ã€ŠFeigned Delusionã€‹


 Prologue

    The stream ran gently through the rubble where a miniature bridge once stood. Covering each stone was a translucent-crimson film, slowly being washed away by the current.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± A sickening crack spilled the small, limp body¡¯s life-force over the ruins.

    A man stood, hunched over the boy¡¯s corpse, his breathing labored. Looking away, he gently tossed the body to his feet. The cold water was made all the warmer for it. His body trembled as he bent over to wash the viscera from between his fingers.

    It wasn¡¯t enough.

    The thought repeated in his mind, distracted even from his hands numbing in the stream. He blinked slowly, regaining a sense of himself after seven heartbeats. He looked up at a young woman, dressed in regal decor. Her eyes widened, pupils dilated with a primal fear, her breaths coming in shallow gasps.

    ¡°L¨CLord, hel¨C¡± She fell to her knees, retching.

    He extended his hand. ¡°Enough, Sabrina. Bring the blade.¡±

    Sabrina collapsed, fingers clawing at the dirt, searching for something to hold onto. The man withheld himself from approaching. Darkness fell upon the world.

    ¡°Enough.¡± A guttural voice echoed around him.

    ¡°As a Huerethian.¡± The man spoke with conviction as he witnessed Sabrina¡¯s head snap up to look at him. His muscles enlarged, nearly tearing apart his made-to-fit suit. A devilish chuckle filled the still, repugnant air. Sabrina¡¯s cries could still be heard as her mouth opened, wider, popping before slowly breaