid enough to tank a sledgehammer. The style matched the rest of his armor well, completing his grand warrior look.


    Galas received a gnarled wooden staff that hooked slightly at the top. He seemed pleased with it, and Angel was prompt in informing us that his was the best reward of everyone''s.


    Najam received not a physical thing, for his part. Instead, he was granted a brand new Arte, accessed by him via the dungeon board. I was curious to know how that worked, but it seemed the chips Ren and I had still weren¡¯t completely functional, so we¡¯d have to wait till we reached a city for that. Still, Najam was more than happy to display the Arte that he received.


    We gave him a little room, and he stood on the grassy field, bow ready in his hands as he crouched slightly and closed his eyes. He breathed out deep, brow furrowed as he focused. Slowly, glowing apple-green lines began to paint themselves on the ground around his feet, writing out the runes in a circular fashion.


    The Arte was slow in completing itself, likely because Najam was familiarizing himself with it, but Tara wasn¡¯t one to let such an opportunity pass.


    ¡°Any day now!¡± she called out from where she sat in our circle, cackling as she did. I couldn¡¯t help but join in, only because of Najam¡¯s annoyed reaction. Still, Najam didn¡¯t break his focus, not even opening his eyes.


    It took a minute, but the Arte was finally completed, the glowing circle fully formed under his feet. With careful movements, Najam brought his fingers over to his bow¡¯s string and pulled it back. As he did, swirling green-gray wind gathered at the place the arrow should have been, and by the time he¡¯d pulled the string as far back as it could go, the wind had solidified into the rough shape of an arrow.


    With a sudden movement, Najam turned from where he was facing and shot the arrow over the spot Tara was sitting. The thing shot forward with incredible force, generating such a powerful gust of wind it knocked the seated Tara onto her back as it flew over her.


    The thing continued until it hit the sandy stone wall at the end of the room, exploding into a cloud of dust and debris as it did. When the dust settled, there was a large crater left, dug into the wall¡¯s surface like a bomb had gone off.


    Whistles and applause rang out as everyone witnessed the Arte¡¯s destructive power ¨C save for Tara, of course. She was busy glaring daggers at Najam, but Najam had no problems ignoring her displeasure, instead basking in the awe of the people. He seemed a bit awed himself, in fact, at the incredible power the Arte had showcased.


    With his showcase done, it was finally Ren¡¯s turn to reveal what he¡¯d received. He pulled out a long, black, rectangular box and placed it in front of everyone. With calm hands, he lifted up the top of the box to reveal a simple sword nestled in a soft, velvety bed. The black sword had no crossguard; it was just a stick, and a stick that looked a lot like his old walking stick. It was about four feet long ¨C three feet of a blade, and a foot-long handle.


    Ren reached in to grab the sheathed sword, his face the picture of mild interest and serenity. Yet I could tell, in a way I was sure only I could tell, by the slight curve of his lips and the tremble in his fingers, that he was beyond ecstatic at the moment. He grabbed the thing and raised it out of its bed, reverence tainting his every move.


    With slow, measured movements, he unsheathed the blade, revealing its inky black blade for the world to see. The blade was a thing of wonder, so dark was its color. It was a sliver of shadow given solid form, like it ate up all the light around it. It was a thin blade, no wider than two fingers pressed together, double edged, and utterly straight.


    Ren gripped the ovalish handle as he opened his eyes, the glossy black pools of his eyes mirroring the inky sword. A smile grew on his face, content and fierce.


    ¡°I like it,¡± he said simply.

 Chapter 89 – Goodbye

    ********


    Scorched Gauntlets - Rank C


    Forged by the famed fire Elemental leatherworkers of Mount Hule, these leather gauntlets offer blunt protection and increased efficiency for fire Mages. Imbued with a special flame-type Flux and high-level flame runes, these gauntlets can boost the heat of any fire created by the mage by dozens of degrees.


    ********


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said dumbly as I stared at the information on the screen before me. The gloves ¨C or, gauntlets, apparently ¨C had prompted the screen the moment I¡¯d touched them. I slipped the gloves on as I read the blurb, more than shocked at their effect. I had no idea something like that was even possible, and the avenues it opened up for future loot were endless. What else could be created? What else was possible? What else could armor do? The prospects were exhilarating.


    The leather gloves were snug against my skin. They were lightweight, with thin, padded armour on my forearms and even thinner, stretchy leather that reached down past my hand and halfway up my fingers. The armor was a pleasant shade of brownish red, and I felt it matched my style well.


    I was itching to give my new gloves a go, but we were all out of enemies to fight, and I didn¡¯t think the rest of the group would be quite as excited to give the dungeon another run. Not that we could, anyway. It took a few days at least for a dungeon to repopulate itself after a run ¨C longer, even, depending on how much of it was cleared.


    We¡¯d all had a long day, anyway, so after we collected our prizes and spent a considerable amount of time lounging around, comparing and showing them off, we made our way out of the dungeon to head back to camp. There was an exit just at the end of the third stage¡¯s arena, a portal nearly identical to the one we¡¯d entered through.


    We stepped through to find ourselves in exactly the same clearing that held the entrance portal, only on the other side of the grassy field. We stepped out with broad smiles and constant chatter, markedly happier than we had been when we¡¯d entered. And for good reason ¨C after all, we¡¯d far overshot our initial goals, albeit in a wildly strange, roundabout way. Najam and his group, especially, were over the roof.


    Ren and I had never been very invested in clearing the dungeon, after all. We¡¯d helped to repay Najam¡¯s generosity, but at the end of the day, whether we succeeded or not didn¡¯t really have much importance to us. Not that we really understood the importance of what we¡¯d accomplished, anyway.


    But to Najam and his group, it was beyond amazing, the fortune that had found its way to their laps. As Najam explained, with the dungeon cleared for the first time, future runs would be markedly easier. It was a feature of dungeons, I learned, that the first clear was always the most difficult. Afterward, the difficulty level of the monsters would decrease, making it possible for less skilled adventurers to attempt.


    With a three-star dungeon cleared, it opened up a venue for farming an amazing amount of money. Our run had already netted us an incredible amount of gold ¨C double the average amount, apparently. Najam¡¯s party was practically drooling over the amount of resources they¡¯d be able to gather by farming the dungeon, especially since they wouldn¡¯t even have to run the dungeon themselves anymore.


    So the team was in a great mood as we made our way through the forest, heading back to camp. It was almost sunset by then, and the waning sun painted the sky in vibrant pinks and purples. What little sunlight filtered through the trees cast a deep orange warmth over my skin, and I felt a peace settle in me as I basked in the pleasant scene. But there was a tinge of melancholy, too.


    With the dungeon cleared, there was little reason for me and Ren to remain here. We had quite a journey ahead of us, with five long months of forest to trek through to get to the closest city. And with the Karmore entrance exam in only eight months, it was best to leave as soon as possible, in case we ran into trouble on the way. And considering the experiences I¡¯d had with the forest, I knew better than most that our path would be absolutely teeming with trouble.


    Unbeknownst to me, my rumination surfaced on my expression. I only realized when Najam quietly appeared beside me and gave me a little friendly nudge. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t look so sad, Ruby,¡± he said. ¡°This won¡¯t be goodbye forever. We¡¯ll see each other again ¨C in about eight months, actually.¡±


    His words cut through the conversations of the rest of the group, a sombre silence muffling the lively air as everyone heard him. I looked at Najam, my attention snagging on the last sentence. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    Najam smiled at me. ¡°Oh? Did I forget to mention? I¡¯ll be attempting the Karmore entrance exam with you two.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°Really? But why? You¡¯re already an adventurer, no?¡±


    Najam shook his head. ¡°Actually, technically, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m only here because of my family name, really.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Najam¡¯s an oddball like that,¡± Tara said from the side with a laugh. ¡°Other spoiled brats of the capital use their family¡¯s money and influence to get away with petty crime, ensure all danger and discomfort stays far away from them, and just otherwise enjoy their sheltered lives to their fullest. Najam here gets his family to buy him a place on adventurer expeditions, so he can spend his time camping out in the woods and fighting with his life on the line.¡±


    Najam smiled with pride at Tara¡¯s words.


    ¡°Huh, I was wondering why Najam was so much younger than the rest of you all,¡± Ren remarked from the back.


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    Tara nodded. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s technically not allowed to be here. You can only get an adventurer¡¯s license after graduating from an institution like Karmore. But Najam, with his family backing, and substantial record, is a special case.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so the rest of you have graduated from a school like Karmore?¡± I asked.


    Najam¡¯s group nodded. ¡°And not just any school,¡± Gyda said, ¡°but Karmore itself. All of us here are Karmore Alumni.¡± She said it with the pride of someone claiming a massive achievement, but since I had no context to compare against, I wasn¡¯t as awed as she expected me to be.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Tara said with equal amounts of pride. ¡°The Bow Hawk family would hire nobody but the best for their prized son.¡±


    Najam scoffed at that. ¡°I¡¯d hardly say prized, now,¡± he said with a face. ¡°More like the ¡®complicated son they don¡¯t know what to do with.¡¯¡±


    Najam¡¯s words were spoken casually, but there was clearly a lot of drama hidden behind them. But a careful study of Najam¡¯s face revealed little complexity in emotion, and absolutely no sadness, regarding the topic; whatever the drama was, it seemed, Najam was long over it.


    ¡°Wait wait,¡± Ren cut into the conversation then, ¡°I¡¯ve got questions.¡± Turning to Tara, he asked, ¡°I thought you all were adventurers?¡±


    Tara nodded. ¡°We are. But adventurers have many jobs, as Najam said. For example, the four of us,¡± she gestured at herself, Gyda, Lionel, and Galas, ¡°have been hired by the Bow Hawk family to watch over Najam for a long time. And there are groups just like us who watch over each of the family¡¯s scions. It¡¯s actually quite a common career choice for adventurers ¨C especially retired or otherwise disabled adventurers. It¡¯s not so exciting, but it pays well.¡±


    ¡°The four of us have been watching over little Najam here since he was just a wee little boy, in fact,¡± Gyda added with a teasing smile thrown at the wee boy in question.


    ¡°Wait, why did you four take a job like this?¡± I asked. ¡°You all don¡¯t seem retired.¡±


    Tara smiled at that. ¡°Of course not. We¡¯re still in our prime, actually.¡±


    ¡°Well, some of us, anyway,¡± Najam cut in, taking the jab so fast it seemed almost subconscious.


    ¡°We took the job ¡®cause it paid damn well,¡± Tara continued on, acting as if Najam hadn¡¯t spoken at all. ¡°And also because¡­¡± Tara trailed off there, her eyes taking on a faraway look. ¡°Well, we owed Najam¡¯s parents a favor.¡±


    Her words cast a sombre light on the faces of the group ¨C clearly, there was a story there, too ¨C but I was respectful enough not to pry.


    ¡°Wait, you guys know Najam¡¯s parents?¡± Well, respectful enough not to pry too much.


    ¡°Aye,¡± Lionel answered, that same faraway look in his eyes. ¡°Good people, they were. Some of the best around.¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± Najam corrected, a steel in his voice I¡¯d never heard before.


    The group went silent at that, the somber light of before returning with newfound intensity.


    Tara noticed the mood taking a dip and tried to lift it again. ¡°Well, the job¡¯s not all bad,¡± she said, an extra helping of cheer in her voice. ¡°Sure, Najam¡¯s a handful at times, stubborn as an ox, thick-skulled, can¡¯t read a room to save his life, did I mention stubborn-¡±


    ¡°Are you going somewhere with this?¡± Najam asked, cutting into her list and prompting smiles from everyone around.


    ¡°Sure I was,¡± Tara responded. ¡°I was going to say, for all his annoying little traits, he¡¯s a good kid.¡± A soft smile touched Tara¡¯s lips. ¡°One of the best around.¡±


    The rare moment of kindness caught everyone off guard, Tara included. Everyone seemed to be at a loss for words, and an awkward air settled on the group ¨C at least until my foot snagged on a root and sent me sprawling face-first to the ground.


    Immediately, and in unison, the group burst into laughter, as if a rehearsed bit in a comedy. The mingling sound was infectious as it echoed in the forest, enough that I couldn¡¯t help the smile that tugged at my lips, too, even though I was the butt of the joke.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t-Isn¡¯t that-¡± Ren fought out in between fits of laughter. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same root? From before?¡±


    The group took a second to understand what he meant, but when they did, it sparked off another round of laughter. I joined in myself as I realized that it really was the same root I¡¯d tripped on the way to the dungeon, just earlier in the day.


    With the somber air thoroughly dispelled, the group lapsed back into the easy banter of before as we made our way to camp. The weight of looming goodbye on my chest was eased a little, knowing that our goodbye would only be for a few months. While the expedition would stay here for a few years, Najam¡¯s group would be back in the city just in time for Najam to attempt the Karmore exam.


    They wouldn¡¯t be leaving with us, though, since they had a special way to return, given to them by Najam¡¯s family, that would allow them to skip the five-month journey and appear directly in the city. It was a high-level spatial Arte ¨C obscenely expensive, even by Najam¡¯s standards ¨C and linked to a special talisman given to each of them by the family.


    By the time the conversation reached that point, the group had arrived back at camp. We arrived in loud triumph, and when the adventurers present finally figured out what we were celebrating, they all too happily joined in. A grand feast was held that day, later in the night, when all the adventurers had returned from their own jobs. Of course, by their standards, the feast was a humble one, limited by the resources they had on hand, but the festive mood was more than enough to make up for any lack in the food.


    And the mood was indeed festive. The adventurers, if nothing else, knew how to throw a party. Raucous laughter echoed within the walls of the camp as bonfires raged. People sang and danced, and even Ren was forced to play for the people, given a strange stringed instrument that I¡¯d never seen on Earth. Neither had Ren, according to him, but almost nobody believed him; it took him a total of ten minutes before he more or less mastered the instrument, at least to my ears. Before long, he was sat serenely in the midst of a sea of flailing limbs and vulgar singing, blanketing the clearing with his heavenly music.


    By the time the party finally winded down to a close, the far edges of the night had already been torn through by the first rays of dawn. I was sprawled on the dirt somewhere in the camp ¨C even I wasn¡¯t quite sure where ¨C ribs sore from laughter and cheeks from smiling. I¡¯d spent the better part of the night passing from group to group, making friends and mingling with the adventurers. I¡¯d learnt much about the world and its inner workings, and I¡¯d regaled my many audiences with stories of Earth, both of its end and of normal life on it.


    At the end of it all, as I lay basking in the warmth of the rising sun, in the sounds of sleeping adventurers and waking birds, I felt a smile stretch over my face, warmed by the remnant embers of laughter. I thought of where I¡¯d been, and where I was now. Where I was headed. Of the person who¡¯d given it all so I could be where I was today. My smile widened, and I whispered aloud,


    Damn, it''s good to be alive.

 Chapter 90 – Girl in a Castle

    Deep in the heartlands of a prospering, young country sat a behemoth of a palace, cradled in the gentle valley of two towering hills. It sat crouched at the foot of a sparkling green lake, beleaguered in the distance by a ring of towering pines.


    The idyllic picture of the palace¡¯s surroundings was completed by the grand building itself. The man-made construct did nothing to detract from the beauty of the scene, nor did it clash with the design of nature¡¯s hand itself, as if moulded to fit precisely within the landscape. The building itself was a marvel of white and gold, with towering spires and highlights of emerald ¨C gems that glimmered in the cascading sunlight.


    Within the grand palace, there sat a hidden away room at the end of a hallway, far from the central areas of the building. Within that room sat a young woman, in the latter of her teen years. She was beautiful, in the perfect, lifeless way only a doll could be. Tan, olive skin unblemished as a baby¡¯s and soft caramel hair that fell in waves, brushing against her waist, defined her. Cream robes draped her frame, and hazel pools reflected her eyes in the mirror she stared into.


    And yet, for all her doll-ish beauty, she seemed just that ¨C a doll. Her face, cleaned and painted to perfection, lacked the barest touch of emotion. The flecks of gold in her iris'' were dulled, as lacklustre as common ore. They lacked the light of will, her eyes drab brown windows into the snuffed candle of intellect that was her mind.


    Servants in bland attire stood to her sides, roughly tugging at the girl¡¯s hair with solid ivory combs. There was little tenderness in their swift, practiced movements, but their skill was apparent. Under their ministrations, the girl¡¯s hair was transformed into a lustrous, thick braid piled high on her head, styled in a perfect imitation of just the latest fashion trend. And not a smidge different ¨C no bold alterations or daring attempts at trendsetting adorned her style, not in her hair, nor in any other part of her appearance.


    The perfect doll ¨C the perfect trinket, styled just right to fade into the palace¡¯s opulent design. As gaudy and lifeless as the scones that clung to the walls of the ballroom.


    The girl¡¯s day progressed much the same as most of her life. She was led out of her room with hard tugs of her hand, placed in just the perfect spot in whatever room was hosting the first party of the day, positioned against a wall she could blend into. Her job was simple: to fade away from the perception of the guests, entirely ignored save for a few derisive looks and the one maid whose job it was to bring the girl breakfast.


    Afterward, just after the important guests leave but just before the lesser important guests leave, she would be dragged away by yet another servant and dropped off in a dark, hidden hallway. And it would be at this spot, at this time of the day, that the girl would show her first hint of emotion in the day.


    She fidgets, her fingers grabbing the inner folds of whatever intricate dress adorns her that day. She doesn¡¯t bite her nails, she¡¯s learnt not to do that anymore. Nor does she mess with her clothes in any way that might ruin her perfect appearance. But her nerves manifested nonetheless, in the slight bite of the corner of her lip, the pinching of the cloth of her dress, the jittery movements of her feet against the carpeted floor.


    After exactly five minutes of waiting ¨C though the girl had yet to realize the time was exactly the same, every day ¨C a figure would materialize out of the darkness behind her. With only the slightest startle, the girl would whirl around and face the man.


    The towering man would step close to the girl, forcing her to crane her neck up to meet his eyes. The man¡¯s brown eyes would reflect a strange, incomprehensible light, his face impassive as he regarded the nervous girl.


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    Then, wordlessly, the man would clasp the woman¡¯s wrist with his own large hand, leading her ¨C gently for once ¨C out of the suffocating darkness of the hallway and into the light of the outdoors.


    The man would lead her out to a private courtyard, far from the eyes of all but a few of the palace¡¯s residents. The courtyard was gated and had a bare sandy floor. It was littered with an assortment of training objects, ranging from ringed plates that served as shooting targets to dummy bodies made of hay, wood, and sand.


    The girl knew the courtyard well, and every trinket within its gated confines. She spent the majority of her day, every day since that one day, within the yard, baking under the sun or soaking in the rain. No matter how vengeful nature¡¯s wrath, the girl would spend more than half a day, at minimum, within the yard.


    She would train under various tutors, each of whom would teach her for several months, all of whom would never be heard from again. Not that the girl was aware of it. No, the girl was aware of little else beyond her scheduled life.


    Each tutor would spend their time honing the girl¡¯s skill in their respective fields, drilling her over and over again until she could wield a blade like an extension of her body, fire a bow quicker than all but the greatest of experts, and wrestle a grown man twice her weight to the ground with but a few moves.


    The tutors cared little for the girl¡¯s pain, driving her to the brink of physical exhaustion, and then a mile more, before forcing her to reset her body and begin again. But the girl did not complain, most days did not utter a sound at all. She¡¯d learned not to, quickly.


    In fact, she learnt most everything quickly, with a speed that astounded even the most seasoned of her tutors. From the basics of horse riding to the complexities of high level Artes and Battle Styles, the girl seemed to have an innate talent towards every skill she was presented with. A few repetitions were all it would take for her movements to flow with the fluidity of a master. Within months, she would exhaust the decades'' worth of her tutors'' knowledge and skill, and when that day would come, the tutor would be sent back home with their promised hefty sum of gold.


    Only, strangely, those tutors never seemed to make it to their homes, always mysteriously disappearing somewhere on their journey, their gold vanishing with them. And, given the secrecy of the job the tutors had agreed to, few in their lives would know enough to go looking for them.


    The man who would bring the girl to the yard would often stay to watch, sitting in the shade of a lean-to on one end of the yard. He would watch for hours, with that same indifference painted on his face, that same strange glint in his eye. Failures would elicit no response from him, but any time the girl would accomplish a feat of incredible skill, the man¡¯s mask of indifference would crack. He would smile a broad, warm smile, clap, and offer a few words of praise.


    Those few words would spark the only other emotion the girl would ever show. A light would bloom in her eyes, and a smile would curl her lips in just the slightest curve. Her perfect, dollish beauty would crack, revealing the human underneath for all but the briefest of moments, before fading away like it had never been there.


    Of all the varying skills the woman trained in, however, there was one in which she devoted far more time than the rest. The only skill that required no imported tutor, but was instead taught by the middle-aged man himself. Though the girl hardly needed a tutor at all, not when it came to water-based combat. Because, for all her talents in almost every field of battle, it was her affinity with water that was truly beyond fathom.


    At her tender age, the young woman was already easily among the best water mages on the continent, though none besides the man knew of it. Not even the woman herself. With her terrifying natural talent and affinity towards the element combined with the endless resources and money poured into her by the middle-aged man, the birth of a monstrously powerful mage was all but guaranteed. And indeed, the young woman was shaping up to be a monster of proportions beyond what even the man had guessed himself.


    And the man had done everything he could possibly have done to ensure that future mage ¨C who would undoubtedly wield the power of a full-blown army one day ¨C would remain tightly within his grasp. The kingmaking weapon that she had the potential to be would be wielded only by him. So tightly did he hold onto the reins of her mind and heart, he believed, that she wouldn¡¯t dare take a step if he didn¡¯t wish her to.


    And with that kind of control over the kind of weapon that she would soon be, there were few who would be able to stop him from realizing all of his grand ambitions. The little country he ruled now would only be a stepping stone for him, a small footnote to the empire he would soon build.


    Or so he believed.

 Chapter 91 – Tundra Dungeon

    The jungle didn¡¯t become much more hospitable during my short stay at Najam¡¯s camp. Monsters still cropped up at every turn, and always with the ferocity of a mortal enemy. They attacked on sight, making the journey a very halting process.


    Still, Ren and I settled back into the groove of forest living pretty easily. With Ren¡¯s new sword and the advancements in my own strength, the two of us had a much easier time with the monsters ¨C even the ones that used to give us a hard time before. Adding in the copious amounts of gear that Najam had graciously forced onto us, the journey became almost¡­comfortable.


    And indeed, Najam had held nothing back with his generosity. Since, in his words, ¡®we¡¯d paid him back hundredfold¡¯ for his chips, it was actually he who was indebted to us. Which was the excuse he used to load us up with expensive, top quality gear ¨C the best that he¡¯d brought, apparently. And for a chronic preparation freak like Najam, that meant a full suit of lightweight, durable leather armor for both Ren and me. My suit, Najam quickly explained when he realized it was odd he¡¯d brought armor for a woman, was an old set made for Tara back before she¡¯d truly settled into her role of backline offense. A little reworking by the resident leather workers had the suit sitting snug and comfortably over my clothes.


    I¡¯d been proud of my armor, finding myself quite dashing clad in the dark leather plates and guards, until Ren pointed out that they should¡¯ve added a face plate on it, since I seemed so fond of hitting myself on the nose.


    Aside from the gear, Najam had handed us each one of those little brown pouches that seemed to hold far more space within than should have been physically possible. Najam explained they were called rift bags and, through the magic of spatial runes, had an inside with far more volume than their appearance would suggest.


    Within our rift bags were a week''s worth of rations and water, along with some other basic survival equipment, and a map that marked exactly the path we had to take to the nearest city. By that point, I had to forcefully put a stop to Najam¡¯s generosity, flustered beyond what my composure could handle, though Tara assured me that eight months of farming a three-rank dungeon would more than earn them enough gold to buy back everything Najam gave us, with extra to spend.


    All in all, as Ren and I left the adventurer¡¯s camp with hugged goodbyes and promises of meeting again, we were far more prepared to face the forest than we had been when we crash landed into it.


    And as time passed, that preparation reflected in the ease with which we settled back into our routine. With our newfound upgrades, even the few rock gorillas we came across ¨C the strongest species we¡¯d run into ¨C were dealt with relatively quickly. As for the other beasts, they were handled with even more swiftness.


    However, for all that was similar, there was one major difference that we found. It happened not long after we¡¯d left the camp, only about a week and a half later. We''d just finished dealing with an earth-type bear-ish animal. It was one we¡¯d dealt with quite often, so it wasn¡¯t a very difficult fight. I sat at the edge of the clearing that our fight had created, sitting watch on the log of a tree the bear had knocked down while Ren busied himself with butchering the animal. It was getting late in the day, and since bear meat was better than the monkey meat we¡¯d already packed, Ren had decided that he¡¯d grab a few cuts from the bear for dinner.


    The sun hadn¡¯t fully settled beneath the horizon, and its warm pink glow lit up the trees in a picturesque painting of color I was busy admiring when an unnatural pulse of blue light caught my attention. It was there and gone in an instant, so fast I¡¯d have thought I imagined it had I not felt a strangely familiar brush of Flux against my skin. It was faint, more gentle than the caress of a breeze, but it was distinct. And while I¡¯d only ever felt it once before, it was not a feeling I was soon to forget.


    With a budding feeling of anticipation rising in my chest, I let Ren know that I was going to check something out before slipping into the darkening woods. I walked in the direction of the blue light, letting my sense guide me to the well of Flux I could feel somewhere in the distance.


    I stumbled into a clearing after only a few minutes of walking, finding myself in an open, circular field of dirt and shrubbery that housed exactly what I had been suspecting. Sitting directly in the center of the place was the familiar sight of swirling blue and purple streaks. A mad grin settled over my face as I recognized it, and I called out to Ren as loudly as I could, not tearing my gaze away from the dungeon portal. I almost instantly realized that yelling in the forest as night was setting was a terrible idea, but I hardly cared at the moment.


    Before long, an annoyed Ren found his way to where I was standing, hands still bloody and his face set to scold me. But before he could utter a sound, I pointed in front of us. Ren looked confused for a second, before presumably extending the range of his Flux sense until he felt the mass of Flux that was the portal.


    Ren¡¯s eyes fluttered open in shock, before his mouth morphed into a grin of anticipation. The glint in his glossy eyes mirrored my own, and I breathed a breath of relief as I realized I wouldn¡¯t have to convince him of this objectively terrible idea. In fact, we didn¡¯t utter a single word at all, simply smiling at each other before making our way forward with confident steps.


    I chuckled wryly to myself as we did. It seemed my time with Najam had made me forget that Ren and I were birds of a feather. He was far from the kind of person who¡¯d try to talk me out of trouble. Which, I realized, shouldn¡¯t have been as relieving of a thought as I found it to be ¨C without a reasonable person to hold us back, after all, we were bound to walk headfirst into terrible decisions left and right.


    But while having someone like Najam around would undoubtedly save us from tons of trouble, I wasn¡¯t about to change the way I was any time soon. Especially not now, when the responsibilities on my shoulders numbered hardly higher than zero. Life was just so much more fun my way, after all. And I was always one to live life to its fullest, regardless of the consequences. Or at least, I always wanted to be one, and now that I''d been gifted the perfect circumstances, I''d be a fool not to.


    The portal felt exactly the same as the first, that tingly feeling skittering all over my skin as I pushed through the slight resistance it offered. On the other side, we found ourselves thrust immediately into the clutches of a wintery wasteland. Wind howled in our ears, though the decrepit walls of the ruined fortress we stood in shielded us from the worst of it. The same, however, could not be said of the cold.


    The cold was immediate and incessant, seeping into my body within seconds and making my bones ache. But I hardly noticed at first, my attention on the board that had appeared in front of my face once again.


    ********


    Welcome to the Tundra Dungeon!


    Welcome, player of this deadly game!


    Welcome, brave warrior!


    Prepare to fight, to win, to find glory!


    Or else, find Death.


    ~~~~~~~


    Name: Tundra Dungeon


    Difficulty Rating: ??


    Level Suggestion: 10 ¨C 25


    Party Suggestion: 3 ¨C 7


    Status: Uncleared


    Stages: 2


    Monster Type:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">First Stage: Frost Wolves</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Second Stage: Unknown</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Third Stage: Unknown</li>


    </ul>


    ~~~~~~~


    Do you wish to challenge this Dungeon? (Y/N)


    ********


    My grin widened at the sight. ¡°Two-star dungeon, huh?¡± I said, to which Ren responded with a low chuckle. The rational part of my brain knew that just because it was rated lower than the Zergy Dungeon didn¡¯t mean that Ren and I would have an easy time with it. After all, we had no experience with the monsters we would face, nor did we have pre-planned strategies to deal with them.


    But in my eyes, that only made it more exciting.


    With a thought, I accepted the challenge of the dungeon, whisking away the old screen and replacing it with a new one, one I hadn¡¯t seen before.


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    ********


    There are no parties to join.


    Would you like to create your own team?


    ********


    I looked at Ren then, who immediately understood and waved me away. ¡°You¡¯re the boss ¨C you do it,¡± he said with a teasing smile.


    I smiled in response and nodded.


    ********


    Please name your team:


    ********


    It took me half a moment to land on the name I wanted to use.


    ********


    Party Created: Rosefire.


    Your Party is private. Would you like to make it public?


    ********


    This one took me a moment longer to decide on, but I figured public would be the simpler option, since Ren would need to join too.


    ********


    Your Party has been made public. Un-partied warriors will now be able to join your party.


    ********


    Before I could even ask, the screen changed and informed me that Ren had joined my party.


    ********


    Party: Rosefire.


    Leader: Ruby Redthorn (215/215)


    Members:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ren - (240/240)</li>


    </ul>


    ********


    ¡°Huh,¡± Ren and I said at the same time. ¡°Wonder what the numbers mean,¡± Ren said, just as I remarked, ¡°Wonder why it doesn¡¯t say your full name.¡±


    We both went silent again, each considering the other¡¯s point, before simultaneously shrugging in defeat. We were venturing blind into this whole thing, so it was almost impossible to get the answers we wanted.


    Giving that up, we whisked away the screens before us and brought our attention back to the reality before us. My clothes were already frigid against my skin, and every movement almost hurt as they hugged my body. Every breath stung all the way down to my lungs, and frost already clung to my eyelashes, the ice drooping down into my vision.


    But oppressive as it was, the environment was of little concern to me. It would hinder my strength, no doubt, but I was in no danger of freezing to death. Not when I had Flux still running in my veins.


    With a thought, that Flux kicked into a higher gear, running through my body at higher and higher speeds until it burst out of me with an explosion of flames. I controlled the flames to make sure they didn¡¯t burn Ren, but made sure they were just enough to keep him warm.


    Ren breathed a sigh of bliss as the warmth I radiated washed over him, chasing away that cold that had been tightening its grip on us.


    With that problem dealt with, the two of us turned our attention to where we were. We seemed to be in the center of what had once been a medieval fortress, though now it was little more than an open field with sporadic heaps of square-cut gray stone that were barely an echo of the walls I assumed they were supposed to be.


    Only the outer walls demarcating the edges of the fort rose up high enough to provide any kind of shelter, but with the nonexistent roof above, it was mostly pointless.


    However, I soon realized, the walls weren¡¯t actually pointless ¨C they simply served another purpose. The moment Ren and I stepped beyond the boundary they had set, it seemed, was the moment that the dungeon run really began. Like the Zergy Dungeon¡¯s hallways, it seemed the decrepit fortress acted as a kind of safe zone, a place where the monsters would not enter. And was the place we had to leave for the run to begin.


    And indeed, as soon as we stepped past the zone, we spotted seven dark forms materialize on the far horizon. The world we were in was phenomenally flat, and the knee-high, pristine layer of snow atop the ground was untouched and blindingly white. Thanks to that, it wasn¡¯t difficult to spot the figures bounding across the frigid plain, their target obvious.


    After all, blazing orange as I was, I surely stuck out like a sore thumb in the frozen, ivory-white world that I was in.


    The figures slowly revealed themselves as they approached. They were, as I¡¯d suspected, the Frost Wolves of the first stage. They were absolutely massive, easily reaching three meters in height and probably almost five in length.


    Their bounding footsteps shook the plain, throwing snow up dozens of feet in the air in their wake. I grinned as I met their stares, my hand reaching for the pole strapped to my back. The fire around me flared up, and at my side, purple smoke swirled up into the air as Ren rallied his own Flux. The environment wasn¡¯t one that was particularly tailored to Ren¡¯s strong suit, but that didn¡¯t matter nearly as much as it used to.


    With his new black blade, Ren¡¯s frontal combat strength had soared to new heights. He¡¯d been a monster with his dagger, but his swordsmanship was hardly a step behind in skill. And as the wolves closed in on us, he grinned with the same glee that adorned my face and unsheathed his blade, revealing its shadowy length to the world.


    Without waiting for the wolves to challenge us themselves, Ren took the initiative and flashed forward, darting through the snow as he targeted the leftmost wolf. It was a good idea ¨C attacking before the wolves could get close enough to help each other out ¨C and it was a plan we¡¯d enacted many times before, when dealing with larger groups of animals.


    Ren would target and eliminate one of the beasts as quickly as possible, while I would hold the rest back. Given our battle styles, it was the simplest and most effective plan we¡¯d come up with for dealing with the specific scenario.


    Sticking to the script, I leapt forward and landed ahead of where the wolves had been aiming to meet, forcing the six to change direction to meet me, dragging them further away from the one that Ren had singled out.


    Flame poured off of me in a torrent of brilliance, swirling like a tornado around me in an eye-catching show of aggression. It was wasteful, more so than usual due to the suppression of the atmosphere, but it did its job well. The six wolves honed in directly on me, leaving behind their comrade to deal with Ren on their own.


    A fatal decision for their friend, it turned out.


    Ren¡¯s sword was a dark streak against the overwhelming white of the tundra, a stroke of ink on a canvas he wielded like a master painter. Before long, the pristine white of the wolf¡¯s fur was drenched in scarlet, while Ren still danced about, unharmed and sporting a smile so wide and evil I almost felt bad for the wolf.


    In the meanwhile, I had the technically more difficult job of holding off the six other wolves, but like Ren, I was more having fun than I was doing a job. Just before the fire-nado evaporated, I burst out from the haze and dashed in between the monsters, wielding my flaming pole like a bat as I weaved my way through them.


    My purpose wasn¡¯t to kill, so the pole made more sense to use than my new claws, since the blunt damage and longer range of it was better suited for my job.


    I moved like a blazing wraith as I dashed into the group of wolves. Fire continuously poured off of me, evaporating the thick layer of snow around ¨C a blessing for me both because it no longer hindered my movements and because the heat also seemed to slow the wolves down.


    Their reduced speed was a great blessing, and the only reason I could keep up with the demanding task. As good as I¡¯d gotten with the fights I¡¯d been through, dealing with six massive wolves at the same time was nearing the upper limits of my skill. I danced on a tightrope, dodging claws and fangs by the skin of my teeth, and occasionally having to take the damage and Revive to survive.


    Still, I wasn''t helpless either, and before long, the six wolves had lost the lustre of their fur to the constant heat, their pristine quality fading with the snow at our feet as we fought. I wasn¡¯t faring amazingly, though ¨C my armor had taken a few hits, though was mercifully still intact, and my Revive count had already climbed up to 5. All in all, it was a standstill that was just barely tilted in the favor of the wolves. Given enough time, they¡¯d eventually wear me down and kill me before I could finish off all of them. I was positive about that.


    Fortunately for me, though, I wasn¡¯t alone in the fight. And the onus wasn¡¯t on me to kill all of them.


    It wasn¡¯t much later that Ren dealt with his first target and made his way over to me. Targeting the one furthest from me, he landed a heavy swipe on the wolf¡¯s back two feet while it was distracted, severing tendons and severely diminishing its ability to move.


    But, instead of dragging that wolf away, he left it alone and moved on to the next closest beast. Unfortunately, this one managed to react in time, having noticed the fate of the one behind it, so Ren wasn¡¯t able to land a decisive blow off the bat.


    Still, having essentially immobilized one was help enough for the moment, so Ren engaged in the second wolf properly, slowly luring it away from the larger group so that he could deal with it in his own time.


    With that, I was left with four normal wolves and one crippled one, which lessened my workload immensely. The odds shifted noticeably in my favour, and the wolves lost their overwhelming suppression over me. And given more slack, I focused heavily on the one crippled wolf that Ren had left for me.


    Every chance I got, I concentrated my attacks on that wolf, throwing countless fireballs and bullets at it, leaving it riddled with small bloody holes and pockmarked scorch marks. The poor thing had no chance to dodge, and since its comrades were unable to keep me preoccupied at all times, it wasn¡¯t long before the monster was dragged to death''s door.


    By the time Ren had dealt with his target, the cripple was a breath away from death, and Ren took no longer than a second to end the monster¡¯s life ¨C but, of course, not before scoring a cripple on another wolf by catching it off guard. For all their strength, I realized, the wolves were quite lacking in intelligence.


    I guess it makes sense, though, I realized a second later. This is only a two-star dungeon, after all.


    My only experience with dungeons had been with a three-star dungeon, and although I¡¯d known that this one was a level lower in difficulty, it seemed I¡¯d underestimated the scale.


    Given their limited intelligence, no surprises popped up for the rest of the fight. Ren was allowed to whittle down their numbers until only two immensely weakened wolves remained, and they didn¡¯t last long under our combined assault. Especially when I switched out from my pole to the scarlet claws.


    Before long, the last wolf fell and disintegrated into countless glowing white particles, signaling the end of the first round.

 Chapter 92 – Change

    ********


    Since you¡¯ve decided to exit the dungeon with only one stage cleared, your rewards will be limited.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Congratulations! Your rewards are:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Gold Coins (x30)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Wolf Fangs ¨C Craftable Item (x15)</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Bone Dagger ¨C Rank D</li>


    </ul>


    ~~~~~~~~


    Come Again!


    ********


    A grin stretched over my face as I looted the chest at my feet. I dropped the gold coins and pearly teeth into my rift bag without sparing them a glance. They weren¡¯t of much help to me ¨C I hadn¡¯t the first clue on how to begin crafting things out of teeth, and gold coins were about as useful to me at the moment as the pebbles at my feet.


    What was useful to me, however, was the bone dagger that lay against the bottom of the chest. The blade of it was moonlight white, curved just slightly and terrifyingly sharp. The handle was also made of bone, but was wrapped in leather strips that made it easier to hold. A sheath lay next to it, and I wasted no time in tying both to my belt. The dagger was a great addition to my arsenal. I¡¯d been needing something to fill in the close-range area in fights. I had my claws, of course, but they were too costly to use for just anything. Not to mention, having a dagger was useful for much more than just fighting, and having to borrow Ren¡¯s every time I needed one was getting annoying.


    With the chest cleaned out, there was nothing else left for me to do in the dungeon, so I headed out of the same portal that we¡¯d taken to get in. I was slightly miffed that we were headed out so early ¨C and the tone of the dungeon screen had done nothing to allay that feeling ¨C but the rational part of my brain knew it was the right decision.


    Two-star or not, the dungeon boss room was too big of a risk to take for just Ren and me. The mob stage was risky, sure, but at least we had the luxury of leaving at any point. But the moment we stepped into a boss room, even a mini-boss¡¯ room, there was no leaving until one side was dead. And while the dungeon had graciously offered us the name and information of the boss we¡¯d face, Ren and I had no research resources to consult to find strategies and tricks to help us.


    So instead, after clearing the second and final round of the first stage, we¡¯d decided to halt our run there and head out of the dungeon. I hadn¡¯t even been expecting to receive any kind of reward, so what we did receive was a pleasant surprise, even if it was less than what we could have gotten. After all, I would''ve been happy simply with the opportunity to fight new and interesting beasts. The jungle animals had been getting boring, after all.


    And I¡¯d gotten exactly what I¡¯d wanted, and more, with the Tundra Dungeon. The opportunity to visit a wintery arctic, to behold the beauty of an untouched, sprawling field of snow, to fight giant wolves who could even shoot icicles in the second round was exactly what I wanted at the moment. I wanted to see the world, with all its strange and unbelievable sights. And, more importantly, I wanted to fight ¨C and dungeons were perfect for just that.


    Ren felt much the same way, thankfully, and since we were in agreement, we didn¡¯t skip a single dungeon portal that we came across after the Tundra Dungeon.


    We visited all kinds of different places and environments, faced all sorts of monsters as we continued on our journey. The vast majority of the dungeons we came across, however, were only one-star, with only the occasional two-star, and not a single other three-star dungeon. Which meant that, as fun and interesting as they were, the dungeons hardly posed much of a threat to the two of us. Or at least, their first stages hardly did. We never ventured beyond, though, even on the easiest ones.


    For all my recklessness, the thought of one of us dying for such meager gain was enough to rein me in. Instead, I contented myself with the two to three rounds of battle that we got in the first stage. And they were enough to sate my thirst anyway. I didn¡¯t want to clear dungeons, I wanted to fight interesting fights.


    All the while, Ren and I continued to get better and stronger, and for the first time, I could actually see my own growth. It was slow, but watching the numbers on my own stat board tick up as the weeks passed brought an addictive sense of achievement unlike anything else I¡¯d ever felt.


    Usually, it was a Revive that spurred on a change in any of the numbers, especially the Toughness and Strength attributes, but I eventually realized that it was not the only way to increase the numbers. Normal training had an effect too, it seemed, just a much smaller one. Once, I saw my Agility attribute go up after a particularly tough one-on-one fight with a wind bird. I wasn¡¯t injured in the fight, so I didn¡¯t Revive, but I had to push myself to the physical limits of my brain and body to dodge the bird¡¯s attacks.


    So, I concluded, that attributes could be increased both by the integration of Flux with the body, or by just simply pushing against its physical ceiling.


    The weeks turned to months as Ren and I continued on our journey, winding our way through the forest as we battled its denizens and explored its hidden dungeons. The days settled into a routine equal parts exciting and relaxing, and I realized at some point during the time that my life as it was, was perfect. Obviously, I couldn¡¯t live the life I was living forever ¨C I had dreams that needed realizing, after all ¨C but at the moment, I was the happiest I''d ever been. And I cherished the days, because I¡¯d dealt with fate enough to know that good days like these would never last. Things would undoubtedly change, probably before I¡¯d be ready, and probably for the worse.


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    And indeed, just a few days after we hit the four-month mark, change came knocking.


    It was a lazy, warm morning. I had just gotten up, further past sunrise than was ideal, but I wasn¡¯t in any hurry to get the day started still. Instead, I lay limp on the branch I¡¯d slept on, half groggy as I opened up my own stat board, as was my routine.


    ********


    Name: Ruby Redthorn


    Gender: Female


    Age: 17


    Level: 17


    ~~~~~~~


    Strength: 18


    Agility: 16


    Toughness: 18


    Mental: 15


    Reaction Time: 140 ms


    Strike Power: 1380 fin


    Flux Reserve: 200/200


    ~~~~~~~


    $#^#: $#@


    $#@%: %@#^^$#


    ********


    The numbers hadn¡¯t changed from yesterday, unsurprisingly. Nor the day before, nor the day before, nor the day before. But that wouldn¡¯t stop me from checking. One day, I was sure, the numbers would magically shoot up overnight, and when that day came, I¡¯d know as soon as they did.


    Still, I''d made good progress over the months, and I was happy with where I was. I would destroy the Ruby who''d crash-landed on this planet all those months ago in a fight. I knew it beyond a doubt. And I''d stand a much better chance against Gyda, if we were to have a rematch. Though I was still a ways away from beating her.


    With a sigh, I whisked away the screen from my eyes and finally slipped off the branch, landing on the ground with as much grace as I could manage in my sleepy state. I looked around for a moment, feeling like something was out of place, though I had no clue what.


    My quick reconnaissance revealed a panther not too far from where I was, but the thing knew not to try me. It still nursed its burns from last night.


    I gave it a little smile as our eyes met, and the thing shirked away in fear as I did. My face fell at its reaction ¨C I¡¯d been hoping it¡¯d try its luck again. A nice morning spar was the best way to start the day, I''d found, but it seemed I was out of luck for now.


    Brushing that aside, I realized I was famished, so I called out to Ren, since it was his turn to handle breakfast.


    ¡°Ren! Where¡¯s-¡± I started, before suddenly catching myself, my brain fully waking up as that feeling of something missing finally clicked in my head.


    Ren had slept in the branch above me, but I hadn¡¯t seen him when I¡¯d woken up. That hadn¡¯t been too surprising, since he usually got up before me on his breakfast days, but usually, he was also already cooking something by the time I woke up. But today, he was nowhere to be seen, and a gut feeling told me his disappearance had to do with something more than a hunting trip.


    I waited for a little while, just in case my gut was wrong, but half an hour later, he still wasn¡¯t back. And, long as I¡¯d been living in the forest, I didn¡¯t trust my tracking skills enough to follow Ren¡¯s footsteps without getting myself lost, even though I could make out where his path started. So instead, I went out hunting on my own, made quick work of a monkey and turned it into breakfast, before returning to camp to wait. I figured Ren would eventually find his way back from wherever he was, so all I had to do was wait. And I didn¡¯t mind waiting all that much ¨C a day lost in our journey would hardly make much of a difference, and I welcomed the chance to relax a little.


    I waited for the greater part of the day, filling the hours with naps and occasional fights with passing animals. It was late evening when Ren finally broke through the edge of the clearing, stepping into the waning sunlight with a rustle that roused me from my fifth nap of the day.


    I grinned as I saw him, but the retort I¡¯d spent the day preparing for his return died in my throat when I saw his sunken expression. I slipped off my branch and landed on the ground, making my way over to him wordlessly. I stopped, almost subconsciously, three meters away from him, the range I¡¯d come to learn was his preferred one. He often limited his range to that when he was exhausted or worn out, both of which he seemed to be today.


    As I¡¯d expected, he seemed to only notice me once I stepped into that range, and he offered up a small, weak smile at me as he did. His face was pale, devoid of color and almost of life. He leaned heavily on his sheathed sword. He''d taken to using it as a walking stick, presumably out of habit since he rarely ever needed it. Today seemed to be an exception, though.


    I raised a questioning eyebrow at him as he looked at me, and he shook his head in response.


    ¡°Sorry about vanishing on you,¡± he said.


    I waved away his apology. ¡°Never mind that. What¡¯s up with you? Something wrong?¡±


    Ren gave a wry chuckle at that. ¡°Did you know¡­¡± he began, before trailing off. He stood up a little straighter then, his eyes fluttering open as he gave me a look. A strange light glimmered in his glossy eyes. ¡°Did you know it''s been almost a year since we met?¡±


    It took me a moment to respond to that, since it was about the last thing I was expecting to hear from him. But my brain ran the calculations and realized, quickly enough, that it had indeed been almost a year since the day we¡¯d met. ¡°Huh,¡± I said. ¡°I guess it has.¡±


    Ren smiled. ¡°Well, assuming that the days here are as long as the days on Earth, anyway.¡±


    I nodded again, still unsure of where he was going with this.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± he started again, ¡°I, uh, just wanted to let you know that I¡¯m gonna go for like a week or so, k? I need a little time alone right now. This part of the year is a little¡­special for me. You don¡¯t have to wait here, though. You can keep following the map. I¡¯ll find you on my own once¡­once I¡¯m ready.¡± Ren paused again, looking more conflicted and genuine than I¡¯d ever seen before. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this. I¡¯d explain more, if I could. I¡¯m sure I will, one day. But-¡±


    ¡°Ren,¡± I said, cutting him off softly. ¡°I understand. You don¡¯t have to explain yourself. And don¡¯t worry about me. I can take care of myself for a week or two. Go, do what you need to. Take care of yourself, however it is that you have to.¡±


    Ren softened at my words, the worry lining his face easing just a little. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, breathing out a little. ¡°I guess¡­I¡¯ll be seeing you around then.¡±


    I nodded and gave him a smile. ¡°I guess you will. See ya.¡±

 Chapter 93 – The Little Girl

    It only took a week and a half for Ren to return, but it felt like months. The days dragged on without end, the boredom mind-numbing in its intensity. Even the frequent fights weren¡¯t enough to break the oppressive feeling of quiet and alone-ness that mired the days.


    I¡¯d gotten so used to having Ren around, it took me a few days to learn that he wasn¡¯t anymore. More than once, I made a remark aloud and waited for a response for a few seconds, before realizing that no one was around to hear me. It was jarring, especially the first few times. But it did make me realize how lucky I was to have had someone around for the experience. I¡¯d probably have lost my mind by this point if I didn¡¯t have someone to talk to for the months I''d been in the forest.


    Thankfully, the solitude didn¡¯t last long. Exactly eleven days after he left, Ren reappeared in the most characteristic way possible ¨C which was to say, the most confusing way possible.


    I woke up the day to find Ren sleeping in the branch above me, as if he¡¯d never even left. And yet, jarring as that was, far more startling was the little girl who slept cuddled in his arms. The pair slept so soundly it was like they were family, and they would¡¯ve made for a heartwarming scene if it wasn¡¯t so bizarre. I had to pinch myself a couple of times before I could believe that what I was seeing was even real.


    Eventually, though, I shook off the shock and went about my morning routine. My life was just one strange occurrence after another, after all. It was embarrassing for something like this to throw me off. A little girl randomly appearing in Ren¡¯s arms was hardly the weirdest thing to happen to me.


    The little girl herself seemed to be maybe five years old, with chubby round cheeks and short, shoulder-length hair adorned with colourful wooden beads. She wore a full-length brown dress with ribbons tied to the hems, and intricate beadwork decorating the rest of it.


    I couldn¡¯t imagine where Ren managed to pick her up from, but she looked exactly how I imagined someone living in a forest would dress.


    It was the smell of cooking meat that finally roused the pair from their sleep. Ren leapt down from his branch, the little girl swept up in his arms still. She was adorable in her bleary-eyed state, her entire focus on the three cuts of meat hanging over the fire. She hardly even seemed to notice I was there.


    Ren smiled as he saw her unerring focus on the food, and there was a genuine warmth on his face that I¡¯d never seen before as he set her down on the log across from me. Ren sat down next to her before finally looking up at me, his arm slung around the little girl.


    ¡°So,¡± he started, ¡°anything interesting happen while I was gone?¡±


    A smile crept up on my face at his question. ¡°Oh yeah, a whole buncha stuff. Too much stuff, honestly,¡± I answered dryly. ¡°Anything happen with you?¡±


    Ren shrugged. ¡°Nah, not really. Found this little girl,¡± he shook the girl gently as he spoke, who still hadn¡¯t torn her eyes away from the meat in front of her, ¡°but not much else, really.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Really, Ren?¡± I asked, disappointed.


    Ren burst out in a chuckle at my reaction. ¡°I mean it,¡± he said defensively. ¡°It was a pretty boring week for me. I only met little Maya here a few days ago, while I was hunting.¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°So you found the little girl in the forest, and just decided you¡¯re going to adopt her?¡±


    Maya finally tore her eyes away from the food then, as if finally realizing we were talking about her. And realizing that I was even there.


    ¡°No no, I¡¯m returning her to her village,¡± Ren answered. ¡°She got lost after getting separated from her friends.¡±


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    I nodded again, before turning my attention to Maya, a mischievous glint in my eye. ¡°Is he telling the truth?¡± I asked her in a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°Blink once if he kidnapped you.¡±


    ¡°Ruby!¡± Ren exclaimed just as the little girl blinked at me, the same glint of mischief in her bright eyes.


    With a laugh, I pointed at Ren and yelled out, ¡°Kidnapper!¡± As I did, the fire cooking the meat flared up, a small part of it rising and coalescing in the form of a small cone. Ren dove out of the way just a second before the flames shot past him. Maya giggled an adorable giggle as Ren landed in the dirt, her face losing the severity it¡¯d carried since she¡¯d woken up as she ran around the fire to my side.


    ¡°Kidnapper!¡± she yelled out in her tiny voice, pointing her stubby little finger at Ren. A laugh bubbled out of me as she did ¨C I hadn¡¯t been expecting her to play along with me, given how serious and quiet she¡¯d been since she¡¯d gotten up.


    ¡°Maya!¡± Ren called out in overly exaggerated betrayal, a hand clutching his chest.


    His reaction elicited another adorable giggle from Maya, and a smile from me. I picked up the little girl and placed her on my lap, tickling her sides a little as I turned to Ren and asked again, ¡°Seriously though, what¡¯s the story?¡±


    Ren smiled in a way that told me he was going to make another joke, but I nipped it in the bud with a quick glare.


    ¡°Fine fine,¡± Ren quickly relented, heaving a sigh as he made his way back to the log. ¡°I found the girl in the forest as I was making my way back, actually. She was in a spot of trouble, let¡¯s say, and I saved her. She told me she¡¯s from a village nearby, and I promised her that I¡¯d escort her back, but first we had to find you. I caught up with you last night, after you were already asleep, and I didn¡¯t wanna wake you, so we just went to sleep above you.¡±


    ¡°And where is this village? Does the girl-¡± I stopped there, realizing I was holding said girl in my lap, and I could simply ask her instead. Turning to Maya, I asked, ¡°Do you know where your village is, exactly? Could you find it from here?¡±


    Maya looked up at me, her big round eyes bright and her peachy face utterly blank as she whispered, ¡°No.¡±


    My face broke into a wry smile at her response. ¡°Well, that makes things a tad bit more tricky, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I asked, looking back up at Ren.


    Ren gave a smile at my question, as worry-free and self-assured as always. ¡°Eh, you¡¯ll figure it out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out?¡± I repeated. ¡°You¡¯re the one who made the promise.¡±


    ¡°I made the promise under your name,¡± Ren shot back shamelessly. ¡°I was acting as lieutenant of Rosefire when I did.¡±


    I scoffed at that. ¡°How long are you going to keep using that card?¡±


    Ren grinned. ¡°As long as it keeps helping me get out of things I don¡¯t wanna do.¡±


    Shaking my head, I heaved another sigh and hung my head down, only to find Maya still peering up at me with her usual blank look.


    ¡°Can you believe this guy?¡± I asked her in exasperation.


    Maya shook her head, serious as always, and I couldn¡¯t help the burst of laughter that escaped me at her reaction.


    ¡°Me neither,¡± I said, chuckling. ¡°Me neither.¡±


    Ren shook his head from where he sat, his face comically heavy with betrayal.


    Ignoring him, I moved on to more practical topics. ¡°Well, if we have no idea how to get to the village from here,¡± I started, ¡°I think our best bet is to just keep following the map, find an actual city, and see if anyone there can give us directions to your village.¡± I looked at the two to see if they had anything to add to my plan.


    Maya¡¯s face was as blank as ever, and Ren seemed smug as he turned to the little girl in my arms. ¡°See, Maya,¡± he said, ¡°I told you she¡¯d figure something out.¡±


    I shook my head again at him, not bothering to respond to that. ¡°Well then,¡± I said instead, ruffling Maya¡¯s hair. ¡°I guess that means you¡¯re stuck with us until then, huh.¡±


    Maya, surprisingly, actually had a reaction to that. Her small lips curved just slightly, and she leaned into my chest in a way that sparked a protectiveness in me I never knew I had.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, even though I just met you today,¡± I said, looking down at the little girl¡¯s eyes, ¡°I¡¯d burn someone¡¯s face off if they tried to hurt you.¡±


    Ren¡¯s cackle echoed in the forest around us, and I smiled at the teasing joke that followed, because I could tell that behind the carefree attitude, he felt exactly the same way.

 Chapter 94 – Hidden in a Cave

    Half a month later, my sentiment had only gotten stronger. I would fight the world if it meant keeping Maya safe, and not think twice about it. The girl was precious as a gem, quiet and more patient than I imagined a five-year-old could be. A patience that Ren seemed determined to find the limits of, based on how often he messed with her.


    But beyond the playful teasing, I couldn¡¯t help but notice over the course of the weeks that he was very good at handling her. Much better than I was, much to my annoyance. Not that the girl needed much handling, but he was much quicker at catching and dealing with changes in her mood, and the few times she did cry ¨C thanks to a minor fall and once because her legs hurt from walking ¨C he was the one that managed to settle her down.


    The way he dealt with her made my gut think he had experience with it, which I extrapolated to mean he must have had a younger sister at some point. Obviously, I mentioned none of my musings to the man himself since it wasn¡¯t important, and I didn¡¯t want to accidentally bring up something that he didn¡¯t want to talk about. After all, he hadn¡¯t mentioned a sister when he gave me a rough summary of his past, and I figured if he wanted to talk about her, he would.


    And when I wasn¡¯t busy trying to deduce Ren¡¯s past, I was busy thinking of my own. Maya¡¯s presence in my heart made me wonder if the way I felt was the way Ocean had felt about me.


    And, as sweet as it would be to think that, I hoped it wasn¡¯t. I¡¯d only known Maya for a few weeks, and I was already as protective as I was. Ocean had known me at least since I was five, if not since I was born. Even though Ocean and I weren¡¯t bound by blood, if she felt even half as strongly about me as I did about Maya, then the years we¡¯d spent together would have been torture of the worst kind for her. After all, at least I had the strength and the freedom to protect Maya. Ocean had been as helpless as I was back then.


    I realized at that point in my thinking that I did not like where I was going, and I did not want to think on it any further. So I stopped, locking away the idea in a box in my head, shelving it away for a future, stronger me to revisit.


    Instead, I focused on the journey I was on, the product of the gift Ocean had given her life for. I focused on making sure Maya had as comfortable and fun of a trip as she could possibly have. I fought with a newfound intensity against the animals of the forest, making sure that not one could even get near the little girl.


    And not one did. The trip was as smooth as escorting a five-year-old through a beast-filled forest could be. We spent our days walking and talking, Ren and I taking turns carrying Maya when she could no longer walk with us. We ate every meal properly, with a bonfire to sit around and cuts of meat in our hands. Ren and I were in no hurry to get to our destination, so we took as many detours as Maya wanted, indulging in her surprisingly deep thirst for exploration.


    We had about half a month still, till we got to the first proper city ¨C the furthest bastion of civilization in the forest we were in. From there, it was only a few weeks of travel to get to the city that housed Karmore. And since the entrance exam wasn¡¯t until at least four months still, we were plenty ahead of schedule.


    However, our detours with Maya ended up actually saving us time in the long run.


    It happened about three weeks after we''d adopted Maya. We¡¯d happened across a small little stream running across our path, and we¡¯d stopped to take a little drink and refill our water flasks. The water was exceptionally clear, like liquid crystal cutting through the dirt of the ground, which was what had attracted us ¨C or more specifically, Maya ¨C to it in the first place. As I was busy filling up my flask, Maya, who was sat atop Ren¡¯s shoulders at the time, spotted the distant sparkles of sunlight glinting through a waterfall.


    Since waterfalls were always a pleasant sight to come across, one that even I hadn¡¯t tired, despite having been in the forest for months at that point, we decided to go find the source. We walked upstream for a few minutes before we found a clearing that seemed to have stepped directly out of a painting.


    The stream we¡¯d been following originated from an absolutely stunning pool of bluer-than-blue water. The pool glittered in the sunlight, shining with a color that was beautiful beyond the limits of language. At the edge of the pool that we came out from was a small field of grass ringed by the verdant trees of the forest. At the other end was a four-meter-tall face of bluish stone, from which fell gently the waterfall the Maya had spotted.


    The waterfall wasn¡¯t very wide, only about a few meters across, and was very tame. It fell more like a curtain of water than anything else, an almost translucent veil that covered the cliff face.


    Maya gasped loudly when we saw the waterfall, which was a strangely strong reaction from the usually quiet Maya. Though it made sense, I thought ¨C the sight was truly one of the most beautiful I¡¯d ever come across. But Maya quickly revealed why she reacted so strongly, and it had nothing to do with the beauty of the scene.


    ¡°This is it!¡± she exclaimed loudly from Ren¡¯s shoulders, her little voice pitched higher than usual with excitement. ¡°This is the Life-Elixir Pool!¡±


    Ren and I looked at her in confusion. ¡°The Life-Elixir Pool?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°This is the holy pool of my clan,¡± Maya explained, her tiny hands grabbing fistfuls of Ren¡¯s hair as she stared at the water, her eyes glittering with reverie. ¡°I¡¯m not even allowed to be here. I can only come here once I¡¯m old enough.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This place is the Forest God¡¯s gift to my people,¡± Maya said, her voice hushed with awe. ¡°When we come of age, we go through a special holy ritual at this pool. My clan has guarded and worshiped this land for gender rations.¡±


    A flash of confusion crossed over mine and Ren¡¯s face at her last words, before we simultaneously decoded it to be her pronunciation for ¡®generations.¡¯


    ¡°It was given to my clan¡¯s ant-cestor who settled down here,¡± she continued, her tone as if reciting from an oft-repeated legend. ¡°It was given to repay the favor the Forest God owed him, because he healed her when she was poisoned in a great war. The forest was withering away when he first came here, the animals and plants dying as the poison spread everywhere. But my ant-cestor was a great healer, and he knew lots of stuff about medicine. He saved the forest using his medicines, and before long, the forest became healthy and alive again. And so, to thank him for his effort, the Forest God gave him a home hidden away within the forest, to protect him from the enemies he was running away from. And she also gifted him this pool, so that he and his people could grow strong and continue to protect the forest forever.¡±


    A smile stretched over my face as the legend concluded. ¡°That was a beautiful story, Maya,¡± I said.


    Maya nodded, her face taking on a severe tint again. ¡°It is. This place is very important to me and my clan. But something is wrong with it. Something happened ¨C they didn¡¯t tell me what ¨C but something bad happened last year, when they took the kids for their ceremony. And I heard my mom and dad worrying that the ceremony might not happen this year.¡±


    ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t sound good,¡± Ren said.


    Maya nodded again. ¡°It¡¯s terrible. The coming of age ceremony has happened every year since my ant-cestor settled down here. Who knows what will happen if we break the tradition.¡± Maya¡¯s voice was heavy with warning, as if even mentioning the breaking of the tradition might bring upon us divine wrath.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Maya said suddenly, her eyes lightening up as an idea struck her. ¡°You guys are strong, right? I bet you guys can fix the problem!¡± Her excitement dimmed then as she looked at the both of us again. ¡°You guys will help, right?¡± she asked, her voice quieter.


    Ren and I smiled wryly at her hopeful look. ¡°We¡¯d love to,¡± I answered the little girl, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure if we¡¯ll be able to. We aren¡¯t all that strong, to be honest.¡±


    Maya shook her head seriously at that. ¡°No, no, you guys are strong. Much stronger than the kids your age in my village. I think only the Clan Elders would be able to match you in a fight.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Well, if it¡¯s anything we can help out with,¡± I said, ¡°we¡¯ll do our best to do so.¡±


    ¡°But we have to find your village first,¡± Ren cut in, ¡°before we can help anybody, don¡¯t we?¡±


    Maya smiled at that. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine too. Because I know the way home from here.¡±


    Both Ren and I were shocked at that. ¡°Really? But I thought you¡¯d never been here?¡± Ren asked.


    Maya grinned sheepishly at that. ¡°Well, I said I¡¯m not allowed to be here. That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ve never been here.¡±


    Ren gasped in mock disappointment. ¡°Maya! You little rebel!¡±


    Maya giggled from atop Ren¡¯s shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s fiiine¡­probably. Everyone goes to the pool at least once before they¡¯re supposed to.¡± She thought for a moment then, rethinking her statement. ¡°Well, that¡¯s what the older kids who took me said, anyway.¡±


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    Ren tut-tutted at the little girl, and I had to stifle a laugh at her reaction.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I cut in then, ¡°it¡¯s actually good that you¡¯ve been here before. Are you sure that you can remember the way back, though?¡±


    Maya nodded with confidence. ¡°Yes. Definitely. You just have to follow the right stream, and it¡¯ll take you right to the cave.¡±


    ¡°Alright! That¡¯ll save us a whole buncha time.¡± I looked up then, gauging the time we had left till sundown. ¡°We¡¯ve still got a solid few hours of daylight left, so we might even be able to make it today.¡± After all, if it was a trip Maya could make with a bunch of kids, there was little chance for it to be more distance than we could cover in a day.


    Maya and Ren nodded in agreement, but when I made to leave, Ren gently dropped Maya from his shoulders and handed her to me. ¡°I just wanna check something really quick,¡± he said. ¡°You guys go on; I¡¯ll find you in a minute.¡±


    I looked at him for a brief second before shrugging and taking the little girl off his hands. I¡¯d learnt by that point not to be too curious when it came to Ren, so I simply sat Maya on top of my shoulder and asked her with a smile, ¡°You wanna see if we can make it to the village before Ren catches up to us?¡±


    Maya matched my grin with her own and nodded her head. In response, I darted back into the forest, holding onto Maya¡¯s hands tightly as I followed the little stream she¡¯d pointed out for me. The wind whipped against our clothes and hair as I dashed through the woods, dodging branches and leaping over roots and rocks on the ground. With the many months of forest-living experience I had under my belt, I¡¯d become quite good at navigating the woods, even at a full-throttle run.


    Maya screamed in delight at the sudden speed, and the sound warmed my heart. I kept up the run for a good while, my stamina and speed both far beyond what the average human would have been capable of. And it felt good to pump my legs without restraint for once, pushing my Flux-enhanced muscles to their limits.


    But even with my enhancements, I eventually had to stop as my legs burned with exertion, my breathing ragged as I slowed myself to a walk. I¡¯d covered a good distance, and by Maya¡¯s estimation, we weren¡¯t far from her home. So I dropped my speed down to a leisurely pace, wanting to give Ren time to catch up before we found the village.


    Maya and I chatted casually in the meanwhile, and I could see the change in her demeanor as we neared her village. She became much more talkative than before, regaining more of the childlike qualities I¡¯d have expected from a girl her age. It made sense, I supposed, when I thought about it. She¡¯d almost certainly have died, after all, if Ren hadn¡¯t happened across her in the forest when he had. And a girl as smart as her would know that. Even after we¡¯d taken her in, she was still in a terrifying place for a little girl to be in. She¡¯d admitted herself that the time she''d spent with us had been the longest she¡¯d ever been away from her family.


    It was strangely healing, in a way I hadn¡¯t expected and couldn¡¯t quite explain, being able to return this girl to her rightful childhood.


    Ren caught up to us not long after I¡¯d stopped running. He was a little haggard and out of breath, though he covered it up well. At first glance, he looked perfectly fine, as if he¡¯d only taken a little stroll to get to us, but knowing him as well as I did, it was impossible for him to hide it from me.


    I gave him a knowing grin as he appeared, one that he pointedly ignored by turning to Maya and asking, ¡°By the way, should there be blood in your guys¡¯ holy pool?¡±


    Maya seemed shocked that he would ask that. She shook her head vehemently. ¡°No no, not at all.¡± Putting her pointer finger up, she closed her eyes and recited, ¡°The blood of no being, be it human, beast, or plant, shall be spilt upon the land of the Life-Elixir Pool.¡± Opening her eyes again, she looked at Ren. ¡°That¡¯s one of our rules, and no one from our village would ever break that.¡±


    Ren nodded as if he¡¯d more or less expected that answer. ¡°Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but somebody¡¯s broken that rule. Someone¡¯s been dumping blood into the pool. There¡¯s a bunch of it gathering at the bottom.¡±


    Maya gasped in shock. ¡°Oh no! That¡¯s horrible! It¡¯s definitely not anyone from our village, which means someone else must have found our pool! We have to let the Elders know right away! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Ren and I nodded before continuing on our way, kicking up the pace into a higher gear. Before long, we broke out of the tree line into another clearing, not unlike the one where the holy pool sat. Except the pool that the stream fed into wasn¡¯t nearly as mystical in appearance, and instead of a waterfall on the opposite end, there was a dark cave burrowing into the rock face.


    The cave entrance was quite big, easily twice my height and almost the same in width. The inside of it was dark, so I couldn¡¯t see far into it, but Maya gasped in delight when she saw the place.


    ¡°This is it!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°We¡¯re home!¡±


    I smiled at her excitement, glad that we¡¯d made it without any hitches for once. That seemed to be a rare occurrence in my life.


    ¡°Wait, you guys live in a cave?¡± Ren asked when he saw Maya directing me to the cave.


    Maya nodded. ¡°Well¡­kind of. You¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°Ooh,¡± Ren said, ¡°mysterious.¡±


    Maya smiled at that, but didn¡¯t say anything else.


    There was no way to get into the cave without crossing the water, and I was hesitant to do that at first, but Maya assured me that the water was in no way special to them. With her assurance, Ren and I waded through the shallow pool and stepped into the dark, damp cave. I lit a fireball in my hand to light our way, and we walked for quite a while into the surprisingly deep cave. I wasn¡¯t totally sure, given the overwhelming darkness and the strange, disorienting air of the tunnel, but I had a feeling that we were descending ¨C though if we were, the slant was so subtle I couldn¡¯t be certain. Aside from that, the tunnel was entirely unchanging, almost unnaturally so ¨C at least, until we came up on a sudden dead end.


    The jumble of boulders, dirt, and debris told me that it was likely a cave-in, and it had jammed the cave tight. I let Maya down from my shoulders and approached the wall, waving my fireball around to see if there was any other way around, but there was nothing. It was sealed tight, and there were no other turns we could use.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± I said finally as I completed my search. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Maya.¡±


    But, surprisingly, Maya did not seem nearly as crestfallen as I¡¯d expected her to be. Instead, she was grinning ear to ear in delight and anticipation, and Ren seemed utterly confused by the entire situation, which I found almost even more strange. I¡¯d imagined he¡¯d show some kind of pity for the little girl.


    Not that she needed it, though. ¡°Oh, you guys are gonna love this part,¡± Maya said with a knowing smile, not seeming dismayed at the blockage in the least.


    With the confidence and swagger only a five-year-old could display, Maya walked right up to the rock and dirt wall of the cave-in and, with a grin thrown back our way, stepped forward into what should have been solid matter.


    Instead, the rock gave in without the slightest resistance, only rippling slightly as Maya¡¯s foot was swallowed into it. The rest of her body followed immediately after, and within the second, the little girl had completely vanished into the rock, as if she¡¯d never been there at all.


    I spent a long moment in shell-shocked silence, my composure shaken, even after having been tempered by things far stranger than a little girl vanishing into a wall. I kept staring at the wall, while Ren simply studied me curiously from the side, until Maya¡¯s face popped back out. ¡°Are you guys gonna follow me or not?¡± she asked, a mischievous grin on her face.


    It made a truly strange sight, the image of an adorable face seemingly growing out of a lump of rock and dirt, but I eventually shrugged it off and stepped forward. There was a surreal moment as I stepped into what my brain assured me with complete confidence was a solid wall, only to find my foot meeting no resistance. The disconnect between what my eyes were seeing and reality was a strange thing to process.


    Still, ultimately, I made my way through the wall and found myself on the other side, standing in an identical cave hallway as the one I¡¯d just been standing in. Just a bit further, only about a hundred meters or so, I could make out the light of an exit to the dark tunnel.


    Turning around, I found myself facing a slightly distorted image of Ren, who seemed to have taken the situation with an astonishing amount of composure. He seemed far too relaxed for how strange the situation was, even for someone of his laidback character.


    As Maya and I watched him from the shimmering, transparent barrier that separated us, he seemed to be studying the step before him with only the mildest of curiosities, as if it really wasn¡¯t something special that his two companions had vanished into rock right in front of him. Even Maya seemed disappointed with his lacklustre reaction to the experience.


    However, his shocking composure and utter lack of reaction were explained the second he opened his mouth. ¡°What are you guys seeing?¡± he asked finally, his voice only slightly distorted by the barrier.


    After a moment of confused hesitation, I answered, ¡°From here, I can see you through some kind of weird, transparent barrier.¡±


    ¡°And on the other side?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a cave-in,¡± I answered. ¡°Is that not what you see?¡±


    Ren shook his head, an intrigued smile stretching on his face. ¡°Interesting. That''s not what I see.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked. ¡°What are you seeing?¡±


    ¡°All I can sense is a weird, thin film of Flux in front of me. But it¡¯s odd, because I can¡¯t sense anything behind it. It¡¯s blocking my Flux Sense somehow. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever seen anything like it. ¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± I said. ¡°Interesting indeed. I guess it''s some kind of visual trick only, then.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Maya said, ¡°I didn¡¯t even know that.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, what even is this, Maya? And how does it work?¡± I asked.


    Maya shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. I just know that it¡¯s here to protect us, and that it''s been here since we started living in this forest. They say it was placed by the Forest God herself. It¡¯s meant to stop our enemies from finding our camp, and I¡¯ve heard, in an emergency, we can even harden the illusion into a solid thing that can block off the entrance.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Ren and I said in unison as Maya explained a little about the illusion. ¡°Guess there really is a lot more about Flux that we still don''t know, huh,¡± Ren said as he made his way over to the other side of the barrier, seemingly done with his inspection.


    ¡°It¡¯s one thing to hear people say that, and it¡¯s another to actually see a super real illusion that can, apparently, even turn real,¡± I agreed.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Maya cut in, already bored of our amazement with the phenomenon, ¡°let¡¯s get going. I can almost smell home, and I don¡¯t want to wait another second.¡± With a huff of impatience, the moody little girl began to make her way down the hall.


    Ren and I chuckled at each other for a moment before jogging up to the girl. ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s get you home, huh?¡± I asked the girl with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure your family¡¯s been worried sick about you.¡±

 Chapter 95 – Fiercewater Clan

    The cave tunnel opened up to the rounded top of a grassy hill. Which would have seemed to me, at least before today, to be a physically improbable scenario. But I¡¯d accepted by now that common logic didn¡¯t hold much weight when it came to the workings of Flux-related things. Point in case, the end of the tunnel, which was capped off with the same shimmery, translucent film as the opposite end of the illusion. Stepping through that film dropped us off on top of a hill, from which no tunnel could be seen. Behind me was only an ovalish patch of shimmering, glittery air and no sign of the cave I¡¯d only just been in.


    It took me a moment, but I eventually brushed that off ¨C there wasn''t really much else I could do anyway ¨C and turned to survey the view the hill granted us. The top of the hill overlooked a vast, bustling village, and an expansive plain beyond it. A towering tree stood firmly in the center of the circular village, its deep purple canopy providing shade for almost half the massive village.


    Although, to be fair, the term village hardly did justice to the immense size of the place. It stretched out at least a kilometer in every direction, and there were hundreds of people who walked about within the spacious roadways that wound their way through the buildings, like the many paths of a massive maze.


    The only aspect of the village that could be remotely described as ¡®village-like¡¯ was its construction. The massive wall that encircled the place was similar in design to the wall of Najam¡¯s camp, and the buildings within were all of wooden and thatch design. The roadways in between were made of yellowed dirt paved only by the hundreds of feet that traversed them daily. Only the larger paths near the center ¨C where the buildings were also markedly larger ¨C were cobbled with actual stone.


    My eyes lingered on the village for only a moment, though, because the rest of the strange land we were in was far more catching to my eye. Save for the side we¡¯d come out on, the area surrounding the village was simply a flat, grassy plain, blanketed with tall green stalks that ripped in the wind. The plains stretched out at least a couple kilometers in each direction, but it was what stood proudly at the edges of the plain that caught my attention.


    Ringing the entire plain were absolute behemoths, mountain-sized trees with the same deep purple canopies as the one in the middle. The sheer scale of the sight rendered me speechless. It would have been incredible to behold a single tree of their immense size, but I counted a total of eleven from where I could see. And the fact that it only took eleven of them to ring almost three-quarters of the massive expanse of land spoke volumes of their size. The highest of their branches reached high into the clear blue sky, easily enough to pierce through the clouds, had there been any.


    ¡°Those are our Purple Evermore trees,¡± Maya explained as she saw my attention snag on them. ¡°This is the oldest grove of them in the entire forest,¡± she went on, explaining her home with more than just a hint of pride. ¡°The land here is the best for hunting and farming anywhere in the forest. The land in a grove of Purple Evermore trees is always the best, but this is the bestest of the best. And it¡¯s the hardest to find of them all, too. Every entrance to this place is hidden and protected with an illusion just like the one we just used. No one except my people knows how to find this place.¡± She paused there for a second, her face working as if a thought had just occurred to her. ¡°Well, my people, and you guys now, I guess.¡±


    I smiled at that. ¡°Well, don¡¯t you worry about it. As long as you guys wish it, I¡¯ll keep this place a secret that I carry to my grave. We will keep it a secret.¡±


    Maya brightened as she heard my promise, the worry on her face draining away.


    Ren, however, gave an amused smile in response. ¡°You might believe us,¡± he said to Maya, ¡°but I have a slight feeling your people may not be so giving.¡±


    I frowned at his words. Embarrassingly, the thought hadn¡¯t even crossed my mind till he mentioned it.


    But Maya shook her head vigorously. ¡°No no, I¡¯ll tell them that you can be trusted. They¡¯ll believe me.¡± She spoke with utter conviction, enough that I didn¡¯t have the heart to challenge her on the topic, but the dread in my heart was far from assuaged.


    Still, there was little else for us to do but forge on at that point. Maya would hardly let us leave without coming down to the village, and I wasn¡¯t the sort to run like that anyway.


    And so we trekked down the large hill, wading through the waist-high grass single file, with Maya on my shoulders. She¡¯d wanted to lead the way, but her small form was almost entirely swallowed up by the grass, which annoyed her enough that she eventually relented and resigned herself to being carried back home. Still, at her urging, we set a quick pace, and within ten minutes, we¡¯d descended from the hill and crossed the field, finding ourselves on a cleared road leading all the way to the massive doors of the village¡¯s gate.


    As we got closer, I noticed that the wall of the village was far larger than the gate at Najam¡¯s camp ¨C which, I supposed, only made sense. Najam¡¯s camp was, after all, only a temporary place, whereas this had been the home of Maya¡¯s people for centuries.


    The logs that made up the wall were at least twice as tall, and watch stations had been built intermittently along the entire length of the circle. As we approached the gate, with Maya now eagerly leading me by the hand, her eyes unerringly fixed on the gates, a man suddenly popped out of the watch station at the top of the entrance.


    ¡°Who goes there?¡± the man yelled down.


    Instead of responding, I hoisted Maya up as high as I could reach and presented her to the man, who peered down curiously at the girl. ¡°Hi Uncle Tammy!¡± Maya yelled up before letting loose a small giggle.


    It was hard to make out the exact expression of the man, even with my enhanced eyesight, but the general body language of the man was clear enough. He peered over the edge of the fence of his watch station so far I was afraid he¡¯d fall off, before leaning back and wiping his eyes, and then peering over again, as if he could not believe what he was seeing.


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    Finally, after a long moment of silence, the man yelled down again, in a voice of absolute incredulous shock, ¡°MAYA!??¡±


    Maya responded only with another giggle, but that seemed enough of a confirmation for the man. He instantly, and without a moment of hesitation, threw himself over the edge of the fence and fell the entire height of almost six meters to the ground. He landed in a graceful crouch, his gaze still stuck on the girl in my arms. He instantly sprang back up and ran over to me, moving with the agility of a man at least twenty years his junior, and certainly not of a man who¡¯d just fallen a height of about twenty feet. His body¡¯s resilience was shocking, even for a mage. I¡¯d have survived a fall like that too, of course, but my knees and ankles would have hated me for it.


    Which meant, I surmised just as the middle-aged man reached us, that he had a body that was of at least the same caliber as mine, if not better.


    The older man slowed substantially as he got closer to us, dropping his pace down to a reverent walk as his glistening eyes surveyed Maya.


    ¡°It is you¡­¡± the man muttered, almost as if to himself. ¡°It really is you¡­¡±


    I let Maya down from the air then, and she immediately broke into a run as she aimed for the man¡¯s waiting arms.


    I got a good look at the man as Ren and I waited patiently ¨C and just a smidge awkwardly ¨C for the pair¡¯s emotional reunion to run its course.


    He was middle-aged, but definitely leaning towards the older end, judging by the lines the years had left on his face. He sported a long, brown goatee and an, oddly, even longer mustache. He had a wiry frame, with long and thin limbs, loose and simple cotton clothing, and an intelligence in his eyes.


    At the moment, though, his eyes dripped with tears of relief as he hugged the little girl tight. Maya almost disappeared into his embrace, and she seemed no less emotional than the man.


    ¡°I thought you were gone forever,¡± the man whispered, his voice tight with emotion.


    Maya didn¡¯t answer to that, only nodding into the man¡¯s shoulder. Eventually, though, she pulled back just enough to look at the man¡¯s face. ¡°Where¡¯s Mama?¡± she asked.


    The man smiled at the question. ¡°She¡¯s in, of course. Probably at the Hall now, stuck in some meeting or the other. She¡¯ll be so happy to have you back, Maya. She was distrau-she was so sad, Maya, when you didn¡¯t come back that day.¡± His voice broke near the end of his sentence, his face twisting as if recalling memories he didn¡¯t want to remember. ¡°She¡¯ll be so happy to have you back¡­¡± the man repeated, his voice once again a hushed whisper.


    ¡°Can I go see her?¡± Maya asked quietly.


    ¡°Why, of course! She¡¯ll drop everything when she hears the news. She¡¯ll probably throw a great banquet to celebrate you.¡± He pinched the girl¡¯s cheeks as he spoke, a large smile drawing itself like a veil over his face, burying the sadness of before. ¡°But first,¡± he said again, picking himself back up from the crouch he¡¯d been in, ¡°I believe introductions are in order.¡± Looking down at the little girl holding his hand, he asked, ¡°Maya, why don¡¯t you introduce me to your two friends here?¡±


    Maya¡¯s face brightened visibly as she remembered our existence once more. ¡°Of course! Uncle Tammy, this is Ruby,¡± she pointed to me with a great big smile, ¡°and this is Ren! They saved my life in the forest, and took care of me, and brought me home! And they¡¯re gonna save the clan!¡±


    The last bit elicited a chuckle from both the man and me, which confused little Maya, who¡¯d been perfectly serious when she made the statement.


    Moving past that, the man stepped forward with a warm smile and stuck his hand out. ¡°Well,¡± the man said as he clasped my hand in a firm handshake, ¡°it would seem my people owe the two of you a great debt.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, not at all,¡± I replied, shaking my head. ¡°It was our pleasure. Maya is a precious little girl.¡±


    ¡°Quite precious, indeed,¡± the man chuckled. I could sense that he¡¯d made a joke, but it went clear over my head. Seeing my confused face, the man raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°You don¡¯t know of Maya¡¯s identity?¡± he asked.


    Ren and I shrugged in unison. ¡°No idea,¡± I said.


    Genuine surprise flickered in the man¡¯s eyes, and, oddly, the respect within them rose a degree as he heard our answer. ¡°Really?¡± he said in surprise. Then, turning to Maya, he asked, ¡°And you didn¡¯t tell them?¡±


    Maya grinned sheepishly and shook her head. ¡°I totally forgot to,¡± she answered.


    The man shook his at her, smiling as he did. ¡°Though, I suppose,¡± he said, ¡°it does make sense. After all, you¡¯ve probably never met anyone who didn¡¯t already know who you were.¡±


    I was shocked at the man¡¯s statement. ¡°Wow, Maya!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re famous? What are you, a princess or something?¡±


    The man chuckled at my joke, but his answer was entirely serious. ¡°In a sense, she is, in fact.¡±


    I fell silent at that, the answer completely beyond my expectations. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± I asked doubtfully.


    The man shook his head. ¡°Not in the slightest,¡± he answered. ¡°Little Maya here is the daughter of the Clan Chieftess. And given the prestige and respect both her mother and the clan as a whole wield, at least in the surrounding area, Maya receives quite the treatment of a princess in the nearby cities. Not to mention,¡± he added with a meaningful glance at the girl, ¡°little Maya is quite special on her own, too.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked in incredulous surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was escorting royalty. That¡¯s amazing! Maya, I¡¯m honored that you let us be the ones to take you back home.¡±


    Maya giggled and flushed at my words, painting an adorable picture as she looked away in embarrassment.


    Chuckling at the little girl¡¯s antics, the man tousled her hair and turned back to us. ¡°Well,¡± he started, ¡°as much as I¡¯d love to continue chatting, I¡¯d feel terrible if I kept Maya away from her mother any longer. Her mother will probably kill me for taking as long as I have already. Why don¡¯t the two of you follow me in? Once we spread the good news to everyone, and everyone has had their fill of hugging Maya again, we¡¯ll see if we can¡¯t fix up a reward worthy of bringing our princess back to us.¡±


    ¡°No, no, we couldn¡¯t possibly take any kind of reward for that,¡± I protested. ¡°Like I said, it was our pleasure. Maya¡¯s a friend, and I couldn¡¯t take a gift from a friend for something like this.¡±


    The man grinned at me, a twinkle in his eye. ¡°We shall see, then,¡± he answered simply, before walking back up to the gates of the palisade. Leaning one hand gently against it, he pushed just slightly and the massive double doors began to open themselves up with a groan and a soft whirr.


    As the doors pulled back to reveal the village ¨C Maya¡¯s home, at long last ¨C the man turned back and gave us a warm, welcoming smile. ¡°Welcome..." he said with the grandiose of a showman, "to the Fiercewater Clan.¡± Then, lowering his eyes to meet Maya¡¯s, he smiled again, a softer smile this time.


    ¡°And welcome home, princess.¡±

 Chapter 96 – Village Tour

    The man was quite a talkative man, and we learnt much about his clan as he brought us through the town. He began with an introduction, of course, introducing himself as ¡®Tampter Brook, Clan Elder of the Watchmen.¡¯ The last bit, he explained, meant that he occupied a seat at the Elder Council and was in charge of the watchmen. He was a distant cousin of Maya¡¯s mother, who, as he¡¯d already mentioned before, was the Cheiftess of the clan.


    We took the most direct path, according to Tampter, to our destination, the ¡®Fiercewater Hall,¡¯ where Maya¡¯s mother was most likely to be. However, that meant walking through the bustling and crowded main streets, where Maya was sure to be recognized. And since Tampter wanted to keep Maya¡¯s return a secret until she could meet her mother, he put a mask over the little girl¡¯s face, one that he¡¯d pulled out of the little fanny pack-style pouch he kept to his side.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather her mother hear of Maya¡¯s return from me,¡± Tampter explained, ¡°where she can see Maya right away, then from some street rumor she won¡¯t be able to confirm before I get there. And trust me, it may not take long to get to the Hall, but news of her return will travel far faster than we ever could.¡±


    ¡°Would it be so bad if she heard of her coming back before we got there?¡± I asked.


    Tampter nodded seriously. ¡°Her mother took Maya¡¯s supposed death quite hard, as I¡¯m sure you can imagine. She¡¯s more or less returned to a functional state now ¨C but it¡¯s more from necessity than actual healing, so her moods can still be somewhat erratic. To be honest, even I¡¯m not sure exactly what her response would be if she heard the news, but given the combination of her temper and her strength, I imagine at least some kind of property destruction is all but guaranteed. And right now...¡± he sighed wistfully. ¡°Right now, she can¡¯t afford to be anything less than perfect.¡±


    He looked at us then, a small smile on his face, ¡°Such is the callous nature of politics,¡± he said. ¡°Even in grief, she must be perfect, lest the vultures of the council twist her mistakes and have her removed from her seat.¡± He shook his head then, pulling himself out of his musings. ¡°Ah! What am I saying? My apologies, young¡¯uns; I didn¡¯t mean to bore you with the politics of my clan.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, not at all,¡± I responded, shaking my head. ¡°That sounds horrible for her mother. I¡¯d hate to be in her position.¡±


    Tampter smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯m sure she does, too.¡±


    ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t she just give up her seat?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d do, especially if I had to deal with an annoying council that was always watching everything I did.¡±


    Tampter shook his head. ¡°I used to be of the same opinion. Her mother has full rights to the seat, of course ¨C and she¡¯s been an amazing leader thus far ¨C but I didn¡¯t think that was reason enough to bear the headache. Especially when one has a daughter with whom one could spend time instead. But I¡¯ve come to realize what a great blessing it is, that she hasn¡¯t ceded her position to one of them. They are vultures, the lot of them.¡± He spat that last sentence, a clear revulsion in his eyes. ¡°The public doesn¡¯t know it yet, and that¡¯s the only reason they haven¡¯t been kicked out of the council yet. But mark my words, those bast-¡± he stopped suddenly, finally remembering the little girl that also happened to be part of his audience.


    ¡°I-I mean, those idiots would sell out the entire clan just to line their own pockets,¡± he said again, the wording different but the emotion behind them just as potent. ¡°They don¡¯t give a damn about their heritage and tradition. They¡¯ve fallen in love with the glamor of the city life, with its mansions and maids and all. And they¡¯d sell out every damn clansman if it could buy them a ticket into that circle. And they try to use every single misfortune that comes our way as an excuse to do it.¡±


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s happened now that they want to use against Maya¡¯s mother?¡± I asked. ¡°Maya said that there were some problems with your guys¡¯ Life-Elixir Pool. Is that related to anything?¡±


    Tampter seemed surprised at my question. ¡°Oh, you know of the Life-Elixir Pool?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I answered. ¡°We happened upon it randomly while we were making our way to the city. It¡¯s actually what led us here.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s interesting. Well, you¡¯re right about that. It is, in fact, the source of much headache right now. But, unfortunately, that is a matter I cannot tell much of without Maya¡¯s mother present. Though, I am most certain she will be more than happy to let you know about it. Judging by the pressure the both of you give off, I¡¯m sure you two are at least at Level 10, no?¡±


    Ren and I turned to look at each other with a smile, before nodding slowly at the man. In truth, at the moment, we were both tied at Level 18. And while the number wasn¡¯t very high, I had enough experience with the scaling of the system to know there was quite a large difference between 10 and 18. If I had to guess, I¡¯d probably hit the requirements for Level 10 after the Revive I did when that rock had bashed my head in. And I¡¯d improved by leaps and bounds since then.


    Tampter noticed our interaction and nodded to himself. ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡± He didn¡¯t expand beyond that cryptic message, instead deciding to not-so-subtly change the subject by suddenly adopting the part of a tour guide.


    ¡°Oh, you see that there,¡± he started suddenly, pointing at a two-story restaurant-style building. It was of wood and thatch design, with an open patio and only a drawn drape acting as a doorway. ¡®Boldheart¡¯s Goldberry Restaurant¡¯ was written in bold, gold paint above the entrance. Underneath, in slightly smaller lettering, was written, ¡®Home to the famous Boldheart Goldberry Wine.¡¯


    ¡°That right there is home to the best damn Goldberry Wine this side of the country," Tampter said. "Ol Boldheart exports his product to nigh every city that¡¯s possible to reach by trade. They say, back in his prime, he was even the official Winemaker for the imperial family. The old king would drink from no one¡¯s hand but his, they say.¡±


    ¡°Official Winemaker?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What kind of a job is that?¡±


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    Tampter smiled. ¡°Sounds made-up, I know. So far as I know, there is no one who currently holds such a position in the palace now. But all the oldest of our clan swear up and down that he really was. Say the old king made a position just for him. And honestly? I believe it. You¡¯re skeptical now, but one sip of his drink and you¡¯ll be convinced.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, we should totally go to Uncle Boldy¡¯s place,¡± Maya cut in. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to have any of his wine, but he makes the best Goldberry pies. You guys will love them.¡±


    I smiled at her enthusiasm. ¡°That sounds like a great idea, Maya. Maybe we can go after we meet your mother, if we have nothing else to do.¡±


    Tampter nodded his head in agreement, and just then, the large street we were on opened into a wide, circular clearing. Shops and stores ringed the edges of the clearing, and standing proudly in the middle was the statue of a scholarly-looking man.


    People crowded the clearing, talking and laughing loudly while children ran among legs. Hawkers carted their wares about, their shrill cries mingling in the air with the rest to create a symphony of lively noise.


    ¡°That¡¯s our founder,¡± Tampter said, pointing at the statue. It was a proud monument, and the people¡¯s reverence for the man could be clearly felt in the sedulous construction of the piece, and the multitude of fresh flowers that lay at his feet. That being said, however, the depiction of the man himself was far from arrogant, hardly even confident. He was a soft-looking man with a round face bespeckled with the large circular glasses that often adorned those of academic professions. He had a full figure, the fullness of one who¡¯d eaten one too many meals, not one who¡¯d fought one too many fights. He was dressed in much the same way as the rest of the clansmen, but the sculptor had taken the time to meticulously carve in beadwork all over his outfit, in designs oddly similar to what Maya wore.


    He cradled in his hands an open book, though his gaze was trained on the far horizon.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like a warrior,¡± I remarked curiously, my mouth speaking before my brain could realize that the remark could easily be taken as an insult.


    But, fortunately, Tampter was not insulted in the slightest. In fact, he seemed to be quite proud of the fact. ¡°Indeed,¡± he said with a wide smile, ¡°our founder was not a warrior. He was a scholar, an academic, a healer. The world is not kind to those without strength ¨C he knew so better than most ¨C but still he chose the path of a pacifist, because he didn¡¯t want to conform to the brutality of the jungle¡¯s rule. He understood what the world was like, but he decided he¡¯d rather change the rules of the game, or die trying, than work his way to the top by stepping on the bones of others.¡± Tampter spoke with an awe and reverence for the founder¡¯s choice, and his words struck a chord deep within me. The sentiment echoed almost exactly what I¡¯d believed for most of my life, the same belief I¡¯d decided to forsake not so long ago. And the founder¡¯s thoughts were making me doubt my own.


    After all, the lively and thriving existence of his clan was living proof that the idea wasn¡¯t one that was impossible to live by. One that was impossible to succeed with. Which gave me much to think about.


    While I was deep in my own thinking, the rest of my party had already grown bored of the sight and had begun to move forward. I followed behind them, only half listening as Tampter continued to talk, mostly about the sights in the village, but occasionally veering back into politics, as if he couldn¡¯t help himself.


    Ren, I gratefully noticed, piped up where I started to quiet down, keeping the conversation from dying awkwardly. Though, he seemed more interested in Tampter¡¯s political gripes than the sights, likely because he probably couldn¡¯t see most of the sights beyond vague outlines.


    Eventually, we wound our way through the crowded streets of the main market area, finding ourselves in the markedly less crowded streets near the residential areas. I decided I liked the place much more, not only because of the sparser population, but also because of the houses themselves.


    They were humble little things, only a single floor and hardly wide enough to house more than a few rooms. But each had such a unique life to it, with brightly painted, home-made decor adorning the windows and doorways, and yards sprinkled with toys and tools of all shapes and sizes. They were placed almost randomly, with little order or planning. The sight was a far cry from the cloned look of the city houses back on Earth.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± I couldn¡¯t help but remark, breaking my silence with a small whisper.


    Tampter and Ren turned to look at me in surprise, since I¡¯d unknowingly cut into their conversation. ¡°What is?¡± Tampter asked.


    I smiled. ¡°Just¡­everything, honestly. This whole place, these houses, the market, it¡¯s just beautiful.¡±


    Tampter and Maya both smiled warmly at me, their faces brightening. ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tampter said in agreement, his voice quiet and honest.


    The group was quiet for a bit after that, all of us silently taking in the air of beauty that hung over the village like a fog.


    We only broke our silence when we made our last turn, stepping out into another clearing. But this one was far more sparse in population, as only a few people, huddled in groups of two or three, stood in conversation, randomly dotting the wide area.


    Just next to the center of the area was the largest building I¡¯d seen in the village yet. It was a grand hall, made entirely out of wood, and with a wide staircase leading up to its entrance.


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Tampter said, ¡°that¡¯s where your mother should be.¡±


    Standing proudly behind the grand hall was the Purple Evermore tree that could be seen from everywhere in the village. The thing was utterly massive, more so up close, but it still paled when compared to the massive size of the trees on the horizon.


    ¡°How come the tree in the middle of the grove is so much smaller than the rest?¡± I asked as we began to make our way to the stairs.


    ¡°That¡¯s the mother of the grove,¡± Tampter said simply, as if that explained everything.


    ¡°The mother? Why¡¯s it called that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t know the fable of the Purple Evermore groves?¡± Tampter asked.


    I shook my head.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a fascinating story, let me tell you. Unfortunately,¡± he paused just as we reached the top of the stairs, pulling the double doors open to let us in, ¡°it¡¯ll have to wait for another time. For now, we bring a grieving mother the greatest gift possible. We, as bearers of the finest news she will ever hear in her life, stand to witness one of the most stirring and soul-touching sights in the world. Prepare yourselves.¡± And with that, he stepped into the hall.


    Wide grins spread over all of our faces at his grandiose words. It was indeed a grand event that was soon to happen, despite Tampter''s comic exaggeration. I¡¯d been thinking of this moment ever since we¡¯d taken Maya on, hoping against hope that nothing would go wrong, that Maya would be able to safely return to her life.


    And for once, it seemed, fate was content to let things go my way.

 Chapter 97 – Mayas Mother

    The Fiercewater Hall was separated into two rooms, divided through the center by a wide hallway. The entrance opened into the hallway, which was lit by candles and furnished with the occasional bench. At the far end of it was a hung painting of the founder, and halfway through were doors to the left and right.


    ¡°We have two halls,¡± Tampter explained. ¡°The one on the right is for meetings with foreign dignitaries and the like, and the one on the left is for internal meetings. These days, Evelyn spends most of her days in the left room, which is where I¡¯m betting she is right now.¡± He set Maya down from his shoulders then. ¡°Why don¡¯t the three of you wait out here, and I¡¯ll bring her out to meet you all.¡±


    The three of us nodded, and Tampter gave us all a smile, and Maya an extra ruffle on the head, before leaving us behind and heading into the room. As he opened the door, the mingled sounds of discussion leaked out a little, proving Tampter¡¯s guess right.


    Once he had disappeared into the room, I dropped down to Maya¡¯s level and patted her shoulder. ¡°You excited?¡± I asked in a smiling whisper. Maya didn¡¯t answer, however. Instead, she turned to me with tears in her eyes and leaned her head into my shoulder. After a fleeting second of frozen shock, I wrapped an arm around the little girl¡¯s shoulders, pulling her in as she started to sob quietly. I smiled to myself then, an emotion potent yet beyond description coursing through me.


    I knew that the last few weeks had been a tough time for the little girl, but ¨C perhaps due in part to the exceptional control she had over her emotions ¨C I didn¡¯t quite realize just how much she¡¯d been holding back. And now that the end was finally here, her emotions had swelled up beyond what her defenses could handle.


    I held her tight as she cried almost silently, not moving a muscle until the door Tampter had vanished into creaked open once more. Voices leaked out again, still discussing at the same pitch, which told me that Tampter hadn¡¯t announced the news to the whole room.


    Tampter stepped out first, and just after him stepped out what I could only assume to be Maya¡¯s mother, Evelyn. She was a tall woman, draped in a deerskin dress decorated with the same kind of beadwork as Maya¡¯s. She shared her tanned skin and shoulder-length brown hair, though she had a crown of black raven feathers braided through it.


    She looked gaunt, like she hadn¡¯t been eating or sleeping well ¨C or at all, really. But, beyond the haggard look on her face, there was a dormant strength in her body that I grasped with a single glance. I had no plans to ever fight the woman, and thus no reason to size her up, but instinct did not care for my plans. It was to do its job regardless of the scenario, and right then, it told me that I stood before a formidable enemy, one that could pose significant danger to me.


    The woman herself, however, likely did not even register my presence at the moment, her eyes fixed intently on the small figure in my embrace. With a smile, I patted Maya¡¯s shoulder, whispering in her ear, ¡°She¡¯s here, Maya.¡±


    Maya froze in place, before slowly turning around, her cheeks flushed peachy and tear-streaked. When she completed her rotation, fully facing her mother at last, the two spent a long moment almost frozen in time, unmoving, scarcely even breathing. Maya was the first to break the moment, heaving a quiet sob and swaying slightly, as if her legs could no longer bear the burden of holding her up.


    The moment that she broke the silence, though, her mother was shaken out of her trance, and in the blink of an eye, in what was certainly the fastest step I¡¯d ever seen a person take, she caught Maya in her arms, wrapping her up in her embrace as the tears she¡¯d been holding back broke loose.


    I stepped back a little as I watched, almost tearing up at the scene, before looking up at Tampter and Ren. With tacit understanding, the three of us stepped back and walked out of the hallway and out to the top of the staircase outside, letting the two have their moment together.


    The three of us were silent as we stepped out into the sunlight, each of us with pensive, faraway looks on our faces, the sight having stirred within us each an emotional cocktail of memories.


    -


    Twenty minutes later found the three of us sat on a circular carpet, weaved of silk and dyed in a vibrant blend of colors. We were in the now emptied internal meeting room, with Evelyn sat across us, a bright smile hanging on her face as she held Maya in her lap. Just a few minutes earlier, she¡¯d called us in after dismissing all the Clan Elders, having ordered them to spread the news of a great celebration that was to be held soon, to celebrate the return of her daughter.


    And while they went out to go do their jobs, we were called in to finally answer the Chieftess¡¯ questions. She began, of course, with the simplest.


    ¡°Who are you two?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Ruby, and this is Ren,¡± I answered, before stopping there, not sure what else to add on.


    The Chieftess waited a moment, before asking again with a smile. ¡°And where are the two of you coming from?¡±


    I didn¡¯t show it on my face, but I was impressed by the question. It was incredibly astute. ¡°We¡¯re uh...actually from a different planet,¡± I answered hesitatingly. It seemed stupid in hindsight, but I hadn¡¯t bothered to come up with a plausible backstory for our presence in the forest, so I was forced to go with the truth, as unbelievable as it was.


    There was a moment of silence that settled over the company, before Evelyn parroted back to me, ¡°From a different planet?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Well, that was not a part of Maya¡¯s story,¡± she said, casting a curious look down at her daughter.


    Maya shrugged her little shoulders. ¡°I didn¡¯t know either,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yeah, uh, we didn¡¯t really tell anyone,¡± I explained. ¡°No one really asked, and it¡¯s not exactly the easiest thing to explain, as I¡¯m sure you can imagine, so I never bothered to.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose that¡¯s true. But, even if you are from a different planet, it doesn¡¯t explain what in the world you¡¯re doing so far south, all the way in the middle of nowhere in the Border Forest. I mean, the closest transport station big enough to handle inter-planetary trips is all the way in the Capital. I don¡¯t understand how you could be coming north from inside the Forest. ¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Yeah, we had quite the strange way of getting here. We actually crash-landed on the beach at the end of the Border Forest. Which¡­I guess you probably don''t know of, since apparently that part of the forest hasn¡¯t actually been mapped yet. I suppose this is all sounding quite unbelievable at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Evelyn said, ¡°as strange and interesting as your story sounds, I¡¯m actually inclined to believe you. See, so far as most people know, the Border Forest has never been completely mapped or explored. However, the Elders and Chiefs of our clan have long since done exactly that; the protection and maintenance of this forest is our duty, after all, and we could hardly do that if we didn¡¯t know the place. And, as it just so happens, the maps left behind by my ancestors do indeed show a beach at the far end of the forest. And since no one else should have access to this information, your knowledge of it leads me to believe that you may have indeed been there. But regardless, I will need more than that to accept what you''re telling me.¡± She paused there for a second, her eyes taking on a softer look.


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    ¡°I do apologize for the interrogation, by the way. In normal circumstances, you¡¯d be celebrated as heroes and given rewards, as you should be, and as you will be, hopefully. But these days¡­these are turbulent times, and my actions are under intense scrutiny. It¡¯s all¡­very complicated, and I¡¯ve no wish to go through it all, and I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t either. But my point is, I must be very careful these days, and if not for that fact, I wouldn¡¯t have dared treat my daughter¡¯s saviors with such suspicion, and I do apologize for it.¡±


    I waved her apology away. ¡°No, no, not at all,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand the politics of it all, of course, but I understand that your hands are tied at the moment. And I don¡¯t blame you for it. Trust me, if I had prepared a more believable story, I would have told you that instead. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have an easier lie to tell, so I¡¯ll have to stick with the truth.¡±


    Evelyn smiled at my statement. ¡°Very well, go on.¡±


    ¡°Well, cutting out the more strange and long-winded story, we¡¯re refugees from another planet. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard of this dude called the Insect Monarch, but he had some crazy plan to kill everyone on my planet, and almost got away with it, but the Grand Order people got there in time, thankfully. Now, I¡¯m oversimplifying here, but they beat him up and stuff, and saved the rest of us. They were actually gonna take us to their home planet¡­¡± I paused there suddenly, and before I could even ask, Ren piped up helpfully from the side.


    ¡°Adonis,¡± he said.


    I snapped my fingers. ¡°That¡¯s it. So yeah, we were supposed to go to Adonis, but then these pirates came and stuff, and then after that, these bats came.¡± I realized then, in some part at the back of my brain, that I was rambling and probably not making much sense to someone who¡¯d never heard the story before, but I also knew that any attempts at further explanation would only result in more confusion, so I didn¡¯t even attempt it, simply forging on instead.


    I walked them through the Void Bat attack, and the subsequent brush with death as we were thrown out into space and then sucked down onto the planet, and then the months we spent traveling through the forest. I skipped the part where we met Najam and his camp so as not to further confuse an already convoluted story.


    ¡°And that,¡± I concluded, ¡°is why the two of us were actually headed back from the beach.¡±


    The two adults in the room were both quiet as I finished my story, with pensive looks painted on their faces. Maya, however, was practically beaming with excitement, clearly having had no problem believing the story.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± she gushed. ¡°What planet are you guys from? What¡¯s it like there? How far is it? What was space like? Did you see the Insect Monarch fight? Did you fight him?¡± she fired off in succession, not pausing for a breath between the stream of questions.


    ¡°Alright, alright, Maya,¡± her mother cut the little girl off, chuckling to herself. ¡°You can ask all the questions you want after we¡¯ve had our talk, ok?¡± She looked down at the little girl as she spoke, a love so immense within her eyes it sparked a strange emotion within me. Heavy like sadness and uncomfortable like regret, or some strange relative of it. I buried it quickly, stifling it before it could appear on my face, and promptly decided I did not care for the emotion. So, as was done with everything in my head that I did not care for, it was boxed up and shelved away, to be revisited later...if ever.


    Evelyn turned back up to us then, giving us a soft smile. ¡°As for the two of you, I¡¯ve decided.¡± She took a breath. ¡°It may not be the smarter or safer option, but I could not bear to live with myself if I shunned away the two of you after you¡¯ve brought me my daughter back. So I¡¯ve decided that I will trust the two of you; let the people say what they say.¡±


    I smiled at her declaration. ¡°I am touched, Chieftess, by your trust, but, really, there¡¯s no reason for you to stake your position for it. There¡¯s no reason for the public to ever know anything about your trust in us at all, in fact. After all, the two of us only came really to meet you. I hoped you would trust us simply because I¡¯m friends with Maya, and I¡¯d like to continue to be. We didn''t expect a reward or any kind of recognition when we picked up Maya, and we don¡¯t really want it either. My only ask of your trust is to let us stay here for a couple days before we say goodbye, and maybe to allow us to visit every so often, if that¡¯s possible. But I really don¡¯t want to place any unnecessary stress on you, since you¡¯re already in a tough position. If people will take offense to our being here, we can leave right away too.¡±


    Maya shook her head adamantly at that. ¡°No, no, we have to go to Uncle Boldy¡¯s place first.¡±


    Evelyn smiled down at her daughter. ¡°Of course, Maya,¡± Then, turning up to us, she said, ¡°How could we possibly force the two of you out without letting you rest for a few days? After all, I¡¯m sure the trip through such a dangerous area was exhausting. But, as much as I hate to say it, it would truly be incredibly helpful to me if the two of you didn¡¯t care for a public declaration of your actions. The two of you living here shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem at all ¨C the Council can only make problems if I make a clear attempt at giving you special privileges. If the two of you are okay with being treated as clansmen, then there should be no problem at all for the two of you to stay here for a few days. And, of course, you¡¯d be welcomed back with open arms whenever you wish to return.¡±


    I was surprised at that. ¡°Really? Does your clan not have a problem with outsiders coming here? Maya said that no one but your clansmen and us know how to get here. I thought that may have been a problem.¡±


    Evelyn nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that our clan values our mysterious air. Indeed, no one not related to the clan can find us without our help. But, while that mystery is a part of our tradition, trade with the outside world is all but a necessity these days, so we do have an entrance that we bring in guests with, but it¡¯s designed purposefully so that only a clansman can navigate it. But it would seem by your statement that you didn¡¯t take that path.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, we actually took the one that dropped us off at the top of the hill. When we picked up Maya, she didn¡¯t know how to get back to the clan from where we were, so our plan was to take her to the city we were headed to, and then we were going to ask for directions from there. Though, I suppose, now we know that that plan wouldn¡¯t have worked. Luckily, we ran into your Life-Elixir Pool, and Maya was able to lead us to the village from there.¡±


    Evelyn¡¯s eyes brightened with interest when I mentioned the pool, but she didn¡¯t address it. ¡°Ah, I see. Lucky indeed. And, luckily for us all, it was Tampter who found the two of you. Which means we can keep the path that the two of you took to get here a secret. And everyone else should simply assume you¡¯re just traveling adventurers who came through the usual route. While that¡¯s not a common thing, it''s not so unheard of as to raise too many questions. So it should cover your presence for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I said.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Evelyn continued, ¡°with that settled, let¡¯s get on to your rewards.¡±


    Surprise colored my face as I started to interrupt, but Evelyn silenced me with a wave. ¡°I know, I know, I said no rewards, of course, but I¡¯d dishonor the name of my clan if I truly didn¡¯t give the two of you anything for your amazing service. Now, I know there is no reward I can give you great enough to repay what I owe the two of you ¨C even if you disagree ¨C but with the constraints on me at the moment, I can only afford to give you a humble few things. Of course, should an opportunity arrive to give you both anything greater in the future, I would not hesitate, but for the moment, I would be incredibly pleased if the two of you would accept what I will offer you.¡±


    I wanted to continue to refuse, but I could tell by the steel in the woman¡¯s eyes that she wasn''t going to take no for an answer. And I had the sense to know that being too adamant in my refusal would only seem insulting. So, with a look at Ren ¨C who I found, unsurprisingly, to be smiling without a care in the world ¨C I gave in with a nod.


    ¡°Splendid,¡± Evelyn said with a clap. ¡°Maya,¡± she continued, looking down at her daughter, ¡°could you be a darling and run and grab a couple books from the library? I¡¯m thinking¡­how about Explosion and Blink? That sounds good, right?¡± She looked at Tampter, whose expression I noticed was carefully controlled into an impassive mask.


    Evelyn nodded to herself. ¡°Yeah, I think that¡¯s good. Maya, can you do that for me?¡±


    Maya beamed and smiled. ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll do it right now!¡± With that, she leapt up and began to make her way out of the room.


    ¡°And Maya?¡± Evelyn called after her, just before she reached the door of the room.


    ¡°Yes, Mama?¡±


    ¡°You know how to handle the lock, right?¡±


    Maya nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°And-¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll make sure the Elder has no idea I¡¯m there, Mama. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve done it more times than I can count.¡±


    Evelyn smiled at the little girl. ¡°Ok, ok, I¡¯m sorry. I forgot how capable you were.¡±


    With a grin, Maya turned back and bounced out of the room. Evelyn¡¯s eyes lingered on the door for a long moment after the girl left, before she heaved a sigh and dragged herself out of her trance. ¡°It hardly feels real,¡± she admitted softly. ¡°I¡¯m scared this is all a dream, and I¡¯m going to wake any second and find myself alone again.¡±


    I smiled a small, comforting smile at her words, unsure of how to respond to that. But, at the same time, there coursed a happiness through me, a joy at the fact that this wasn''t a dream, and that this mother before me had truly reunited with her daughter.


    Maybe, I thought to myself, just maybe, some people do get happy endings.

 Chapter 98 – Blackwood Goblins

    ¡°Um, by the way,¡± Ren started suddenly, ¡°I realized that there¡¯s a bit of information we left out that may be important to report.¡±


    Evelyn and I looked at Ren, both our faces painted with interest. I¡¯d told Evelyn everything I¡¯d known, so I couldn¡¯t imagine what Ren had to say.


    ¡°Well, to start, how much did Maya say about her experience?¡± Ren asked.


    ¡°She talked a lot about the two of you,¡± Evelyn responded with a smile, ¡°and the journey. But not much else.¡±


    Ren nodded, as if that was what he¡¯d expected. ¡°Well, and I realize now that even Ruby doesn¡¯t know this since I was alone when I found Maya, but I actually found her being transported by these weird goblin-looking monsters. As a captive. I hated the sight of a child in chains, so I killed them and freed her, and then brought her to Ruby. Maya seemed pretty rattled about the goblins ¨C understandably, of course ¨C so I didn¡¯t mention them in front of her. I meant to tell Ruby later, but I kinda just forgot.¡±


    ¡°Ren!¡± I interrupted in annoyance. ¡°How on Earth do you just forget something like that?¡±


    Ren smiled sheepishly and shrugged. ¡°Sorry, it honestly just slipped my mind every time there was an opportunity. I didn¡¯t think it was that important anyway. But yeah, I remembered just now and figured that it may be important for you guys to know.¡± He addressed the last bit to Evelyn, who I just now noticed was shaking with barely restrained rage. The gentle demeanor she¡¯d possessed, the air that was part mother and part Chieftess, was gone, replaced with a terrifying anger.


    ¡°Those damn goblins,¡± she said, her voice shaking slightly. ¡°To think they¡¯re the ones behind this. I should¡¯ve known!¡±


    Ren and I shared a look before turning back to the woman. ¡°You know about the goblins?¡± I asked.


    Evelyn nodded, calming down slightly as she realized we were still here. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve been long aware of those goblins. They¡¯ve been terrorizing our clan for the past few years now, growing bolder with each passing one.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked. ¡°But they¡¯re just goblins, aren¡¯t they? It should be a walk in the park for someone of your strength to deal with them.¡±


    Evelyn shook her head. ¡°These aren¡¯t common goblins. They''re Blackwood goblins. To start with, they¡¯re descendants of a dungeon goblin. Their leader originated from a dungeon break some¡­twenty years ago now, maybe. Now, there¡¯s a protocol for dealing with dungeon breaks. Usually, we just let them resolve themselves. It¡¯s impractical for us to monitor and maintain every dungeon in the forest, but thankfully, most monsters come from dungeons with such different biomes that they hardly survive a few days in the forest. So we just let them be, and they disappear on their own.


    The problem is when there¡¯s a dungeon break with a biome close enough to a forest that the monsters that come out can actually survive here. When that happens, they can threaten the balance of the forest¡¯s ecosystem, and that¡¯s when we step in. Usually, they¡¯re minor events, so we just hire some adventurer parties to deal with them, or send the youngest warriors of our village. Only when a major break happens do we really step in. The last time something like that happened was twenty years ago, when the goblin came from. It was during my predecessor''s term, but I still remember it clearly. Not only was the entire clan mobilized, but the imperial guard and even some A-Rank parties had to get involved to contain the fallout. See, the dungeon was a five-star dungeon, maybe even a six-star, we don¡¯t really know. But the monsters that came out were powerful, incredibly so.


    But, in the end, given the strength of the humans that were participating, it was just a matter of time before all the monsters were slain ¨C but, with the exception of a singular goblin. One single goblin managed to slip through the perimeter we¡¯d established, and it¡¯s been living in the forest ever since. We didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be much of a problem at the time, with it being only one goblin and all, but we were wrong. It managed to make contact with a goblin village residing in the forest and, with its superior intellect and strength, took charge and rapidly expanded the clan. And although its bloodline has since been diluted, as it didn¡¯t have equally powerful goblins to breed with, the strength of the goblins the clan has produced is still far beyond normal for the forest. By breaking the balance of the forest, they¡¯ve grown to numbers that our clan can barely maintain, and in recent years, they¡¯ve begun to make moves against us.¡±


    ¡°Are they the reason why the clan is having problems with the Life-Elixir Pool?¡± I asked.


    Evelyn nodded gravely. ¡°Yes. Last year, during our coming-of-age ritual, the group was attacked by a legion of goblins; we¡¯d have lost all the warriors and children who went were it not for the fact that we¡¯d decided at the last minute to send a few Clan Elders along for extra protection.¡±


    ¡°And it was all thanks to little Maya, too,¡± Tampter cut in. ¡°She kept pestering everyone about this bad feeling she was getting, before the event. And just before the group set off, the Chieftess here relented and sent along some Elders.¡±


    Evelyn nodded. ¡°Yes, Maya¡¯s gift for premonition is quite special. It¡¯s a blessing from the Forest God.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, by the way,¡± Ren said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you guys already know this, but somebody¡¯s been pouring blood into your pool.¡±


    Evelyn sighed deeply. ¡°It¡¯s as we feared, then. Thank you for confirming that for us. We¡¯d speculated on why the goblins would make a move so bold as occupying our holy pool. Their leader has the intelligence to know that such a move will not be taken passively by our clan, which means that he must have a very good reason to do so. And we feared, and I suppose now know,¡± she cast a meaningful look at Tampter, ¡°that what he wants is a Life-Blood Pearl.¡±


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    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The water of the Life-Elixir Pool has certain¡­exceptional qualities,¡± Evelyn explained. ¡°It was given to us, after all, so that we could cultivate the strength required to protect the forest. And the Life-Blood Pearl is a product that uses a pool like ours as a cauldron of sorts. By performing a dark ritual over the corpses of animals, and then pouring their blood into the pool, the blood will begin to coagulate at the bottom. When enough blood has been poured in, the blood will form a pearl, the Life-Blood Pearl.¡±


    ¡°And this pearl can boost a monster¡¯s strength?¡± I guessed.


    Evelyn nodded gravely. ¡°Yes. Greatly. By even our most conservative estimates, given how powerful the goblin has grown already, consuming a Life-Blood Pearl should be able to push the goblin into the ranks of Calamities. And a Calamity Class monster is not something within the capability of our clan.¡±


    ¡°Which means, ideally,¡± Tampter added on, ¡°that we deal with the goblins before they have a chance to complete the pearl.¡±


    ¡°So why haven¡¯t you guys made a move yet?¡± Ren asked.


    Evelyn smiled grimly. ¡°If it were up to me, we would have already. But unfortunately, I need the majority of the Council¡¯s support before I can mobilize the amount of warriors we¡¯ll need.¡±


    ¡°And the Elders don¡¯t support you?¡± I asked incredulously.


    ¡°No. They¡¯re scared, and their fear has left them susceptible to manipulation. There¡¯s a faction of the Elders that want to accept outside help, despite the fact that we¡¯re still suffering in trade because of the last time we did so. They¡¯ve managed to convince the majority that the cost of life will be too high for our clan if we attempt to deal with the problem on our own.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s news of a prince who may be coming out to one of the nearby cities,¡± Tampter said viciously. ¡°Those dogs on the Council are hoping to sell off the clan and all of its resources just to get in his good graces.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, Tampter,¡± Evelyn cut in, ¡°we don¡¯t know that¡¯s what they want.¡±


    ¡°Well, why else would they be stalling the way they are?¡± Tampter challenged back. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, they¡¯re just waiting till he comes here, and then they¡¯re gonna force you to sign onto the worst deal possible under the guise of getting his help. They¡¯ll do whatever they can to suck up to the prince, to buy themselves a place in his circle, even if it means leaving the rest of us as slaves!¡±


    ¡°Slaves?¡± came Maya¡¯s voice from the doorway. ¡°We¡¯re gonna be slaves?¡± she asked with widened eyes, clutching the two leatherbound books in her hands tighter.


    ¡°No, no, sweetie,¡± Evelyn said soothingly, subtly shooting a dirty look at Tampter as he clamped his mouth shut. ¡°Nobody¡¯s gonna be a slave, Maya. Don¡¯t you worry about anything.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Maya,¡± Tampter agreed hurriedly, ¡°nothing bad is gonna happen again, ok? You¡¯re safe now.¡±


    ¡°More importantly,¡± Evelyn continued, ¡°why don¡¯t you go show Ruby and Ren our gifts? I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll love them.¡±


    The change of subject worked, and Maya instantly pushed the matter aside as she bounded over to the two of us, excitedly waving the aged books in her hands.


    ¡°Here you go!¡± Maya said as she handed the two to us. The one she gave me had a reddish hue to the soft leather that covered it. The book had the dignity of an old book, but held together surprisingly well, as if it had been well maintained and protected. Its cover was utterly blank on both sides, save for the bold, embossed gold lettering on the front that read: Explosion Arte. Underneath, in slightly smaller lettering, was written: Offensive Fire Arte.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re surprised to see Artes in book form,¡± Evelyn said. ¡°They¡¯ve mostly all been converted to the Tower¡¯s format, but our clan has some ancient ones that have yet to be. These ancient Artes are very mysterious things, with boundless depth, despite their apparent simplicity. They are Artes that can be cultivated to extremes, though most will only use their most basic functions. After all, while they contain far more power than usual, there are quite stringent requirements to fully excavate that potential.¡±


    My hands trembled slightly as I held the book in my hands, my eyes shining with unfettered excitement. I¡¯d been wanting to get my hands on an Arte since the first time I¡¯d ever heard of them, but with a Nexus Chip that wasn¡¯t fully synchronized, it was impossible to use one. Or so Najam had said.


    I turned to look at the book Ren had received. The leather of its cover was more purplish in color, and the gold writing on it introduced it as Blink Arte, Auxiliary Spatial Arte.


    I raised my gaze to see Ren¡¯s expression, finding his glossy eyes staring at the page, with that same strange look as if he was looking straight through the thing. But within the black of his eyes I could see the same excitement flickering that I could feel in my chest.


    ¡°The most I can buy the two of you is three days, no more,¡± Evelyn continued, smiling at our reactions. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I know that¡¯s not very long. But I get the sense that the two of you are rather intelligent children, and quite experienced in the ways of Flux, if not well taught. I¡¯d be surprised if the two of you couldn¡¯t grasp something from your gifts within that time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than enough,¡± I said honestly, happy beyond words already at the opportunity.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Maya  cut in suddenly. ¡°I can already tell the two of you are about to spend all your time trying to learn that, but you guys promised to go to Uncle Boldy¡¯s place first. You guys aren¡¯t allowed to open those books until we go there, ok?¡± The adorable little girl had a stern face as she spoke, drawing out a wry smile on my face.


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course, princess,¡± I said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to break a promise with you.¡±


    Evelyn nodded then. ¡°Y¡¯know what, Boldheart¡¯s place does sound quite good right now. I could use a hearty meal right about now.¡±


    Maya turned to her mother with incredulous excitement. ¡°You mean you¡¯ll come with us!?¡± she asked.


    Evelyn smiled. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not letting you out of my sight again until you turn twenty, young lady. Council meetings can wait.¡± Then, turning to us, she spoke again. ¡°So, unless you guys have anything else you¡¯ve forgotten to report so far,¡± she cast a look at Ren, who shook his head sheepishly, ¡°this meeting is officially adjourned. Let¡¯s go eat!¡±

 Chapter 99 – First Arte

    About an hour and a half later, Evelyn had finally taken Maya back home to take a nap, as the little girl was all but drunk with exhaustion after our meal, having tired herself out with endless chatting. Now that the world had been set back to normal for her, the child within her was finally beginning to re-emerge, and she was far more talkative with her mother by her side.


    With Evelyn and Maya gone, Tampter bid his farewells as well, stating that he had a job to get back to, and that the ¡®walls won¡¯t watch themselves!¡¯ which I found a strange thing to say. Still, I didn¡¯t mention it, since I was practically itching by then to find a quiet place and dive into the Arte I¡¯d been given.


    Evelyn had graciously informed us of a place in the village where we could practice without worry of anything else. It was necessary, especially for me, as my Arte had the tendency to make a lot of noise, understandably. She¡¯d also asked us to hide the physical copies of our Artes as best we could, on the off chance that a villager would recognize it and mistake us for thieves.


    We were free to use the actual Arte¡¯s in front of people though, as both of them had lesser versions available from the Tower, and people would just assume that we were using those, at least until we progressed much further down the road with them.


    The place that Evelyn had told us to practice in was an inn of sorts, though offering temporary housing wasn¡¯t really a priority for them. After all, the clan didn¡¯t receive many guests who weren¡¯t high-ranked enough to be placed in the proper guest houses. The main function of the place, however, was a training ground for the young warriors of the clan. It offered both arenas for spars and underground chambers built for the express purpose of training in Artes.


    It cost to use the chambers, of course, but Evelyn had given us each a token to use to get in without paying.


    ¡°Wait, won''t the Elders ask for some kind of explanation?¡± I asked, when she¡¯d handed them to us.


    Evelyn seemed touched by my concern, but she shook her head. ¡°Something this small is unlikely to catch their attention,¡± she said, ¡°if they hear about it all. The place should be deserted for the next while anyway, with the celebration that¡¯s right around the corner. The only one who should be there is Leafstream, who is a close nephew of mine. He definitely won¡¯t report the matter, likely won¡¯t ask about it at all, so no one should find out about it.¡±


    With that matter dealt with, all that was left for Ren and I was to throw ourselves into the training for as long as we could in the three days we had, and hope that we¡¯d be able to understand something from the Artes before we had to return them.


    Ren and I quickly made our way to the building Evelyn had marked on the map she¡¯d given us, after having said our goodbyes to Tampter. The streets were alive as we made our way through the winding set of turns, the people all out and about as they rejoiced at and spread the news of their young princess¡¯ mysterious return. So, the two of us didn¡¯t attract much attention, even in our starkly different attires.


    We made our way eventually to a long shack-like building. It was deserted, as Evelyn had predicted, with its batwing doors leading into an empty lounge and bar area. A single boy stood at the counter on the far left side, idly cleaning a glass with a small cut of cloth. He cast up a single bored glance at us as we stepped in, the doors swinging behind us, before returning to his work, seemingly entirely uninterested in our presence, despite us clearly being outsiders.


    Ren and I shared a look before walking up to the counter and dropping our tokens against the wood of the countertop.


    ¡°We¡¯re here for the Arte training chambers,¡± I said simply.


    The boy nodded, placing down his glass with meticulous movement before turning around and grabbing two keys off the stand on the back wall. He slid them over to us and slid our tokens to himself. ¡°Down the stairs, rooms 2 and 3. They¡¯ll be on the left. Keep the keys till you''re done with the rooms for good.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. ¡°Alright, thanks!¡±


    The boy nodded back, returning the entirety of his attention back to his mundane job.


    I took my key and started to move, unbothered and even happy with the boy¡¯s utter disinterest in us. I really didn¡¯t want to have to explain anything at the moment, when I was so close to learning my first Arte. I didn¡¯t want to waste another second before starting, so I was already halfway to the staircase hidden away in the corner next to the counter when I realized that I¡¯d left Ren behind. He was still standing at the counter, smiling at the boy behind the counter.


    ¡°Ren?¡± I called out in confusion.


    ¡°Coming,¡± he said, before sticking a hand out to the boy. ¡°My name¡¯s Ren,¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s yours?¡±


    The boy looked up curiously at Ren, as surprised as I was at Ren¡¯s actions. ¡°I¡¯m Leafstream,¡± he said after a moment, his voice quiet and unruffled as his bearing.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure,¡± Ren said with a widening grin as they shook hands.


    The boy inclined his head slightly. ¡°Likewise.¡±


    Apparently satisfied, Ren nodded and made his way over to me. I was confused, but I held off on asking until we made it to the bottom of the stairway.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I asked when we finally stepped down the last stair, finding ourselves in a circular tunnel dug into the dirt. It was entirely unfurnished, save for a few wooden pillars that held up the space.


    ¡°That guy¡¯s special,¡± Ren answered. ¡°I could feel it. He¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    There were doors carved into both sides of the tunnel, with metal numbers hung from each. We quickly found the ones numbered 2 and 3. They were directly beside each other.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked in surprise. I hadn¡¯t felt anything of the sort from the boy, which I¡¯d automatically assumed to mean he was far weaker than I.


    Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, definitely. Not dangerous like he could beat us in a fight ¨C though I¡¯d bet it¡¯d be close ¨C but dangerous in another way. More¡­lethal. I can¡¯t really explain, it¡¯s an instinct thing, y¡¯know?¡±


    I nodded in understanding. ¡°That¡¯s impressive. I mean, he didn¡¯t look older than 16, maybe 17 at the most.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Ren agreed. ¡°But, anyway, he definitely didn¡¯t hold any kind of ill intent, so it¡¯s nothing we really need to worry about.¡±


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    I nodded again, before blowing out a breath, calming the excitement within me. ¡°Alright then,¡± I said, ¡°guess I¡¯ll be seeing you around.¡±


    Ren nodded. "See ya."


    With that, the two of us unlocked the doors and stepped in.


    The chamber was incredibly simple in design. It had a flat dirt floor, with a domed dirt roof and dirt walls. There were no windows or any kind of furnishings at all, save for an old rug that was placed on the floor. The place was lit only by a single candle that was placed on a metal dish just in front of the sitting mat.


    Still, the lacking decor was hardly enough to stifle my excitement. The Arte in my hands was the gateway to something big, I could tell in a way I¡¯d never be able to explain. A stuffy and uncomfortable room was hardly enough to dispirit my anticipation.


    With a deep breath, I made my way over to the mat and placed myself atop it, sitting cross-legged as I opened the book and started to read.


    ¡®Explosion Arte:¡¯ read the first page, ¡®a simple yet intensely destructive Arte with the potential to rival some of the greatest and most powerful Artes ever created, if cultivated to its utter peak.


    In its most basic form, the completed rune will initiate a simple discharge of energy, in the form of a destructive shockwave. The size and power of the explosion will depend on the amount of Flux supplied by the user.


    In the most advanced form it has ever been displayed, the rune was able to detonate an entire planet during the Great Elias War. The planet no longer exists.¡¯


    That was all the information regarding the Arte available on the first page, and though it was brief, what was there was enough to make my heart race with excitement. The next page had one simple line written across the middle, identifying the author of the Arte.


    ¡®Created by: Scarlet von Gemsworth, Flame Sorceress of the Celestial Palace,¡¯ it read.


    The next few pages detailed how the completed rune would work and look exactly. The text answered a few of my basic questions about the workings of Artes, but nothing touched on the fundamental reason of why using the rune would be better than simply doing it myself, which I found confusing. I guess its just supposed to be common sense why using an Arte is better, I reasoned. I''ll find out anyway, once I get a grasp of the Arte.


    The way the Arte worked was much like the way Tara had explained. The completed rune was composed of smaller runic characters, three in the case of Explosion. They were interesting characters, unlike any language I¡¯d ever seen before. But unintelligible as they were, there was an ancient feel to them, like they held unfathomable intricacies within.


    Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t my job to fathom anything of those intricacies ¨C at least, not yet, anyway. All I had to do for the basic form was create each of the characters, in the correct order, with my own Flux. Upon completing it, the rune would spark the eruption, and I¡¯d have my explosion.


    That was about all the information covered in the first few pages, at least regarding the basics. And it was interesting, but not very helpful when it came to actually doing anything. I still hadn¡¯t the first clue on how to actually begin making the rune.


    Hoping the book would offer some more helpful information, I skimmed through the rest of the book, but only found information on more advanced versions and applications of the Arte.


    With growing dismay, I flipped through every page of the book, until I came upon the very last page. The last page and the inside of the book¡¯s cover were a deep, inky black, the darkness within almost alive and moving.


    The darkness seemed to be calling out to me, in a way I didn¡¯t quite understand. Still, I placed a palm on top of the page, acting as instinct dictated. The dark paper felt cool against my skin, and the darkness within seemed to contain some kind of suction force that pulled my hand in. Or, I realized, more specifically, it was attracting the Flux that ran within my hand. And the Flux inside seemed to be reacting too, gathering against the skin of my hand and almost asking for permission to leave.


    Curious, I let the Flux travel out of my fingers and into the page, and immediately, like a beast let out of its cage, the darkness pounced out of the book. The darkness swallowed my vision whole, thrusting me into some kind of liquid dark abyss, before leaving as suddenly as it had come.


    As the darkness receded from my vision, I found myself in an entirely new world. The stuffy dirt chamber was gone, replaced by a forest with the tallest trees I¡¯d ever seen in my life. Each tree was easily taller than the hundred-meter mark, and their trunks were wider than I was tall. The trees were almost identical, with the same purplish bark and with no branches anywhere along the length of the trunk, only sprouting out wide at the top. The leaves were so high up the emerald canopy they made looked like the sky, with sunlight dripping down from the gaps in stunning rays. The underbrush was very sparse, though, and the spacing of the trees left plenty of room for a being of my size.


    As my brain slowly started to catch up with everything, I stood up and did a slow spin, taking in the land. Everything was exactly the same everywhere, the forest stretching out as far as I could see in every direction. The only thing of note I found was arguably the most exceptional of all. It was, as best I could describe it, a silhouette I found standing behind me. It was a strange sight, a featureless silhouette of a human standing tall, with only its outline drawn in a thin, blazing line of flame. Within the transparent silhouette was drawn, in blue flame, a system of arteries that branched out to every part of the outline, down to its fingers. At the center of the silhouette was a glowing bright blue sphere. Using that, I assumed what the blue lines were showing to be the Flux veins within a body, and the glowing sphere in its chest, the Flux Core.


    As I watched, the silhouette suddenly turned to the side and extended its hand out, pointing a finger to the far horizon. The blue lines in its body dimmed everywhere except its hand, and I could see the light draining from the rest and brightening the veins in its arm, eventually gathering at the tip of its extended finger. The fingertip continued to grow brighter and brighter, until the light formed a small ball around it, glowing a white tinged with blue that let off a gentle vapor.


    When the silhouette was satisfied with the amount it had gathered, it began to draw in the air, using the fingertip as a brush as it moved in smooth, gentle strokes. The fingertip left behind streaks of light that floated in the air, like three-dimensional ink.


    The rune the silhouette created was exactly the same as what I¡¯d seen in the book¡¯s introduction ¨C three runic characters drawn within a circle ¨C but seeing it in the book was nothing like seeing it in real life. The rune had a strange, ancient, ethereal aura to it, but that much I could tell from seeing it on paper. In the silhouette¡¯s hands, though, the rune was far different, so utterly perfect in a way I could not explain. It shone with perfection, its very quality blinding and tyrannical.


    I had no experience in Artes or runes, no education or qualification to really judge quality, but the Flux in my body cowered in the face of the pure perfection of the Arte. It was instinct, more than anything, that told me I was in the presence of something far above me.


    Then, the silhouette completed the rune, and the aura of the thing suddenly exploded, the weight of its presence on me multiplying a hundredfold. My body was rooted to the spot, unable to move a muscle. It was as if all the Flux of the atmosphere had reacted to the completion of the rune, as if the very universe cowered in the thing¡¯s presence. I was simply a bystander, not even an ant before the power held within the rune. Just a speck in the slice of the universe under the rune¡¯s control. Just another blade of needle in the pine bed blanketing the floor.


    I couldn¡¯t even control the Flux within my body, much less the Flux outside. And I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to, so I didn¡¯t bother trying much, my eyes glued instead to the glowing rune, the rest of the world dimming in comparison to the thing¡¯s perfection.


    Then, the silhouette moved again, splaying its fingers out as it touched its palm to the floating rune. Everything stilled for a moment then, my breathing, the sway of the leaves above me, the wind. All movement died away, as if the whole of the world was holding its breath.


    Then, the silhouette pushed her palm through the rune, shattering it into a million glowing pieces of light.

 Chapter 100 – Obliteration

    Obliteration. That was the singular word that came to mind.


    It began with a shake, just a gentle rumble felt in the very fabric of the world, a prelude of what was to come. The world slowed to a halt, time itself freezing in fear of what great power had just reared its terrible head. Then, something zipped through the forest, starting from the silhouette¡¯s palm and shooting outward, some kind of invisible force concentrated into a beam that punctured meter-wide holes straight through the trunks of whatever poor trees happened to be in its way. Those only partially in the way received only partial punctures, craters left in their sides like bites from a massive animal.


    Then came the pressure, an otherworldly, indescribable, terrifying pressure that descended upon the entire world, warning of the terrible might that had been unleashed.


    Then, came the obliteration. Every tree in front of the silhouette, every single one of the tens of thousands of the behemoths, simply disintegrated. Even in the halted state of time, the destruction was instantaneous, every bit of matter above the earth and a meter below pulverized to a fine dust within the tiniest fraction of a second. My view suddenly opened up, going from only a few dozen meters to dozens of kilometers. In the far, far horizon, I could make out the trees still being powderized as the shockwave continued to travel out.


    Then came a great rumble, a great roar that shook the earth to its bones, hundreds of times more terrifying than the most violent of thunder. The space before the silhouette exploded once more, this time kicking up a gigantic cloud of the dust left behind by the annihilated trees. The cloud rose to a towering hundred meters at the least, and was so wide I could not see its edges.


    Then, just as the cloud reached its zenith, another shockwave parted the great wall of dust, blowing away the particles and clearing the air once again.


    With the dust cleared away, I was greeted with one of the grandest sights I¡¯d ever seen in my life. A deep gorge had appeared directly at the feet of the silhouette, an unnaturally straight line that seemed to bisect the very world in half, running so far off in each direction I could not see where it stopped. And the world beyond the line was apocalyptic, utterly annihilated. Not a shred of the grand and towering forest¡¯s majesty remained. A pit fifty meters deep was dug into the ground, stretching out far into the horizon, as far as my eye could see.


    The utter magnitude of the destruction left me speechless, hardly able to form a thought in the moment. I could do nothing but gape at the absurd, nonsensical scale of the power I had just witnessed. I could not understand how such strength was possible; it defied everything I had thought attainable for a mage. In a sense, I¡¯d always known that the sky was the limit for mages, but knowing it and seeing something of the scale I could see were entirely different things.


    The entire process had taken less than a second of real-time ¨C the only reason I¡¯d been able to see the events was because, for a reason so far beyond me I didn¡¯t even bother to try and guess why, time had slowed as the events had taken place ¨C but I knew it was less than a second because I had begun to fall to my knees just as the rune was shattered, and I hit the ground only after the attack had already done its work.


    I sat in stupefied shock for a long moment before cognition finally seeped back into my head. And with it came a surge of excitement, excitement at the mere idea that the power I was just shown could potentially, one day, be mine to wield. With this one rune, I was confident that no one on the planet would be able to match me ¨C given that I cultivated it to the level of silhouette, of course. Which may have been a faraway dream at the moment, but I was filled with a determination like nothing I¡¯d ever felt before, and I knew that it would only be a matter of time before I reached that level. I felt it in my bones.


    Spurred on by the flood of resolve, I gathered my scattered wits and picked myself back up. As I did, I felt a strange current run along the length of my body. I saw a strange smoke curl around me before gently lifting me up off the ground. As I started to float, the silhouette did too, and the two of us floated down the massive abyss and landed on the dirt at the bottom.


    The silhouette moved again as we landed, moving in exactly the same movements as before as it began to create the exact same rune.


    I was confused at first, but my many questions were answered before I could even formulate them. The silhouette completed the rune, with exactly the same level of innate perfection that the first one had, but a marked difference in its presence. This one felt dead, as opposed to the first one, which felt far more dangerous and alive. The universe did not react to it, did not cower in its presence. Like it was inanimate, dormant.


    The answer to my questions came after the silhouette completed the rune. Instead of shattering it like the first one, the silhouette simply left it floating in the air. With that job complete, the silhouette itself slowly disappeared, fizzling out like a match without fuel.


    Left alone in the massive clearing of dirt, I quickly realized what the purpose of it all was. The initial display of the rune was to show the potential power of the Arte, and to create a field in which to practice. And the second was for reference, the ideal that I was to attempt to match up to.


    With a grin on my face, I set out to do exactly that. Sure, I didn¡¯t have any kind of actual guidance on how I was supposed to achieve that, no real clue really on where to even start, but that didn¡¯t matter to me. I¡¯d relied on myself to learn almost everything I knew about fighting, so the prospect of starting from nothing wasn¡¯t so daunting in my eyes.


    First things first, I thought, I need to figure out how to even paint using Flux.


    With a deep breath, I copied the stance of the silhouette as best I could from memory and began to gather my Flux at the tip of my outstretched finger. The power gathered as I dictated, amassing within my body to its limits before beginning to slowly leak out as the black vapor I was used to seeing it in.


    No, this isn¡¯t right, I realized. The silhouette¡¯s finger had begun to glow with a light, the very light it used to write on the space before it. While smoke still rose from her finger, the majority of the Flux seemed to manifest in a different form.


    I paused at that. ¡­a different form? I thought, an idea dawning on me.


    To confirm my suspicion, I broke out of my stance and carefully ¨C very carefully ¨C made my way over to the floating rune. After all, as sure as I was that what the author of the Arte had left behind wouldn¡¯t kill me, I wasn¡¯t so sure as to casually mess with something as dangerous as the silhouette¡¯s rune.


    I approached the thing cautiously, but my worries were unfounded, as I¡¯d expected. The thing did not react at all to my approach, simply floating and glowing, almost docilely. Though that was a strange word to use for something capable of wreaking such immense destruction as it was.


    My approach also confirmed my initial guess, fortunately. The light that composed the rune gave off an unfamiliar feeling, not at all like pure Flux, which was what I¡¯d assumed was being used to create the rune.


    Which meant I had to convert my Flux into another form, the light form that the silhouette had shown, in order to create runes. That would be my first hurdle. And, of course, I hadn¡¯t the first clue on how to start.


    To get that clue, I examined the rune as closely as I dared to, trying to understand the qualities of the form I had to convert my Flux into. I assumed that the light form was still a form of pure energy, the same as Flux was, which meant that conversion between the two should not be a difficult task. If my body could convert Flux to flame, converting to another form of pure energy would be a walk in the park, given I had the blueprint.


    I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing, sitting down cross-legged as close to the rune as I dared to be, trying to focus on the feeling of the energy. As vague as it was, it was the best idea I could come up with then, so it was what I stuck with.


    And it yielded good results, too. Slowly, but definitely results. It was a game of comparing the aura of my own pure Flux, and slowly modifying it to match the aura of the light energy. So, as one would expect from a game of matching such fuzzy concepts, it required intense and prolonged focus, yielded frustratingly halting progress, and arbitrary work.


    Still, in the face of unshaking resolve, the chaotic puzzle slowly began to show order, the progress getting faster as I got better at the work, my understanding of the light energy deepening with it.


    It took a total of two hours ¨C as best I could tell since the world seemed frozen at midday ¨C but eventually, the conversion yielded success. I copied the style I¡¯d first used with Leonard to convert my Flux to flame: cupping my two hands together and funneling as much Flux as I could into the space between my palms. The dark smoke curled and swirled, dancing its intricate dance for a long time before I finally succeeded. Every bit of Flux that I let seep out of my skin, I attempted to convert to the light energy, but it never worked. There was always something missing from the aura, some mismatch that would result in the conversion failing, and the product yielding regular Flux.


    But, when I succeeded, the effect was instantaneous. All of a sudden, dim golden white light glowed from within the ball of swirling black, the color muddied but nonetheless present.


    That inimitable high of hard work paying off coursed through my veins as the glow of the energy lit up my face. The conversion wasn''t perfect, of course, not at first. The light held traces of dark Flux within, unlike the utterly pure light of the silhouette¡¯s energy, but with the first major bit of progress staring me in the face and spurring me on, it was only a matter of time before I reached a satisfactory level of purity in the energy.


    A frustratingly long matter of time, I came to find, but after a total of five hours of sitting cross-legged, single-mindedly attempting the same thing over and over and over again, I achieved my first acceptable success of the day.


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    Relief crashed over me as I finally allowed myself a moment of rest, falling backwards onto my back as I relished in the afterglow of accomplishment. I had estimated a total of five hours that I had spent in the Arte book¡¯s world, but oddly, my body did not feel the call of hunger, nor that of nature, in the slightest.


    What I most certainly did feel, though, was the pain that attacked my legs as I finally un-crossed them. My feet had gone so far beyond numb that my toes felt like another person¡¯s ¨C in that, I didn¡¯t feel them at all. But the pain, intense as it was, was hardly enough to rain on my parade. Taking the first step towards achieving the power of the silhouette was an addictive feeling, and I couldn¡¯t wait to start actually practicing the rune.


    I wasn¡¯t in any particular hurry to get out of the Arte world since, for one, Evelyn and Maya had given us the day, and second, I had an inkling that the passing of time in this world was different than in the one outside. It was a wild speculation, of course, without much basis either, but I figured, given all the other things the book was able to do, a little time dilation was not such an impossible feature.


    Eventually, I picked myself up off the ground after I¡¯d taken my rest, ready to tackle the next hurdle of my learning. Once again assuming the silhouette¡¯s stance, I mobilized the Flux within me and channeled it into my finger. But this time, I made sure to convert the energy into the form I needed it to be in, altering the very aura of the energy in some innate way, the workings of which I could not explain. My body handled that work; my mind only directed it. With the three-ish hours of practice I¡¯d already put in, I was getting close to doing the conversion subconsciously ¨C like the way I could convert Flux to flame ¨C but I was yet some ways off, still needing to put in minimal conscious effort.


    Eventually, I judged the glow around my finger to be enough and cautiously began to draw. I started with just a line, despite the instinct to jump straight to drawing the complex rune. I moved my finger in a line, slowly at first and gradually getting faster as nothing happened. My finger moved through the air, but the light energy didn¡¯t leave my finger.


    After an embarrassingly long minute of confusion, the simple solution dawned on me. I did it again, this time pushing the energy off my finger as I needed, having forgotten the basic step in my anticipation.


    The attempt succeeded, the energy coming off of my finger and staying in the air, simply floating there before dissipating after a moment.


    I allowed myself a grin at the sight. It wasn¡¯t exactly a hurdle overcome, but it was a victory nonetheless. And I¡¯d come to find that allowing myself some happiness at my own victories, even the small ones ¨C especially the small ones ¨C was a great way of keeping my resolve alive.


    Moving on to the next step, I started practicing the first rune. The information in the book was somewhat helpful at this stage ¨C at least, in regards to structuring my training. The strength of the Arte came, at least in large part, from the level of ''perfection'' the rune was drawn with. Which meant that the secret to a powerful explosion lay in immense practice. And that was one thing I was confident in. I wasn¡¯t so sure about intelligence or anything else that was important in learning, but if there was one thing I could do, it was grind.


    And so I began. Standing next to the completed rune, I started to draw the first of them, repeatedly moving my finger in the same strokes, attempting to match the original as closely as possible. At first, my rune would fall apart before I could even complete it, the first stroke disintegrating by the time my inexperienced movements had finished the last.


    But, as the minutes ticked by, my movements became smoother, faster. The energy began to last longer, with less of the dark impurities left over by incomplete conversions. By about half past the hour mark, my speed and the purity of the energy met in the middle, allowing me to complete my first-ever rune. I was sweating by then, a strange hunger and emptiness beginning to spread inside me as my Flux reserve closed in on bottoming out.


    I breathed out deeply, knowing that my limited reserve was not a restraint I could persevere through, no matter how determined I was. So I took a break, unwilling as I was, and sat down, closing my eyes as I tried to clear my head. Refilling a Flux reserve was an automatic process, not something I could rush aside from getting to a state as close to sleep as possible, and experience told me it would take about an hour to two for me to refill completely, even in a relaxed state.


    But as I closed my eyes and moved my sense to the Flux around me, I noticed that it was far more dense than I¡¯d realized. Far denser than the atmosphere in the forest. In my state, I could sense a notable increase in my Flux reserve by the minute, which was far faster than I¡¯d ever seen it before.


    This place really is the perfect place to practice, huh, I realized.


    Just before the thirty-minute mark passed, I hit the limit of my Flux reserve again, and I joyfully threw myself back into my practice. I was hardly satisfied with the level of proficiency I¡¯d attained with the first rune, so I wasn¡¯t quite ready to move on to the next yet. Instead, I spent the next hour and a half drawing exactly the same runic character over and over and over again. Like before, I got faster and smoother at a noticeable rate, and the energy purer. And since my attempts no longer disintegrated, I could see my own progress as I got better. I¡¯d drawn exactly fifty-six by the time I bottomed out again, and the difference between the first and last was night and day.


    I repeated the process again, taking thirty minutes to rest before copying the rune for an hour and a half again. And then I repeated it again, and then again, and again. Five repetitions and ten hours later, my mind was starting to brush up against the limits of its sanity. With a total of fourteen hours spent making the exact same motions, the intense monotony and repetition had driven my mind almost to its breaking point, and I didn¡¯t need a mirror to know my eyes were bloodshot. I could almost feel it in my eyes.


    Finally deciding to take a proper break, I left the massive line of runic characters I¡¯d made ¨C a total of 832, give or take a few where I forgot my count ¨C and made my way off into the distance, wanting to get as far away from the place I¡¯d been in as possible, even if the only place I could go was further into the massive dirt field left behind by the explosion.


    It occurred to me then that I had no idea how to get out of the Arte¡¯s world, but it didn¡¯t take long for me to stumble across the method. A simple thought was all that was required. With the will given verbal form in my head, I was suddenly whisked away from the world, in much the same way I was brought into it. Darkness overtook my vision for a few moments, before receding to reveal the dirt chamber I¡¯d been in.


    There were no windows in the room, no way to check where the sun had moved to, but thankfully, I no longer needed to rely on the sun, ever since Najam had given me the chip.


    I called up my status screen casually as I laid back to rest, not caring that it was dirt I was laying on. I stretched my sore legs and shut my sore eyes ¨C having found that I did not need them open to view the holographic screen that the chip could call up.


    I was greeted with two pleasant surprises as the screen appeared in the darkness of my vision.


    ********


    Name: Ruby Redthorn


    Gender: Female


    Age: 18


    Level: 20


    ~~~~~~~


    Strength: 22


    Agility: 19


    Toughness: 21


    Mental: 20


    Reaction Time: 134 ms


    Strike Power: 1430 fin


    Flux Reserve: 250/250


    ~~~~~~~


    $#^#: $#@


    $#@%: %@#^^$#


    ********


    I hadn¡¯t been expecting any changes in my status, so finding the sudden boost was a greatly welcome thing. In fact, it was the biggest jump I¡¯d ever seen in my level, and the surprise was doubled by the fact that I hadn¡¯t done any kind of physical training, so it didn¡¯t make sense for my Attributes to have shot up.


    And, even more strange were the changes in the Attributes, Mental and Flux Reserve. Mental had always been my lowest, and in all my experimentation, I hadn¡¯t found any clues on how to increase it specifically. And Flux Reserve had always been static, ever since I¡¯d first gotten the chip. I¡¯d given up on trying to raise that number, thinking that it was the kind of thing that went up in chunks, like that one time I had felt it go up a bunch after I¡¯d killed my first gorilla.


    The changes, unexpected as they were, were good for me, so I didn¡¯t question them much. Even so, the answer revealed itself almost immediately, when I did an internal check-up to see the difference in my Flux reserve.


    The reason for the increase in my physical Attributes, I realized, was due to the sudden increase in the quality of my Flux. I could feel it as it ran through my veins. It was leagues better than it had been before I went into the Arte world, and with it powering my body, my physical abilities had shot up as well.


    I guess some part of the training I was doing purified and increased my own Flux, I concluded.


    The second of the pleasant surprises came in the form of the time. The status screen also showed the current time, in small text in the corner of the screen. And, making an approximate guess since I¡¯d forgotten to check exactly when I¡¯d begun, I estimated that about twenty minutes had passed since I''d entered the Arte world. Coupling that estimate with my approximation of the time I¡¯d spent in the world, which I totalled up to be nineteen hours, I reasoned that it had been exactly nineteen minutes since I¡¯d entered the world, and that the world did indeed have a time dilation effect, as I¡¯d suspected. An effect with the ratio of a minute to an hour, Arte world to outside world.


    And that was an amazing discovery, allaying the sneaking fear that had begun to take root in my head: that three days would actually not be enough for me to grasp the rune. But with the time dilation, and such an immense dilation at that, that was no longer a concern.


    A smile curved my lips as the comforting fact settled in. I knew I was in for a tough few days, but I was undaunted. In fact, I was almost giddy at the prospect. There were few things I enjoyed more than simple, repetitive tasks that I knew for a fact would yield results. Maybe not so much when I was actually doing them, but the process still brought me comfort.


    With a sigh, I turned over on my side and settled in for a nap to recharge my brain. I had much to do, much strength to gain, after all. I¡¯d been given a second chance with this world, a fresh start to redo everything, and that was not a gift many people received in their lives. And there wasn¡¯t a chance I was going to let this opportunity slip away from me because I wasn¡¯t strong enough, and that meant I had to work harder than ever. So that I could truly realize the dream that Ocean and I had risked everything to chase. To make good on the chance that Ocean had given everything to give me.


    So that I could live free, and obliterate anyone who ever tried to put me in a cage again.

 Chapter 101 – Goodbyes and New Beginnings

    ¡°And you promise you¡¯ll come back to visit?¡± asked the little girl.


    I smiled and nodded, even though it was about the hundredth time I was answering the question. ¡°Of course, Maya.¡±


    ¡°Even after you go to school?¡± she asked again.


    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I heard from Najam that there are breaks every year, so I promise I¡¯ll do my absolute best to come see you guys at least once every year, ok?¡±


    Maya nodded slowly, sated for the moment. We were currently on our way to the exit of the village ¨C not the one we¡¯d come through, but another one located in between the trunks of the great Purple Evermore trees. Apparently, a common feature of Evermore groves were the portals that lay between each tree, each of which led to a different entrance outside. It was what made the groves so perfect for hiding. They were nigh impossible to find on their own, and the entrances to them were scattered about through the forest they were located in.


    Our party was headed toward one such entrance, one that would drop us off near the main road to the closest city, which would cut our travel time almost in half, as compared to traveling from where we found the Life-Elixir Pool. It was the morning of the sixth day since we¡¯d entered the village, two days after Maya¡¯s celebration.


    The celebration had been a grand one, as grand as her mother could make it without straining the clan¡¯s reserves. There had been music and dancing, drinks and tremendous amounts of food, and a great air of liveliness ¨C everything one would expect from a party hosted by a clan like the Fiercewater Clan. Ren and I had avoided the main characters of the party, not having been asked to but out of respect for Evelyn¡¯s difficult situation. As outsiders, we were respectfully allowed to partake in the feast, but we figured hanging out with Maya would raise questions that Evelyn would have some difficulty answering.


    Of course, she still had to answer the obvious question of how the clan¡¯s princess had been returned at some point, but Evelyn had made it quite clear to her people ¨C and her Elders ¨C that she wouldn¡¯t be dealing with that question, or the politics of it, until Maya had settled in properly.


    We stayed for another two days after, at Maya¡¯s behest, spending the days lounging around with her, joining her in her daily routine, and simply relaxing. The experience of being kidnapped had left its marks on her, of course, but they were slowly being healed, and watching it happen, watching her childlike innocence seep back into her, brought an indescribable joy to my heart.


    Still, we couldn¡¯t stay in the village forever, especially while relying entirely on Evelyn¡¯s generosity. Of course, Evelyn never even mentioned the matter, but it didn¡¯t sit well with me regardless. So we decided to leave in the early twilight hours of the sixth day, early enough that most people weren¡¯t awake yet. We left with a humble party of just four, the same four we¡¯d entered the village with. Evelyn could come, restrained by the politics of her clan, though she¡¯d apologized profusely for it. Her movements were still under heavy scrutiny, more so now than ever with how secretive she was about Maya¡¯s return, so she couldn¡¯t risk showing public support for a pair of foreign adventurers, lest people start asking more questions.


    Maya, of course, wouldn¡¯t let anybody stop her from coming to see us off, and Evelyn didn¡¯t try much either. Instead, she arranged for us to leave at a time when Maya would be assumed to be sleeping, so people wouldn¡¯t be looking for her.


    We trekked our way through the wide plain, the grass brushing up against our waists, with Maya sitting atop Ren¡¯s shoulders. We chatted casually, avoiding our impending goodbye as best we could ¨C until, of course, Maya would re-confirm with us that we would surely visit when we found time.


    Eventually, though, the hike came to an end, leaving us at the foot of two mountain-sized trees. They were an awe-inspiring sight from the village, but standing at the foot of one was another experience altogether. They were undoubtedly the biggest things I¡¯d ever seen in my life, far larger than the skyscrapers on Earth.


    Strangely, the first thought that floated through my brain as I took in their jaw-dropping size was, I¡¯d love to see the silhouette¡¯s rune blow this thing into oblivion.


    Because, as big as it was, I was sure the power contained in the silhouette¡¯s rune was more than enough to level the entirety of the grove, not to mention a single one of the trees.


    Shaking away that thought, I turned to face Tampter and Maya with a smile, taking in Maya¡¯s watering eyes, her tears just barely held in.


    ¡°Oh, come now, Maya,¡± I said softly. ¡°It¡¯s not goodbye forever. We¡¯ll be back before you know it. You just focus on protecting your mama till we get back, ok?¡±


    Maya nodded seriously. ¡°I will.¡±


    Ren smiled at the little girl. ¡°And take care of yourself, too, ok?¡±


    She nodded again. ¡°I will.¡±


    Ren and I smiled at each other before walking up to the little girl, giving her a big hug each, before giving Tampter a firm handshake.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± I said, heaving a deep sigh. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll be seeing you guys around, huh?¡±


    Tampter nodded, smiling lightly while Maya buried her face in his shoulder. ¡°Guess we will. Take care of yourselves, will you? The world could use a couple more people like you.¡±


    We smiled softly and nodded, before turning our backs and making our way through the shimmering patch of air that floated just off the ground. The space beyond the trees looked like an expansive, unending field, but I¡¯d learned that it was just another illusion, so as not to give the grove a suffocating feel. In truth, if one attempted to venture beyond the trees, they would be met with a solid, smooth rock wall just a few dozen meters into their journey. The only way out was through one of the shimmering gates that led to various places in the forest.


    The place we stepped out to was a little trench dug under a massive fallen trunk. The dug-out cave was blocked on one side by dirt, and its only entrance was draped with vines that fell off the trunk above. Climbing out of the little trench would lead us up to a well-trodden path, artificially made to go far beyond the little trench, so no one would think that the entrance was hidden where it was.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Ren and I found the path with little trouble, thanks to the map given to us by Evelyn. It showed us exactly the path to take, and the direction to head in, all the way to the city we were headed to, Wolfhaven.


    I smiled as I read the name of the city again, a feeling blossoming in my chest, cutting through the fog of goodbye. It was a pleasant feeling, like a sunrise, full of promise and anticipation. I was on the cusp of my new life, and my blood coursed with a determination to grasp it with everything I had.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the path we were on to find its way out of the forest, leading into a far larger, more weathered path. The map told us that the new path we¡¯d found was an actual road, connecting Wolfhaven with a few other cities.


    The road being an official one meant, for the first time, we had occasional company from other travellers. As the hours ticked by, the two of us were met with quite a few wagons carting goods for trade, a few fancy wagons that we assumed were travelling nobility or the like, and, most strangely, troupes of village people who seemed to have, as best I could tell, packed up their entire village and begun to move.


    They had horses and other¡­horse-like animals that carried tents, boxes of food, and an assortment of other items. However, even to my eye, I could tell they weren¡¯t panicked people running with everything they could carry. Instead, they looked practiced at travelling; their packing was efficient and well done, and they set a good pace, despite mostly being on foot. I couldn¡¯t sense much Flux from most of them, so I figured they weren¡¯t mages, but they still looked like a hardy bunch.


    All in all, they were a curious group, and by the fifth group of them that passed us, I could no longer rein in my curiosity.


    As they passed, I found the most amicable-seeming person I could find ¨C an aged lady with kind eyes and a gentle smile ¨C and stopped her as politely as I could.


    ¡°Hi!¡± I started, as enthusiastically ¨C and hopefully unthreateningly ¨C as possible. ¡°I¡¯m Ruby. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The lady smiled kindly at me. ¡°My birth name?¡± she asked.


    I was a little confused by her question, but I answered in the affirmative regardless.


    The old lady¡¯s smile broadened at my answer, a hint of mischief in it. ¡°Well, I''d be flattered, and I don¡¯t mind letting you know, but something tells me you¡¯re not interested in marrying me.¡±


    To say her answer confused me was putting it very lightly, and it showed on my face, because the woman let out a little chuckle at my face.


    ¡°I take it you aren¡¯t well-versed in the traditions of my people, are you?¡± the woman asked gently.


    I shook my head a little. ¡°No, sorry. I¡¯m not from around here. Who are you people?¡±


    ¡°We are the Tesserpine people of the Border Forest,¡± the woman answered, with the kind of steely pride only an elder like her could embody.


    ¡°Oh?¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re people live in the Border Forest? That must be hard. It¡¯s a dangerous place, after all.¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°It is, indeed. But, we make do, my people ¨C at least, most of the time, we do.¡±


    ¡°Why are you guys heading to the city now, then?¡±


    The woman turned to look at me in surprise. ¡°You really aren¡¯t from these parts, are you?¡±


    I smiled sheepishly, unsure of how to respond.


    ¡°The rumblings of the Beast Tide have begun,¡± the woman continued on, answering my question. ¡°Our people have our ways of handling most everything our home throws at us, but the Beast Tide¡­¡± the woman shook her head, ¡°that, that is one we cannot handle. So we pack up and head for the shelter of the city and wait it out.¡±


    ¡°The Beast Tide,¡± I asked, my brows furrowing. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    The woman turned to me in surprise again, and I could only shrug and smile again in response.


    The woman shook her head and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re either pulling my leg, or you¡¯re from another planet, Little Red.¡±


    I smiled wryly at that, choosing not to answer.


    Seeing that I was serious, the woman continued on. ¡°Anyway, if you really don¡¯t know, the Beast Tide is part of the Border Forest¡¯s cycle, the Forest God¡¯s way of keeping balance in the forest. See, the population of the forest is always on the rise, with all the unchecked dungeon breaks and the abundance of food and prey. It¡¯s far beyond what we humans can keep under control through hunting and all that, especially if the animals of the forest are determined to live. So the Forest God, in her wise design, releases into the air a substance ¨C the spores of a certain mushroom ¨C at the same time every year, that makes all the animals go mad. They rush out of their habitats and rampage as far as they can, abandoning all care for their lives. All the humans have to do is hole up and deal with them as they come, and the population of the forest takes a steep dive.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. ¡°I see. That¡¯s incredible.¡±


    The woman smiled at me. ¡°It is incredible. It¡¯s simple and impossibly intricate at the same time. Not only does it thin out the forest¡¯s population, the Tide is a beneficial factor in many human activities, too. Just the Core harvests and sales fund half the city¡¯s maintenance.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­" I started, "and one last question.¡±


    ¡°The marriage thing?¡± the woman guessed with a knowing smile.


    I nodded again, my interest piqued.


    ¡°Birthnames are a sacred thing to the Tesserpine people,¡± the woman explained. ¡°We only share them with immediate family, or people that we are exceptionally close to. So to ask a person for their birthname is to ask them for their hand in marriage, usually.¡±


    I nodded in understanding again. ¡°Uh. That¡¯s cool. So what do you go by with everyone else, then?¡±


    ¡°Our Natural names,¡± the woman responded simply. ¡°I am known as Birchmoss to my people, but my friends call me Birch. It¡¯s a pleasure, little Red, to make your aquaintance.¡± As she spoke, she slung an arm over my shoulders and pulled me into a closer hug than I thought was warrented for our relationship, but I hardly resisted and let myself be swept into her embrace. For one, she had a stronger pull than I¡¯d expected from a woman her age, and second, she gave a damn good hug.


    When she finally let go, I stepped back and flashed an awkward smile, caught off guard by the sudden embrace. ¡°Um, anyway, thanks for the answers. It was nice to meet you too, Birch, but I should probably head back to my friend now.¡±


    The woman smiled at me, nodding her head. ¡°Of course. Visit me anytime, little Red. You can find us in the Camp District at Wolfhaven.¡±


    I nodded happily. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll come visit again. See ya!¡± With that, I broke off from the group and slowed down until Ren caught up with me again. By then, Birch¡¯s group had already moved up and out of earshot.


    ¡°How much did you hear?¡± I asked as he fell into step with me. By all common sense, he¡¯d been out of earshot during my conversation, but I knew his ears would have allowed him to hear much more than the average person, especially if he really put his mind to it.


    My guess was confirmed when he shot me a grin. ¡°Not much, little Red,¡± he answered with a teasing lilt.


    I groaned. ¡°Please don¡¯t make that a thing,¡± I pleaded, but the evil smile on Ren¡¯s face told me he had no plans on listening.


    ¡°Sure thing, little Red,¡± he said with a voice that betrayed how much fun he was having.


    I sighed deeply. ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ll just ignore you, I guess.¡±


    The evil smile played on Ren¡¯s lips, but he didn¡¯t respond, letting a comfortable silence fall over us for the next little while.

 Chapter 102 – Extortion

    Ren and I continued walking for a while after my talk with Birch, setting a leisurely pace as we basked in the lazy sunlight. It was a peaceful journey, with a gentle wind blowing through my hair, the squeak of gravel underfoot lulling me into a soft trance, and an open expanse of plain greeting my eyes. It was a freeing, unoppressive sight. And it reminded me of exactly why I needed to work hard in this world: so that I could keep this feeling alive forever, and never have to return to the constrictions of my life on Earth.


    Another, and more glaring, reminder of why strength was of utmost importance came not long after I¡¯d had the thought.


    We spotted, from quite a distance, a gathering of what had to be two or three of the troupes of Tesserpine people, which immediately told me something was wrong. The groups travelled fast, and they had quite a bit of distance between them, so it didn¡¯t make sense for them to gather at a single spot unless something had stopped them.


    Ren and I quickly caught up with the crowd, most of whom were just standing there, holding the reins of whatever animal was carrying their things, and generally looking very angry.


    The atmosphere was tense, even from the back of the crowd, where me and Ren couldn¡¯t even see what was happening at the front. I could hear raised voices, but couldn¡¯t quite make out what they were saying.


    Ren and I threaded our way through the crowd until I spotted Birch standing in the middle of the crowd. I quickly made my way over to her and whispered, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Birch turned to me, surprise coloring her face before recognition set in. ¡°Ah, little Red,¡± she said, before lowering her voice to a whisper. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here, girl. The roadmen won¡¯t bother you if you make it clear you¡¯re not with us. Just hang back a bit until we clear out, ok?¡±


    I shook my head at her suggestion. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Birch?¡± I asked in concern.


    Birch smiled sadly. ¡°Officially? Road taxes. But in practice, it¡¯s just highway robbery. They¡¯ve made a habit of targeting us because we¡¯re weak, desperate, and have plenty of goods.¡± She sighed heavily. ¡°Such is the way of life. The destiny of the weak.¡±


    Something about the acceptance in her tone irked me. I shook my head again, in anger now. ¡°Maybe so, but not this time. Not when I¡¯m here.¡±


    Birch grabbed me by the hand before I could move, looking at me with worried eyes. ¡°Red, I¡¯m touched, but please, don¡¯t bother. We¡¯ve been dealing with this for a long time; we know how to handle it. We expected it, in fact. And besides, they¡¯re strong, Red. Mages, all of them.¡±


    I smiled at the old lady. ¡°I know, Birch. But I¡¯ve worked for a long, long time for this exact reason, Birch. Because I despise the ''destiny of the weak.'' Please, let me help.¡±


    The lady didn¡¯t respond, but she slowly let go of her grip on my arm. I smiled reassuringly at her, before making my way through the crowd to the front, Ren in tow.


    I stepped forward and out of the crowd with confident steps, attracting the attention of everyone at the front almost immediately. I didn¡¯t speak at first, slowly taking stock of the situation while keeping up a confident posture.


    There was a young boy ¨C a Tesserpine boy, judging by his attire ¨C who¡¯d been knocked to the ground, and a middle-aged man half-clad in knights armor who stood above him. Behind the knight man stood half a dozen others, armored in leather in lieu of their commander¡¯s steel. They all sported smug looks of schadenfreude, clearly enjoying their work.


    At least, they had been, but my presence had interrupted their extortion, and confusion had overtaken their expressions. Slight wariness appeared next, as they took in my armor and the pole tied to my back.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the leader asked in a gruff, authoritative tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m Ruby. Ruby Redthorn. And who are you?¡±


    The man straightened up slightly. ¡°I¡¯m a Captain of the Wolfhaven guard. And this is official business, so move on, missy.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at his words. ¡°A captain¡¯s official business includes roughhousing children?¡± I asked, ignoring his order.


    The man scoffed. ¡°Just handling some uncooperative citizens, miss. And besides, it''s none of your business. Move along, kid.¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I smiled at the man¡¯s thinly veiled urgency, having an inkling of why he was so adamant about my leaving. He was cautious, unsure of how strong I was. And he didn¡¯t want to deal with me, even if he was confident he could handle us with his people.


    ¡°Well, see,¡± I started, ¡°I¡¯ve decided I don¡¯t like you conducting your business here, like this, so I think I¡¯ll have to ask you to stop.¡±


    The man raised a cocky eyebrow. ¡°Oh? Really?¡± he asked, almost incredulous in his disbelief. He turned his body away from the boy on the floor and stepped towards me. ¡°And how, exactly, do you plan on stopping me? Do you think I¡¯m afraid of you just because I don¡¯t want to deal with you?¡±


    Before I could respond, Ren stepped forward from the crowd, his sheathed sword tapping slightly against the gravelled ground.


    ¡°Red?¡± he asked simply, not bothering to expand beyond that simple word. But his meaning was conveyed clearly enough ¨C at least, to me. His face was impassive, his posture relaxed, a hand leaning gently on the top of his sword, but I knew at that moment that he may as well have had his blade pressed up directly against the captain¡¯s neck, for how simple a move it would be to kill him. The gap between the capital and Ren was far too vast, a canyon the captain had no idea the depth of. All that held Ren¡¯s blade back from severing the smug man¡¯s neck was my permission, but only the two of us knew it.


    It brought about a strange feeling in me ¨C the knowledge that I held an entire person¡¯s fate, a matter of his life and death, in my hands. And to crush it would be as simple as a single word.


    I shook my head, however. ¡°A little fear should suffice, Ren,¡± I said, answering his unasked question. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it.¡±


    Ren nodded simply, unfazed, as if the matter was of little importance to him.


    The man before me sensed our utter disregard for his threat and authority, but he had keener instinct than I¡¯d given him credit for. Instead of continuing his bolstering, he decisively grabbed for his blade, still sheathed at his side. Unfortunately for him, he never got to reach it, the flaming tip of my pole crashing into his chest before the people gathered could even blink.


    The point struck the man with enough force to send him flying backwards, tossing him like a ragdoll as he flew a good two meters down the length of the road before hitting the ground in a cloud of dust.


    The dozen men under the captain¡¯s command slowly turned their eyes from their defeated leader to me, some with fear and others with battle-ready determination. I sighed as the braver ones reached for their blades, unwilling to deal with the small fry. They were utter novices, their aura so weak my instincts failed to warn me of any danger coming from their direction, despite the many weapons they brandished at me.


    Almost feeling bad for them, I pointed my palm out at them and formed what I¡¯d dubbed an ¡®exploding fireball.¡¯ It wasn''t exactly the most imaginative idea, so far as names went, but it did exactly what it said on the tin. It was a compacted fireball, squished down to the size of a golf ball and glowing golden white with energy; the little pearl of destruction was an original creation of mine ¨C and quite beautiful, I thought. More importantly, it was easy, hardly needing half a thought from me to form. The process had been etched into my bones over the many, many fights I¡¯d endured in the forest.


    The golden bomb shot out at the incoming army like a bullet, exploding at the feet of the foremost of the men, sweeping the man¡¯s feet from underneath him as it blew a crater in the dirt-and-stone road. Before the men behind him could react, before the dust could even settle, the next shot through the cloud, exploding just a bit behind the first. The next came just after that, and then the fourth, and then the fifth.


    By then, the cloud of dust had risen higher than my head, obscuring all of the men within. But I didn¡¯t need to see them to know they were all but defeated. The noises had stopped from within, and I doubted any of them were experienced enough to consider attempting a sneak attack by feigning defeat.


    With them dealt with and the captain still knocked out from the first hit, I turned back to the stunned, wary crowd. I gave them my most disarming smile and a half-wave. ¡°Well then, they shouldn¡¯t be a problem for you guys anymore. At least, not this time ¡®round, anyway.¡± My little demonstration may have saved them their tax this trip, but I wasn''t so myopic as to think that they wouldn''t be here again next year.


    The wariness of the people turned to confusion, but I didn¡¯t care to stick around for it. But, just as I turned away from them, a piercing scream rang out from behind, full of terror and urgency. ¡°Stone Gorillas!!¡± a voice came as the entire crowd behind me was shaken out of its trance. The people began a sudden charge, but surprisingly controlled, not one of them sparing a second to glance back at the new danger. As if they were aware of and ready for the threat, they immediately kicked up to a good run pace, driving their animals as quickly as they could.


    The crowd quickly enveloped us, parting to give us space, like a river parting around a rock. Not one person spared us a look, except for Birch, who grabbed both my hands in hers. She had a hurried look in her eyes, out of breath from running, and she spoke in quick sentences. ¡°You must run, Red. The gorillas are coming. They¡¯ll be chasing us for a little bit, but as long as you keep up pace with us, they¡¯ll give up soon enough. You¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    I smiled softly at her, then turned my head slightly to the dozen-and-one men lying unconscious on the road not far from us, entirely unaware of the danger that fast approached them.


    Birch followed my gaze before turning back to me, worry taking over her face as she shook her head. ¡°No, no, they aren¡¯t worth it, Red. They wouldn¡¯t do the same for you. Don''t spare them a thought, Red; they wouldn''t.¡±


    My smile grew. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Birch. I¡¯m not about to kill myself for them. Trust me, I can handle the gorillas. And besides,¡± I paused there and looked to the men again, a soft look in my eyes as I recalled an ancient quote I¡¯d read on Earth, one that I felt Ocean would have loved. ¡°¡®They are not our teachers,¡¯¡± I finished.

 Chapter 103 – Prince of Blood Palace

    The gorillas came to a stop as they found Ren and I standing in their way, confusion warping their simian faces at our fearless stance. Having made a habit of hunting prey that would turn tail and scurry at the mere sight of them, finding the two of us ready to fight was a surely surprising sight for them. Still, their expressions quickly shifted to one as close to ridicule as an animal of its intelligence was capable of making.


    After all, there was a reason most of its prey didn¡¯t even consider attempting to fight them. The animals were massive, boasting a majestic aura accentuated by the stylistic stone patterning on their backs. And they had the physical strength to back their appearance, not to mention the ability to create stone out of thin air. And their last resort, the trump card that was the full suit of stone armor, was almost invincible within the Border Forest.


    However, unfortunately for these apex predators, they had met me and Ren. The two of us had been dealing with their kind ever since we¡¯d entered the forest, and it¡¯d been months since then. We knew just about everything there was to know about fighting them, having slain countless numbers of them over the months, growing much stronger with each. After all, they were the only red Core animals in the forest ¨C of the animals we¡¯d met, anyway ¨C and the red Cores were incomparably better than the blue ones ¨C in terms of training with, anyway.


    More than anything, though, the reason the gorillas were out of luck today was because of Explosion, the Arte I¡¯d spent countless days perfecting in the Arte world.


    Presented with my first-ever real-world test subjects, I could hardly suppress the cruel smile that spread over my face. Excitement coursed like hot blood in my veins as I pointed my finger out in the air, gathering glowing energy at its tip. In quick, smooth, practiced movements that betrayed the immense amount of time I¡¯d spent doing them, I drew out the rune in glittering golden light. It was a far cry from the spitting image of perfection that was the silhouette¡¯s rune, of course, but it was powerful nonetheless.


    As it finished, it clicked with the universe around it, almost like it was wrenching control of a small piece of it away from nature''s hands. The gorillas had come to a stop only a few moments when my palm shattered through the completed rune, unleashing a beam of compressed air so fast it made an audible whoosh as it traveled across the space, ripping apart the grass beneath it before hitting the unprepared gorilla directly in the center of its chest. The force of the air was so great it sent the beast flying back like it had been kicked by a giant. It flew a dozen meters before hitting the ground in a giant cloud of dust, bouncing up again before landing another dozen meters further, rolling over itself a few times before coming to a stop.


    The animal wasn¡¯t dead ¨C its vitality was too strong for that ¨C but it had certainly broken more than a few bones, which meant it was all but. In an ecosystem as brutal as the Border Forest¡¯s, being incapacitated was a death warrant. After all, if the gorillas could venture so far out beyond the edge of the forest, other animals could, too ¨C and they would be anything but merciful to an injured gorilla.


    The second of the gorillas immediately pivoted from its original disdain of us as it saw the fate of its partner, shifting into a heightened wariness. It promptly made the intelligent decision to go all out, jumping to its last resort. Stone formed on the animal¡¯s skin as it encased itself in its armor, while its hand reached out and grabbed a stone club from thin air.


    Ren stepped forward just as the gorilla swung a newly formed stone club at us. I stepped back and out of range calmly while Ren dashed forward, his sword already out of its sheath. I was content to let Ren handle the second one, out of fairness and also because, despite how much practice I¡¯d put into it, the Arte still took a bit out of me.


    While I stepped back to recuperate, Ren had already appeared at the foot of the giant stone monster, his blade flashing out in purple blurs I could only just make out. Unlike me, he chose not to use his Arte, but as always, his swordsmanship was a treat to behold. He danced among the heavy strikes of the gorilla, his every movement made with grace far beyond my capabilities. He was in tune with his body ¨C and his blade ¨C in a way I could not even begin to understand, much less emulate.


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    Cracks soon began to appear on the gorilla''s armor under the constant whirlwind of attacks, and gashes on its skin followed not long after. The beast was helpless, roaring in rage and frustration as Ren played with it, before finally, with one last attack, Ren plunged his blade deep into the back of the animal¡¯s neck, severing its spinal cord and effectively killing it.


    Ren freed his blade and jumped off the gorilla¡¯s back, his kick pushing the beast down to the ground, face-first, while he landed gracefully on the other side. His face was almost as impassive as ever, only with just the slightest touch of sadness, strangely. Though, of course, that hint of melancholy was erased before he even rejoined me, sheathed as smoothly as his blade was.


    With the beasts dealt with, we set off again, picking up our old leisurely pace as we continued our journey. Birch¡¯s group was long gone, having crested a low hill far from where we were. We left the place as it was, marred with the marks of our battles, not even bothering to harvest the red Cores of the gorillas. Valuable as they were, Ren and I had long since filled our storage with excess Cores already. We were far from lacking in that regard.


    Not long after, just as we passed the marker that told us we had about a day of travel left to Wolfhaven, we were approached by a man from behind. He approached silently, so silently that Ren only picked up on his presence when he stepped into the three-meter range, where Ren¡¯s senses were at their best.


    Ren warned me with an imperceptible tap, and the two of us instantly whirled around and faced the man, both of us only a step away from attacking. Having spent so long in the forest, my senses had been heightened to a fine point, a fact I took some pride in. So the fact that the man had been able to approach so close without me even getting a whiff of him, or even a prickling of danger, told me we were dealing with someone of great power.


    And seeing the man only served to validate that feeling. The man was on the older end of middle-aged, judging by the wrinkles on his face and his almost-fully white hair, but he sported a robust figure I could tell with a glance was packed with strength. He was armored in inky black steel, with a giant broadsword strung to his back and a wild grin riding his lips. A wide scar drew a gash down his left cheek, completing his grizzled old warrior look.


    The man seemed surprised that the two of us caught him, but he soon broke out into a great, booming laugh. ¡°Seems I¡¯ve lost my touch,¡± he said, shaking his head at himself.


    His utter lack of aggression calmed the two of us down slightly, but we were still on guard as he continued to speak.


    ¡°Apologies for the intrusion,¡± the man said. ¡° I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be discovered so soon. Seems the next generation is not entirely hopeless. Anyway,¡± the man shook his head, like he was stopping himself from going down a tangent. Composing himself, he started again, this time with an introduction. ¡°I am Sir Dryon, head of the prince¡¯s envoy. I¡¯d like to formally extend an invitation to my lord¡¯s company.¡±


    Our wariness quickly turned to confusion, until I spotted a stopped convoy further down the road, behind us. It was an extravagant thing, with six giant, white horses in front of and behind an absolute monument of a carriage, each mounted by a black-armored knight. The carriage itself was all white wood and gilded gold wheels, with incredibly ornate carvings built into its design, melded together to create a moving piece of art, undoubtedly expensive beyond belief. And certainly suitable for a prince.


    Ren and I shot a look at each other, wariness returning as we understood what was happening. We didn¡¯t speak, letting our expressions carry our silent conversation. When it seemed clear that we were about to decide that the invitation wasn¡¯t worth the hassle, Dryon spoke again.


    ¡°His Majesty was very impressed with your acts of selflessness,¡± he said, ¡°and he only wishes to speak to the two of you. After all, it isn¡¯t common for him to run into those of his age with comparable strength to him.¡±


    Ren and I looked at each other again, before finally shrugging and giving in. Dryon gave me the impression he wasn¡¯t expecting a no, and he wouldn¡¯t let us easily answer with one.


    ¡°Very well,¡± I said with a small smile. ¡°Let¡¯s see who this prince is, shall we?¡±


    A flash of emotion passed over the man¡¯s face, something close to indignation, but it was gone so fast I didn¡¯t have the time to identify it exactly.


    The two of us were led to the stationary wagon, where the man dropped us off at the door. It opened to reveal an interior suitably opulent for a prince ¨C spacious and well-furnished, all glitter and gold in style.


    We didn¡¯t see anyone at first, but a young voice came from somewhere within, silky smooth and dripping with the charm of wealth.


    ¡°Come on in, friends,¡± the voice said. ¡°We¡¯ve much to discuss.¡±

 Chapter 104 – Zayr

    Seated within the carriage, the first few moments passed in an awkward stillness. The prince before us sat and simply watched, a perfect smile plastered to his nigh-emotionless face. The boy looked molded by the opulence he¡¯d grown up with, with a flawless face and perfect brown hair styled atop it. His clothing was of the highest quality, I could tell from a glance. An elegant suit of blacks and reds tailored perfectly for him clung to his body ¨C a body more fit than I¡¯d expected from a boy of his age and status. He wasn¡¯t stronger than me, I was sure of that, but he wasn¡¯t weak, either. Nothing like the captain and his guards; that much was obvious.


    Seems Dryon wasn¡¯t completely lying about his lord having some kind of strength, I thought to myself, just as the boy shook himself out of his silence.


    ¡°Ah, my apologies,¡± he said suddenly, shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what came over me. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Prince Zayr von Silverson Atratius II, third son of the Blood Palace, child of the Luminous Queen. And who are the two of you?¡±


    The title was about as grand as I¡¯d expected, though I didn¡¯t have a clue what the Blood Palace was, so I wasn¡¯t quite as impressed as the boy seemed to be expecting. Ren and I answered with as truthful of an introduction as we could manage without promoting too many questions. We''d settled on a backstory in the Fiercewater Village, but I didn''t want to test it for the first time on a prince.


    I noticed that our lack of reaction to the boy''s title caught him slightly off guard, as if it was beyond his expectations that his two guests wouldn''t already be aware of the grandess of his identity, but he breezed past it with the social tact I''d expect from someone who''d probably been tutored for it.


    ¡°I¡¯m here on a tour of the countryside,¡± the boy started, gazing out the window with a smile I thought was just a touch too theatrical. ¡°A birthday present from my father, you see. Though, I was supposed to be in Downy by now, for the celebration of the actual day, but it seems that won¡¯t be possible anymore. I may end up having to conduct the celebrations in Wolfhaven now.¡±


    Ren and I shared a discreet look of amusement before we nodded solemnly. ¡°I see,¡± I said. ¡°That sounds unfortunate.¡±


    The boy sighed in defeat and acceptance. ¡°Indeed, but it seems it is written. Though, perhaps it may not be all bad, now that I¡¯ve met the two of you. I was afraid I¡¯d be spending the days bored out of my mind, with only fawning small-town aristocrats for company. But things should be much more interesting with the two of you around.¡±


    I didn¡¯t quite like how the boy assumed that we were now his companions for good, but I didn¡¯t show it. I figured that keeping a good relationship with someone of such obvious wealth and status could hardly be harmful, and in the meanwhile, I could glean some much-needed information off him.


    ¡°Say, Your Highness, how much do you know about Wolfhaven, as a city?¡± I asked, as politely as I could. ¡°See, we¡¯re travelers from very far away, so we really don¡¯t know much about the place.¡±


    The boy brightened at my question, happily jumping into an explanation. ¡°Ahh, I see; you are travelers. That solves the mystery. You must be from very far away for you two not to know of the name of my Blood Palace.¡±


    I cringed slightly there, fearing he would question further into our origin, but the boy mercifully veered to the topic I¡¯d given him.


    ¡°Wolfhaven is a small border city, not really significant on the broader scale of the kingdom, but the people within take it very seriously,¡± the boy continued. ¡°As for its structure, it has one ruling family, and ¨C now, I forget the exact number, and I believe four noble ones just under it. There are a few more families and some guilds under them, who own whatever the top five don¡¯t, but they are irrelevant ¨C I mean, more so than the entire city, of course.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. ¡°I see. And is there an Adventurer Guild branch there?


    The boy nodded, almost seeming confused at the question. ¡°Of course there is. Any place big enough to be called a city would have one, at least, but more than that, border cities like Wolfhaven absolutely have them. After all, they¡¯re adventurer hotspots throughout the year, and even more so around this time of year. ¡±


    ¡°Ah, that makes sense,¡± I said, nodding to myself. It was an obvious question, I knew, but I wanted confirmation. It would be great if Ren and I could get ourselves registered as adventurers as soon as possible, since I was hoping to be able to participate in the Beast Tide. I wasn¡¯t really sure what to expect from it, but the idea of it excited me. And I wasn¡¯t afraid in the least. With how long I¡¯d spent in the forest, I was confident in my ability to handle anything it could throw at me.


    The boy kept talking after my question, hopping from one topic to another with a relentless energy for conversation that was unmatched by anyone else I¡¯d ever met. Despite his grand position, the boy didn¡¯t stand on ceremony, hardly holding up the image of a graceful prince for long, trading it in for that of a boy happy to chat with people his age.


    I found the boy¡¯s choice of interests to be mind-numbingly boring, but I tried not to fault him for it. Politics was his field, I figured, so it made sense that most of what he wanted to talk about related in some way to it.


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    Still, he was charming, in an innocent, wide-eyed kind of way. And he knew gossip that I was sure would shock any actual citizen of the kingdom, rumors that he leaked to us with all the reticence of an open dam. And while I didn¡¯t understand the significance of many of the details, the stories were entertaining to hear, at the least. And they gave me a better understanding of the society I was headed to, something I very much needed.


    Not to mention, I wasn¡¯t going to complain about getting a ride ¨C and an immensely comfortable one at that ¨C for the last leg of my journey.


    The hours passed with surprising swiftness as the luxurious carriage rolled its way down the road, the three of us getting more and more comfortable in our conversation until I found myself actually enjoying it. And that surprised me, since I¡¯d walked into it with quite a large bias against the boy, simply because of his title. But the boy was not so much a spoiled brat with a superiority complex as I¡¯d expected. His condescension for people he didn¡¯t deem important ¨C essentially ¡®commoners¡¯ and weak people ¨C was only subtle, and less malicious, more genuine. Almost as if he actually believed that people of a lower class or weaker than him were inherently of less worth than him, and that it was a simple fact of the universe, not his own opinion.


    I disliked that bit, of course, but I wasn¡¯t in the mood to try and disprove something the boy had undoubtedly spent his life hearing. And he treated Ren and me with enough respect, having acknowledged our strength from defeating the gorillas.


    And aside from that, he was good company, enough that I ended up accepting his offer to drop us off at the Adventurer Guild branch, and his invitation for the birthday banquet that was going to be held soon.


    The city soon appeared on the horizon, a gray beast of stone and mortar. A towering wall painted a great gray streak against the blue of the sky behind it, a streak that only grew and grew as we approached. Not long after, just as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant pinks and reds, we arrived at the gate of the stone behemoth.


    The giant doors had been pulled open long before we arrived, the thick traffic clogging the way having been shoved aside, forced to stand off the side of the road.


    The guards didn¡¯t bother our carriage either, so our entrance was entirely unimpeded. We entered into the main road of the city, forcing the citizens to stand aside as we passed, just the same as the others. Prince Zayr¡¯s importance was clear as day, and the people in the city understood it well. I studied the faces of the people as I passed and didn''t find the resentment I¡¯d expected to find. As if it was the natural course of things, they simply stood with ¨C at worst ¨C a slight impatience, most eyeing the opulence of the carriage with shining eyes.


    Like Zayr had said, I spotted quite a few people who were obviously adventurers, judging by their assorted armor and weaponry. Most I didn¡¯t find very threatening, but I spotted a total of five that I figured would pose some difficulty for me to deal with, and a total of two that I knew immediately were far beyond my ability.


    The first of the two was a hooded figure I spotted sipping tea in a restaurant¡¯s open patio, sitting all alone at a table. He was wrapped up in a plain brown cloak, his face obscured by his hood, utterly forgettable to the average eye. But I knew with a glance that the man was an immensely dangerous one.


    The second was a giant of a man, eye-catching in every sense of the word. Clad in golden shining armor, the man stood at a towering seven feet, an ax taller than I was strung to his back. Of all the people in the town, he was the only one brave enough to stop the carriage, stepping in the way for just a second and greeting Sir Dryon like an old friend.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± I asked as the carriage came to a halt for a moment, wondering who''d have the guts to stop a prince¡¯s convoy just to chat with an old friend.


    Zayr smiled at my question. ¡°That is the only A-ranked adventurer in the city, Goldwing¡¯s Hot Ax. A fire elemental mage who fights frontline, which is a rare thing to see, but he¡¯s managed exceptionally well. He¡¯s got quite the reputation around these parts, and is one of the strangest of the mages around. Of common birth though, unfortunately, so he likely won¡¯t go much further than he¡¯s already gotten, but what he has achieved is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s Goldwing?¡± Ren asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a guild, one of middling to upper tier. They own a few dungeons around the city, but they aren¡¯t large players in the politics of this city. They¡¯re headquartered in another border city, a little further down south.¡±


    By then, the Goldwing adventurer had wrapped up his conversation, and the carriage had resumed its journey. Not long after, we came to a stop again, this time at the foot of a grand building, one of the biggest I¡¯d seen so far in the city. A wide set of stairs led up to an open, tiled courtyard with a roof held up by two rows of white pillars. Behind the courtyard was a massive building, all white stone in construction.


    ¡°Well,¡± Zayr said, ¡°I suppose this is where we part ways. For the moment, at least.¡±


    I nodded, a small smile on my face. ¡°Yeah. It was a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,¡± I said, with more truth than I¡¯d expected to feel. ¡°Thanks for the ride ¨C and the info. It helped a bunch.¡±


    The boy waved my thanks away. ¡°The pleasure was mine, Miss Ruby. And I¡¯m glad to have been of help. It¡¯s not often I get to speak to those of my age, and those that I respect, at that. Your presence itself was a gift ¨C a little information was the least I could give.¡±


    His reply was far more elquont than mine, of course, but that had been the norm for most of the conversation, so it didn''t faze me. Instead, I gave the boy one last nod and made my way out of the carriage, taking in a deep breath as I stepped out into the warm sun, it''s presence on my skin tingling with new promise. Ren joined me at my side as the convoy resumed its journey behind us, the two of us staring up at the logo on the grand roof in a moment of pensive silence. Two strange symbols made up the logo, carved out of the white stone that made up the pillars. They weren''t runic characters, but were also unlike anything I¡¯d ever seen before.


    ¡°Well then,¡± I said after a moment of taking in the sight, feeling the now-familar buzz of rising anticipation within me. ¡°Let¡¯s get registered, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 105 – Mountain Devils

    The air within the building was cool on my face, the temperature undoubtedly somehow artificially cooled. I was shocked for a second, but the reaction passed quickly. AC may have been an Earthen thing, but with everything else I¡¯d seen Artes accomplish, a little weather control was hardly an incredible feat.


    The building itself was as palatial as I imagined it would be, all white tile and gold highlights, modern shapes and spotlessly clean. There was a long desk on the far end of the hall, with uniformed people sitting behind them. People lined up in front of the desk, most of them armored and carrying some sort of weapon or another. There was a clear difference, though, in the appearance of the more Arte-focused mages and the melee ones, both their styles suited to the differences in their fighting styles.


    Ren and I joined the line with a mirrored smile, our shared feeling beyond what we could put into words, beyond what we needed to put into words. Having spent almost a year in the woods, so far removed from society, something so mundane as standing in line sparked a strange concoction of emotion in me.


    It wasn¡¯t long before I reached the desk, greeted by a cheery woman of small stature. Her bright pink hair was tied up into pigtails, completing her child-like look.


    ¡°Hello there!¡± the woman said, smiling wide. ¡°How can I help you today?¡±


    I smiled back at her. ¡°I was looking to get registered as an adventurer with the guild. How do I do that?¡±


    The woman seemed slightly surprised, and I assumed it was because I was dressed like I already was one, but¡­


    ¡°Oh? So young? Have you even graduated from an academy yet?¡±


    ¡­I quickly realized that assumption was wrong.


    The first question that popped in my head was Do people usually become adventurer¡¯s after graduating, but I caught myself before I could ask the question. A question like that would out me as an outsider immediately, and I could figure out the answer for it myself, anyway, based on the way she asked the question.


    ¡°Ah, yeah, I guess,¡± I said instead. ¡°I actually wanted to get one before I went to school. I¡¯m a bit stronger than the average person my age, I think, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be much of a problem.¡±


    The tiny woman arched an eyebrow with a comical amount of suspicion, but she relented and began to gather some forms nonetheless. ¡°Alright, then, if you¡¯re sure. Just don¡¯t get yourself killed before you grow up, ok? I don¡¯t want that kind of karma on my hands. Make sure you stick close to your guardian or teacher or whoever, ok?¡±


    I smiled at the woman, appreciating the well-meaning advice, even if it didn¡¯t quite apply to me. And I didn¡¯t bother trying to correct her assumption, either, content to let her believe whatever reasoning she¡¯d arrived at for my strange request.


    ¡°Here, take these, fill them out, and then we¡¯ll get you your ranking, ok?¡± the lady said, handing me a small stack of papers and a pen.


    With a happy word of gratitude, I made my way to a small corner they¡¯d placed a desk in, leaving the lady to deal with Ren. I gave the papers a quick glance over as I sat down and cringed a little, finding a total of only two answers I wouldn¡¯t have to make up ¨C my name and age. I hoped they weren¡¯t too strict on their background checks, even though I¡¯d worked out a solid backstory for myself with the help of Tampter and Evelyn.


    We¡¯d settled on calling the two of us mountain villagers, originating from a semi-famous mountain range in the far East. The villagers from there were known to the people of the kingdom here only in rumor, so it would be difficult for anyone to call out our lie, but it was still a name common enough that most people would have heard of it. And, best of all, mountain people wouldn¡¯t have a lot of the official identity markers that Ren and I lacked, which was a massive help in explaining the missing information.


    I finished my papers just a bit before Ren, and the two of us approached the lady together. She took in our papers and shelved them away with a comforting amount of disregard.


    ¡°Alright then, follow me,¡± the woman chirped cheerily, shuffling out of her seat to lead us down to a set of doors built into the side of the lobby. Past the doors was a maze of hallways that the woman led us down with confident little steps. She stopped soon enough, at a doorway with the number three engraved into the top, and glanced down at the clipboard she held in her hands.


    ¡°Hmm, I think this one should be free,¡± she said, before ushering us in.


    Inside was a training room not unlike the one Leonard had shown me on board the spaceship we¡¯d traveled on. Every inch of the room was padded with stark white squares, just like that one, except this one also had wooden mannequin dummies set up standing in the center, six of them total.


    ¡°Alright, Redhead, let¡¯s start with you first,¡± the woman continued, walking off to the side of the room. ¡°See these dummies?¡± she pointed at them with a pen, ¡°they¡¯ll be determining you¡¯re ranking. They''re ranked F to A, left to right. Pick whichever one you think you can handle. If you beat it, you move on to the next one, and you keep going until you can¡¯t handle one. You get ranked as the highest you beat. If you can¡¯t beat the first you pick, then you go down until you win a fight, and you get ranked as that. Any questions?¡±


    I thought for a moment, going through the deluge of information in my head, then asked, ¡°What if I get like, really, really close to beating one, but then can¡¯t?¡±


    The woman smiled. ¡°How long you last against the rank above you determines your position in your actual rank,¡± she explained. ¡°Each rank is split into lower, middle, upper, and top tiers. The ranking of the tiers is at the discretion of the Guild Branch employee in charge of the ranking ¨C so, me!¡± The woman flashed me a grin, and I returned it, a rising excitement in my gut as I felt my competitiveness flair up. Ren and I were too similar at the moment in strength for us to have different letter ranks, but if there were ranks within those ranks, then getting a higher one than Ren wasn¡¯t impossible.


    With that thought in my head, I smiled and addressed the woman. ¡°I want to challenge the B-rank dummy, please.¡±


    The lady¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Oh? Are you sure? The dummies can¡¯t kill you, but they¡¯ll still hurt you. A lot, if you¡¯re much weaker than them. Are you sure you want to take the risk?¡±


    I nodded, my face resolute. I¡¯d already given the idea much thought, and I¡¯d settled on going for B at the moment. I¡¯d been almost helpless against Gyda in our spar, but I¡¯d grown much since that day, and I was confident in my ability to handle the rank now. And with Explosion, I was sure I¡¯d be able to deal some serious damage to an A rank too.


    The lady shrugged in the face of my stubbornness. ¡°Alright, if you say so. Just don¡¯t complain about me to your teacher later, ok?¡±


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    I nodded again, a wry smile on my face.


    The woman walked up to the row of dummies and tapped the one designated as ¡®B¡¯ on the head. Immediately, the other five stepped back almost a dozen meters, lining up against the far wall of the room.


    I stretched and limbered up quickly, feeling a little stiff from the long walk that had made up most of the previous days. The dummy gave me a good minute to warm up before it finally rushed at me. It was quick, impressively quick for an inanimate block of wood.


    I tanked its first punch with a palm, wanting to gauge how powerful a B-ranked dummy would be. The force rattled me a little, but it wasn¡¯t anything I couldn¡¯t handle. A grin stretched over my face, confidence settling over me as I realized that I¡¯d actually overestimated the dummy¡¯s strength. Maybe the experience with Gyda made me more afraid than I should have been.


    A feeling of gratification spread inside me as I slipped into the fight, stepping back into the familiar dance of close combat as I ducked and weaved through the dummy¡¯s blows. I fought back with flame-covered fists ¨C though without pain receptors, the dummy didn¡¯t have the same reaction to the heat as most everything else I¡¯d ever fought did.


    Still, my blows left scorched marks on its wooden grain, and I could tell by the way the thing rattled that I was getting good damage in.


    Eventually, I managed to create a bit of distance between us by throwing enough flame at it to make it back up. Another advantage the dummy held over living beings, I realized, was the lack of exhaustion. Close combat was a draining thing, requiring constant concentration and quick reaction, both of which were mentally taxing. But for a dummy undoubtedly powered by an inexhaustible source of magic, such a hindrance was immaterial.


    So the only way for me to get a break was by forcing the thing to step away from me, but that meant exhausting a relatively large amount of my limited Flux reserve, so I couldn¡¯t keep it up for long. Which meant that a battle of attrition was not an option.


    Thinking up to there, I unstrung the pole from my back and clutched it in my hand, covering its length in a brilliant orange flame.


    The dummy was on me not a moment later, but I was faster than it. I jabbed at its chest with my pole, pushing the flame off the tip to throw the thing just a bit further. The wooden mannequin landed a meter away ¨C on its feet, but just slightly off balance for half a second. It wasn''t much, but it was enough for me to get into range and smack the joint between its chest and head as hard as I could.


    The blow sent the dummy reeling, off balance long enough for me to follow up again. I put to use my months of practice with the ¡®blade¡¯ I used the pole as. I¡¯d taken to copying Ren¡¯s style as best I could, though, of course, his grace yet eluded my movements. Still, I¡¯d improved by leaps and bounds as compared to when I¡¯d raided the dungeon with Najam and his crew. And the more I used it, the more certain I became that I had chosen the right path. The style of the sword simply felt more natural to my body than the style of the staff did.


    The dummy was all but helpless against my attacks, attacks backed by the experience of countless battles against all types of monsters, but its durability was impressive. It took almost half an hour for the first joint to finally pop out, leaving the thing one-armed and barely standing. Still, the thing was tenacious, keeping up a ferocious fight until I finally snapped its neck joint. With the head severed, the body simply fell to the ground, like a puppet with its strings cut.


    I stopped there, breathing hard as I called off the flames around my pole and body. Ren¡¯s clapping brought me out of my trance, guiding me back to the outside world that I had entirely forgotten about. I quickly straightened up and tied my pole back in its place, taking stock of the room as I did.


    The floor was a charred painting of wild strokes, blackened scars marring the once pristine white floor. The damage traced the general path that my fight had taken, zigzagging across the room until it finally stopped at my feet.


    Standing against the wall at the far end of the room were Ren and the little lady, the former of which was clapping with a small smile on his face, the latter of which had utter shock painted over her face.


    I made my way over to the pair, a sheepish smile on my face. ¡°Sorry about the damage,¡± I apologized to the entranced woman, ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t even realize it. Do you need me to pay for it?¡±


    My question finally knocked the woman out of her stupor. ¡°Huh? Oh, no, no, not at all, silly girl. These rooms are made to handle fights of such calibre, of course. The damage will be repaired on its own in a few days.¡±


    I sighed in relief at the information. I had some gold from all the dungeon farming I¡¯d done, but I hadn''t really focused on collecting it since it was of no use to me then. And since I had no idea how much gold was worth here, I had no idea if what I had would be enough to pay off the Guild.


    ¡°More importantly,¡± the woman continued, ¡°how old are you, girl?¡±


    I was confused by the question, but I answered nonetheless. ¡°Uhh¡­I think I¡¯m eighteen this year?¡± As best as I could answer, anyway.


    The lady nodded to herself. ¡°As I expected,¡± she mumbled to herself. Then she looked to me and asked, ¡°Do you not realize how amazing that is?¡±


    My expression must¡¯ve answered the woman¡¯s question, since she didn¡¯t wait for a response. ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°B ranked adventurers under twenty-five are celebrities, all of them. And all of them are from big families or schools, some kind of behemoth backing them.¡± Something seemed to occur to the woman then, as she exclaimed again.


    ¡°Wait, are the two of you from some kind of big name, too?¡± she asked, but she continued on without waiting for an answer. ¡°No, that doesn¡¯t make sense. Someone from a big name wouldn¡¯t hold such a low-key ranking exam.¡± The woman cocked her head then, finally looking up at me. ¡°Wait, so who are you?¡±


    ¡°Uhh,¡± I mumbled, scrounging up the story from my brain. ¡°We¡¯re mountain villagers, from the Hellinous mountain range. We came up this way on our way to the capital. We¡¯re going to try our luck with Karmore.¡±


    The woman took a minute to digest the information, thinking deeply. ¡°I see, I see. So you¡¯re Mountain Devils,¡± she said quietly, mostly to herself. ¡°That explains the intense fighting style, I suppose, and the incredible strength.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mountain Devil?¡± I asked, interrupting her musing.


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m so sorry; I didn¡¯t mean to be insulting. That¡¯s simply the common way the people of the kingdom refer to your people.¡±


    I waved off the woman¡¯s apology. Tampter had danced around it, but he¡¯d heavily implied that the origin I¡¯d chosen would earn me my fair share of discrimination, and I¡¯d accepted it already. I didn¡¯t mind ¨C strength was what earned true respect, not background. And anyone who didn¡¯t see that was ignorant of the real world, which meant I didn¡¯t need to care about them.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem,¡± I said to the woman. ¡°More importantly, the two of us are a bit unsure of the strength scaling here. Where would we fit in around these parts? In terms of strength, I mean.¡±


    The woman nodded in understanding. ¡°Of course, I get it. Well, don¡¯t you worry, you at least will have no trouble with the people here. The adventurers around here are stronger on average than most in the kingdom, what with us being so close to the border and all, but even then we average around E to D in ranks. We have a few C ranks around here, too, but they¡¯re more rare and pretty famous ¨C at least, in their cities. There are five in this city, I think, and no B ranks as far as I¡¯m aware. Though, I did hear rumor that the Blood Palace¡¯s third prince would be coming through on his royal tour of the countryside. He¡¯s among the strongest of those ranked B and under twenty-five. Which, of course, only makes sense, considering the behemoth that backs him.¡±


    I looked to Ren as the woman spoke, a sense of newfound confidence spreading through me at her words. Ren and I weren¡¯t at the top of the ladder, of course, nowhere close to it, but we were starting at above average, which was a comforting thought.


    The woman clapped her hands then, pulling my attention again. ¡°Anyway! We can talk about all this later, if you still have questions. For now, let¡¯s continue with the testing, shall we?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Sure, yeah. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    I was already certified as a B rank, but I¡¯d been fairly confident in getting that rank from the start. Now was the moment where I actually had to go all out, especially if I wanted to ensure I got a better rank than Ren and prove once and for all that I was stronger.


    With that thought in mind, and a blazing competitive spirit writhing under my skin, I stood before the A-ranked dummy and readied myself for a fight.

 Chapter 106 – Ranking

    The dummy¡¯s fist clashed with my pole with a thundering crash, the shockwave shaking the room with its power. My flames were doused by the compressed wind that buffeted me, but I replaced them instantly with more.


    Eventually, though, I lost the contest of strength and was thrown back a few steps. The dummy followed up immediately, throwing hooks left and right that I hastily defended. The thing was leagues faster than the B-ranked dummy, but I had expected it. The lady warned me that there was a qualitative jump from B to A in ranking. The gap wasn¡¯t something just any adventurer could overcome ¨C even if they spent their entire lives trying to.


    Flames were thrown around as I pushed my body to keep up with the dummy¡¯s incredible speed, managing to block each of the thing¡¯s swings only just barely. Every hit pushed me back a step, the dummy¡¯s body a flash as it twisted its torso with every strike.


    It was as frustrating as I¡¯d remembered, being on the receiving end of an onslaught of attacks, helpless to counter. It had been a long time since I¡¯d felt the feeling, as I¡¯d long since dominated the animals of the forest.


    But beyond the frustration, there was a bubbling excitement at the prospect of fighting something much stronger than me. It was a challenge, of course, but it was one I lived for, and one I hadn''t experienced in far too long.


    As I limbered up in the fight, I got better and better at handling the dummy¡¯s swift attacks, until I finally figured a way out for myself. I pushed back against the dummy¡¯s punch, knocking it off kilter just long enough for me to duck down and swipe at the thing¡¯s legs.


    I aimed my kick at the dummy¡¯s knee joint, and the force was just enough to bend the thing in a little. I followed with an uppercut jab with the tip of my pole, pushing up out of my crouch with my entire body weight behind the strike. The force lifted the dummy off its feet and threw it up a meter before I brought my pole down with as much force as I could muster. The pole caught the dummy¡¯s torso and threw it down to the floor with a crash.


    Immediately, I doused the thing in a blast of flames, engulfing its entire body in bright orange. But, as if my flames were only a tickle for it, the dummy lunged off the ground and at me through the flames. I reacted entirely by instinct, stepping back and out of the way just as its fingers clasped onto the spot I¡¯d been in.


    The dummy didn''t stop there, though, lunging forward again with a longer stride than I had thought possible for it. It was in front of me before I could even blink, its fingers squeezing around my neck and closing off my breath in an instant.


    Experience kicked in at the moment, and I spurned the panic that threatened to take control. My mind raced a million miles a minute, and I chose the riskiest path I had before me, committing to it with the few seconds of consciousness I had remaining. I reached out my finger, pointing it at the dummy¡¯s face, and began to draw, tracing out the lines I knew better than the back of my hand. The lines I¡¯d almost gone insane repeating, over and over and over again. All for moments just like these.


    My body practically did the work for me as the darkness closed in on my vision and my thinking muddled in my head. Just before I lost it, I saw the rune take shape, shining with that strange power to control a bit of the universe.


    With a strained, wild grin, I punched out at the face of the dummy with as much force as I could muster, my fist crashing through the floating rune, shattering it like a mirror before traveling through and striking the head of the dummy. My fist carried behind it a force far beyond what any B-ranked human could be capable of with just physical strength.


    The wood of the dummy¡¯s forehead splintered under the immense force of the shockwave that trailed after my punch. The weight of the strike snapped the thing¡¯s head back before sending the entire body flying back like a ragdoll tossed.


    I fell to the floor as the thing flew, my neck freed and my lungs granted the air they¡¯d been begging for. I breathed in desperate, ragged gasps as I dragged in as much air as I could, fighting back against the unconsciousness that had almost succeeded in claiming me.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Dimly, I registered the lady clapping in amazement at the power of my Arte, but I was so out of it I could hardly focus on the sound. By the time I returned somewhat back to a normal state, though, I didn¡¯t have the luxury of turning to the woman, as the impossibly resilient dummy had already returned to its feet and was rushing at me.


    Its face was splintered, with a crack running down the length of its blank face, but it was far from done, it seemed.


    Still, I was just about ready to go again, too, so I met the thing¡¯s charge with my own. This time, I attacked with an aggressive ferocity that I¡¯d lacked the first time, spurred on by a newfound ambition. With it fueling me, I kept up with the dummy¡¯s attacks, and an hour passed before I even realized it.


    I pulled out all the stops for the fight, using every trick I had in the book, from my scarlet claws to the little pearl bombs I¡¯d come up with. I hit the dummy with everything I had, and I was running my Flux reserve ¨C and my body ¨C ragged by the time the half-past-hour mark rolled around.


    The dummy, on the other hand, seemed as energetic as ever, if not as clean in appearance. Scorch marks covered most of the thing¡¯s body, leaving its wood more black than the brown it started with. Splinters and cracks ran along the length of every limb, drawing designs over its torso like spiderwebs. Its joints had become rough, having been heated so much that they had begun to melt and harden together.


    But despite all the damage I¡¯d managed to inflict, I knew by the end that it was my loss ¨C and it was a loss in persistence. Emotionless and painless, the thing had me beat in pure hardy doggedness. No matter how hard I fought against the ache in my body, flesh and bone had their limits, and I hit mine before I could break the wooden dummy.


    The dummy stopped moving as soon as I dropped my weapon, likely signaled by the lady who¡¯d been watching from the side the entire time. I dropped to the floor and sprawled out without another care in the world, feeling the exhaustion weighing down every cell in my body. A groan escaped my lips, equal parts fatigue and frustration at my loss. I knew from the beginning that I wasn¡¯t likely to win against an A-ranked dummy, but for all my logic, a small, childish part of me was adamant that I could have won, and it felt terrible to have lost.


    Ren and the lady appeared above me not long after, popping into my vision as they peered down at me. ¡°You alright?¡± the woman asked with a light smile. ¡°You fought incredibly, you know.¡±


    I huffed out a dismissive laugh. ¡°Yeah, but I still lost. That¡¯s what matters. I need to do better.¡±


    The lady shook her head at me. ¡°Well, maybe that¡¯s what separates people like you from people like me. I¡¯d be more than happy with my performance if I were you.¡±


    ¡°And how did I do?¡± I asked, having almost forgotten that the purpose of the fight was to determine my rank with the B rank.


    The lady beamed at me. ¡°Well, you land easily within the ranks of the upper tier of B rank, based on your overall fighting ability¡­¡± she began, laughing when she saw the disappointment flare within my eyes. ¡°...buut, that Explosion that you showcased was unlike anything I¡¯d ever seen before. I don¡¯t know how many years you¡¯ve spent practicing the Arte, but you¡¯ve got an incredible mastery over it. I¡¯ve never seen anyone else bring so much power to bear out of such a low-class Arte. And with that trump card, I can confidently say that you are a top-tier B rank. Congratulations!¡±


    A grin split my exhausted face, contentment filling the empty feeling that defeat had left me with. I may not have beaten the A rank, yet, but I still did well ¨C as well as I¡¯d been hoping to do, and that was something.


    ¡°Now, then,¡± the lady continued, ¡°I won¡¯t make you pay for the damage, since the Guild insures any destruction in dummies, but unfortunately, we¡¯ll have to move to another room to conduct your friend¡¯s ranking exam.¡± She cast a questioning glance at Ren then. ¡°Unless your friend isn¡¯t going to challenge B rank?¡±


    Ren smiled at the question. ¡°No, no, I¡¯ll be attempting the same,¡± he said with a laugh.


    The woman nodded to herself. ¡°As I suspected. Very well, then, let us leave. Redhead, you can follow us if you want, or if you want to take a break, you can stay here too. The lobby has snacks and some comfier places to rest, too, if you want. It¡¯s up to you.¡±


    I shook my head at her offers. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you two,¡± I said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t wanna miss Ren finally understanding that I¡¯m stronger. Just¡­just gimme a minute. You guys can go on ahead, get set up or whatever, I¡¯ll follow in a bit.¡±


    Ren laughed as the woman smiled. ¡°Alright, sounds good!¡± She consulted her clipboard again for a second. ¡°We¡¯ll be in room five, then. Find us when you¡¯re ready.¡±


    With that, the two left me lying in the carnage of my fight, surrounded by scorched ground and one broken and one almost broken dummy ¨C evidence of my new ranking.

 Chapter 107 – Gift

    Ren¡¯s blade caught the elbow joint of the A-ranked dummy, but the metal hinge tanked the blow with little trouble. The dummy countered with its own swipe, but Ren ducked under it, dodging concussion but just a hair, and responded by ramming the hilt of his blade into the mannequin''s torso.


    The dummy took a step back as the force traveled through it, and Ren capitalized on the extra space with the ferocity of a starving panther finding a doe. His arms were a blur as he launched strike after strike, each with an expertise and finesse that betrayed the years of practice he¡¯d invested in his craft. The A-ranked dummy was pushed on the back foot immediately, even though the fight had just begun. Having learned how difficult an A-ranked dummy was to fight from my experience, Ren held nothing back right from the beginning, keeping up a ferocious barrage of attacks as he quickly claimed and defended the upper hand. Five minutes later, it almost started to look like he would actually defeat the cornered dummy and put a definitive end to my claims of being stronger.


    Or so I thought, but as the fight continued, Ren¡¯s momentum began to slow as the dummy started to react faster and faster to Ren¡¯s unusual attacks, almost as if it was learning how to deal with his swift style.


    While Ren¡¯s blade wielded no trivial amount of power, his style largely depended on his exceptional speed. A speed so great even the A-ranked dummy seemed to be having trouble handling it, even though it dealt with the force behind each strike quite easily. The power that had swiftly brought the B-ranked dummy to its knees seemed to have no real effect on the A-ranked one.


    And as the time passed, it started to look like even Ren¡¯s incredible speed wouldn¡¯t be enough to preserve the upper hand in their fight. The dummy got quicker and quicker with every block, until it finally bought itself enough time to sneak in a palm to Ren¡¯s gut.


    The blow sent the boy flying back, but the dummy didn¡¯t even give him time to land. With impossibly powerful strides, it ran after Ren¡¯s flying form, catching up just before he could crash onto the ground. Its fingers curled around his ankle and pulled, letting the momentum of the original attack pull his body in two different directions in a way that made both the lady and I wince in sympathy.


    But pain was a part of the package that came with challenging a rank above your own, and Ren had known that when he¡¯d accepted. Not to mention, he was no stranger to pain, so the frighteningly painful combo the dummy hit him with barely fazed the boy.


    Before he could even hit the ground, Ren curled his body in and brought the tip of his blade crashing against the dummy¡¯s forehead. The immense force drove the tip of the blade a full inch into the wood ¨C wood that had been artificially hardened to be even stronger than steel.


    The dummy let go of Ren¡¯s ankle as it backed up a few steps, its head snapping back for a moment. Ren didn¡¯t let the moment go unused, immediately jumping back up after he hit the ground. There was a look on his face as he turned to the dummy that sparked a smile on mine, one of pride and anticipation. I could tell in that fraction of a second that he had entered his flow for a moment, and I knew what I was about to witness would be a masterclass in close combat.


    Ren¡¯s hand shot out then and grabbed the handle of his blade, yanking it back to him just before the dummy stepped out of range. The blade was dug in deep, and didn¡¯t come out with Ren¡¯s tug. Instead, the dummy was pulled forward with it, like a doll on a string. Ren pulled the handle down just as he brought up a purple haze covered leg, knee bent to greet the featureless face of the dummy.


    There was a clap that echoed as Ren¡¯s knee crashed into the wood of its face. The force threw the dummy¡¯s head back, its body stepping back as it did.


    But Ren wasn¡¯t done yet. Just as it moved far enough, Ren¡¯s bent leg stretched out and caught the dummy¡¯s head again, this time from the side. The blow sent the dummy reeling again, stumbling to the side this time, but Ren still wasn¡¯t done.


    He brought his outstretched leg back to the ground and immediately used it to launch himself after the dummy, shooting out like a bullet the moment his foot touched the ground in a display of physics-defying strength. His second knee found the face of the dummy immediately, undoubtedly hitting it with enough force to crush a human¡¯s skull.


    Before the force could send the dummy out of his reach, Ren grabbed the handle of his sword midair and pulled again. One leg went down to catch his landing, while the other went out to the side to catch the neck of the dummy. The combined effect of the tug and kick finally freed Ren¡¯s blade from the clutches of the dummy¡¯s forehead, simultaneously sending the dummy stumbling back, effectively resetting the fight, only with the dummy having taken an intense beating.


    The lady watching had dropped her jaw in the face of Ren¡¯s amazing display of speed and talent, and I felt a strange sense of pride and validation flow through me as I saw her reaction.


    Unfortunately for Ren, though, the dummy was still an A ranked one. And as intense of a beating as the dummy¡¯s head had taken, it hadn''t yet splintered apart, and that meant that it still retained every bit of strength as it had at the start of the fight. And while Ren had put up an amazing show so far, it wasn¡¯t something he could keep up for very long.


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    Exhaustion began to weigh on Ren¡¯s moves as the time passed, forcing him to slow down more and more, allowing the dummy to continually push him harder and harder. And while Ren would have ended the fight a million times already if his opponent had been human, unfortunately for him, the mannequin¡¯s metal neck didn¡¯t sever quite as easily as a flesh and tendon.


    About an hour later, Ren flopped down to the ground as the lady disabled the dummy, saving Ren from a kick that would definitely have required a Revive to heal. Though, of course, that wasn¡¯t to say Ren wasn¡¯t already bruised all over, and would need some proper healing to recover anyway.


    The woman, with a few muttered words of sympathy, handed his limp form a Flux potion that she fished out from the bag she carried on her side. As he drank from it, she announced her final decision.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be honest, you fought beautifully. The both of you are probably the most talented adventurer¡¯s I¡¯ve ever had the pleasure of testing, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll both go very far in your field. Unfortunately,¡± she gave Ren a great big look of sympathy then, ¡°you just barely missed the mark for top tier B rank. You dominate the upper B rank, of course, but you miss that special something that you need to push yourself to the top tier. For example, if you¡¯d showcased any of the Artes you¡¯ve learned ¨C which, I¡¯m not quite sure why you didn¡¯t ¨C you would have done much better. Even if it wasn¡¯t cultivated quite to the level that your friend here has gotten her''s to, just a mid to high level Arte would have been enough to push up to the next tier. Unfortunately, since you didn''t, I don¡¯t have justification to mark you down as top tier, even if I personally believe that you should be.¡±


    Ren smiled in the face of her kind words. ¡°I understand,¡± he said simply. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    "Aw, don''t be so sad, Ren," I said with a smug smile, knowing that he truly wasn''t bothered in the least but still wanting the satisfaction of imagining he was. "I''m sure you''ll catch up to me one day."


    Ren smiled at my words. "I''m sure I will, Red," he said with a smile that told me he used the nickname just to bother me. "I''m sure I will."


    ¡ª


    About half an hour later, having gone through about a dozen more forms, Ren and I finally walked out of the Guild Branch, proudly displaying our freshly minted adventurer badges. They were gold ¨C painted steel, not the actual metal, I learned ¨C shield-shaped badges with two crossed swords in the center. Not exactly the most creative design I¡¯d ever come across, of course, but I quickly learnt why.


    ¡°Now, when you join a private guild,¡± the lady, whose name I learned was Loretta, had explained as she¡¯d taken us to get our badges, ¡°you¡¯ll get a new badge with the design of whatever guild you¡¯ve joined. Of course, you can stay an ¡®independent¡¯ adventurer if you don¡¯t wanna share your loot, and think you don¡¯t need the support of a guild, but then you¡¯ll be stuck with the generic Adventurer Guild badge ¨C at least, until you hit the upper ranks, of course.¡±


    I asked about making my own guild, but the woman had waved me off. ¡°Guilds can only be made by graduates of some kind of adventurer academy. That¡¯s not something the two of you need to worry about until much later.¡± Loretta paused then, giving me a sneaky smile. ¡°Well, officially, anyway. But, there¡¯s nothing really stopping the two of you from using the name of the guild you want to make. A little notoriety will go a long way once you actually start recruiting. And once the news of your ranks gets around, fame will be a crown hard to duck.¡±


    ¡°On that note,¡± Ren added then, ¡°we¡¯d appreciate it if you could keep the news of our results under wraps for a while. If they are as exceptional as you make them seem, I think it¡¯s in our best interest for us to keep the information hidden for as long as we can. Preferably till we get into Karmore.


    Loretta seemed surprised at the request, before she considered it and nodded her head. ¡°If that¡¯s what the two of you want, then sure, yeah. I¡¯ll have to report it to my manager, of course, but I¡¯ll make sure your records don¡¯t show up anywhere else until you guys want it too.¡±


    I¡¯d asked if her manager would have any problems with our request, but she assured me that he wouldn¡¯t. The manager would be more than happy to accommodate for us, she said. ¡°After all, it never hurts to get on the good side of people with incredible potential,¡± she¡¯d added with a smile.


    The statement rang true for us too, I realized not long after Ren and I stepped out of the building. We¡¯d just stepped off the last of the stairs when a man wearing scarlet armor approached us. He was powerful, that much I could at a glance, but he carried himself with a surprising amount of servitude ¨C at least, as he approached us.


    ¡°Miss Ruby and Mister Ren, I presume?¡± the man began, bending into a slight bow as he spoke. ¡°I am Sir Damon,¡± he continued when the two of us answered with bewildered nods. ¡°I was instructed by the young lord to escort the two of you to your new residence.¡±


    There was a beat of silence that followed his words, before they finally clicked in my head. ¡°Huh?¡± I responded dumbly at that. ¡°New residence?¡±


    The knight nodded. ¡°The young lord wanted to extend a gift to his new friends, and since he knew that the two of you were new to town, he graciously bought you two a house in the city. It¡¯s a humble thing, since he knows that this city is only a temporary stop for you two, but it¡¯s leagues better than any of the inns you could find around here.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said, ¡°that¡¯s awfully nice of him.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. So the two of you accept his gift?¡± the man asked.


    Ren and I shared a glance, and Ren¡¯s wordless response was, unsurprisingly, that he didn¡¯t care either way. With a shrug, I turned back to the man and replied, ¡°Yeah, sure. No point refusing it if he¡¯s already bought it, I suppose.¡±


    The man nodded at my response, as if it was as he¡¯d expected. ¡°Good. Now, if you¡¯d please follow me,¡± he said, motioning for us to follow as he turned around, starting to lead us to our new home.

 Chapter 108 – Friendship

    The ¡®humble¡¯ thing that was the house Prince Zayr had bought for us was about as humble as I''d expected the gift of a prince to be. Which was to say, not at all.


    Standing at a height so tall I¡¯d mistaken it for some kind of hotel, the thing stood in a neighborhood far more affluent than I would have expected a border town to have. The community was gated off, and within was almost an entirely different town. The streets were spacious and well paved, the people were all mannered and dressed well ¨C even the adventurers ¨C and opulence shone on the surface of every open patio cafe and luxury mansion that lined the main street.


    Our house was, as with the rest in the neighborhood, a wonder of architecture, a perfect melding of swooping gray stone arches and verdant vines that hugged the surfaces of every wall and pillar.


    Our escort stopped at the gates of our mansion, turning to us with a smile. ¡°Well, here you are. The young lord sincerely hopes you find his gift to your liking, and would be extremely pleased if you would consider maintaining the friendship in return.¡±


    I suppressed the smile that wanted to take over my face and nodded with as much sincerity as I could manage. ¡°The house looks absolutely amazing,¡± I said without a hint of a lie. ¡°Better than anywhere I¡¯ve ever lived in my life. And, of course, we¡¯d be more than happy to continue being Prince Zayr¡¯s friends. We¡¯d have done so even without such an expensive gift.¡±


    The man seemed slightly displeased at my casual mention of Prince Zayr¡¯s name, but he hid it well. And I wasn¡¯t in the mood to correct myself; as much as I liked the gift, I wasn¡¯t about to treat the boy with more respect than I believed he deserved ¨C and the escort was lucky I was even adding ¡®Prince¡¯ in front of the boy¡¯s name.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the young prince will be overjoyed to hear that,¡± the man responded as he produced a key from his pocket. ¡°Now, here you go. The keys are yours to keep, for as long as you want. They¡¯re yours for good.¡±


    I smiled and took the keys from him, nodding my thanks. ¡°Make sure to tell the prince that we appreciate the gift very much.¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°I will.¡±


    And with that, the man bowed once more and took his leave, setting Ren and I free to explore our new home ¨C which we did, with the unrestrained abandon of children having been gifted complete and utter reign over a mansion.


    The first thing I did was run myself a bath in the pool-sized tub, which was an experience as blissful as I¡¯d imagined it would be every day in the forest, the hot water as delicious on my skin as I¡¯d dreamed it would be.


    The second thing I did was actually explore. Ren and I walked the lengths of every hallway in the house, ducking into rooms and walk-in closets, gleefully finding hidden doors leading into hidden rooms, investigating every cupboard in the fully furnished kitchen, and testing every one of the king-sized beds with a few jumps.


    Every bit of the house was drenched in more luxury than I had thought possible, and it was beyond my understanding how Prince Zayr could have bought a house like this as a gift.


    Two hours after we¡¯d started, Ren and I lay on a square sofa in the third floor¡¯s living room. The sofa was so big that the both of us could sprawl out completely and still not touch, and was as soft as I''d always thought a cloud¡¯s hug would be.


    ¡°This is amazing, huh,¡± I remarked after a moment of silence, indulging in the velvety feel of the sofa as I stared up at the ceiling.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think a house could be so luxurious,¡± Ren agreed. ¡°Especially in a world that doesn¡¯t seem to be as advanced as Earth ¨C at least, in terms of technology.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it doesn¡¯t look very advanced, but they do have some pretty cool stuff here,¡± I said. ¡°I mean, toilets?! I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d find another one for the rest of my life.¡±


    Ren chuckled from wherever he lay on the sofa, somewhere to my left. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair. I guess with properly researched magic and Artes, it wouldn¡¯t be so hard to reach a similar level as Earth, even if they haven¡¯t had the same amount of time to develop.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d bet being connected to a wider and more advanced universe probably sped things up a bunch for this society, too,¡± I added.


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Ren started, ¡°we should probably do a bit of research on this society, at some point. It¡¯d be a good idea to get some kind of idea on the general political landscape of this kingdom, and as much of the world as we can, really. Especially if we¡¯re planning on keeping up some kind of relationship with Zayr. We should at least have some kind of idea about what we¡¯re getting into, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d been a lot easier if we¡¯d gotten our chips fully synchronized,¡± I complained. ¡°Stupid machine.¡± One of the finalizing steps for getting our adventurer badges was getting our chips synchronized properly, which would get us full access to all the things that came with the chip. Included with which was access to what Loretta explained to be an interconnected database of adventurers both local and global, which would no doubt contain troves of information that would help tremendously in adjusting to the new society.


    Unfortunately for us, the machine at the branch we¡¯d been to was broken at the time we went, and would only be getting repaired sometime in the coming weeks.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no rush, really,¡± Ren said. ¡°It¡¯s a good idea, but we have time. We still have just under four months till the entrance exam starts, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. I guess we can just relax for a bit here, then, huh? No point leaving this beauty of a house behind just to go camp in some inn at the capital.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a great plan,¡± Ren said with that special kind of enthusiasm he seemed to reserve only for sleep. ¡°I could do with a few weeks of sleeping on an actual bed.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Mister tough assassin man can¡¯t handle a little camping in the woods?¡± I teased, but I was answered by a comically loud snore. I waited a moment, sure that a response was going to come, but the room remained silent save for the occasional snore.


    ¡°Ren?!¡± I called out in an incredulous voice. Again, only a snore answered me. ¡°There¡¯s no way you actually fell asleep that fast,¡± I said, trailing off at the end as I realized I really was only talking to myself.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Unbelievable,¡± I muttered to myself again, a small smile on my face as I rolled over to my side and settled in for a nap as well. Before I knew it, the thick blanket of exhaustion had wrapped me up, and I was lost to the depths of my sleep.


    ¡ª


    Two weeks flashed by in a whirlwind of luxury and exploration, relaxation and a surprising amount of new friends. Prince Zayr joined us almost every day, taking us around the city as we met different people ¨C some old, some young, all socially of great importance. I was reluctant at first, finding it hard to suppress my bias against both Zayr and his cohort of fawning, middling nobles. But as the time passed, I found a surprising amount of sincerity in the people ¨C once I got past the fake compliments and obvious attempts at sucking up.


    And most surprising of all was Zayr, who showed an impressive amount of integrity and personality over the course of the two weeks. He was spoiled, unsurprisingly, but he seemed to be genuine in his wish to be actual friends ¨C and after seeing the kind of people that surrounded him usually, I could see why. Even the kids our age that were a part of his entourage were horribly boring, so engrossed in the social going-ons of their lives that it was all they could think to talk about.


    And they were weak. Strong, because they had to be to keep up appearances, but so terribly weak in reality. They¡¯d been trained to duel each other as social competition, and they¡¯d been coddled with potions and elixirs to toughen up their bodies, but when it came to actual fights, they were useless. And Zayr, who told Ren and I all that in confidence, I came to find, really hated people like that. People who postured strength without actually having any.


    So when Zayr handed me an official invitation to a royal hunt, one on which he was planning on taking his cohort of young noblemen and women, I was surprised. Most of the outings he invited the two of us to were boring tea parties and the like. Something like a hunt was much more up my alley, but I¡¯d figured that wouldn¡¯t so much be the case for most of his friends.


    Still, surprised as I was, I obviously agreed, since I was almost itching to get back out and fight something. After the constant daily fights I¡¯d gone through in the forest, a little time spent in civil society had done wonders, but I quickly found it bored my mind to the edge of insanity.


    My mind had acclimated to the adrenaline of life and death battles, and being deprived of that high made the world feel horribly slow, like time was trudging through mud. The only thing that had kept me sane the past week were the mindless but slightly amusing rumors the nobles passed around like hot potatoes.


    So I was in a giddy mood as the morning of the hunt came ¨C though, to be perfectly honest, it was hard not to be giddy when you woke up laden with the weight of downy blankets, pressing you down into a mattress that hugged you how I imagined a mother''s hug would be like.


    I dressed quickly, slipping out of my silk pyjamas and into my daily clothing, forgoing the armor because I didn¡¯t want to show up overdressed. As determined as I was to hunt something big, I was sure the others would treat the outing as just another party.


    And I was right, of course. I showed up to the plain just outside the east exit of the city and found a colorful party of dresses and suits that offered no mobility or defense.


    Zayr was the only one who was different, and starkly so, having gone to the other extreme of dress. Encased in a stunning scarlet set of armor forged perfectly to fit his form, he looked every bit what I imagined the heroic knights of fairy tales looked like. He stood off to the side with his attention on his mount, far enough away from the crowd to be out of earshot, likely to dissuade any of the nobles from bothering him before the hunt began.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to see someone here is taking this hunt seriously,¡± I said by way of greeting as I approached the boy, who was combing his fingers through the mane of his ride, a majestic beast that looked like some cross between wolf and horse, with scarlet fur and a flowing mane, claws like daggers and snout shaped like a crocodile''s.


    The boy laughed before he even turned around to face us, a great big smile adorning his face as he did. ¡°Why do you think I was so glad to have met the two of you here?¡± he asked in response.


    I chuckled. ¡°I was surprised that your friends would agree to a hunt, of all things, but looking at them now, I understand.¡± Given the amount of guards they¡¯d each brought, it was obvious that the hunt would be more a competition of how well the hired hands could hunt, rather than the kids themselves.


    Zayr shrugged. ¡°Let them do as they do. I was starting to lose my mind from the boredom ¨C I needed this hunt.¡±


    Ren and I nodded in agreement. ¡°I know exactly what you mean,¡± I said. ¡°Honesty, I don¡¯t know how you do it.¡± Ren and I at least had the freedom to decline invitations and go explore the city on our own, which we¡¯d done plenty of. But being the star of the party meant there was no ditching out on parties.


    Zayr smiled wryly. ¡°It¡¯s a struggle, trust me. But, hey, a lifetime of practice tends to help, y¡¯know.¡±


    ¡°I imagine it would,¡± I agreed with a chuckle. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t envy your job in the least. Honestly, I don¡¯t even know why you even put up with them.¡±


    Ren nodded next to me. ¡°Actually, yeah, why do you put up with them?¡± he asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you, like, way more important than these guys? Can¡¯t you just not deal with them?¡±


    Zayr chuckled at Ren¡¯s question. ¡°Oh, how I wish I could. And yeah, you¡¯re right, these nobles have nothing tying me to them ¨C I could order them all away with a word and they wouldn¡¯t dare show their faces around me again.¡± As arrogant as the words sounded, Zayr said them without a hint of pride, as if he was just commenting on a fact of the world. And he was right, too.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t put up with them because of what they offer me,¡± the young prince continued. ¡°I put up with them to prove a point to my family.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± That was the first I was hearing anything of Zayr¡¯s family, and I¡¯d long been curious about them.


    ¡°Yeah, this whole trip, actually, is kind of about that ¨C of course, there¡¯s a whole bunch of other political reasons I won¡¯t bore you with, but one of the reasons I¡¯m on this trip is to prove to my father that I can handle networking and politics. I¡¯ve been very politics-averse for much of my life, and it disappointed my father, who always said social acumen was equally as important as brute strength when it came to ruling a territory. So he sent me out on this trip to visit and gain the support of smaller nobles to prove to him that I¡¯m capable of doing so.¡±


    ¡°Hah, that sounds annoying,¡± I said with a laugh. "Well, a father''s approval is a hard thing to earn, I hear."


    Zayr smiled at my teasing, a strange, almost sad look in his eyes.


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s any consolation,¡± I quickly added at his reaction, ¡°you¡¯re doing great here. From what I¡¯ve picked up from my eavesdropping and my own conversations, these guys love you.¡± And it was true. I¡¯d had many conversations with the nobles, and overheard just as many in my boredom, and almost all of them had, at some point, sung the praises of the prince. After all, with the lack of snobby superiority that they expected ¨C that I¡¯m sure they¡¯d have in his position ¨C it was no wonder that they¡¯d like the boy.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Zayr said, with a surprising amount of sincerity. ¡°I appreciate that.¡±


    Before I could respond, Sir Dryon approached and greeted the three of us. With a bow, he said to Zayr, ¡°The last of your guests have arrived. We¡¯re ready to begin the hunt now, Your Highness.¡±


    Zayr nodded to the man. ¡°Very well,¡± he said, turning to us with a smile. ¡°Biggest catch wins?¡± he asked with a light smile, competition flaring in his eyes.


    I grinned in response. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Your Highness. I don¡¯t wanna embarrass you in front of all your friends.¡±


    ¡°Hah! You¡¯re on, Ruby,¡± the boy responded, before hopping up on his mount with one smooth movement. ¡°Let¡¯s hunt!¡± he called out, eyes shimmering with barely contained excitement.


    With that, he urged his mount and shot off through the city gates, not waiting for the entourage to follow.

 Chapter 109 – Draconic Wolves

    I hunkered down low, crouched in the undergrowth, my eyes trained on the deer in front of me. Deer, of course, was the term Ren and I had given the species, but the thing in front of me was no Earthen deer. It was the predatory kind, the first animal Ren and I had ever eaten on Argonis. They weren¡¯t terribly strong, and posed almost no threat to me at the moment, but they were meaty, certainly big enough to match what most of the other nobles would present as their catches.


    But I wasn¡¯t competing with them. No, I was in competition with Zayr, and while I hadn''t quite gotten a good grasp of how strong the boy was, I knew for a fact he was powerful. And if I wanted to win, a little deer was far from enough. But the deer was my ticket to its natural predator: the earthen bear.


    The earthen bear was one of the strongest animals present in the Border Forest ¨C at least, of the side I¡¯d traveled. I learned that the Border Forest was actually far larger than I¡¯d known, stretching along the length of the continent as far as the Hellinous mountain range, even. Ren and I had only seen a slice of the forest, and only dealt with the tropical variety of wildlife that inhabited the massive stretch of forest. And the tropical variety, I learned, was not the strongest of the varieties, and there were apparently beasts hidden within the depths of the forest that even the Imperial Army of the kingdom wouldn¡¯t dare mess with.


    The moment I¡¯d heard that, I¡¯d made it a life goal to go and do exactly that one day, once I had the strength. I was already burning with curiosity, wanting to know what those animals would be like. Given what I¡¯d seen in the world already, my imagination knew no limits, and my current favourite idea was some kind of dragon. Preferably some kind of fire-wielding one.


    A rustle in front of me brought me out of my thoughts, as the deer lifted its head up to sniff the air, its muzzle coated in scarlet, dripping with the blood of the poor, still-alive rabbit it had been tearing into. The deers, I¡¯d learned, were vicious creatures, nothing like the docile animals of Earth.


    This one seemed to have felt my gaze on it, or at least felt the feeling of danger that I posed to it, and was already getting ready to fight, even though it hadn''t quite zeroed in on my position yet.


    A grin spread over my face as I focused myself on the hunt, letting all other thoughts fall from my mind like rain off an umbrella. I had forgone my pole, since I wasn¡¯t aiming for blunt damage this time, and chose to go instead with my scarlet flame claws. Those had quickly become a favorite of mine, second only to the pole.


    I still hadn¡¯t figured out exactly why the flames of my claws had such a distinct, blood-red color to them, nor been able to reproduce the effect with any of my other flames, but I was sure the color change indicated a difference in the quality of the flame. The claws burned hotter and were more solid than anything else I¡¯d been able to create.


    The deer turned its head then, just a little to the left, far enough away for my position to be out of its vision. Immediately, I sparked a little pearl bomb and shot it out, aiming it for the joint on its hind leg.


    The thing exploded the moment it made contact, the force immediately snapping the joint as the heat burnt the flesh and skin over it. Disabled, the faster animal could no longer run away from me when it realized it couldn¡¯t fight me.


    With that dealt with, I leapt out of the underbrush like a panther pouncing, my claws outstretched as I caught the side of the deer¡¯s belly, scarlet flame tearing through the thick pelt and biting into the scarlet blood behind as I ducked and rolled under the deer, making it to the other side of the deer just as it had finished turning its head to the side I had jumped out of.


    Before it could react, I was at its throat, my fingers drawing a quick line across the white fur of its neck. A hard blow to the side of the head followed, knocking the thing to its side and almost unconscious, bleeding out the last of its life. I breathed out as I stood above the animal, staring into its blank dark eyes as the life drained out of them. As merciless as the deer was, I¡¯d given it a quick death, though bleeding out of the throat would never be a very pleasant way to go.


    Still, it was over quick, and before long, the thing lay as a corpse over the now-dead rabbit it had just been eating, a puddle of its bright blood pooling at my feet. With a sigh, I left everything as it was and backed up, further than I had been for the deer, and hid myself once again. The scent of the blood would waft into the air for quite some time, and I knew from experience that if there was a bear nearby, it¡¯d come running at the smell of a dead animal ¨C or, a free meal, from its perspective. And there would be a bear close enough to catch the scent, I was sure of it. It was the Border Forest, after all.


    And sure enough, I caught sight of a great brown bolder-like figure moving through the green underbrush not long after, led by a nose raised high up in the air. I grinned to myself from up on my perch halfway up a giant tree. Zayr was dreaming if he thought he could hunt better than I could. Hunting had easily taken up about a quarter of the total time I¡¯d spent in the forest; if I couldn¡¯t beat a pampered prince after as much practice as I¡¯d had, I would be better off giving up the life of an adventurer.


    I waited with a patience honed by months of hunting for the bear to make its way to where I lay in wait, ready to pounce on it when the moment presented itself. The bear was nothing like the deer, and even with the experience I had, it wouldn¡¯t be a matter of a few moments to deal with the animal. And that meant the first strike was all the more important. I had the advantage at the moment, and I wouldn¡¯t let it slip by without getting in some real damage.


    The scarlet glow of my claws lit up my face as I waited, the ominous red highlighting the bloodlust in my eyes as I waited for the thing to come closer and closer, until it was just a step away from being directly below me. And then, just as I tensed myself to drop onto the animal, a piercing sound rang through the woods, bouncing off the tall trunks of the trees and echoing into the distance. The source of the sound was far, but I recognized it immediately. In an instant, I hopped off the branch I¡¯d been on and landed on the branch of a tree nearby, not caring that the noisiness of my movements had alerted my would-be prey to my presence. Not caring because the hunt no longer mattered, since the pitch of Ren¡¯s whistle was enough for me to guess that something was very wrong. The highest level of wrong, in fact. Of all the whistles we¡¯d designated with meaning, the one I¡¯d just heard signaled the most urgent of danger, the drop-everything-and-come level of danger.


    And so I did, leaping from branch to branch with as much speed as I could possibly manage, headed only in the vague direction I¡¯d heard the sound in.


    Exactly a minute after the first, a minute spent crashing through canopy leaves and small branches, another whistle sounded, and by then, I was close enough to pinpoint the direction of the sound with enough clarity to know where I needed to go.


    Almost half a minute after that, I found Ren. It took only a second to understand the cause for the whistle, though more of that time was spent in shock than in processing the sight.


    Ren stood as part of a circle of motley adventurers, each with their weapon of choice unsheathed and being waved threateningly at the massive, scaled wolves that had faced them. Crouched cowering in the center of the adventurer''s protective circle were the nobles, no longer caring for appearances as they cried silently or shook with fear, each saucer-eyed as they took in the appearance of their captors.


    The hired adventurers, for their part, didn¡¯t look much better off than the people they were protecting. Fear practically wafted off of them, despite their defiant stances, and the wolves had certainly caught the scent.


    They had yet to attack, though, I guessed, based on the lack of dead bodies lying around, but I could tell that they considered the meat in front of them as nothing more than a prepared, defenseless buffet. I could see the arrogance in their eyes, even from atop a nearby tree.


    Ren, who stood front and center in the circle, seemed unperturbed by the danger, even though I was sure he knew that we¡¯d never faced the animals before, and more than that, that he could feel the threat they presented. I didn¡¯t know what they were, but they were dangerous, more than most everything else I¡¯d fought in the forest.


    There were twelve of the beasts, a pack of scarlet-scaled monsters in the shape of wolves. They stood easily at three feet tall, their eyes glowing with a deep orange like the embers of an inferno. Dense muscle rippled beneath their scarlet armor with every step they took, beautiful in a fatal sense, like a living painting drawn of blood.


    The standoff between the groups was dangerous, filled with uncertainty and fear ¨C at least, on the human¡¯s side. The wolves were playing with them, they all knew, and the deathly silence of the woods weighed on the minds of the adventurers, heavier each second it stretched on.


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    I huffed out a sigh, taking stock of the human side. The nobles would definitely not be of any help, that much was clear from the crippling fear that so obviously gripped them. And I didn''t place much hope in the hired hands, none of whom struck me as particularly powerful mages. D-ranked at best. They would be distractions at most, facing the wolves, and even that for only a few minutes.


    Oh well, I thought to myself, a grin creeping its way up my face. Guess it¡¯s just me and Ren again.


    I fired up a pearl bomb as I waited, the golden white orb floating over my palm as I packed it with as much Flux as I could, using every bit of the concentration and control I¡¯d built up over the months to create the strongest bomb I was currently able to make.


    I waited and waited, watching closely until the biggest of the wolves, the one staring down Ren¡¯s calm face, finally made its move. Ren, still using his sheathed sword as a cane, showed no sign that he was aware of my presence. I knew he had no way of knowing whether I¡¯d heard his whistle or found him, so I knew fully the risk of the plan I put into action when the wolf moved. And yet, not a thought of the plan possibly failing even crossed my mind at the moment, my trust fully in Ren¡¯s ability to react on the turn of a dime.


    And so, as the lunging wolf closed the distance between itself and Ren, its jaws less than a foot away from chomping on the boy¡¯s head, I launched my supercharged bomb not at the wolf, but at Ren¡¯s face.


    The golden pearl traveled faster than a bullet, entering Ren¡¯s three-meter bubble of perception within a fraction of a second. And Ren, just as I¡¯d hoped, had the presence of mind to notice the little disruption in the Flux around him and realize exactly what was happening, and what he needed to do.


    A small smile curving his lips, the boy calmly ¨C but incredibly swiftly ¨C unsheathed his sword and used the blade to reflect the speeding bullet I¡¯d shot at his face. The Flux coating his blade allowed him to deflect the bomb without setting it off ¨C something we¡¯d found out when I¡¯d lost a battle of wits one day ¨C and we¡¯d used that fact to our advantage many times already.


    And it worked as beautifully with the wolves as it ever had. The pearl bounced off the dark blade and shot back, straight into the throat of the pouncing wolf. There was no Flux inside the wolf¡¯s mouth to deflect the bomb, so the pearl detonated the instant it made contact with the soft, fleshy pink of its throat.


    A muffled boom sounded as the wolf¡¯s head simply disintegrated into a bloody mist, leaving behind a headless beast that fell to the ground a few seconds later.


    There was a silence that enveloped the clearing again, but it was different this time. This time, the wolves weren''t in control, and the only one having a good time was Ren, whose face bore a great big grin.


    Deciding it was time to start the party, I pushed off the branch I¡¯d been hiding on and flipped gracefully through the air, landing lightly on my feet atop the headless wolf. I mirrored Ren¡¯s grin as he turned his face up at me. ¡°Tundra Dungeon?¡± I asked, to which the boy nodded in response.


    Before he could speak, though, I felt the wolf behind me finally move, that strange niggling in the back of my head warning me, a feeling I¡¯d come to learn meant that my brain had felt a disturbance in the Flux around me. I ducked and rolled to the side just a moment before the wolf¡¯s jaws came sailing through the space I¡¯d been in.


    Ren, with no bomb to help him this time, also chose not to face the hundreds of pounds of lethal meat rushing at him. Instead, he rolled underneath the animal and popped up on the other side.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Ren said as he faced the one wolf that was now within the circle of adventurers. ¡°First target acquired.¡±


    I smiled and turned around, yelling over my shoulder as I did. ¡°The rest of you, help Ren deal with the beast!¡± I commanded. Realistically, they would be more useful if they helped with my job, since mine was objectively harder, but I didn¡¯t want the deaths of random adventurers on my hands, and it would be easier for me to focus if I didn¡¯t have to worry about protecting them during the fight.


    With that command made, I left that mess for Ren to deal with and turned my focus entirely on the objective before me. An objective that meant keeping the ten hungry jaws of massive wolves off of me and also distracted for as long as it took for Ren and his crew to deal with them one by one.


    Easy peasy, I thought to myself as I burst forward, excitement heating my blood as I ignited the air around me, swirling flames leaping off of my swinging pole and hitting the wolves around me as a tidal wave of heat. I landed in the center of the group, my mind racing as I cobbled together a plan. The wolves were intelligent, more so than the wolves of the Tundra Dungeon from back then, and that meant I would have to work much harder to keep the ten of them on me.


    Thankfully, we were in the woods, so the terrain was somewhat advantageous for me. And once the constant heat had dried the space around me, it would be entirely advantageous for me.


    With that in mind, I called upon the largest mass of Flux I could handle from the air around me, forcing it to spin around me like a converging tornado before igniting it all. Flames burst out of the air around me just as the first of the wolves finally pounced. The descending fire tornado caught the wolf halfway through its jump, the force of the flame smashing the beast into the ground as it burned its scaly skin.


    The wolf opened its mouth to roar with agony, but before it could make a sound, my pole came crashing down on its snout, snapping its jaws shut as flames engulfed the thing¡¯s head.


    Knowing I was running out of time if I wanted to keep the rest of the wolves off Ren¡¯s back, I didn¡¯t take the time to continue wailing on the first wolf. Instead, with a hard stomp on the thing¡¯s nose, I launched myself up and out of the flaming tornado. The spinning mass of flames was an awesome sight, a raring beast of heat and destruction, and it was completely under my control. It represented the entirety of what I was capable of after the months of training I¡¯d been through, using every bit of the mental capacity I¡¯d built up, and it was a gratifying sight to behold, even in the middle of such a dangerous fight.


    As I jumped out of the tornado, I called on the beast of flame with a thought, and suddenly, the spinning tower fell to the ground, rushing out against the ground like water from a dam broken. I controlled the flow as best I could to ensure the flames only rushed at the group of wolves, sparing Ren¡¯s group from being roasted alive.


    The wolves fared much better than the humans would have, of course, but they certainly didn¡¯t have a good time. The great blaze swept past them as a wave of heat and pain, eliciting a chorus of yelps and barks from the pack.


    Knowing I didn¡¯t have much time left with the amount of flames I¡¯d summoned, I leapt into action, dashing into the pack as my pole flashed a blur of orange all around me, slashing and jabbing and whacking at the wolves as I danced between them, feeling the blissful warmth of my own flames washing over me.


    But I underestimated the beasts. In the thrill of my success, I danced a little too close to one and suffered claws raking across my gut for it. The dagger-like claws tore through cloth and skin like they were paper, severing muscle and tendon as blood poured off me.


    I stumbled over my own feet, the pain immediate and intense. The sight of my own blood splashing scarlet against the earthen brown of the soil was sharp in my blurring vision.


    The wolves were not so merciful as to let me reel from the pain too long, though. Before I¡¯d taken two steps from where I¡¯d taken the strike, I felt the powerful jaws of a wolf close over my shoulder, the serrated fangs biting into my skin from bicep to collar bone. I grit my teeth against the pain, snapping my head around to find the glowing orange eyes of the wolf. They dripped with what I could have sworn was a mocking mirth, and the sight sparked in me an anger I¡¯d never before felt towards an animal.


    The rage hit me like a tidal wave, sweeping away the pain and all other coherent thought in its way.


    With the sub-two seconds I had remaining to control the mass of fire that currently blanketed all the wolves, I pulled it all in, forcing it to converge at my position like water in a tub with an open drain.


    Within a fraction of a second, the flame had wrapped around my bloody figure and the wolf who still held me in its jaws. The temperature shot up in our cocoon, reaching so high the leaves under my feet instantly crumbled into dust, the soil beneath burnt crispy and hard.


    The wolf, for its part, didn¡¯t fare much better than the leaves, despite its hardened scale armor and natural fire resistance. The heat instantly fried its skin to a crisp, desiccating the meat beneath not long after, leaving the wolf a withered sack of jerky meat by the time the fire burned out, almost exactly two seconds after it had converged on me.


    A grin of utter satisfaction split my face as I saw the dried, blackened corpse of the animal, a feeling like a particularly bothersome itch being scratched filling me.


    I broke myself out of my revelry not a second later, but it was a second too late. The wolf furthest from me took the opportunity to jump to the other side of the battle, leaping over the half-dead wolf fighting Ren and landing less than a meter from the cowering group of nobles who sat all the way on the other side ¨C the group who, stupidly, hadn¡¯t yet thought to run away.


    Cursing to myself, I pushed myself forward as fast as I could, but I knew there was no way I¡¯d make it to the group in time to save all of them, and the cold hand of fear snaked its fingers over my heart for the first time in a long time at the thought.


    Before I had even taken a step, though, the massive form of a wolf blocked the way. Dread reared its head fully as I was forced to stop, the realization setting in that I was about to be responsible ¨C partly, anyway ¨C for the death of over a dozen people. Idiotic people, but people nonetheless. And the thought terrified me.


    Then, just as a gruesome massacre of the nobles seemed all but certain, a bolt of lightning shot out from between the trees, a violet and white flash of incredible power that struck the wolf on the head with lethal precision.

 Chapter 110 – Princes Arrival

    The bolt of lightning crashed into the head of the wolf with more force than I thought a bolt could carry, throwing the wolf back onto the adventurers fighting with Ren. The scaled beast knocked over half a dozen of the men, landing on a couple of them. Its snout smoked, scales blackened from the heat, but it was still conscious, growling weakly in its daze.


    The bolt was easily strong enough to break through a tree trunk or two, on its force only, so the fact that the wolf had tanked it on the head proved their scaly armor wasn¡¯t just for show. Still, the thing was out of the fight for the moment, and, as it turned out, it would never return to the fight. Before it could get up, a beast barged out of the forest in a blur of movement, pouncing on the wolf with wild ferocity, its snout clasping over the wolf¡¯s neck before anyone had even realized what was happening.


    The wolf thrashed on the ground as it suffocated, but it was useless. The beast above it overpowered it completely, keeping it locked in its vice-like bite.


    The wolves and adventurer¡¯s were all as surprised as I was at the newest addition to the battle, but Ren wasn¡¯t distracted for a moment, and he took the moment of shock to decisively end his battle. His arm flashed out as the black blur of his blade cut through the wounded wolf¡¯s throat, spilling out bright crimson blood in its wake.


    The beast collapsed to the ground after a few staggered steps, letting out a pained whine as life drained out of its throat. I reacted just as the wolves around me decided to avenge their fallen comrade. I¡¯d exhausted my Flux reserve enough that using any kind of wide-area attack was off the table, which made containing the nine wolves all the more difficult a task, but I was undeterred.


    I leapt forward, ignoring the pain in my abdomen and shoulder as I brought down a punishing pole of flame on the head of the wolf furthest from me, the one closest to attacking the distracted adventurers. Leveraging the momentum of my strike, I pushed myself past the wolf and planted myself on the ground between the wolves and the adventurers.


    Facing down nine massive, hungry, angry wolves brought a sweet thrill rushing through me, diluting my blood with pure excitement. My eyes glowed as I slipped into a trance, the world slowing as I began to move. Flux poured into my body, sewing up my bleeding wounds as it sped up my mind. The pain was as sharp as ever, but I braved it with a smile dripping with bloodlust.


    Flames coated my limbs as scarlet claws formed on my fingers; the pole in my hands a blade from hell itself, clashing with jaws and claws. I weaved in between the wolves as I did before, faster this time, like a dancer on fire.


    Without a way to keep all the wolves busy at once, I was forced to simply engage with them one at a time, switching between opponents every two blows to make sure none had the time to find another target. Fortunately for me, despite their increased intelligence, the wolves weren¡¯t smart enough to immediately switch targets when I left them alone, a combination of their rage and frustration with me keeping them determined to deal with me first.


    Ren and his group were left with the freedom to choose the next wolf they wanted to fight and slowly kite it back over to their side so they could deal with it. Our two sides fell into a good rhythm as the time passed, and with no more interruptions ¨C or slip-ups on my part ¨C I fell so deep into my trance I didn''t even notice when Zayr showed up at my side, his scarlet figure dashing as he tackled a wolf with just his bare hands.


    It was only when I mistook him for a wolf, thanks to the similar color of their armor, that I realized he was helping out, or that he was even there in the first place.


    I was surprised to see him, but I didn''t think on it long, just happy to have my work cut down a little. As much as I was enjoying myself with the challenge, I didn¡¯t enjoy the stakes of failure quite so much. It was easier when the only other person depending on me was Ren ¨C now that there were strangers whose lives hung in the balance, things felt a lot more serious, which dampened the fun I was having. So I was grateful that Zayr had shown up, since it took the burden of the others¡¯ lives off my shoulders somewhat.


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    Zayr, for his part, was about as strong as I¡¯d guessed. As a Battle Mage, he fought with only his fists for the most part, and it was a fearsome thing to behold a man in armor throw down with a wolf twice his size and still come out mostly on top.


    Still, while the two of us were able to hold our ground enough to keep the wolves distracted, we were far from strong enough to really handle them ourselves. And that fact only became more apparent as the time passed, with the two of us losing steam while the wolves only suffered some burns and blunt trauma.


    Before long, I caught my second injury, as a wolf caught me on the thigh with its jaws. The teeth closed on my flesh like a bear trap, sending searing pain through my body, so immediate and intense I dropped my pole in shock. I retaliated by setting my thigh on fire, but the wolf was persistent, holding on even as the inside of its mouth began to smoke and sizzle.


    Running out of time, I plunged a flaming claw deep into the beast¡¯s eye, penetrating through the tissue and stopping only at the bone of its skull. The skull¡¯s strength was far too much for me to pierce through with my claw, but the heat of the scarlet flame was more than enough to boil the brain behind the wall of bone, so the effect was essentially the same: the wolf lasted just over half a second before death claimed it, but even in the realm the spirits, the wolf refused to make things easy for me.


    The teeth of its corpse held onto my flesh, forcing me to pry its jaws off myself. The pain was intense enough to bring tears to my eyes, but I fought off the urge to fall unconscious, knowing that doing so would spell certain death for me, if not the rest of the group with me.


    Instead, I chose the even more painful option of Reviving as soon as I got the teeth of the wolf out of my thigh. The choice saved my life, giving me the strength to duck just as another wolf bit at the space my head had been occupying.


    I spun and countered with a hard kick to the wolf¡¯s chest, knocking it off balance in the air and sending it crashing to the ground next to me. I didn¡¯t stay a second longer, though, making my way to the next wolf who¡¯d been left alone for too long.


    ¡ª


    Two hours and eight Revives later, all twelve wolves lay slain, their lifeless corpses strewn about the forest floor. Ren and his band of adventurers lay next to their last victim in a heap of sweaty bodies, all of them exhausted but thankfully still alive, if a little bloody and worse for wear.


    Zayr and I sat a little further away, resting against the base of a tree trunk. We¡¯d sat out the fight with the last wolf, since our job was essentially done at that point. And we¡¯d had an objectively worse time over the fight, so no one really expected us to help out, anyway.


    There was a long moment of silence that fell over the clearing after the last wolf fell, as the fighters rested and the rest reveled in the shock of being alive still.


    The first to try and break the silence was a noble boy named Will, one of nobles on the higher end of the social ladder, who made his way over to where Zayn and I sat with a look of reverence on his face.


    Before he could begin what was surely going to be a heartfelt display of thanks that would inevitably turn into rambling flattery of Zayr¡¯s heroic acts, I put up a hand and shut him down. ¡°We can talk later,¡± I said, sparking a look of annoyance on Will¡¯s ¨C and strangely, Zayr¡¯s ¨C faces. ¡°We don¡¯t know if more of the wolves will be around, so it¡¯s best to stay as quiet as possible and get out of here as soon as everyone is ready. I¡¯ve never dealt with these wolves before, and I¡¯m not sure how big the packs they travel in are. Best we don¡¯t stick around to find out.¡±


    My logic was flimsy, I knew, but the two boys didn¡¯t know that. I was more of an authority on the forest than them, and they didn¡¯t have the experience to question my reasoning, so they calmed down, letting me return to my peace and quiet.


    About fifteen minutes later, the adventurers were all rested up enough to travel, and fight again if necessary, so we started our return journey. We weren¡¯t very deep into the forest, and we hadn¡¯t been attacked on the way in, since most animals didn¡¯t have the guts to mess with a group as big as ours, so I was hoping for a peaceful journey back, too.


    As the group started out, I fell into step with Ren, the two of us far enough behind the larger group to be out of earshot of them ¨C and more importantly, of Zayr.


    Before I could even open my mouth to ask the question I¡¯d been wanting to ask since I found Ren, the boy had already answered.


    ¡°Yup,¡± he said. ¡°I sensed him too.¡±

 Chapter 111 – Synchronization

    ¡°Strange, isn¡¯t it?¡± I murmured, eyes trained on the distant trees, their trunks like great brown pillars holding up the very sky. It was a familiar sight, and an oddly comforting one at that.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Ren answered simply.


    ¡°Right from the-¡± I began, but Ren cut me off with an answer before I could finish.


    ¡°Yup,¡± he said again.


    ¡°Strange,¡± I repeated, my mind whirring in confusion. ¡°Why?¡±


    Ren shrugged from beside me. ¡°Who knows? People are strange.¡±


    I chuckled at that. ¡°Well, maybe he was just afraid,¡± I concluded finally. ¡°It¡¯s the only thing that makes sense.¡±


    Ren shrugged again. ¡°Maybe,¡± he said. ¡°Disappointing, though, if it is.¡±


    I considered that. ¡°Eh, I suppose. I mean, I guess you can¡¯t expect too much from someone raised as royalty, though, huh?¡±


    ¨C


    The rest of the trip was mercifully peaceful, and understandably quiet on the side of the nobles. It seemed as the time passed, the realization of just how close they¡¯d come to being torn to pieces finally began to set in for them. Even when we¡¯d left the forest, and the town walls had appeared on the horizon, the nobles kept their solemn silence, evidently not in the mood to celebrate quite so soon. Most hurried home as quickly as they could, with only a muttered word of thanks thrown my way and only a couple more to Zayr before they rushed off.


    Ren and I didn¡¯t want to stick around very long, either. We were exhausted, and we weren¡¯t really in the mood to spend any more time around other people than we needed to. But, just as we made to leave, Zayr walked over to us.


    ¡°Good job today guys,¡± he said with a wide smile as he approached us. ¡°Those nobles may not admit it, but they owe their lives to your bravery. And more than your bravery, your strength. The feat the two of you pulled off is not something just any adventurer can achieve. You should be very proud of yourselves.¡± There was a strange undercurrent to his words, something that I couldn¡¯t quite name, but I chalked it up to embarrassment.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, ¡°but it was nothing special, really. We just did what we had to. And anyway, that fight really did take a bit out of us, so we¡¯re probably gonna go home now.¡±


    Zayr nodded in understanding. ¡°Of course, you should rest. But, quickly, before you go, I wanted to officially invite you to my birthday banquet. I planned to do it properly after the hunt, but alas, fate had other plans, so I¡¯ll just do it here.¡±


    He presented two cards from his pack then, handing them to me and Ren.  They were fancy cards, of a thick stock, embossed with golden letters spelling out Zayr¡¯s entire, extravagant title. Flowery patterns danced on the outline of the card, our names just a little below Zayr¡¯s.


    ¡°I would absolutely love it if the two of you could come to the banquet. It¡¯s going to start tomorrow, at dinnertime, but it¡¯ll go for three days, so you guys can drop in whenever you want. And, I really don¡¯t expect a gift, so don¡¯t think you¡¯re obliged to get me one. I probably already have a pair of anything you can find in this city, so I really don¡¯t care for much. Your presence will be a gift enough.¡±


    I smiled at his earnest words. ¡°Of course we¡¯ll be there, Zayr. I look forward to it. And we appreciate the invite.¡±


    Zayr grinned, nodding happily. ¡°Of course. Well, I suppose I¡¯ll let the two of you go then. See you guys soon!¡±


    Two minutes later, as Ren and I were walking back to our house, Ren finally let go of the laughter he¡¯d been holding in. He doubled over as I stopped, giving him a confused look.


    It took a moment for the boy to collect himself again enough to explain, but even then, his words were punctuated with bursts of laughter.


    ¡°That boy,¡± he started, ¡°is hopeless.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked.


    ¡°And so are you, honestly,¡± he continued, brushing over my question like it was nothing.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± I tried again.


    Ren heaved a sigh, still smiling. ¡°If you don¡¯t get it, then you don¡¯t get it. Don¡¯t worry, though; I¡¯m betting you¡¯ll find out at the banquet.¡±


    I was silent for a moment, before shrugging and giving up trying to figure the boy¡¯s words out. I was too tired to invest the brain power, and I knew Ren wouldn¡¯t give up anything else.


    Shoving that mystery out of my head, I brought out my key and unlocked the front gates for the house ¨C I still couldn¡¯t quite call it my house ¨C and my attention snagged by a white envelope that was stuck to the front door. It was clean, which meant it had been placed there recently, and I¡¯d never seen anything like it before. Mail was usually left at the box next to the front gates.


    I tugged it off the door and flipped it over, my eyes travelling over the words on the front of it¡¯s thick paper. ¡°Adventurer Guild Notice,¡± I read aloud for Ren¡¯s benefit. A second of wrangling with the envelope later, I pulled out the paper within.


    My eyes scanned over the paper quickly, nodding to myself as I did. ¡°Looks like it''s a notice to let us know that the Synchronization Machine is back up.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, fun,¡± Ren said. ¡°You wanna go?¡±


    I looked at him, then the paper, then to the house less than a foot away from me, then finally back at Ren. ¡°Welll¡­the machine isn¡¯t going anywhere, right?¡±


    Ren threw his head back and laughed. ¡°You know what,¡± he said as he kicked his way through our front door, ¡°that¡¯s a damn good point.¡±


    ¨C


    The guild branch hadn¡¯t changed much in the weeks since Ren and I had been there. Few people milled about its grand steps, which looked ancient in the late evening glow. The building itself, lit by the backdrop of a pink sunset, stood proud and magnificent as ever, even with its space almost deserted.


    The lobby, as with the steps, was sparsely populated, with more workers than customers present. Ren and I made our way to a free desk and spoke to the aged lady sitting there.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to get our chips synchronized,¡± I began, ¡°because the machine wasn¡¯t working when we got registered.¡±


    I was expecting to have to explain a little more, but the lady¡¯s bored eyes lit up immediately as I spoke.


    ¡°Ah yes,¡± the lady said. ¡°Ruby and Ren, right?¡± the woman asked, a finger pointing at each of us as she guessed our names. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    At our confused nods, the lady explained, somewhat sheepishly, ¡°Word got around about the two of you ¨C at least, among the people working in this branch.¡± At our looks, she quickly continued, ¡°Of course, the manager made it clear to us that the news was to stay within this building, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it becoming big news.¡±


    As Ren and I breathed out a sigh of relief, the woman continued. ¡°Although, the two of you aren¡¯t exactly helping with that, though. I hear your names are making rounds in the noble circles. Something about taking on an entire grown pack of Draconic Wolves.¡± The lady cocked an eyebrow at us as she spoke. ¡°Something about fighting side by side with His Highness, the Young Blood Prince Zayr himself? Y¡¯know, the person who happens to be one of the most popular B-Ranked adventurer¡¯s in the entire country.¡±


    Now it was our turn to be sheepish. ¡°Well, we couldn¡¯t very well leave the kids to die, now could we?¡± I countered defensively.


    The lady grinned and nodded. ¡°Of course. All I¡¯m saying is that if word does somehow make it out and about, just know we aren¡¯t the only ones to blame. But anyway, enough of that; let¡¯s get the two of you synchronized, shall we?¡± As she spoke, she pushed herself up from her seat and motioned for the two of us to follow her.


    The actual process for the synchronization was surprisingly simple ¨C at least, for our part. The machine looked just like a metal table, with a mess of wiring running out of the floor and into its base. The lady pulled out two of the wires from the table and held them up to each of us.


    ¡°Here,¡± she said, ¡°touch the tips of these wires to whatever side of your temple you installed the chip in. A voice should let you know when the synchronization process is completed.¡±


    Ren and I followed her directions, touching the cold metal tip of the wire to the sides of our heads. I felt a sharp shock, light enough that it didn¡¯t hurt, but strange nonetheless. More importantly, though, no voice sounded in my head, even a full minute later.


    ¡°Strange,¡± the lady said when Ren confirmed that he heard nothing either. ¡°Is this machine still broken?¡± she wondered, mostly to herself, her finger tapping on the metal of the table. After a long moment of silence, a thought suddenly struck her.


    ¡°Ah! By any chance, have the two of you made contact with any dungeons before you came to the city?¡± she asked.


    Her words sparked in my head, reminding me of a piece of information I¡¯d completely forgotten to let the lady know. ¡°Ohh! Yeah, we have. And the first time we did, we got the message in our head that said that synchronization was completed.¡±


    The lady seemed surprised at my words, even though it had been her question that prompted my answer in the first place. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m impressed that the two of you are still alive. Going into dungeons without fully synchronized chips is incredibly reckless.¡± She seemed almost scolding with her words, but I took them as well-meaning concern and smiled at the lady.


    ¡°We had friends with us ¨C the first time, at least. They were proper adventurers, so we were pretty safe,¡± I explained.


    The lady cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Really? I¡¯m surprised proper adventurers would be brave enough to take two kids into a dungeon, especially unregistered ones. You guys really must¡¯ve impressed them with your strength, huh?¡±


    Something about the way she asked the question made me think she didn¡¯t really think that we impressed them ¨C or at least, not with our strength anyway. But I didn¡¯t particularly feel the need to prove to the lady that we didn¡¯t pay a group of adventurers to take us into a dungeon, so I didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Well, anyway,¡± the lady continued, ¡°that explains why the two of you didn¡¯t hear anything. If you enter a dungeon with an unsynchronized chip, it¡¯ll trick the chip into thinking that it¡¯s fully synchronized ¨C and to be fair, it will unlock some of the chip¡¯s functionality ¨C but it won¡¯t do it fully. But this machine should have unlocked everything that you guys were missing, so you guys should be good now. It''s just that the chip won¡¯t give the notification, because it thinks it¡¯s already been done. If you want to check, pull up your own stat boards. It should show you everything now.¡±


    Curious, I immediately did that, wanting to know what I¡¯d been missing from my own stat board. I¡¯d spent many mornings wondering what the two scrambled lines at the bottom of the board could be, but I¡¯d never been able to come up with any plausible ideas.


    With a thought, the now-familiar blue screen flickered to life before my eyes.


    ********


    Name: Ruby Redthorn


    Gender: Female


    Age: 18


    Level: 21


    ~~~~~~~


    Strength: 23


    Agility: 19


    Toughness: 23


    Mental: 20


    Reaction Time: 132 ms


    Strike Power: 1434 fin


    Flux Reserve: 250/250


    ~~~~~~~


    Body Rank: 2


    Core Rank: Pure Red


    ********


    I stared at the last two lines for a good moment, my brain working as I tried to figure out what they meant. The best I could manage, though, were general guesses. I figured my Body Rank of 2 was a product of that second Cleanse I¡¯d had after my fight with the first Rock Gorilla. As for Core Rank, I figured that Pure Red was the color of my Core, but unfortunately, I had no idea where that ranked in the scale of Core colors, so it didn¡¯t really tell me much.


    Aside from the two new lines, I noticed that there were also tabs now at the top right corner of the screen:


    Stats | Arte Store | Library | Chats


    I was itching to explore what the tabs held, especially the Arte Store, but I held off on that, mostly because the lady was just awkwardly standing in the small room waiting on us, but also because there was something important I needed to check on before I began my exploration in earnest.


    So, with a few words of thanks and parting, the two of us made our way out of the building and hailed a carriage, one of the inner city ones that were drawn by a species of impressively good-natured ox-like animals. As we settled into our seats, I got to work.


    Pulling up the stat board, I moved over to the Library tab with a thought, entering the words ¡®Draconic Wolves¡¯ into the search field that appeared.


    The search engine pulled up a few articles related to the name, with the first being a page from a source called the Border Forest Beast Encyclopedia: Vol 2 [Rank C - B].


    I opened the link and perused through the information with skimming eyes, looking for a specific fact about them. As I did, I found that the beasts typically ranged from Mid C to Low B ranks, which made me feel better about myself. After all, I¡¯d dealt with twelve of the wolves, albeit with a party of a few, and I chose to believe they were of the highest rank they could be.


    A few seconds later, I found what I was looking for.


    Typical habitat: Zone 3. Rare sightings in Zone 2 areas, never sighted in Zone 1 areas.


    A sinking feeling tugged on my gut as I read the summarized information. Information that lent credence to what I had been suspecting. Sure, I didn¡¯t really know what the Zones the book was referring to were, but I was confident our party hadn¡¯t ventured past Zone 1, and certain we hadn¡¯t stepped beyond Zone 2.


    I looked over to Ren, who rested his head against the window, eyes closed as he rested.


    ¡°I was right,¡± I said simply.


    Ren let loose a light sigh in response, content face unfazed.


    ¡°Shame.¡±

 Chapter 112 – Confession of Love

    There was a carriage in front of the house, grandiose enough that I knew who it belonged to the moment I saw it. The presence of the six black-armored knights standing outside was a glaring clue too, of course, but an unnecessary one.


    While I would have normally not minded the prince visiting the house ¨C we¡¯d had him over a few times already, in fact ¨C the sight put me on edge today. The fact that he¡¯d entered the house while we weren¡¯t there was strange, not something he would normally do, and in light of my new suspicions, it gave me a very bad feeling.


    Ren and I were both on guard as we stepped past the stone-faced knights and the front door of our house. The main floor was deserted, as always, but it felt different this time. The air more ominous than welcoming, even though nothing had really changed.


    We silently made our way up the floors, finding each one empty until we reached the fourth and highest one. There, in the central living space, sat Zayr, sipping calmly from a steaming cup of tea. He¡¯d cleaned up since I¡¯d last seen him earlier the same day, after the fight. He¡¯d forgone the armor, now clothed in a crisp set of formal wear worthy of a boy of his status.


    But more than that, his bearing had undergone a transformation too. In the waning evening glow, he looked more like a politician than a warrior, and a terrifying one at that. Cool, calm, and collected, he looked like a man utterly in control of his environment, a far cry from the straightforward and simple warrior prince I¡¯d gotten to know over the past couple of weeks.


    He looked up as we entered into the room, and there was a moment of silence that passed over us, as if in acknowledgement of the sudden change in our relationship.


    ¡°Ruby, Ren,¡± he began, his voice smooth and controlled to the point of perfection. ¡°Have a seat, please,¡± he said, gesturing to the two couches on either side of him.


    ¡°Zayr,¡± I responded, moving to sit on the seat across from him instead. Ren remained standing a bit to the left and behind my chair, hands clasped like a bodyguard.


    Zayr grimaced as I spoke. ¡°That,¡± he said, waving at me with a hand, ¡°is another point we¡¯ll have to work on.¡± At my hardened look, he continued on with a serious face. ¡°Few people in the world have the right to call me so casually,¡± he set his cup down on the glass table between us, lifting fingers as he counted, ¡°Father, Mother, and my two brothers.¡± He wagged the four fingers at me. ¡°And you, Mountain Devil, are not any of them.¡±


    ¡°Is this who you really are?¡± I asked in response, not bothering to address his arrogance. I couldn¡¯t help the disappointment in my voice as I spoke; a small part of me was genuinely disheartened at the change in the boy.


    ¡°Of course!¡± the boy snapped. ¡°Did you really think I, <i>I, </i>the Blood Prince, would really associate with Devils and backwater scum? No, no, I was simply having a little fun, honing my social skills a little while I was passing through. The wolves were meant to be the end of it, but I will admit, I was quite wrong about the two of you. I imagined you¡¯d resist a little, of course, given your penchant for altruism and whatnot, but spoiling my fun entirely? Far beyond my expectations, I will say. Having survived that, I was sure you¡¯d come to the realization quick enough, so I figured I¡¯d bring an end to this facade right now. After all, even the buffoons licking my feet were starting to have ideas, so the two of you must¡¯ve surely arrived at your own conclusions by now.¡±


    I shook my head in disgust at the boy. ¡°So you¡¯re not denying it then?¡± I asked. ¡°You really did lure the wolves to the nobles?¡±


    Zayr laughed at my questions. ¡°Deny?¡± he asked incredulously. ¡°Ruby, Ruby, Ruby,¡± he said, shaking his head as a sick smile spread over his face. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve truly understood just what I am, have you?¡± The boy continued on, not bothering to have me answer. ¡°I am the Blood Prince of <i>the </i>Blood Palace, third son of the Luminous Queen. This town is nothing to me. It¡¯s a joke, a toy! I own more people than there are living in this entire place!¡± The boy breathed out then, collecting himself.


    ¡°The lives of everyone living in this town are nothing to me, playthings at most. I could have them all extinguished with a breath, and no one of any importance would blink an eye. You don¡¯t yet understand just how wide the world really is, Ruby, but you will. You will understand, one day, just how insignificant this place is, how insignificant you and your people are. And then you will understand, Ruby, just how ridiculous it is that you would ask if I would <i style="font-family: var(--rx-font-text)">deny </i>what I did. Because you¡¯re right. I did want to watch those idiots get torn to pieces by the wolves. I wanted to watch as they begged for mercy from the gods, as they watched each other die, as they eventually realized that their puny, unimportant lives were really coming to an end. And I probably still will, just to show you that I can. And then I will show you the world, Ruby, and I will <i style="font-family: var(--rx-font-text)">make you</i> understand just how important I really am.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The disgust that had stolen my voice finally relinquished its grasp on me. ¡°Show me the world?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, do you still think we¡¯re going to be friends or something?¡±


    Zayr looked like he couldn¡¯t believe his ears at my questions. ¡°Oh my, Ruby,¡± he began when he finally found his voice. ¡°You Devils really are something, aren¡¯t you? Your strength is commendable, but by the Astros! Your brains are really lacking, aren¡¯t they?¡± The boy stroked his chin. ¡°I might have to take your tongue too when I bring you back home. Can¡¯t have you embarrassing me with your stupidity now.¡±


    I shook my head in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re sick in the head, you know that? Just¡­¡± I paused, struggling to find a word to describe the enormity of his insanity. ¡°Absolutely demented,¡± I settled for eventually. ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable. I¡¯ve met some delusional people, but wow, you <i>really</i> take the cake.¡±


    Zayr sighed, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯ve had just about enough of your insults, Ruby. Honestly, if anyone at the palace were to know I¡¯ve endured such degradation from a Devil, I¡¯d never be able to lift my face again.¡± He leaned forward then, clasping his hands together. ¡°Very well, since it seems you still haven¡¯t fully understood the situation yet, I will explain it to you once, slow enough that even you should be able to understand, alright?¡± He took a breath there. ¡°I <i>own </i>you. Of course, I more or less own everyone in this town, but you specifically, I¡¯ve decided, are <i>mine. </i>And you will be for as long as it takes for you to break. You have been mine since the day your strength caught my attention, and you will be until it no longer does. Of course, I¡¯ll have to cripple you before I can take you home ¨C I can¡¯t have my own woman being stronger than me, of course ¨C so the day you begin to bore me might come soon. But until then, you will accompany me everywhere I want you to, and you will do so as one of my possessions. That is your fate, decided from the moment I wished it. Do you understand now?¡±


    I nodded at the boy¡¯s question, which seemed to surprise him. ¡°Yup, I understand now.¡± I smiled at the boy before me, all feelings of revulsion and horror evaporating from me, leaving me with only a mild curiosity. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re just insane,¡± I continued with a relieved laugh. ¡°Just utterly, completely insane. Honestly, it¡¯s kinda crazy that I didn¡¯t realize it until now. You¡¯re terrifyingly good at covering it up, I¡¯ll give you that, but I guess your insanity was bound to come through eventually. Sucks, though. Really thought you could be a good friend.¡±


    Zayr leaned back and sighed. ¡°Do you remember the Tesserpine people, the ones that you met on your way here?¡± he asked, suddenly changing the subject in a way I did not like in the least. ¡°Good people, aren¡¯t they? So in tune with nature, at balance with the world around them. Peace-loving, kind, hard-working. <i>Weak. </i>Wouldn¡¯t it be such a shame if, say, an A-rank adventurer were to waltz into their district and decide to make a mess? After all, most of them aren¡¯t even mages.¡± The boy laughed a sick, twisted laugh. ¡°Imagine that! He would be like a god to them! No one could stop him, and certainly no one from the city would either, even if they could. Not if he represented¡­say, an unimaginably powerful force in the nation.¡±


    I raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the boy. ¡°Really?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s your play to get me under your control? Threatening a genocide of people I barely know?¡±


    Zayr laughed at my question. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the acting to the people with some talent, shall we? Ruby, you and I both know that would be enough to force you to listen to me, but no, I don¡¯t plan on using them the whole way. They¡¯re only a play to make you attend the banquet tomorrow. <i>That¡¯s </i>when you will truly understand how futile any resistance to me would be. The Tesserpine people will be of no use to me once you attend tomorrow, I can assure you that.¡±


    I stared hard at the boy as he stopped talking, for once unsure of how to proceed in the conversation. As stupid as it was, he was right. Despite how brief our interaction was, I¡¯d never let myself be even somewhat responsible for a genocide of Birch¡¯s people.


    Zayr¡¯s eyes were insufferably smug as he took a drawn out sip from his teacup. ¡°Oh, I am going to enjoy watching that light in your eye flicker out,¡± he muttered, almost to himself, a sick smile on his face.


    ¡°I could just kill you, y¡¯know?¡± I said suddenly.


    Zayr almost spit out his tea in his laughter. ¡°Ooh! <i>Please! </i>Please do so! And I¡¯m sure you could. My guards downstairs are B ranked at the highest. And even then, that¡¯s only a low tier B rank. You could most certainly kill me, right here and now. Only,¡± he pulled out a watch from his breast pocket and checked the time, ¡°if Dryon doesn¡¯t hear from me in about an hour, he¡¯s gonna go in and have some fun with the Tesserpine people. And let me tell you, when Dryon has fun, no one else does. And after he¡¯s done, he¡¯s going to send a message back home that the third son of the Blood Palace has been murdered. Do you want me to explain what will happen to you then?¡±


    I smiled at the boy. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of you, Zayr; not you, nor that background you¡¯re so proud of.¡±


    Zayr grinned right back at me. ¡°I know that, Ruby. And that¡¯s what I <i>love </i>about you.¡± The boy¡¯s eyes darkened then. ¡°But you will learn to. You will learn to fear me. And when that day comes,¡± he shrugged, ¡°I won¡¯t love you anymore. And then I¡¯ll throw you away and find someone else.¡±


    Before I could respond, the boy set his cup down on the table and pushed himself up to his feet. ¡°Well then, I believe I¡¯ve passed on any messages I needed to for now. Enjoy yourself tonight, Ruby, because starting tomorrow, you will officially be my woman. And I assure you, you will not enjoy that.¡±


    With a smile so self-assured it was taunting, the boy buttoned up his jacket and began to leave. ¡°Oh, and Ruby?¡± he said suddenly, just as he walked past Ren, ¡°wear something pretty tomorrow." He paused, then spoke again. "Or, on second thought, I¡¯ll have something sent over. Wear that. I doubt you own anything suitable anyway."


    The boy''s sickening laugh echoed in the dark room as he left, the sound bouncing around in my ears long after the door had shut behind him.

 Chapter 113 – Life-Blood Pearl

    The first thing Ren did was bark out a laugh, sprawling out on the couch to my right. ¡°Well, damn,¡± he said, a smile on his face as his glossy eyes stared aimlessly at the ceiling. ¡°And to think I thought the boy was in love with you.¡±


    ¡°I honestly think he is,¡± I responded, shuddering at the thought, ¡°in whatever twisted way someone like him can be.¡± I leaned back as I spoke, slumping into the velvet cushion behind me as the tension of the moment passed.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Ren said. ¡°Guess he¡¯s got a thing for strong gals, huh?¡±


    ¡°Ew.¡±


    Ren burst into another laugh at my response.


    ¡°Ren, this is serious,¡± I scolded, even though I felt more like joining in on his laughter than being serious.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, hundred percent. This is a damn mess,¡± he agreed, a smile still on his face. ¡°I did a bit of research on the way here. He¡¯s not joking about his background. That kid comes from some serious power. And from the way it sounds, he¡¯s got his eyes set on you, so he¡¯s not just gonna leave us alone.¡±


    I nodded at his words, looking at my clasped fingers as I slumped deeper into my seat. A slimy feeling had taken hold of me at some point during the conversation, and Ren¡¯s words made the revolting feeling stronger.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± I said, my voice suddenly small and honest. Reality was setting in, and as much as I wanted to fight it, the situation was really not looking good for me.


    Ren stopped smiling immediately, propping himself up on an elbow as he faced me. ¡°I know, Ruby. I mean, I probably don''t actually know, but I can imagine. Just hearing the sleazy kid talk made my skin crawl. But isn¡¯t this exactly what you¡¯ve worked so hard for? You¡¯re not weak anymore, Ruby. Sure, the other side is much stronger, but if there¡¯s one thing, more than anything else, that you excel at, it¡¯s facing odds that no sane person would ever think to face. That¡¯s why I joined you in the first place, remember?¡±


    The boy¡¯s words were like cold water splashing on  the slimy feeling coating my skin. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said, a smile beginning to form on my face as the fog in my brain started to clear. ¡°You¡¯re right. So what if the boy has powerful backing? So what if the boy is repulsive? He has no right to make me feel disgusting. And he definitely is not going to be the one to cage me again. I¡¯ll die fighting before I let that happen.¡±


    Ren smiled at me, a smile full of pride. ¡°There¡¯s the boss I know.¡± He sprang up to a sitting position, rubbing his hands together. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan? We¡¯ve still got an almost impossible situation to handle.¡±


    I nodded, my face turning serious. The gears in my brain, finally freed from the oppressive effect Zayr''s words had had on them, began to turn properly again. ¡°Well, first things first. We can¡¯t skip tomorrow. I¡¯m <i>not </i>letting the Tesserpine people get caught up in this mess.¡±


    Ren nodded in understanding. ¡°Makes sense. But we¡¯ll have to be careful. Most likely, he¡¯ll have some way of trapping you there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. And there¡¯s really no way to know what that trap could be.¡±


    ¡°So how do we plan for a trap we know nothing about?¡±


    I smiled wryly. ¡°That might just have to be an in-the-moment thing. But I was thinking, the one advantage we do have over Zayr¡¯s people is our experience with the forest. I mean, we survived months there on our own. As long as we can make it to the forest, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to get the upper hand over them. I¡¯m not sure where we could go, but there must be some places where the Blood Palace¡¯s reach doesn¡¯t extend. Worst case, we could just leave the country and find another school to go to, somewhere where Zayr can¡¯t get to us.¡±


    Ren nodded slowly, going over the plan in his head. ¡°Ok, that makes sense. It¡¯s good to have a goal in mind, at least. Getting to the forest might be a little tricky, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll manage. Not much we can do to prepare, anyway. What about the Tesserpine people? I wouldn¡¯t put it past Zayr to kill them all when we run.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. But there¡¯s not much we <i>can </i>do to protect them. I think the best we can do is just warn them. Hopefully, they¡¯re quick enough that they can escape to another city or something and wait out the Beast Tide somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair. I can go tomorrow morning then, before the banquet, and let them know what¡¯s going on. It¡¯s probably best to let them decide how they wanna handle their safety, though.¡±


    I nodded, still feeling terrible despite having resolved to do the most we could to guarantee their protection. I hated that there wasn¡¯t more that I could do, that I couldn¡¯t just fight Zayr and his army head-on.


    <i>One day, </i>I resolved to myself, <i>one day, I¡¯ll have that strength. </i>


    ¡°Well then, that¡¯s that, I guess,¡± Ren said, falling back into a lying position, eyes aimlessly wandering the ceiling. ¡°We go to the banquet, buy as much time as we can for the Tesserpine people, break out of whatever trap Zayr¡¯s got waiting for <del></del>us, then go back to living in the forest, except this time with knights on our tail. Sounds easy enough.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    I grinned at Ren¡¯s summary of the situation. The way he put it, it really did seem easy enough, and it helped calm some of the anxiety that had been building up in my chest.


    ¡°Guess we should get some sleep, then, I guess. Nothing else to do now, and we¡¯ve got a big day ahead of us,¡± I said, exhaustion seeping into me now that there was nothing left to do.


    Ren nodded, hands clasped behind his back as he lay on the sofa. Neither of us made to move though, save for me sinking further into the softness of the couch. We simply stayed still for the hours that followed, wrapped in the dark embrace of our silence and filled with the warmth of a bond so special mere words could not describe it, enjoying what we both knew could very well be my last night of freedom.


    -


    Ren packed up and headed out just as the first rays of dawn poked through the horizon, leaving me still brooding in a hollow and empty silence as worries of the coming day began to worm their way into my mind.


    My paralysis was broken only when I heard the doorbell ring through the house. Curious, I forced myself out of the seat I¡¯d been in for hours and made my way down the four floors and to the front door. There was no one there when I opened the door, though, only an ornate black-and-gold wooden box sitting at my feet.


    Instantly recognizing what it was, a pulse of utter disgust ran through me, making me want to hurl what little food I had in me all over the gift. Flame leapt to life in my palm as I prepared to burn the thing into oblivion, but before I could, I caught a whiff of potent Flux coming from the box.


    Curiosity getting the better of me, I called off the flames and picked the thing up, bringing it inside. Wondering why Flux would be coming out of a dress, I popped open the box and pulled out the bundle of neatly folded cloth, not caring that I was messing up what was sure to be the most expensive clothing I¡¯d ever held.


    I examined the deep scarlet cloth, not bothering to unfold the entire thing because I didn¡¯t even want to know what kind of dress the boy had picked, but I found nothing out of the ordinary in the cloth.


    A moment of confusion passed before I realized that the Flux I could sense was still coming from the box, not the dress in my hand. Almost subconsciously, the moment I realized that, I lit the entirety of the Flux around my hands on fire. Scarlet flame burst to life in my hands, enveloping the dress instantly. I marvelled at the sight for a moment, the deep red of the dress and the flame devouring it making for a unique picture. Within seconds, though, everything was gone, the expensive gift reduced to nothing but ash and glitter.


    Dusting my hands off, I checked the box again and realized I¡¯d missed a part of the gift. It was a glass vial, beautifully carved and filled with a blood-red liquid. It was oozing out so much potent Flux that I was surprised I hadn¡¯t noticed it immediately. Curious, I tenderly picked the thing up to study it.


    However, the moment I lifted the vial from the box, a blue holographic screen popped up above the box, painting a picture of Zayr''s face. I physically recoiled at the sight of the boy appearing so suddenly, at a time when I was not ready to see him in the least.


    The boy was sporting the same smug grin he had when he¡¯d left the house last night. ¡°Ah, Ruby. What a pleasure to see your face again. Glad to know you received my gift; hope you like it. I personally chose it for you, y¡¯know? I¡¯m certain you¡¯ll be absolutely stunning in that dress, Ruby. I absolutely cannot wait to see you in it!¡±


    Disgust coiled in my gut. I wanted nothing more than to show the boy the ashes of his precious gift at my feet, but I held off on it. There was no point in riling up the boy right now, not when he still had the upper hand.


    ¡°What do you want, Zayr?¡± I grit out instead, tasting bile in my throat.


    The boy¡¯s face soured. ¡°Again with the naming, Ruby! You¡¯ll learn to call me as you should, Ruby, eventually; save everyone the trouble and just start now, why don¡¯t you? Here, ask me again, but do it properly this time.¡±


    I smiled tightly at the boy, my patience for his arrogance utterly evaporated. ¡°I said, what do you want, you arrogant, insufferable, inconsequential, repulsive, <i>weak</i> little mama¡¯s boy?¡± I spat, channelling all my frustration onto the little blue screen in front of me.


    Zayr laughed in the face of my anger. ¡°Oh, I will <i>thoroughly </i>enjoy breaking that will of yours, Ruby. And mark my word, I <i>will </i>break you.¡±


    A smile curved my lips. ¡°Crueler men than you have tried, Zayr.¡±


    That seemed to catch the boy off guard a little, his attempt at breaking my composure backfiring on him. But he collected himself quickly enough, a small, sick smile warping his face once more. ¡°We shall see, Ruby. We shall see. And in fact, that brings me to the point of our little chat. That little vial in your hands, Ruby? Drink it for me before you come today, alright?¡±


    I narrowed my eyes at the boy, suspicious, even though I had no plans on listening to him. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a dilute made from a Life-Blood Pearl. It should toughen you up a little, make you a little more durable, if you understand what I mean. It¡¯ll make things a little more fun for me, not so fun for you of course. But then again, you don¡¯t really matter here, do you?¡±


    I hardly heard the boy¡¯s question, hardly heard anything after the words ¡®Life-Blood Pearl,¡¯ the name ricocheting in my mind like a bullet. ¡°This Life-Blood Pearl,¡± I asked, my voice surprisingly controlled given the ticking bomb some had placed in my chest. ¡°Where did you get it from?¡±


    The boy had no reason to answer me, I knew, but he seemed proud enough to answer anyway. ¡°Oh, that? Just something my men brought to me today. Apparently, a harvest from the village they ransacked a while ago.¡± That seemed to remind him of something, so the boy kept talking. ¡°Can you believe it, Ruby?¡± he asked. ¡°Those village idiots had the nerve to ask me for help with some monsters in the forest! Me!¡± The boy laughed, as if it was the most unbelievable thing in the world. ¡°So, of course, I helped them out with their little problem, but in return,¡± the boy checked his nails, ¡°I told my men to take anything of value and bring it to me, and sell the rest. Apparently, the villagers had an Elixir Pool near them ¨C the fools thought it was a holy pool, gifted from their gods ¨C so their bodies are quite hardy. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll fetch a good price-¡±


    I didn¡¯t hear anything after that, as the Flux running through my veins exploded out then, utterly incinerating the first floor of the house and breaking through the upper floors until it burst through the roof. Within seconds, the entire house collapsed in on itself, the rubble aflame with scarlet fire. And, in the center of the ring of rubble and scarlet flame I stood, shaking with barely contained rage, despair clawing at my insides as a single thought dominated my mind: <i>Maya!</i>

 Chapter 114 – Elders

    Wind whipped at my face as I ran, my legs pumping harder than they¡¯d ever before. Explosions rang out with every step I took, leaving small, scorched craters in the ground as I ignited the Flux under my feet. The force propelled me much more than my muscles could, and the combined efforts pushed me faster than I¡¯d ever run before.


    I was out of the city in a minute flat, my mind far too preoccupied to worry about the many people I¡¯d pushed over in my path. I hardly even registered their presence as I ran, Maya¡¯s face the only thought present in my mind. I zipped past the city gates so fast the guards didn¡¯t have a chance to try and stop me, not that they could have anyway.


    It was about a two day journey to the closest entrance of Maya¡¯s village, but I cut that down into an hour of straight sprinting, my body so pumped on rage and adrenaline I hardly noticed the exhaustion in my legs.


    I skidded to a stop only when I recognized the ditch that marked the entrance, sliding for a few meters in the dirt before I finally killed my momentum. With desperate, ragging breaths, I jumped through the illusory portal and popped out on the other side.


    The first thing I registered was the smell. The thick, heavy scent of smoke attacked my nostrils as I looked over the swath of plain that lay between me and the village. Or, what was left of the village.


    Fire tens of meters high raged where the village once was, sending up a plume of dark smoke so thick it looked like a pillar holding up the sky. Tears stung at my eye, though whether it was smoke or emotion that made them spring up, I didn¡¯t know.


    The sight of the village erased any bit of exhaustion that I¡¯d been feeling, and I kicked back into high gear as I raced towards the place. Driven more by feeling than logic, I crossed the plain in seconds, appearing at the crumbling village gate before I knew it.


    The heat of the fire was intense, even for me, but it wasn¡¯t a Flux-powered flame, so mitigating it wasn''t hard. I covered myself in my own flames, and the stinging on my skin was almost instantly replaced by a much more soothing heat.


    Now protected from the fire, I dove in headfirst, crashing through the wooden palisade and flames and coming out on the other side.


    The smoke multiplied in intensity inside the village, stinging my throat with every breath and clouding my vision. I slowed down to a walk now that I was inside, simply taking in the destruction and chaos of the inferno. I remembered the first time I¡¯d been here, how vibrant and full of life the place had been. Every house had been so well maintained, so unique in design and decoration that each family could be identified by their homes. I remembered the celebrations of Maya¡¯s return they¡¯d held, how hospitable the people had been, despite not even knowing that we were the ones who¡¯d brought their princess home.


    Ash and twig crunched under my feet as I walked, cutting through the roar of the flame as I made my way to the center of the village. Embers, like millions of fireflies, danced in the orange glow, going up in a flurry with every collapsing building. I recognized some of the places through the fire, spotting the fallen and burning sign of Uncle Boldy¡¯s famous Goldberry wine shop and restaurant, along with other places that Tampter had pointed out to us that day.


    Worse than the broken buildings, though, were the bodies. There weren¡¯t many of them, thankfully, and none I recognized, but every arm I saw poking through the fire was like a dagger stabbing into my chest, every lifeless body lying on the dirt a kick to my gut.


    I realized, though, that almost all the dead villagers I saw had died before the fire, each of them marked by previous wounds. Most also had weapons clutched in their hands, some proper, some clearly homemade. But the lack of any dead knights told me enough about how their resistance had gone. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Eventually, I found myself at the center of the village, finding the mother of the grove still standing tall and proud amid the destruction. The life force of the tree seemed to be so strong the fire couldn¡¯t burn a single leaf on its branches, much less raze it to the ground. The same, unfortunately, couldn¡¯t be said about the Fiercewater Hall that had once stood by the tree. The once grand hall had already caved in on itself, wrecked beyond recognition. There was not a trace of what had once been such a majestic statement of the Clan¡¯s strength.


    Littered about the clearing with the Hall were more bodies, more than I¡¯d seen on my way combined. But, surprisingly, almost half the bodies on the ground were black armored knights this time ¨C Zayr¡¯s men, undoubtedly. The sight of them gave me a grim sense of satisfaction, the knowledge that Evelyn and her people had taken down some of Zayr¡¯s force with them providing a small comfort. But, more worryingly, I realized there were more dead knights on the ground than I¡¯d known Zayr had brought, which meant I¡¯d underestimated the size of Zayr¡¯s force. I¡¯d only ever seen the boy with a dozen or so guards and only the one A Ranked knight, Dryon, but taking in the sight before me, it seemed like the boy had brought almost a small army with him to Wolfhaven. And given the fact they¡¯d taken down Evelyn, who was most certainly an A Rank, Zayr may have even been hiding another A Rank in his force.


    After ensuring I didn¡¯t recognize any of the dead villagers, I continued on my way, aiming for the central clearing with the Clan founder¡¯s statue.


    It took another minute or two to get there, but I eventually found myself standing at the edge of clearing, the place where, as I¡¯d suspected, it seemed the Fiercewater Clan had staged their last stand. Dozens of fallen men and women covered the ground, again almost an equal number of villagers to knights. But however many of the knights they¡¯d slain, it seemed it hadn¡¯t been enough, for they¡¯d surrendered in the end.


    I stood unmoving in that clearing, in that space that held their last resistance. The garden of death and rot where the proud people of the Fiercewater Clan, under the watchful gaze of their scholarly founder, had finally laid to rest their way of life.


    I looked up at the scorched statue, studying the kind, bespectacled face of a man who¡¯d believed in peace over strength, and felt a calm spread through my chest. It was a noble belief, one I knew I¡¯d never be able to deride, but at that moment, I finally let go of it. No matter where it was, so long as life existed, beauty could not thrive without the strength to defend itself. And if I wanted to make something beautiful out of my life, something like the founder had created, I needed to have the strength to defend it. Or else it would crumble at the hands of the ruthless.


    The sounds of screams brought me out of my rumination. I moved immediately, shocked to think that someone was still alive. The sound seemed to be coming from the other side of the statue, and as I moved around it, I found the source.


    Four Elders, three men and one woman, hung by their feet from the back of the founder¡¯s head. They swung about, screaming as loud as their feeble voices could, their robes hanging loosely about them.


    My mind worked quickly as I took in the sight, and it didn¡¯t take long for me to figure out what had happened. None of the pity I should have felt filled me, my heart going cold instead at the sight of the Elders.


    ¡°You!¡±I yelled up at them, catching their attention. The screaming and sobbing stopped for a moment as they all turned towards me, before it began again in earnest. I smiled darkly, knowing what I must have looked like to them. Covered in my own scarlet flames, they probably thought I was a demon born of the inferno, come to reap their lives.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± I yelled up to them, not bothering to correct their assumption or allay their fears. After all, I couldn''t yet say I wasn¡¯t exactly what they feared I was. ¡°Where are the villagers? Where did they take them?¡±


    A moment of incoherent mumbling followed before one of the Elders finally found his voice. ¡°Leyley¡¯s Auction House!¡± the man yelled down at me. ¡°They said they¡¯d put them up for auction in the city, and Leyley¡¯s is the biggest one, so the villagers are most likely in their warehouse!¡±


    The man¡¯s words sent a cold chill down my spine, confirming what I¡¯d been hoping wasn¡¯t true. Knowing there wasn¡¯t much time left, I turned around and made to leave, but the panicked yells of the Elders stopped me.


    ¡°Wait! Wait! Please, save us! Please!¡± they yelled. ¡°We didn¡¯t mean for things to turn out like this! We swear! We swear on the Forest God!¡±


    I stared at them, feeling nothing but a cold emptiness in my chest. Tampter had long talked about how a faction of the Elders had been wanting to worm their way into the good graces of a certain prince. There was no doubt in my mind the Elders before me were the ones who¡¯d reached out to Zayr, likely behind Evelyn¡¯s back.


    ¡°You all made your bed,¡± I called back to the Elders, turning my back to them. ¡°Now burn in it.¡±

 Chapter 115 – Raiding the Auction House

    The waitress placed a steaming cup of tea on my table, and I thanked her with a nod and a tight-lipped smile. As she left, my gaze slid back to the building across the street, the place I¡¯d been surveilling for the past fifteen minutes: <i>Leyley¡¯s Auction House.  </i>


    It was a high-class place, not the kind of auction house someone like me could simply waltz into. <i>Though I¡¯d love to see them try and stop me today, </i>I thought to myself, barely containing the seething anger within me. But I forced myself to wait. I only had one shot at accomplishing what I wanted, and I wanted to properly work through a plan before I barged in there. Accomplishing everything on my own meant being efficient, and that meant I needed predetermined goals in mind when I made my move.


    <i>Things would be a lot easier if Ren-</i>


    Before I could finish the thought, someone pulled the chair across from me and plopped themselves down on it.


    ¡°Great minds really do think alike, huh?¡± said the boy sitting across from me, a grin splitting his face.


    My eyes snapped to Ren¡¯s face, a small smile already forming on mine. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked in surprise.


    ¡°Same thing you are,¡± Ren answered. ¡°The Tesserpine people told me. Not sure where they got their information, but it seems they¡¯re more capable than we realized. They were already packing up when I found them. They didn¡¯t know Zayr was using them as a bargaining chip, but they¡¯d heard about what happened to the Fiercewater Clan and decided the prince was too much of a loose cannon for them to stay in the same city. They¡¯ll be out of here by nightfall, at the latest.¡±


    I breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good to know. Hopefully they can get out before word gets back to Zayr, but now we¡¯ve done the most we can. Now we just need to worry about what we need to do.¡±


    Ren nodded. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    I turned my gaze back to the opulent building across the street. As I¡¯d been watching, fancy carriages had been arriving one after the other, which I figured meant that an event would be starting soon, or was currently happening.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t have much of a one for myself,¡± I started, a dangerous glint in my eye, ¡°but now that you¡¯re here, I think I might have an idea.¡±


    Ren raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°Goblin Village?¡± he asked, before turning and surveying the auction house again. ¡°Hmm,¡± he said, ¡°I guess it could work. You sure you can handle it, though? I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll have lots of guards right now. They just got quite the shipment, after all.¡±


    A smile crept up on my face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I have no sympathy for these people, and bashing faces in is just what I need right now. Are you<i> </i>sure <i>you</i> can handle it, though? We don¡¯t have a layout of the place, so you¡¯ll have to find them on your own. ¡±


    It was Ren¡¯s turn to be indignant. ¡°Oh, please. Long as you do your job, mine¡¯ll be a walk in the park.¡±


    I grinned at the boy¡¯s confidence. ¡°Well then, sounds like we¡¯ve got ourselves a plan.¡±


    The smile Ren returned was relaxed, but the rage reflected in his glossy eyes told me everything about how he was actually feeling. ¡°Sounds like we do,¡± he echoed simply.


    Leaving a single silver coin on the table along with my unfinished cup, the two of us quickly hopped the low fence separating the open patio from the street, making our way towards the auction house. Ren disappeared into the crowd of the street not long after, vanishing in that special way only he could.


    I let the boy go with a smile, silently wishing him luck on his job while I steeled myself for mine.


    There were a few rows of parked carriages in front of the building''s steps and two guards positioned at the top of the staircase, on either side of the front entrance. But I¡¯d scoped them out from the cafe, and I¡¯d decided that they were placed there more for their appearance than their strength. They were too young and clean to have had any proper experience, so I didn¡¯t count them as a threat at all.


    They started when they saw me begin walking up the stairs ¨C no doubt surprised that I was violating the unwritten rule of no commoners. But they maintained their professionalism ¨C as much of it as they had, anyway ¨C until I showed up before them.


    As I walked up to the doors, they kept their eyes forward, not even sparing me a glance, as if I wasn¡¯t worth their attention, but I could tell by the way their hands tightened around their spears that they were going to stop me the moment I tried for the door.


    My patience had already been ground down into nothing at that point, so instead of seeing the farce through, I simply nipped it in the bud. A swirling ball of fire ignited in my hand as I shoved my palm right in front of one of the boys¡¯ faces. The movement was so sudden and unexpected that neither had the time to react, and by the time they even realized the situation, my fireball was inches away from the boy¡¯s face, the heat no doubt already stinging his cheek.


    ¡°Either of you move,¡± I said, my voice steely as I looked from one boy to the other, ¡°and I burn your face off. Understood?¡±


    The boy I was holding the fireball to swallowed audibly, forehead already slick and shiny with sweat. The two shifted their eyes to look at each other, weighing their options, before finally giving in and nodding slowly.


    I smiled at their answers, satisfied. ¡°Good. And you know what, while you''re at it, just go home now. The two of you do <i>not </i>wanna stick around for the rest of this.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Without waiting to see if they heeded my warning, I kicked open the door and made my way inside.


    Inside was a lobby of some sort, furnished with a lush red carpet and hanging chandeliers, artworks of all kinds and the general air of luxury the rich could never seem to live without.


    I walked in, ignoring the derisive looks thrown my way by the few nobles who milled about. Looking around, I noticed there were four doors, two on each side of the lobby, numbered from one to four by metal symbols above each door. The metal of door number three was glowing a slight golden, and I took that to mean that was where the auction was happening.


    It was about time for me to start doing my job by then, so I kicked the doors open and sauntered inside. The room was a theatre of sorts, dimly lit with descending rows of seats up to the brightly lit stage, atop which a woman in a flowing green dress stood.


    At my loud entrance, murmurs rang out among the crowd, the masked nobles turning to find the source of the disturbance as they whispered. But I heard none of it, saw none of them. My attention was locked completely and utterly on the person at the center of the stage, the main spotlight focused directly on her small form.


    It was Maya, standing tall and proud in the spotlight, her face set in defiant lines. Long flowing white robes draped her entire body, like the robes of an empress. And she looked every bit an empress, expression and all, except for the metal collar around her neck. Connected to the collar was a chain, the other end of it held in the hand of the hostess.


    The sight of the collar on her small body brought up images I¡¯d long buried in my mind, and as the safe I¡¯d built up around those memories cracked, the emotions I hadn¡¯t felt in years bubbled their way back up to the surface. A loud <i>BOOM</i> echoed out in the room, and before I knew it, my hand was on the face of the woman at the podium, my momentum forcing the woman¡¯s skull through the wood of the wall a few meters behind her. My feet still smoked from the explosion I¡¯d set off at the entrance of the theater, my soles so hot the wood of the stage hissed under my feet.


    But I didn¡¯t care for any of it; not for the screams of the nobles, not the guards rushing in to surround the stage. My eyes were locked on Maya¡¯s unbelieving ones, the rage in me rearing its head as I got a close-up look at the girl. They¡¯d dolled her up, make-up whitening her skin and reddening her cheeks, and they¡¯d done a good job of it. Her skin was almost exactly as flawless as a doll¡¯s, but the sight sickened me.


    Ignoring the rest of the world, I wordlessly walked up to the girl and swept her up in my arms. As if she hadn¡¯t quite believed it was real until I hugged her, the little girl finally broke out of her trance and started to sob in my arms, shaking with weakness and exhaustion.


    As the little girl cried, I brought my hand up to the collar around her neck, my Flux-strengthened fingers crushing the metal until it shattered like glass. I patted the girl¡¯s back slowly, my heart aching at the sound of her muffled sobs.


    ¡°Commoner!¡± came the stern voice of the commander of the guards, who¡¯d finally arrived. ¡°You are under arrest for assault and disruption of business! Comply, and you will be granted some leniency in your trial.¡±


    Maya¡¯s sobs calmed down by then, so I pulled back a little and looked down at the girl¡¯s big brown eyes, ignoring the commander''s presence entirely. ¡°Do you know where Mama and the rest are right now?¡±


    The girl nodded.


    I smiled at her. ¡°Great. You think you can get there by yourself?"


    The girl nodded again.


    "Of course you can. Ren should be there by now, so you should run into him on the way. This place is gonna get a little messy soon, and I don''t want you to stick around for it, k?¡±


    The girl nodded again.


    ¡°Alright then, princess,¡± I said, a smile creeping up on my face despite the circumstance, and pushed myself up to my feet. ¡°Go find your mama. I¡¯ve got some business to settle here.¡±


    "What about you?" the girl asked suddenly, finally breaking her silence.


    I grinned at her, brimming with confidence. "Don''t you worry about me, princess. I''ll be just fine. I''m strong, remember?"


    The girl nodded, slower this time, worry still marring her expression. Dropping back into a crouch, I cupped the little girl''s round cheeks and looked her in her big, brown eyes. "Listen to me, princess. I''m here now, so you don''t have to worry about a thing anymore, okay? You and your mama and all your friends are gonna leave this ugly city behind and find yourselves a new home, a <i>better </i>home, even. And then you''re gonna grow up big and strong, and you''re going to protect other people, just like I''m going to  protect you today, okay?"


    The little girl smiled at me, the glow in her eyes brightening as I spoke, and especially so at the last part. But there was something else in her look, something I couldn''t quite identify, but the girl gave me no time to think on it.


    With a sudden, dazzling smile, the girl nodded and pulled back. "Thank you, Ruby," she said softly, meaning every word. Something about the way she said my name felt off, but the girl was gone in a flash, disappearing into the crack the auctioneer''s head had created in the back wall.


    With a lingering smile, and a slight unease, I turned to face the semi-circle of guards that had the stage surrounded, all of their spears pointed at me, their faces stern but hesitant. I smiled to myself, taking in the moment. I didn¡¯t know why the guards were giving me so much time, but I wasn¡¯t complaining. I wanted to savour this moment, to fully experience it. All the rage and frustration of the past had resurfaced in me, except now, I had the strength that I had so desperately wished for back then. And that meant I could finally do what I''d wanted to do all those years ago.


    I breathed in deep, closing my eyes as I faced the confused noble crowd, before breathing out and opening my eyes. In the glare of the spotlight, I gave the people gathered a great big smile, and finally spoke.


    ¡°I will give the lot of you five seconds,¡± I said, my voice echoing in the silent theatre. ¡°After which I will not take the slightest moral responsibility for any damages I may do to any of you. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Are you insane, commoner?!¡± the guard commander yelled at me, sounding panicked. ¡°Do you know who these people are? If you touch a single hair on them, the death penalty will be the best you can hope for!¡±


    <i>Ah, so that¡¯s why he¡¯s holding back, </i>I realized.<i> He doesn¡¯t want to fight if it¡¯ll put the nobles at risk, huh?</i>


    I grinned at the man, ignoring him as I started to count down. ¡°Five¡­¡± I started, staring down the masked nobles, who still hadn¡¯t seemed to understand the situation yet.


    ¡°Four¡­¡±


    Murmurs spread through the crowd like a ripple, some of the more quick-minded ones finally seeming to catch on to the fact that what was happening was not a joke or a part of the event.


    ¡°Three¡­¡±


    A boy from the crowd stood up then, one who I recognized as part of Zayr''s cohort. He jammed a finger in my direction, evidently recognizing me, too. ¡°You damn Mountain Devil!! Do you think this is a joke? Do you know who I am? Or do you think your ties with the Young Prince make you untouchable now? I swear-AHHH!¡±


    A fire bullet in the boy¡¯s shoulder interrupted his tirade, which had already begun to grate on my ears even before he mentioned Zayr¡¯s name.


    ¡°You barbarian!¡± the commander yelled again as he saw what happened. ¡°You¡¯ll regret this, I swear on my life!¡± As he spoke, he leapt up to the stage and rushed at me, spear aiming for my head.


    I grinned as the man approached, the point of his spear less than a meter from my throat.


    ¡°Alright then. Time¡¯s up, I guess.¡±

 Chapter 116 – Chaos in the Theatre

    The guard commander bowled into his men as he flew back, he and two of his men landing on the ground as a jumble of armor and limbs. I stood above them on the stage, flaming pole in hand. I¡¯d pulled the pole out of the rift bag tied to my belt just before the commander had got to me, and the sudden extra reach the weapon gave me caught the man off guard, letting me land a hit before he could.


    ¡°What are you imbeciles doing?!¡± the commander yelled at his men as he struggled to get out of the tangle he and the two other guards had found themselves in. ¡°GET HER!!¡± he shouted again as none of his men moved.


    Jolted into action, the rest of the guards finally caught up to the situation, all of them clambering up onto the stage and rushing at me at once. Glee took hold of me as I watched the men approach, my mind taking a back seat as instinct took over.


    As the spear-wielding men closed in on me, I stepped forward and leapt up, igniting the Flux around my feet to give me enough air time to clear the men in front of me. Soaring over them, I laughed wildly as I brought down my pole directly onto the head of the just-freed commander. Before he even knew what happened, my flaming pole struck the top of his head, knocking him unconscious instantly.


    I landed smoothly on the man¡¯s breastplate, bringing him down to the ground as I crouched above him. Immediately, the two guards on either side of me attacked, but I danced through their jabs without even looking at them. The wealth of experience I had in close combat put me head and shoulders above the guards, and it was almost child''s play to dispatch the both of them.


    Grabbing the spear of the left one, I yanked him in close to me and headbutted him in the helmet as he stumbled forward. His iron helmet was tough, undoubtedly, but my skull was far harder, and the man was sent reeling back while I was left with a small mark on my forehead.


    Immediately whipping around, I parried the other guard¡¯s thrust once again, this time closing in the distance to land a palm in the man¡¯s gut. As my palm collided with the armour of his torso, the explosive pearl I¡¯d prepared detonated, sending the man flying backwards.


    By the time I finished taking care of the three, about three seconds had elapsed since I¡¯d begun. That much time, it seemed, was the perfect amount of time needed for the nobles to realize that they were not going to be protected by the guards. Panicked screams rang out as a sudden stampede began, the nobles pushing and shoving as they scrambled to be the first ones out.


    I wanted to savour the sight of the nobles running like startled animals, but the guards behind me didn¡¯t give me the time. I ducked just as a spear came soaring at the back of my head, my Flux Sense warning me the moment the tip of the spear got close to me. Thanks to it, the blade went sailing over me, burying itself in a seat in the first row.


    I whipped around and zeroed in on the man who¡¯d thrown the spear, giving him a taunting smile. That was about all it took for the men to charge me again, even the man missing his spear. I counted a total of eleven men running at me, and this time, I could tell they were serious. They were all mages, of course, and with the nobles having cleared out of the room, they were no longer hindered by their presence. Having decided that I was a threat to be taken seriously, they all called upon their elements as they ran at me.


    <i>Five ice, three fire, and three earth, </i>I counted, feeling an undaunted excitement rising in my chest. They would be powerful, no doubt, but I was more than confident in my flames, and my experience in the Border Forest. Over the few weeks I¡¯d spent in Wolfhaven, I¡¯d gotten a sense of the general strength scaling of adventurers, and I knew where I stood in it. And the guards weren¡¯t even close.


    Scarlet flame tendrils curled their way along my fingers as I analyzed the coming enemies, my eyes darting across them as I ran through possible paths of attack. By the time the scarlet claws had fully formed, the guards were on me, and I was ready.


    I leapt at the men, dodging around five different thrusts as I closed in on the man in the middle of the charge, an ice mage. My pole struck out like a viper as I got into range, hitting the man twice on his ice shield before the third strike broke through and caught his shoulder. The superheated tip of the pole slipped between the plates of his armor and sizzled against the leather behind it. The man screamed and stumbled backwards, but I had no time to chase after him. Immediately after attacking him, I ducked, letting an icicle whiz by right where my head had been. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    As I did, a flame-covered spear barreled at my back, but I rolled out of the way before it could catch me. Popping up to my feet immediately after, I pushed back into the group and lashed out with my pole. Sticking myself in the middle of the group was dangerous, I knew, but it reduced the advantage  their superior numbers gave them, because only the ones close to me could attack without accidentally hurting their own. That lowered the attacks I had to worry about to about three at a time ¨C and that was much more manageable than eleven.


    My body was a blur as I danced between the guards, always sticking up close to at least one of them. Orange flashes lit up the space as flame trailed after my movements, clashing with ice and dirt and more flame. The guards were more skilled than I¡¯d given them credit for, but I was still better. Even as reinforcements eventually began to pour in from the doors to either side of the stage, I remained unscathed, becoming an almost thoughtless beast of flame and terror that moved from one target to the next without rest.


    The guards tried all sorts of tricks to capture me, from ice cages to Artes meant for restricting and slowing movement within a space. But no matter what they tried, I broke through with simpleminded ferocity. Within thirty minutes, the theatre had been reduced to an unrecognizable mess. Not a single seat remained, nor the stage. I, on the other hand, was still completely untouched, a tornado of flame  constantly spinning around me as I fought.


    Still, as much as I was dominating the fight, it became apparent that it was not trending towards my victory. There seemed to be an inexhaustible source of guards somewhere outside the theatre, because since the first batch of reinforcements, there hadn¡¯t been a span of five minutes before another arrived. And since some stubborn part of me still refused to let me kill people, I wasn¡¯t thinning out their ever-increasing numbers very well.


    Of course, there wasn¡¯t a scrap of pity within me for any of the men ¨C they were facilitating a practice I despised more than anything in the universe ¨C but still, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to take that last step. That didn¡¯t mean, though, that I was holding back much. Any man who stepped within a meter of me would leave with some kind of life-threatening injury, without fail. My hands were slick with the blood of the men I¡¯d clawed, and those who had been spared the claws suffered intense burns all over their bodies by the time I was done with them.


    Still, the guards had a batch of battle healers present, so the men I knocked down were usually back up within a matter of minutes, but I didn¡¯t mind much. It only meant that they were up for another round of torture, and I didn¡¯t mind dishing out the pain they¡¯d no doubt inflicted on so many others.


    It was at the forty-five-minute mark, though, that things took a drastic turn. I was dealing with a particularly durable earth mage, who was already bleeding from three different places where my claws had torn gashes across his skin. But the man fought on like he couldn¡¯t feel the pain, chasing after me with his giant stone hammer even when I tried to disengage and move on.


    I was crouched in front of him at the moment, poised to strike while he attempted to bring his massive hammer on top of my head, when all of a sudden, a flash of white light zipped through the room, striking the man directly on the side of his head. The man dropped to the ground immediately, dead before he hit the ground. The dark hilt of a dagger stuck out from the side of his head, the blade buried entirely in the man¡¯s skull.


    The brutal efficiency of the kill shocked me still for a moment. To throw a dagger with enough force to bury the entire length of the blade in someone¡¯s skull, especially from a whole room away, was not an easy feat. Beyond the pure show of strength that it was, it demonstrated absolutely no hesitation for killing someone ¨C something I could not yet even fathom.


    The only person I knew who fit that description walked into the room at that moment, immediately stealing the attention of every person in the room. Although Ren rarely preferred to be the center of attention, today, it was impossible for him not to be. The terrifying air that oozed off of him was suffocating, so lethal and bloodthirsty my body subconsciously reacted like it would facing a predator.


    While the guards watched, frozen to their spots, Ren¡¯s figure blurred slightly before he appeared in front of the closest man to him. Ren¡¯s black blade flashed out before the man could even react, impaling the man through the throat and killing him instantly.


    Ren freed his blade with a kick to the man¡¯s chest, turning his closed eyes to face the rest of the room. That finally kicked the men back into action, all the ones closest to me rushing at me again while the rest began to attack Ren.


    But where I¡¯d shown mercy, Ren had none to give. He moved like a wraith, blade flashing as he bounced from one body to the next, not even giving the men time to gang up on him.


    Understanding that something had gone wrong, I kicked up things a notch too, and called down a much larger tornado of flames around me, dousing all the men near me in bright orange flames. Screams rang out  as I dashed through the encirclement the guards had set up, grabbing the boy''s dagger before making my way to him,  knocking out anyone in the way as I did.


    We met in the middle of the hall, Ren splattered all over in scarlet, behind him a bloodbath, and I trailing dying flames, an inferno burning behind.


    ¡°Zayr''s men swung by,¡± Ren said by way of greeting, his grim face and words dropping a stone of dread in the pit of my stomach. ¡°It¡¯s not good. Let¡¯s go.¡± With those simple words, the boy turned back around and made to leave the room. I followed after him, picking my way through the dozen and some dead bodies Ren had left in his wake, a gnawing sense of foreboding growing in my gut with every step.

 Chapter 117 - A Promise

    The walk down the long, dark hallway Ren led me down was excruciatingly slow. My heart had leapt to my throat at some point, and seemed to be climbing with every second that ticked by. I did my best to stop my brain from racing down that familiar path of worst cases, but there was little I could do about that sixth sense that cried out impending tragedy, that warned me of something terribly wrong waiting for me wherever Ren was taking me.


    Eventually, though, and altogether too soon, Ren stopped walking and motioned for me to stop as well. Gently, he opened the door to our left, with only the slightest tremble in his fingers. Inside, I saw gathered what was likely all that was left of the Fiercewater Clan. They were arranged kneeling in a dense circle, each of their haggard faces downcast, their eyes shut in obvious grief.


    Tasting bile in my throat, I stepped into the room and forced myself to get closer to the circle. Unwilling and yet unblinking, my eyes travelled to the center of the gathered group, finding in the middle of all the clansmen a kneeling Evelyn. Cradled in her hands was an unnaturally limp and small body, covered entirely in fancy robes stained with a deep scarlet.


    I recognized the robes immediately, having hugged a little girl wearing robes of the exact same design only an hour earlier. Having promised her safety then, a life free of the danger she¡¯d faced far too much of already. Having promised her a happily ever after that I¡¯d known, even then, was a promise I¡¯d likely not be able to deliver on.


    I just hadn¡¯t expected to fail to deliver so spectacularly, nor so soon.


    Evelyn looked up at me then, her watery brown eyes holding a glimmer of the same light I¡¯d seen in Maya¡¯s more times than I could count.


    ¡°Ruby¡­¡± she started, her voice laden with an uncountable grief. ¡°Ruby, they¡­they¡­¡±


    My body trembled as I stifled the emotion rising within me, forcefully cooling my boiling blood. ¡°Can she be Revived?¡± I asked, my voice small, barely above a whisper, but it rippled in the silence of the room like a pebble dropped in a pond.


    ¡°No,¡± came an answer from another clansman ¨C an Elder, judging by the man¡¯s age and the poise that had yet to leave his bearing. ¡°She hadn¡¯t yet formed her Flux Core, so she cannot be brought back with a Life Revive.¡±


    My eyes snapped to the man, the fog in them clearing a little as I read into the man¡¯s words. ¡°But there¡¯s another way?¡± I asked, feeling like I was just barely keeping my head above the swirling emotions that threatened to sweep me away.


    The man didn¡¯t respond, looking instead back at Evelyn. His answer was obvious, so my gaze shifted back to her too, waiting for her to respond.


    Evelyn stayed silent, long enough that I thought she simply wasn¡¯t going to answer, but she eventually opened her mouth. ¡°She¡¯s special, you know? Or¡­was. She could see things, things the rest of us couldn¡¯t. It was a gift, a gift from the Forest God.¡± Her words were slow, measured, laboured. ¡°Maybe this was just fate. Maybe she was never meant to come back from the forest that day. Maybe the weeks I got to spend with her afterwards were another gift from the Forest God, one that was never meant to last.¡±


    ¡°Evelyn, please. Just tell me, can she be brought back?¡± I pleaded, the talk of fate grating on me. I¡¯d had just about enough of mysterious ¡®fate¡¯ messing things up for me. Fate was just a label people put on things they couldn¡¯t control, but that didn¡¯t mean it was an untouchable, omnipotent entity beyond reach. If things were out of my control, it just meant that I was still too weak to change them. It just meant I had to get stronger.


    ¡°There¡¯s one other way,¡± Evelyn spoke finally, ¡°that I know of, but the Clan is far too weak to even dream of getting its hands on a treasure of that calibre. There¡¯s nothing we can do, Ruby.¡± The defeat in her voice cut me hard, her tone horribly reminiscent of Ocean¡¯s back then.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing you have to do, Evelyn,¡± I assured the woman, speaking over the rising tide of emotion within me. ¡°<i>I </i>will handle it<i>.</i>¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t possibly ask that-¡± the woman started.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t asking anything of me, Evelyn,¡± I cut in, unable to control the slight tremble in my voice. ¡°I made a promise, a promise to her, and I¡¯ll make the same promise to you. I will give you the ending you deserve, I <i>will. </i>What use is my endless pursuit of strength, Evelyn, if I can¡¯t use it to protect the people I care about?¡±


    Evelyn had no response for me, and the silence hung for a moment before I spoke again. ¡°Please, Evelyn. Please, just tell me.¡±


    Evelyn sighed heavily, turning to look at me with emotion so potent brimming in her eyes I could hardly put a name to it. ¡°The Elixir Lotus,¡± she said softly. ¡°If it¡¯s combined with a Life-Elixir pool, it¡¯ll make the only treasure I know of that can accomplish it. But the Lotus is a treasure even the greatest forces on the continent hold in high regard. It won¡¯t be simple getting your hands on one.¡±


    I smiled tightly at the woman, determination brimming in my eyes. Her words were a rope, a glimmer of hope in the darkness settling over me, and I latched onto it like I was drowning. I had to, for the sake of my own sanity. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the how, Evelyn. You worry about keeping yourself and your people safe, and wait for me. Leave the rest to me.¡± With a forced breath out, I pushed myself up to my feet, my eyes unerringly glued to the bundle of robes in Evelyn''s hands.


    ¡°The city¡¯s gonna get pretty chaotic soon,¡± I started again after a moment, my eyes finally peeling themselves away from Maya. ¡°No one should come looking for you anyway, but I¡¯ll make sure of it. Go, Evelyn. Go and find a place to flourish again. I¡¯ll find you when I¡¯m ready.¡±


    With those words of goodbye, I walked out of the room, not wanting to spend another moment in there. I feared if I did, I¡¯d drop to the ground weeping, and I could not have that happen. If I cried for Maya¡¯s death, it would mean accepting that she was gone. And I didn¡¯t accept that. I <i>wouldn¡¯t. </i>


    Ren followed a step behind me as I walked back the way I came, but I barely registered his presence. The labyrinthine jumble of emotion within me had taken over my senses, and yet all I could feel was uncomfortable. There was sadness in me somewhere, swirling in with all the regret and self-blame, the despair and the rage. But the sum of everything was only a deep-seated discomfort, and I hated the feeling. So I stopped. Stopped walking, stopped thinking, and simply stood for a moment, letting that potent discomfort run through me, <i>feeling </i>every bit of it, before silencing it entirely. All those emotions were useless to me; I had a goal now, and they would be nothing but a hindrance to achieving it.  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    When I opened my eyes again, they were calm, the fire in them cooled. Nothing remained in my head but my goal; all else was locked up and stored away. Ultimately, there was getting my hands on an Elixir Lotux, one way or another ¨C but first, there was vengeance.


    I blew out a long breath, feeling that cold calm permeate my body, and turned to Ren.


    I opened my mouth to speak, but Ren, reading my mind, put up a hand and stopped me. ¡°Don''t insult me, Ruby, nor my integrity. I gave you my word, and a little danger is not going to make me go back on it. Do what you need to do, Red; I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±


    I was caught off guard by the boy¡¯s words, my voice stolen by the weight of the gratitude I felt. I stared into the boy''s glossy eyes for a long moment, before finally sighing, a small smile forming on my face. "Thank you," I said simply, knowing that there were no more suitable words to capture what I felt.


    The boy, unsurprisingly, waved off my gratitude. ¡°Just doing my job, boss. No need for thanks. Now, come on, we¡¯ve got things to do, people to burn.¡±


    I nodded, calming myself again. With Ren at my side, I was far more confident in my ability to accomplish what I had in mind.


    <hr>


    Zayr¡¯s banquet was being held at the most important building in the city, the Mayoral Hall. The city lord himself had given up his seat to the boy for the three days, even though the man was an A Rank adventurer.


    Ren and I found the place quite easily, since it was directly in the center of the town, but also because of the incredibly long line that snaked through multiple streets, beginning at the grand entrance of the hall. It seemed Zayr had invited anyone with even the slightest influence to celebrate his birthday, which I found strange, considering how little Zayr thought of them all. But I didn¡¯t give it much thought; egomaniacs were unpredictable, after all.


    After leaving the auction hall through the back entrance Ren used to get in, the two of us had made our way to the roof of the mansion directly across from the banquet hall ¨C which hadn¡¯t been difficult to get to, since it and practically every other house in the central areas was deserted. From the roof, we watched as carriage after carriage made its way through the grand stone arch at the entrance of the Hall¡¯s courtyard.


    ¡°Looks like the event hasn¡¯t started yet,¡± I said, watching the nobles stepping out of their carriages one by one.


    ¡°The official event will  start at dinnertime, which means there''s probably a few hours still,¡± Ren answered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can wait that long. The guards at the auction house will probably start rounding up all their escaped slaves soon, which means we need to start soon.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, what is your plan?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I mean, revenge is one thing, but how are you planning on making enough of a commotion to affect the auction house guards?¡±


    I smiled at the boy. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you noticed, but quite a few of the guards at the auction house were city guards. I¡¯m guessing the city lord has some link with the place, and since the auction house will be low on people right now, the city guards are probably gonna make up most of the manpower when it comes to rounding up the escapees.¡±


    Ren nodded. ¡°Makes sense, but how does that relate to this?¡±


    I grinned. ¡°I plan on giving the city lord a bigger problem to worry about.¡±


    Ren raised an eyebrow. ¡°Meaning?¡±


    An evil laugh bubbled out of me. ¡°Well, the part of town we¡¯re in right now is probably where most of the city¡¯s elite live, right?¡± As I spoke, I waved my hand around, gesturing broadly to the many mansions and fancy houses that surrounded us. ¡°And given the people I saw attending the auction, I¡¯m willing to bet most of them live somewhere here. I¡¯d bet some of them were there to buy something for the banquet, even.¡± I breathed out then, levelling a gaze at Ren. ¡°All that¡¯s to say, I¡¯ve got no sympathy left for these people. So I¡¯m gonna do what I do best. I¡¯m gonna burn this place down.¡±


    <hr>


    Half an hour after most of Zayr¡¯s guests had disappeared into the hall, I was doing exactly that. Already on my fourth house, I kicked down the fancy white doors and made my way inside, my footsteps trailing small bonfires on the carpet. After a quick sweep of the house, I directed all the maids and kitchen staff out of the house and dealt with the minimal security the owners had left behind, before igniting as much of the Flux in the house as I could handle. The explosion of heat instantly incinerated the first floor, and the upper ones collapsed in on themselves not long after.


    I felt nothing  but the smallest twinge of satisfaction at the sight. Under more normal circumstances, I knew the rush I''d feel would be immense, especially considering the enormity of what I was doing, but at the moment, there was nothing on my mind save for my goal.


    Wanting to move on, I ordered the small group of huddled and terrified staff to make their way out of the inner area of the city, before making my way to the next house. The city lord would get word of my actions soon, I knew, and I wanted to do as much damage as I could before the guards arrived to try and control the infernos. Already my flames were spreading, each one spaced as far apart as I could get them to ensure they made as much trouble as possible.


    I¡¯d sent Ren to secretly watch over the Fiercewater Clan while I did my business, so their safety was taken care of for the moment. Evelyn was powerful, of course ¨C more so than Ren, even ¨C but she was still under the effects of the Flux-draining cuffs she¡¯d been bound in, so I wanted to ensure they didn¡¯t run into any trouble and make my work pointless.


    It took about an hour, but word finally seemed to get to the city lord. And, surprisingly, the man decided to take care of the problem himself. I was on my eighth fire when I realized. The biggest of my fires, the third one, had suddenly died, far too quickly for it to be natural. Running through the deserted streets, I made my way to the place of my third fire and found only smoldering embers and small fires remaining. A group of five armored guards were taking care of them with water spells, while in the center of the scorched destruction I¡¯d caused stood a tall man with flowing black hair tied up in a ponytail. He wore an elegant white suit, with some fancy alterations made to it that I¡¯d never seen before.


    The man himself, though, seemed to be absolutely seething with rage. I smiled to myself as I watched him curse and yell against the air, berating his men while they worked frantically. I could understand his rage, though. Even if the man could immediately put an end to my fires, the damage they¡¯d already done would be a headache he was going to be dealing with for weeks to come.


    Soon enough, the guards had put an end to the fire and began to move on to the next fire, where other city guards had likely already begun damage control efforts. I followed just behind them, ensuring I stayed out of the city lord¡¯s range of detection. The man was powerful, I could tell, certainly deserving of an A Rank, but I wasn¡¯t scared of him at all. I may have lost to the A Rank dummy, but that was only because it wasn¡¯t human. I was certain that, against a human of similar rank, I would have been able to come out on top. It wouldn¡¯t be easy for me, but I was more than confident in my ability to outlast any A Rank when it came to a contest of pain endurance.


    Thinking up to that point, an idea suddenly struck. As I followed the men, I called up my stat board again and navigated to the <i>Chats </i>tab. There was only one name available on the tab, sitting just under the search field. With a smile, I selected the name and waited a moment, wondering what would happen.


    There was silence for a moment, the screen only displaying the message ¡®<i>Connecting¡­¡¯</i>, until the line finally connected and Ren¡¯s comically confused voice sounded out in my head.


    ¡°...Ruby?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°Yup, it¡¯s me,¡± I responded in my head, not even needing to verbalize the message.


    ¡°Ha, this is cool,¡± Ren said, rightfully marveling at the abilities of the Nexus Chip.


    But I was hardly in the mood to think about the chip. ¡°You busy right now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± came Ren¡¯s reply. ¡°Had to deal with a couple guys who escaped Evelyn and were about to bring backup, but it¡¯s been a while since anyone¡¯s found them. They¡¯re almost to the edge of  town now.¡±


    I nodded to myself. ¡°Good. I had another idea.¡±


    I could practically feel Ren¡¯s grin on the other side, even though I couldn¡¯t see him. ¡°Ooh, I do love your ideas, Ruby. Let''s hear it.¡±


    ¡°You know how the city lord is an A Rank, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh¡­¡±


    ¡°And if we get into a fight with Zayr, he¡¯s probably gonna be a hassle to deal with, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s out right now, trying to deal with my fires, and he doesn¡¯t have a lot of manpower with him.¡±


    ¡°So what do you wanna do about it?¡± Ren asked, as if he couldn¡¯t quite believe I was suggesting what I was.


    I breathed out, steeling my voice. ¡°Let¡¯s kill him.¡±

 Chapter 118 – The City Lord

    My heart was surprisingly calm as the man I was stalking sped through an alleyway, despite knowing he was only a few turns away from where Ren lay in wait. I had thought the first time I¡¯d decide to kill someone, I would be a little more apprehensive about it, that I would have to fight with myself over it. But today I felt nothing, <i>had</i> felt nothing since I¡¯d seen Maya¡¯s body in those cursed robes.


    The city lord was accompanied by only five men, having left the rest to deal with the remnants of the fire. They were efficient, I had to admit. The city lord would deal with the bulk of the inferno with a single water Arte, powerful enough to handle my fire in seconds, and then leave the rest for his men to handle while he made his way over to the next one. Still, efficient as he was, things were not looking good for him. Currently, he was on his way to the fourth fire, but with four more still raging strong in other parts of the district, there was a constant, growing panic in his movements.


    And because of that panic, the city lord was too distracted to notice Ren hiding. As he sped past the nook Ren was waiting in, the boy leapt out of his place, his figure a blur as he crossed the path of the man. Ren  timed everything perfectly, as I¡¯d come to expect of him, but the city lord was still an A Rank mage, after all. Although Ren¡¯s dagger was positioned perfectly to glide across the man¡¯s throat as he ran, the city lord managed to lean back just enough to save his life.


    Still, Ren was who he was, too, so he redirected his dagger slightly downward as he moved past the man, cutting a deep gash in a curve down his torso. The man had no armor on, since he¡¯d come straight from the banquet, and his fancy silk suit offered him no protection against Ren¡¯s dagger, even with his Flux-hardened skin.


    As Ren landed on the other side of the street, all six men turned to face him with some mixture of fear and apprehension. After all, with his dark midnight blue get-up of light armor and the hood and half cape, Ren cut quite a terrifying picture for the men.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡± the foremost guard asked, pointing a spear with flame tendrils spiralling around it at the boy. ¡°Do you know who you¡¯ve just attacked?!¡±


    Ren just grinned at the man, confusing them for a moment before I finally made my appearance, attacking the two guards in the back with my pole. The one to the left I simply bashed in the side of the head with the butt of my pole, knocking him out instantly. In almost the same movement, I placed the tip of my pole against the helmet of the man on the right, igniting the Flux there before he could react. The explosion sent the man flying a couple of meters to the side, not dead but certainly out of the fight.


    All that happened within the span of a single second, and while the men gathered were busy registering my attack, Ren leapt forward and stuck his blade through the neck of the guard in front of him, instantly killing the man who¡¯d questioned him.


    It was by then that the city lord¡¯s brain finally caught up with everything that was happening. Understanding that he was under attack, the man lashed out like only an A Rank mage could. With a sweep of his arm, he summoned dozens of ice spikes from the ground, each of them long and thick enough to kill a bear. They jutted out from the cobblestone at every angle, making for a deadly obstacle course in the middle of the street, but Ren danced his way through them as they came, moving with that signature grace of his. His agility showed itself as he maneuvered his way backwards, the giant icicles constantly sprouting at his feet.


    As Ren moved too far out of range to be a threat for the moment, the city lord whirled around and dashed at me instead, forming an ice machete sword in his hands as he swung down at my head.


    A Ranked mages were forces to be reckoned with, each of them a powerhouse in whatever city they were in, but I was undaunted as I faced my first. Given my experience with the A Rank dummy, I was confident I could take one down with enough time. Especially now, when the man had a bloody gash running down his torso.


    With that same frozen calm in my eyes, I called upon the Flux around me and met the man¡¯s blow with my own, my flaming pole striking his ice sword with a bang. The force of our collision cracked the stone beneath us, but I held strong, not losing an inch against the man¡¯s overbearing force, even though my palm felt numbed.


    A moment later, the man backed off and swung again, from the left this time. I parried the blow almost subconsciously and struck back, though the man dodged out of reach before I could hit him. He came at me again, going for the head this time, but I ducked under his swipe and sidestepped the next one. I was in my element by that point, utterly unfettered by thought or emotion. My body moved like a machine, not missing a single step in the deadly dance the man and I quickly found ourselves in. We exchanged dozens of blows in moments, my years of experience showing itself as I weaved through almost every one of his attacks, blocking only what I had to.


    Neither of us gave the other more than a meter of distance, both of us staying close in hopes of ending the fight as quickly as possible. Eventually, though, the man realized I wasn¡¯t going to be dealt with so easily and stepped back, getting just barely out of range of my jab. Before I could even regain my balance, he aimed a finger at my forehead and fired off an icicle. The small but deadly sharp piece of ice shot at me faster than a bullet, giving me almost no time to react. But, fortunately for me, instinct kicked in and I ducked, dodging the icicle by a hair.


    But the city lord was not the only one who could make bullets. As I dropped into my crouch, I fired off my own flame bullet, the process so beaten into my brain it was done with barely half a thought.


    The city lord was no amateur either, though. He kicked off the ground in the half-second he had, pushing himself over the bullet as he completed a graceful backflip. He landed a few meters away, effectively disengaging for the moment. He took the time to study me from afar, a newfound interest in his eyes.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the man asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of any assassin group with talents like you. A mage as young as you are, able to go up against an A Rank? It would be impossible to keep something like that hidden. Unless¡­are you from the Redwing Guild?¡±


    My face was perfectly blank as I answered, only a single thought running through my head. ¡°Who I am is not important,¡± I answered. Normally, I¡¯d be more inclined to have a little fun, especially when I was up against such a tough opponent, but today, in a fight where I intended to kill someone for the first time in a long, long time, I was not in the mood to mess around.


    The man shrugged at my answer. ¡°Very well then. I suppose I¡¯ll simply have to extract the answer from you afterwards.¡± With that, he rushed at me again, this time summoning a thin kite shield to his other hand as he came.


    Scarlet flame leapt to life around my fingers as I formed my claws, shifting into my stance as I prepared to meet the man¡¯s charge. But, just a second before the man reached me, I felt a strange movement in the Flux behind me. I didn¡¯t know what it meant, but I didn¡¯t have the time to check, so I simply ducked and rolled out of the way. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    And not a second too soon, I realized as I shot back up to my feet. An ice statue had formed behind me, the glowing lines of the Arte that created it still under its feet. The thing¡¯s blade had come down on the space I¡¯d occupied just a second after I¡¯d left it, and judging by the strength it swung with, the blow would not have been one I¡¯d have been able to simply walk off. The thing shattered immediately after, though, clearly not meant to be a long-lasting spell.


    <i>These damn Artes¡­! </i>I cursed to myself as I rushed at the man. Having had access to the Nexus Chips for their entire lives meant that most mages of this world had built up a repertoire of Artes and incorporated it into their fighting styles, while I¡¯d only had access to one, and it was one I could use only sparingly.


    Still, excuses weren¡¯t going to help me beat the man, so I put the matter out of my head as the fight began again.


    I rushed the man as quickly as I could, hoping to lock him in a fight before he could cast more Artes. But, before I could reach him, the man cast another two Artes almost simultaneously. I ran at him as his brows furrowed in concentration, his brain no doubt racing as it maneuvered through the complex processes of casting, but the man succeeded moments before I reached him.


    The ground glowed slightly as a paper-thin layer of ice suddenly spread over the stone, starting from his feet and reaching mine within moments. Before I could stop myself, my foot landed on the almost transparent ice, finding no traction to support my speed.


    As my foot flew out from under me, my momentum carried me forward still, sending me on my way to the ground. As I fell, the man¡¯s second Arte appeared at my side, the glowing runes drawing themselves on air. I didn¡¯t know what the Arte was going to do, but I was sure I didn''t want to be in its way to find out.


    In the face of the danger, though, the calm in my mind was unperturbed, and the lack of panic allowed me to think through the situation clearly. With half a thought, the Flux at my feet ignited, propelling me forward as I fell. I leapt at the man, dropping my pole as I stretched out my claws at him. By the time the man''s second Arte had drawn itself out, the scarlet flame around my fingers had already sunk into the man¡¯s sides, my momentum carrying the both of us crashing down to the ground.


    I rolled off the man as we hit the ground, blood splashing as my claws tore out of the man¡¯s skin. I was back up in seconds, as was the man, and neither of us wasted a moment before clashing again. Having lost my pole, I was at a disadvantage in any kind of ranged fight, so I closed in as much as I could.


    The man slashed down at me as I came, but I sidestepped and lunged at his face. Speed was of the essence in this fight, I knew, and things were already dragging on too long. The longer the fight took, the worse the odds of accomplishing my goal would get. I knew I¡¯d be able to handle the man on my own eventually; the important part was doing it quickly and quietly.


    Fortunately for me, I had Ren.


    As the man leaned back and away from my claws, Ren¡¯s voice whispered in my head, speaking through the call that we were still on.


    ¡°Ruby, catch,¡± was all he said, but I figured out what he meant a moment later.


    The city lord, suddenly sensing something behind him, bent his head to the side as fast as he could, and not a moment too soon. Right behind his head was the tip of Ren¡¯s flying dagger, shooting at me with incredible speed.


    My eyes narrowed as time slowed, my brain kicking into a higher gear in the face of the sudden danger. The dagger blew past the man¡¯s ear and was headed straight for my forehead, but I tilted my head just in time. My outstretched hand swung back in an instant, catching the handle of the dagger just as the blade passed over my shoulder.


    At the range we were at, coupled with the incredible speed at which everything happened, there was nothing the man in front of me could have done. I swung the blade down in a diagonal arc, crossing through the man¡¯s chest again, marking a bloody X on his torso.


    The man screamed and stumbled backwards, but Ren and I weren¡¯t done with him yet. I threw the dagger at the man with all the force I could muster in the short moment, the silver of the blade a glint in the air as it sped across the space. The man, though stunned in pain, lived up to his rank and stumbled to the side just in time. Or, almost in time. The blade cut through the man''s side as he dodged, wrenching out another pained yell from the man.


    But his misfortunes weren''t over yet.


    Waiting on the other side was Ren, who¡¯d only just gotten there. But the boy¡¯s reaction speed was fast enough to catch the blade before it struck him, as I''d expected. Before the city lord could even fall to the ground, Ren caught him from behind, sliding his blade through his back and straight into his heart.


    With a slight push from Ren, the man fell forward to his knees, but, as a testament to his grit, he did not fall further, the last vestiges of his vitality keeping himself up.


    The man¡¯s dying eyes held a powerful hatred in them as they met mine. ¡°I¡­ remember now,¡± he forced out, his voice gravelly and rough. ¡°You¡¯re that damn Mountain Devil, aren¡¯t you? The one-¡± the man hacked a cough, blood splashing out of his mouth, ¡°the one his Highness claimed. I was going to threaten revenge, but I¡¯m sure whatever that sick boy has planned for you will be worse.¡± He attempted a raspy chuckle, sick and evil sounding, but it ended in another bloody cough. ¡°But mark my words, you damn Devil, I will have my revenge. I don¡¯t care what I have to give up, what deal I have to make, I remember your face, and when I come back, I will-¡±


    Ren snapped the man¡¯s neck then, abruptly cutting off the man¡¯s tirade. His lifeless body slumped down to the ground, leaking blood onto the stone of the street.


    ¡°Well, that was enough of that,¡± Ren said simply, wiping off the blood on his hands and blade with a scrap of the man¡¯s suit fabric.


    I stared at the man¡¯s body, unable to respond as I waited to feel something. The man¡¯s death marked the second time I¡¯d ever decided to kill someone ¨C and succeeded in doing so, even if I hadn¡¯t quite been the one to land the final blow.


    And yet, as I stood over his lifeless husk, I felt absolutely nothing but that cold numbness that had taken hold of my body. It was nothing at all like the first time. That day had been a nightmare, one that I didn¡¯t really want to relive ever again, but I remembered vividly the emotions that coursed through me after the act. I¡¯d felt every bit of it, every emotion potent and clear. Today, I just felt hollow.


    A moment later, though, I did suddenly feel something. But it wasn''t an emotion ¨C it was Flux. A sudden torrent of the energy poured into my body, like water rushing out of a broken dam. I could feel the potent warmth filling my body, patching up the small wounds I¡¯d received over the day, nourishing and strengthening every cell in my body before topping up my Flux reserve with whatever was left. It was a wonderful feeling, like a Revive without the pain. What I didn¡¯t understand, however, was where the Flux was coming from. The only comparable feeling I could think of was  draining a red Flux Core, but this was greater even than that.


    Ren, noticing my confusion, smiled at me. ¡°Oh, you feel it too?¡± he asked.


    I looked up at him and nodded. ¡°What is it?¡±


    The boy shrugged. ¡°Not too sure, honestly. Just know that ever since my chip got synchronized, it''s happened every time after I kill someone. Though, it¡¯s never been this much before. I guess it depends on the person you kill.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡± I looked back at the dead man at my feet, wanting to check one last time if I would feel anything, but still, nothing sparked in my chest


    Heaving a sigh, I turned my gaze back to the boy. ¡°Well then,¡± I said, ¡°guess I don¡¯t mind killing people now. I¡¯m officially a murderer.¡±


    Ren grinned at me, nudging me with an elbow. ¡°Technically, not yet. Pretty sure I finished it.¡±


    I shook my head in disbelief at the boy, not quite so far gone yet to joke around about it, before turning to look in the direction of the banquet hall. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m not yet,¡± I said finally, determination flaring in my eyes, ¡°I¡¯m sure I will be before sunset.¡± Now that I was sure no naive instinct would kick in to stop me from doing what I needed to do, I was all the more confident in achieving my goal today.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going then, shall we?¡± Ren said, still smiling as he started to make his way over to where he¡¯d abandoned his sword in the chest of a guard. ¡°The city guards should be able to curb the fires a little, but we want to make sure we get to the banquet before they shut things down, if they do decide to.¡±


    I nodded, following after him and picking up my pole. ¡°The Tesserpine people probably haven¡¯t left yet, and if the banquet gets shut down, I¡¯d be willing to bet Zayr will go after them in retaliation. We should get there as soon as possible.¡±


    With that, the two of us quietly slipped away, leaving behind a ruined street and the assassinated body of Wolfhaven''s mayor, headed at last to the banquet, where Zayr''s trap undoubtedly lay in wait.

 Chapter 119 – The Banquet

    I turned to Ren as we approached the door of the hall, the grand doors stretching up high above us. Behind us lay the dead or unconscious bodies of the guards, all of which had been dealt with fast enough to ensure  they couldn¡¯t get a message to the people inside.


    Ren turned to me, too, as we stopped, his arms crossed and an impatient expression on his face. But I was undeterred; this was an important moment, and I wanted to make it clear.


    ¡°Ren, behind these doors is by far the most dangerous enemy we¡¯ve ever faced. As it is, you don¡¯t have much of a target on you, but you will the moment you go through with this." I breathed out deeply, levelling the boy with a serious look. "Are you sure you want to do this?¡±


    Ren, his face serious for once, nodded at me. ¡°Ruby, this bastard killed Maya. For that alone, I would kill him, even if you didn¡¯t want to. But beyond that, my loyalty is not contingent on the danger you face. I stated one condition, and one condition only, when I joined you, and so far, you¡¯ve fulfilled it wonderfully. I meant what I said at the auction house, Ruby. For this, and for whatever happens after this, just focus on doing what you want to do. I¡¯ll have your back the whole way." The boy broke into a sudden grin then. "Now come on,¡± he said, nodding at the door, ¡°we¡¯ve got a birthday party to crash.¡±


    I smiled at the boy, feeling the first spark of warmth in me since I¡¯d laid eyes on Maya¡¯s dead body. ¡°You¡¯re a good man, Ren,¡± I said, meaning every word, before turning to the door. ¡°Now, step back a little, please.¡±


    Ren grinned and obliged. I closed my eyes and breathed out, focusing myself as I gathered all the Flux I could manage. The waves of Flux were so dense I could feel them brushing against my skin, swirling around my fist as I prepared to punch the door.


    My eyes opened just as deep scarlet flames leapt to life around my fist. With a huff, I let loose the most powerful punch I could, forcing the Flux I¡¯d gathered to rush out as I did.


    The door shattered under the force of the punch, the pressure of the Flux rending the thick wood before the flames could even reach it. The flames travelled through as a stream of scorching heat, an eye-catching display of scarlet fire lighting up the luxurious ballroom.


    Panicked shouts rang out as the bedazzled guests scurried away from the door.  I stepped into the room behind them, hands in my pockets as I studied the room. The hall was about as fancy as I¡¯d expected it to be, with an absolutely massive chandelier hanging from the center of the domed ceiling. Everything that could be gilded was, and what couldn¡¯t was decorated to the max to compensate. Round tables were set up sporadically around the room, around which the guests had been talking and drinking.


    But all of that was standard, so I noticed little of it. What my eyes snagged on immediately was the boy tied to the wall on the left, and the sight made me feel sick. The boy¡¯s limbs were spread apart on the wall, his wrists and ankles bound in thick cuffs attached to iron chains. His head was lowered, his hair hanging around his face like a curtain. He wore simple cotton clothes, but they were ripped and tattered, like he¡¯d been in a fight not long ago. Blood stained the wall he was bound to, though it seemed all his wounds had scabbed over somewhat already.


    My breath hitched as I took in the poor state of the boy, but I forced my face to remain neutral as I swept my gaze over the rest of the hushed room. Showing empathy right now would only put the boy in more danger, especially with Zayr around, and I didn¡¯t want to involve yet another innocent person in our mess.


    And speaking of which, the star of the show, the prince himself, sat at the far end of the room. Sitting on a throne-like seat worthy of royalty, he was dressed up in the most fancy clothes I¡¯d ever seen, his outfit easily worth its weight in gold. The bored look on his face was wiped off at my entrance, a new glimmer in his eyes as he watched me.


    ¡°Ah, Ruby!¡± the boy called out from where he sat. ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d finally decide to show up. I heard you were busy all morning at the auction house.¡± A cruel smile curved his lips then. ¡°I left you a little present there, I hope you liked it.¡± His smile morphed into a laugh then. ¡°What can I say, darling, I¡¯m a jealous man. You should know the consequences for prioritizing someone else over me now.¡±


    My face was a stone mask, my mind forcefully shut off to keep the boy from messing with my head. I didn¡¯t utter a word, simply starting to walk forward, slowly making my way down the center of the room.


    By then, guards had already appeared, having gathered all the nobles in the corners before forming a protective barrier between me and them. All of them seemed ready to charge at the drop of a dime, but I paid them no heed. They were all weak, after all.


    The only one worth any attention was Sir Dryon, who leaned comfortably against the wall to my left. He made for a lowkey figure, clad in his all-black armor and his eyes shut like he was sleeping. But I knew better; the man was undoubtedly monitoring my every move, watching for the slightest sign of violent intent from me.


    But I wasn¡¯t very worried about him either. Ren, who¡¯d vanished from behind me the moment I¡¯d blown open the door, was somewhere near him, I knew, though I couldn¡¯t quite find him in the crowd of huddled nobles. He¡¯d managed to completely erase his presence in a way that defied common sense, but I was confident he was where he said he¡¯d be, and I had faith in his ability to handle the only A Rank in the room ¨C at least, for as long as I needed him to.


    Zayr eyed me with interest as he watched me approach him with fearless, confident steps. There was a mask of smug calm on his face that infuriated me, but I ignored the feeling, focusing on my only job for the moment.


    ¡°That defiance in your eyes is amazing, Ruby,¡± Zayr said after a moment, finally breaking the tense hush that had fallen over the room. ¡°I suppose you may still not understand the situation you¡¯re in, but the courage you have is something I haven¡¯t seen in another person my age ever. It¡¯s¡­interesting. <i>Unique. </i>I quite like it. You¡¯re the best-¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± I cut in, my voice quiet but firm enough to silence the boy for a moment. I hadn¡¯t intended to speak, but the words had slipped out of my mouth anyway.


    Zayr¡¯s face darkened as he stopped talking, a sudden, intense hatred twisting his face. He pushed himself up to his feet with force, never taking his eyes off mine for a moment. He found none of the fear he hoped to see in me, and that only enraged the boy further.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t intended to discipline you here, in public," the boy forced out in hissed words, "but you¡¯ve forced my hand, Ruby. I¡¯ve suffered under your disrespect far too long, and now that you¡¯ve done it in front of these people, I¡¯ll have to cleanse my name before them all.¡± The boy waved his hand in front of him, a blood whip forming in his hand as he did, the ominous-looking weapon already coiled neatly.


    ¡°Now, then, Ruby. <i>Kneel</i>,¡± the boy ordered.


    I gave him a cocky smile. ¡°Or what, your highness?¡±


    Zayr¡¯s eyes narrowed at me. ¡°I swear on my life, Ruby, you <i>will</i> know despair,¡± he spat at me, clearly not used to being disobeyed to this extent. For all his posturing about being drawn to my defiance, it was obvious he couldn¡¯t really handle it. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Dryon!¡± the boy suddenly called out, his eyes still not leaving mine. ¡°Show them.¡±


    Curious, I turned to the knight, who was now clearly awake and sporting a twisted grin ¨C and entirely unaware of the assassin that lurked in the huddle of nobles next to him. I could see Ren now, though it seemed no one else had the presence of mind to clock his existence. He looked nothing like the nobles, but his dark figure was deceptively easy to miss. The boy himself, though, seemed to have an unerring focus on the knight less than a meter from him, his entire being primed for the one goal on his mind. Ren was in his prime state at the moment, doing what he did best, and I had utter confidence in his abilities.


    Dryon, oblivious to the danger he was in, followed his liege¡¯s orders and confidently procured a blue-tinged crystal ball from his pocket, holding up the baseball-sized object with triumph.


    Confused, I turned back to Zayr, finding the boy grinning to himself with that same triumph on his face. ¡°You see that, Ruby?¡± he said, pointing at the ball. ¡°That right there is your death sentence. That is why you¡¯ve already lost, why you lost the moment you stupidly stepped foot in this building. Because the moment Dryon crushes that Spell Orb, it¡¯ll trigger a binding Arte set around this building, one that is locked on your signature. Only by my permission will you ever be able to step out of this building. Do you understand, now, dumb girl? I <i>own </i>you.¡±


    I grinned confidently at the boy. The entirety of my fate was in Ren¡¯s hands at the moment, but I''d expected something like this, and I felt not a flicker of doubt. ¡°Not yet you don¡¯t, idiot,¡± I responded simply.


    Zayr and Dryon were confused for a moment, neither of them expecting my lack of despair at the revelation. And in that moment of confusion, Ren finally struck.


    ¡°Dryon! NOW!¡± Zayr shouted, eyes widening in panic as Ren¡¯s dark figure pounced out of the crowd like a crouched lion finally going for the kill. Time slowed as the moment stretched, the movements of everyone slowing to a crawl. Ren was a good meter away from Dryon, moving in slow motion to my eyes, yet the confidence in me was unshaken. Dryon¡¯s thick fingers closed around the crystal orb as Ren closed in on him, the boy¡¯s dagger glinting silver in the light as it started to move out of its sheath.


    Cracks zigzagged across the smooth surface of the ball as Dryon¡¯s fingers squeezed, while Ren was still about half a meter away from the man¡¯s throat. I watched on still, unfazed even as it seemed that Ren would be too late, that in the end Zayr would  succeed in trapping me here.


    Then, just as it seemed a single breath would be enough to shatter the ball, Ren performed a miracle. The boy¡¯s arm, which was still unsheathing his dagger, suddenly crossed the space between him and the orb in an instant, speeding up beyond what should have been humanly possible. In one moment, he had been taking his dagger out, and in the next, the blade was already bloody, Dryon¡¯s wrist spurting blood as his hand separated from his arm.


    But Ren wasn¡¯t quite done yet. In the next moment, both of the boy¡¯s arms teleported again. One appeared above the falling orb, gently plucking it out of the severed hand¡¯s grip. The other, in the same instant, attacked the knight himself. The dagger, which had been hanging in the air a moment before, was suddenly buried hilt-deep in the older man¡¯s chest, moving so fast not a single person present had the time to process what had happened, much less react.


    Within a fraction of a second, Zayr had gone from having the complete upper hand to losing his strongest knight. An A Rank knight was a powerful trump card, especially one as seasoned as Dryon had been. But, seasoned as he was, a dagger now sat through his heart, and no man could survive that.


    The big man slumped to his knees as Ren let go of the dagger. The boy stood above the knight with a great big grin on his face, holding up the almost-shattered orb with triumph.


    Pride blossomed in my chest as I let a breath loose, letting go of the tension that had seeped into me.


    Turning back to Zayr, I gave the boy the most smug grin I could manage, relishing the panic and fear settling onto his face.


    ¡°Looks like my lieutenant¡¯s better than yours,¡± I said, taking a step towards the boy.


    ¡°What do you think-¡± the boy began, but I cut him off with an explosion at my feet, the force pushing me across the distance between me and the boy before he could react. My hand clamped down on his throat, shutting off whatever he had prepared as I pinned him against the back of his throne.


    Before I even said a word, I gave the boy a solid punch to the face, indulging myself in the satisfaction of the moment. The feeling was incredible, like scratching an itch I¡¯d been waiting my whole life to scratch.


    The boy, for his part, seemed more in disbelief than in pain at the punch, though. ¡°You¡­you hit me¡­¡± he stammered out, as if he couldn¡¯t quite believe that it had happened.


    I nodded at the boy. ¡°I did. And you know what, I liked it. I think I¡¯m gonna do it again.¡± And I did, striking the boy on his cheek with enough force to whip his head sideways.


    ¡°Stop it, you madwoman!¡± A shout came from behind me, likely from one of the guards. ¡°You¡¯ll doom us all if you keep this up!¡±


    The man was probably right, but I ignored him entirely. As much as he and the rest of the guards wanted to try and stop me, Ren would be more than enough to keep them all at bay.


    Instead, I kept my focus on Zayr. The boy breathed in and out as he recoiled from the attack, desperately trying to control himself and the rage that was boiling within him. I was hoping he would try and fight back, but he had better instincts than I''d given him credit for. He seemed to understand that I was much stronger than him, and his intelligence told him that his only chance of getting out of this situation ¨C as painlessly as possible, anyway ¨C was by relying on his background, not his own strength.


    ¡°Look, Ruby,¡± the boy started, none of the smugness of earlier in his tone. ¡°I know you come from some backward village in the mountains, so you don¡¯t really understand what¡¯s happening here, but trust me, you do not want to do this. Running away from me is one thing, but humiliating me is entirely different. I am the third son of the Blood Palace; any humiliation I face is a humiliation to the entire Palace. I may not  be able to mobilize a lot of the Palace¡¯s strength for my own interests, but if you go through with this, you will force my father to react ¨C even if he doesn¡¯t want to. You¡¯ll bring down the entire strength of the Palace down on yourself, and the forces of the Palace are beyond what you could comprehend. They¡¯ll chase you to the ends of the world, Ruby. A single word from my father will turn every city in the kingdom against you. Nowhere will be safe. My father will ensure you face a fate far worse than what I had planned.¡±


    He paused for a breath there, and I could see the sincerity in his eyes. He really wasn¡¯t bluffing with his threats, but I¡¯d known that before I¡¯d even stepped into the hall.


    ¡°But, if you stop right now,¡± the boy continued, ¡°I can make this whole thing disappear. I¡¯ll make sure no one ever knows what happened here, even if I have to kill off the town for it.¡±


    I studied the boy for a moment, before punching him again, just for the fun of it. ¡°You know what," I said as the boy reeled from the blow, "you¡¯re probably right. The power of the Blood Palace really is something. If I had a choice in the matter, I probably wouldn¡¯t have chosen to pick a fight with you lot.¡± I levelled the boy with a look then, rage flickering to life in my eyes. ¡°But I made a promise to Maya, you know? On the first day I met her. Do you know what that promise was?¡± Before the boy could respond, I punched him again, drawing blood this time as his lip split slightly.


    ¡°Ruby!! STOP!¡± the boy yelled, his body tensing as he struggled to escape my grasp.


    ¡°I promised her that if anyone dared to hurt her, I¡¯d burn their face off. And I am a woman of my word.¡±


    ¡°RUBY!!¡± the boy yelled, finally losing all semblance of composure he¡¯d been hanging on to. In a desperate movement, the boy formed a dagger of blood in his hands and swung it at my abdomen.


    He was quick, worthy of a B Rank mage, but I was quicker. With one hand, I grabbed his face and lifted him up as high as I could, his weight a trivial matter for my Flux-strengthened muscles. With the other, I caught his wrist before it could reach me, squeezing hard enough for something to crack.


    The boy screamed in pain as his wrist broke, the sound muffled with my hand gripping his face.


    ¡°This was always bound to happen, Zayr,¡± I said, feeling that ice-cold calm flowing through my blood. ¡°If not by my hand, then by someone else¡¯s. The way you were living your life, it was only a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°RUBYYYY!!!! STOP!!!!!!!¡± the boy screamed at the top of his lungs as my palm heated up. I looked into his eyes, taking in the crazed, wild look in them, and felt nothing. The satisfaction of earlier had evaporated, replaced by a hollowness in my chest. There was nothing but a small sadness in my eyes; what I was doing wouldn¡¯t right all the wrongs the boy had committed, wouldn¡¯t bring back all the innocents he¡¯d killed, nor undo the unimaginable amount of pain he¡¯d surely caused to so many people.


    And if all of that was true,  why was I even doing what I was doing?


    ¡°RUBYYY!!!!¡±


    With a sigh, I let loose the Flux I¡¯d been holding back, and a stream of deep scarlet flame burst forth from my palm, enveloping the boy¡¯s entire head and travelling high into the air.


    ¡°AHHHH!!-¡± the boy screamed into the flames, screaming like I¡¯d never heard anyone scream, before being ominously cut off.

 Chapter 120 – Leafstream

    <i> </i>I let loose a deep sigh, feeling nothing but pity as I held up the scorched skull of the prince who¡¯d welcomed me to the city. The act was done, the boy as dead as he could be ¨C for the moment, anyway ¨C and yet I felt none of the triumph I had every right to feel.


    With a breath, I dropped the boy¡¯s dead body, the pungent smell of burning flesh stinging my nostrils. The headless prince slumped down on his throne, the royal gold of his gown a stark contrast to the scorched black of his skull. My gaze lingered on him for a moment longer, taking in my second kill in all its grotesque glory, before I pushed it all out of my mind and refocused myself on the present.


    Ren currently stood between me and the rest of the guards, a few dead knights lying at his feet as he stared down the men. His blade was sheathed, but that hardly made him any less threatening of a sight. After all, the boy had dispatched an A Rank knight right before their eyes. I was surprised there had been any guards at all brave enough to try their luck with him.


    ¡°Alright, Ren. I¡¯m done here,¡± I called out to him. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving.¡±


    Ren nodded without looking back, simply pulling his sword out of its sheath as he got ready. The guards in front of him tensed as well, the fear on their faces obvious as they faced the demon of a boy.


    But before the fight could begin, a voice cut through the tension, old and weighty with authority. ¡°Leave it, guards.¡±


    A man stepped forward then, out of the crowd of nobles. He looked like he was in his mid-sixties, with greying hair and a goatee. He carried himself with the confidence of a man used to being obeyed, and I knew why. I recognized him as the father of one of the nobles who¡¯d stuck as close as possible to Zayr, the head of the family second only to the city lord¡¯s.


    He stepped out of the crowd fearlessly, levelling me with a glare that probably worked wonders on his underlings. Unfortunately for him, I¡¯d just killed a prince of the country, so his displeasure was hardly intimidating.


    ¡°You¡¯ve doomed us all, you damn Devil,¡± the man spat out as he stepped past the line of guards. ¡°Are you proud of yourself now? Has this satiated your savage ego? Thanks to your insane pride, all the good, civilized people of this town are going to end up dead, you understand? No one can escape the wrath of the Blood Palace now, and you will suffer the worst fate of all. You should have just submitted to the prince. What more are you people good for any-¡±


    ¡°Tell me, old man,¡± I cut in, cold anger seeping into me as I stepped forward. ¡°Do you own slaves?¡±


    The man was taken aback at my question, but he regained his composure quickly. ¡°What does that have to do with anything, you brute?¡±


    I shook my head at the man. ¡°And you have the audacity to call me the savage.¡± With a sigh, I forced myself to let go of my anger, knowing it was pointless. ¡°Whatever, I don¡¯t have time to deal with you.¡± As I spoke, a flame bullet formed over my shoulder and shot at the man, whizzing through the air in an instant.


    It caught the unsuspecting man in the thigh, wrenching out a pained scream that destroyed the man¡¯s refined image immediately. As he stumbled backwards, the guards behind him caught him and helped him down to the ground, but I¡¯d already stopped paying any attention to them.


    ¡°For the rest of you, especially you guards,¡± I continued, addressing the crowd at large, ¡°you should all probably just run. I¡¯m gonna be honest: I don¡¯t really know what kind of grudge these Palace people are gonna hold, but most likely, they¡¯ll be focusing on me. So if you¡¯re smart, you should be able to make it out. Unfortunately, as much as I didn¡¯t want to involve innocents in this, there¡¯s not much more I can do for you all. Now, you can stay and fight me, if you¡¯re that loyal to your people, but I¡¯d hope you¡¯re all smarter than that.¡±


    The guards seemed conflicted at my words, lowering their spears and swords slightly as they weighed their options. The nobles didn¡¯t care to deliberate much, though, and immediately rampaged out of the ballroom.


    Ignoring them, I turned to Ren and nodded at the boy who¡¯d been chained to the wall. Ren had freed him at some point, and he now sat slumped against the wall, head hung limp as he rested. ¡°What are we gonna do with him?¡± I asked. Logically, I knew I didn¡¯t have the luxury of being worried about random people at the moment, but it felt wrong to simply leave the wounded boy in the state he was in. Not to mention, there was something oddly familiar about him, and I wanted to know why.


    Ren grinned at my question. ¡°That¡¯s Leafstream,¡± he answered simply.


    ¡°Leafstream?¡± I parroted, the name ringing a bell, though I couldn¡¯t quite place the sound.


    Ren nodded. ¡°Evelyn¡¯s nephew, remember? We met him at that Arte place.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, yeah, I remember now. You said he was strong, right?¡±


    Ren nodded, walking over to the boy. His footsteps echoed in the now deserted hall, and I couldn¡¯t help but take a moment to soak in the tranquillity of the scene. Before long, Ren and I would be fighting for our lives every day once again, and I wanted to savor the moment before it evaporated.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°So, Leafstream, you wanna tell us how you got here?¡± Ren asked Leafstream as he sat beside him, the blind boy totally at ease despite the looming danger that awaited us. Although the immediate threat of Zayr had passed, we now undoubtedly faced a much greater danger from the Palace, and the coming days looked perilous for the two of us. But I wasn¡¯t particularly in the mood to rush into that future, either, so I made myself at home on the floor with the two boys, leaning against a fallen chair as I stretched my legs out.


    Leafstream, hearing Ren¡¯s question, started to chuckle to himself. The laughter had an incredulous note to it, and it continued for a long moment, as if the boy had been holding it in for days.


    ¡°You two are mad,¡± he  said finally, a smile tinging his voice. ¡°Madder than anyone I¡¯ve ever met.¡±


    Ren and I shared an amused look, the boy¡¯s relaxed gaiety contagious.


    ¡°Though I suppose I have that madness to thank for my freedom now,¡± Leafstream continued. ¡°You asked how I got here? It¡¯s not a long story, really. I fought to protect the Clan when the Blood Palace knights arrived, and I brought down quite a few of them, enough for Sir Dryon here,¡± the boy gestured with his head to the corpse of the A Rank knight, ¡°to decide he wanted to take me back and turn me into one of them. Or kill me, depending on how stubborn I would be. But anyway, what you guys barged in on was part of their conversion strategy.¡±


    The nonchalant way the boy talked about the Palace¡¯s cruelty surprised me for a moment, but after considering how similar he was to Ren in attitude, I realized it really wasn¡¯t all that surprising. Still, it was telling of the boy¡¯s mental fortitude, which meant that he¡¯d had no easy life himself.


    ¡°But anyway, enough of that,¡± Leafstream went on. ¡°We should get moving. Zayr¡¯s forces have probably already received word of his death. Most likely they¡¯re surrounding this area as we speak. As grateful as I am to the two of you for doing what you did, you guys really kicked the hornet¡¯s nest this time. You two really need to get to Karmore, as soon as you can.¡±


    ¡°We were actually planning on going there,¡± Ren told the boy, ¡°before this whole mess. But are you sure we can still go now, now that we have the Palace as our enemies?¡±


    Leafstream nodded earnestly. ¡°That¡¯s exactly why you should go to Karmore. It¡¯s one of the only places in the kingdom that can protect you now, especially if you show them how much potential you two have. Of course, the Blood Palace will do everything they can to make sure they stop you before you get to Karmore, so getting there alive might be a little tricky, but if you guys can manage it, you¡¯ll be good.¡±


    ¡°But Zayr told me that there wouldn¡¯t be anywhere in the entire kingdom that would be safe for me,¡± I said.


    Leafstream huffed a laugh. ¡°I mean, technically, he¡¯s right. Karmore isn¡¯t actually a part of any one kingdom. The land it¡¯s on is recognized as a separate area not under the jurisdiction of any other power. But that¡¯s exactly why they¡¯re one of the few powers on the continent that could stand against the Blood Palace.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s good to know,¡± I said, genuinely pleased at the information the boy shared. I¡¯d really been looking forward to going to Karmore, and it was beyond relief to hear that option was still available. ¡°Karmore sounds like a more interesting place than I was expecting, huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Leafstream agreed readily, ¡°it really is. And it¡¯ll be the best place for the two of you. I¡¯m sure you guys will be able to reach amazing heights there. As long as the Palace doesn¡¯t get to you guys first, of course. I don¡¯t want to discourage you guys, but you two are really in for a tough few months, unfortunately.¡±


    I smiled wryly at his ending, knowing it was the truth. But I was more focused on the first part of what he said; everything he said about Karmore only made me want to go there as soon as possible.


    ¡°What about you, though?¡± I asked. ¡°Where are you gonna go? Are you gonna follow after the Clan? Because they¡¯ve probably already left the city by now.¡±


    Leafstream shook his head. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve got a mission from Karmore to complete at the moment. I was only with the Clan because I was in the area, and I¡¯d hit a snag on my journey, so I was just passing the time. But I think I¡¯ve picked up on a lead, courtesy of our dead knight here, so I¡¯m gonna be following up on that now. Unfortunately, due to the¡­uh, let¡¯s say <i>sensitive</i> nature of the mission, that¡¯s about all I can tell you guys for the moment. But hey, who knows, once you get to Karmore, you guys might be able to help me out with the mission someday. For now, though, we really should get going,¡± Turning to Ren, the boy nodded at Dryon¡¯s dead body. ¡°Ren, can you grab my rune sack from Dryon? I think he was carrying it on him. It¡¯s a red one with a phoenix on it.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ren said. A bit of poking and prodding later, he found the thing and brought it back, handing it to Leafstream. The boy thanked Ren and reached in, rooting around for a moment before retrieving a Flux Potion and downing the entire bottle in one go.


    The boy let out a burp as he finished the bottle, letting out a blissful groan as the countless wounds on his body healed at a rapid rate. Within moments, the boy was as good as new, save for the tattered clothing. Next, he reached in again and produced a set of two curved daggers. They were unique, unlike anything I¡¯d ever seen before. They were made entirely of wood ¨C even the blades ¨C but they still looked lethal, not fragile in the least.


    Leafstream popped up to his feet after he¡¯d armed himself, slipping the two weapons into their sheathes and clipping them to his belt. ¡°I¡¯ll head west,¡± the boy said, ¡°you two head east. Hopefully, that¡¯ll split Zayr¡¯s forces somewhat, which should make things easier for you guys. Do you know how to get to Karmore from here?¡±


    I looked at Ren, and the boy grinned at my expectant look. ¡°What, do I have to do everything?¡± he asked, but I could tell by the teasing note to his voice that the boy already knew.


    Ignoring him, I turned back to Leafstream and nodded. ¡°Yeah, we should be good.¡±


    Leafstream smiled. ¡°Good. Then, I suppose we¡¯ll be parting ways here, for now. I wish you two the best of luck on your journey. I truly hope to see you both at Karmore.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll see us there, alright,¡± I responded, utterly confident in my promise. It was a promise to myself as much as it was one to Leafstream, and I had every intention of making good on it.


    Leafstream gave me a grin. ¡°I¡¯m sure I will, Ruby.¡± With those words, the boy leapt from where he stood, crossing the distance of the hall and landing on the sill of one of the grand windows embedded into the walls. He turned and gave us one last parting wave before kicking through the glass and jumping out.

 Chapter 121 – Escaping Wolfhaven

    <i>The ancient woods shook as the Guardian-rank griffin fell, its gigantic beak striking the ground hard enough to crack it kilometers in each direction. The majestic animal was in a terrible state, its hundred-meter wings now torn and mangled, its feathers bloodied and its sides marred with deep, scarlet gashes. A legendary beast that had watched over the woods for centuries, it breathed its last under the foot of a single man.</i>


    <i>Grizzled, barrel-chested, and with arms thicker than tree trunks, the man boasted an aura even more imposing than that of the mythic animal at his feet. With a grunt, he brought his giant blood-red greatsword down on the griffin¡¯s head, putting an end to its lengthy reign over the area. With a long, red pelt draped over his shoulders and a dozen other weapons strapped to his body, he looked every bit the brutal hunter he was. </i>


    <i>As the light in the griffin¡¯s eyes dimmed, the man took a seat atop its head, crossing his legs as he circulated the immense amount of Flux entering his body. His formidable aura exploded out as he struggled to control the energy flooding into him, its volatile strength obliterating the nearby trees and animals. The wind picked up like a hurricane had appeared, ash and dirt flurrying about under the colossal pressure of his power. </i>


    <i>Then, a few minutes later, the chaos disappeared as suddenly as it had begun, the overbearing weight of his aura evaporating into the air like morning fog. Tranquillity returned to the vast forest as the powerful winds settled into a gentle breeze, running in soft circles around the man. </i>


    <i>¡°You have something to report?¡± the man suddenly spoke out, his eyes closed as he seemingly rested. At his question, the hazy figure of another man materialized behind him, cloaked in darkness and shadow. </i>


    <i>¡°It appears the third prince¡¯s Life Candle has been snuffed, Your Highness,¡± the shadowy figure answered, his voice distorted and almost inhuman. </i>


    <i>The hunter¡¯s eyes opened at that, mild surprise flickering in his blood-red irises. ¡°Oh?¡± he said simply. ¡°The third prince? He was¡­¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Prince Zayr, Your Highness,¡± the shadow filled in. ¡°He was out touring the kingdom¡¯s borders, attempting to win the bet he made with you.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Ah, yes, I remember now,¡± the hunter said. ¡°His Life Candle snuffed, you say?¡± He grunted out a laugh. ¡°To think the stupid boy would get himself killed out there. Have you informed her yet?¡±</i>


    <i>¡°No, Your Highness. I¡¯m certain none of the other powers are behind this; I would know if any of them were planning a move of this magnitude. The ones who¡¯ve slain the young prince are likely a bold troupe of bandits or such ¨C certainly no one of note.¡±</i>


    <i>The hunter let loose a breath, closing his eyes once again. ¡°You should have led with that, Lyte. Dispatch the rest of the boy¡¯s legions and ensure that he is revived. Tell him to clean up this mess on his own, or he can forget his claim to my name.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Understood, Your Highness.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°And Lyte? Why didn¡¯t the boy¡¯s Shadows step in?¡±</i>


    <i>The figure hesitated for a moment, before explaining. ¡°By your order, Your Highness, they were not to intervene until the period of the bet was over.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°I see. Very well, we shall keep it that way. Keep an eye on the situation; I want to know how the boy handles this mess, but ensure he does not bring greater shame to the Palace.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Understood, Your Highness.¡±</i>


    <i>¡°Then, you are dismissed, Lyte.¡±</i>


    <hr>


    I breathed in deep, letting the sweet air fill my lungs before I let it all out, deflating myself like a balloon. For the first time in a long time, my nerves refused to quiet down as I prepared to step outside the hall. I couldn¡¯t be sure what awaited me beyond the door, but there was little chance it was going to be a pleasant fate. In fact, the odds were heavily stacked in favor of death, which was arguably the least pleasant of all fates.


    Now, facing the very real threat of death once again, for the first time in a long time, I was nowhere near as composed as I¡¯d always imagined I¡¯d be. Truthfully, I was downright scared to face Zayr¡¯s knights, and the fact irked me. The image I''d always held in my head of this moment painted me as fearless, undaunted in the face of insurmountable odds and legions of enemies. In the moment, though, I felt nothing but daunted and fearful. Still, there was nothing I could do but trudge on, in spite of the fear that shook my fingers and sent shivers along my skin. A plan had been made; now all I had to do was have faith and do what I¡¯d always done: my best.


    As Leafstream had predicted, the black knights had surrounded the entrance of the hall by the time I walked out. They¡¯d formed a semi-circle of three rows with their numbers, from which I estimated there to be about a hundred of them present. There had been more of them, but Leafstream had led away about a third with his escape.


    The knights still present stood at attention, like dark statues in their faceless helmets and armor, their spears held vertically in front of them. I grinned at them with all the casual confidence I could muster as I stepped out, taking in the surroundings with a hand resting on the hilt of my pole. The fires I¡¯d set had done what they were meant to, keeping the city guards busy for the time, though it seemed they¡¯d mostly handled the situation by then. Great plumes of smoke still rose from different parts of the inner district, but I could tell the fires themselves were all but burnt out.


    One of the knights stepped forward as I came out, stomping with the dignity of a royal knight. ¡°Mountain Devil Ruby,¡± the man announced with a booming voice. ¡°The Blood Palace¡¯s Third Legion is placing you under arrest. We charge you on two counts of murder: for the killing of the lord of Wolfhaven, Arnon von Gilbourne, and for the killing of his royal highness, the third prince of the Blood Palace, Prince Zayr-¡±


    The man was cut off by a flame bullet of mine, the scarlet, finger-long weapon burying itself in the man¡¯s forehead before he knew he¡¯d been attacked. The bullet was no weak weapon, despite how simple it was to make one; its incredible speed, combined with the intense heat of my scarlet flame, made for a lethal weapon. The knight was dead before he hit the floor, and a moment of resounding silence settled over the people present.


    A rush of Flux entered my body as I stood before the men, smaller than the one I¡¯d felt when I¡¯d killed the city lord, but noticeable nonetheless. More importantly, though, I felt nothing else, even though I¡¯d attacked unprovoked for once. That invisible chain of empathy that used to hinder me seemed to have been broken after killing Zayr, and in its absence, I felt as remorseless as Ren looked when he killed.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what that meant for me, but I didn¡¯t have the time to figure it out. I was standing before arguably the most dangerous fight of my life, and every second counted. A moment after I¡¯d killed the man, I charged forward, diving into the lines of men with scarlet flame spiralling around my pole like a drill.


    I moved fast, but the men were knights of the Blood Palace after all, and they were leagues better than the city guards I¡¯d fought at the auction hall. They spread apart as I charged, encircling me as I knocked down the two who couldn¡¯t move out of the way in time.


    They had been prepared for me to attack, though, and they¡¯d set up an Arte right where I landed. Glowing lines appeared at my feet, and before I could move, a sudden, crushing weight landed on my shoulders. Caught off guard, I fell to my knees under the enormous force, barely keeping myself from face-planting by using my pole for support.


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    I couldn¡¯t see the faces of the knights, but I could practically feel the smugness radiating off their bodies as they surrounded me, spears at the ready mere inches away from my body; a single move from me and they¡¯d turn me into Swiss cheese.


    But fortunately for me, I didn¡¯t need to move to deal with them. After all, I¡¯d been expecting some form of this, and I wasn¡¯t about to go down so easily. I called on the Flux around me, bringing down a swirling tornado of flame on myself. The scarlet fire was a spectacle as it engulfed the closest knights to me, wrenching out screams as they fell backwards.


    Flux rushed into me as at least two of the men caught in my flames died, giving me enough strength to push myself back to my feet. My mind raced as I tried to figure out a way out, knowing I had less than a second before the attacks came. I had no idea how to undo Artes, but I knew they were related to the runes that created them. With that thought, I mustered up the strength that I could and stomped on the cobblestone beneath my feet, hitting it with enough force to crack it.


    As the stone cracked, part of the runes making up the Arte shattered, floating away in little shards of light. Although the entire thing didn¡¯t vanish, the pressure on my shoulders lightened considerably, giving me some of my freedom back, and not a second too soon.


    I felt more than saw the spear that came at me from behind, dodging it by a hair. As the weapon thrust past me, I whirled and grabbed the pole, giving it a hard tug and pulling the knight holding it into the flames around me. The man screamed as the intense heat washed over him, but I silenced him quickly with a claw to his throat.


    As he fell dead to my feet, I called off the taxing tornado of flames around me, standing tall and proud as I faced the small army of knights. With the pressure of the Arte lessened, I could move much easier, and I dove into the crowd before they could begin attacking. My pole struck out rapidly while I fired off fire bullets with my free hand. It was draining work, dodging through dozens of spells while focusing on attacking two different ways, but I needed to come out strong if I wanted to have a chance of staying alive.


    As much as I was in my element, though, the men I was facing were undoubtedly skilled. Before long, I¡¯d racked up a dozen different injuries over my body as I tried to fight my way out of the blockade, my body bleeding, burnt, and battered all over. The knights were good at what they did, always ensuring that they had every angle covered while rotating the people attacking me. Having been freed of my emotional fetters, I was much more brutal in my attacks, but with the way they switched their people out, I¡¯d only racked up six kills by the five-minute mark, which was nothing against their hundred-strong number. I tried as hard as I could, pushing my body and mind to their physical limits and miles beyond, but it was futile. No matter how strong the flames I called on were, no matter how fast I moved or how furiously I swung, the knights countered with equal strength.


    At the ten-minute mark, my kill count had reached ten, but I was also nearing the end of my tether. My Flux reserve was running dry, and my kills weren¡¯t coming fast enough to replenish it. The knights weren¡¯t letting me Revive, either. Their impressive teamwork meant that I hardly had a fraction of a second to rest, much less undergo the painful process that was Reviving. I was sure the moment I would try one, I would get a spear through the chest.


    ¡°Ren! Any minute now,¡± I said over the call we were on, as I stood panting in the center of the knights. Blood poured from my forehead, painting half my face slick with red. There were at least three different icicles stabbed into my body, and my left leg had been scorched badly.


    The knights stood around me, none of them looking as pretty as when they¡¯d arrived, but still healthy nonetheless. So long as they didn¡¯t die, they¡¯d heal themselves back within moments of me injuring them, which was as frustrating as it was bad for my situation.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, working on it,¡± came the boy¡¯s strained response as I ducked under a spear thrust and lashed out with my claws, forcing myself to ignore the way my body screamed at me in pain as I did. ¡°Just hold on for a minute longer, please.¡±


    I sighed to myself. A minute was asking for a lot, maybe even more than I could give, but there was little else I could do but have faith in him and try. I¡¯d expected this, known this would be the result of my actions, but the helplessness and despair were hard to stave off still as reality bore down on me. The knights had slowed down their attacks now, fortunately, but I knew it wasn''t for any sense of weakness on their part, but an understanding that my resistance was coming to an end. And the realization was maddening. I still had so much to do, so much to accomplish. I hadn¡¯t even established Rosefire yet, much less fulfilled the promise I made to the graves of my men. I couldn¡¯t die here, as a forgettable nobody who¡¯d dared to resist a prince and suffered the consequences for it.


    A fire arrow came at me from behind, and I twisted my body in time to dodge, but my burnt foot gave out under the sudden movement. Catching the momentary slip, the man in front of me struck with a viper quick thrust. Helpless, with a body so broken it simply couldn¡¯t do as my brain asked, I watched as the ruthless tip of the spear plunged into my side, ripping through skin and flesh.


    A wretched cry escaped my lips as the pain tore through me, sharp and hot and painful like nothing I¡¯d felt in a long time. I stumbled to the side, my legs shaking and barely keeping my weight up. I planted my pole down to support myself, leaning on it as I surveyed the situation with blazing eyes. I was closer to death than I¡¯d ever been, but I refused to accept it until the last moment.


    A knight stepped forward then, a particularly powerful ice mage who was responsible for two of the three icicles currently stuck in me. I grimaced as I faced him, knowing that in my current state, I likely wouldn¡¯t even win a one-on-one against him. With an entire army behind him, my situation was hopeless.


    ¡°You have fought well, little Devil. For a mere Rank A to take on a squadron of the Blood Palace¡¯s Third Legion and survive for as long as you have is a feat not many can claim, especially at your young age,¡± the man said, his voice gruff and powerful. ¡°It¡¯s a shame you went against the Young Prince ¨C had circumstances been different, the Blood Palace would certainly have taken you under its wing.¡± He sighed then, like he was truly disappointed. ¡°Unfortunately, you have killed a Prince of the Blood Palace. Now, your death here will only be the beginning of a most unpleasant fate.¡±


    Rage burned its way through me at the man¡¯s words, the potent emotion numbing the pain wracking my body.


    ¡°I am Squadron Commander Vyros of the Third Legion, top tier A Rank commander under the Third Prince¡¯s order,¡± the man declared suddenly, with great formality. ¡°Remember this honor, Ruby; the name of the knight who brought you down.¡±


    With those words, the man thrust his spear forward, aimed right at my heart.


    But I wasn¡¯t quite done yet either. I was at death¡¯s door, I knew, but I wasn¡¯t going to show up alone.


    I stepped forward, ignoring the way the movement tore muscle and skin, tilting the slightest bit to the side while my arms blurred, moving almost with a mind of their own. Before the man¡¯s spear had found my flesh, my pole was already high in the air, blood sizzling on the scarlet flame that had hardened into the shape of a blade around it.


    With a great spurt of blood, the commander¡¯s arm separated from his torso at the shoulder, falling to the ground as his other arm thrust the spear deep into my gut.


    I hardly registered the pain, though, intent as I was on dragging the commander down with me. Blood gushed out through my mouth, but I was already moving, pulling out the last dregs of my strength to push myself faster than the knights around me could react.


    I felt the Flux in my arm running as I threw my last punch, the liquid power twisting and turning within me in a way I didn¡¯t quite understand, even though it felt oddly familiar. It was only when my fist connected with the man¡¯s faceplate that I understood. The force behind my strike was so great the metal rippled before being obliterated, the man¡¯s head disappearing into a bloody mist with it.


    I fell to my knees as the commander¡¯s headless corpse fell backwards, a smile on my face as I revelled in the strength of my <i>Explosion </i>Arte. It was a shame it had taken death for me to advance to the next level of understanding the Arte, but to witness it once before I died was a blessing.


    I let myself sit down, time slowing as the many knights around me brought down their attacks on my broken body. I accepted the many regrets I would die with, resolving to myself that, every step of the way, I¡¯d done the best I could have done anyway. If I could go back, I would do everything exactly the same as I¡¯d done it ¨C except for letting Maya go alone at the auction house. That, I knew, was my greatest failure, and saving her was the one broken promise that hurt the most.


    Then, just as the knights¡¯ attacks were about to land on me, a dark figure  appeared in front of me, blocking out the bright lights of their Artes and spears.


    A kind face smiled down on me, reaching a hand out to gently touch my face. And then everything went black.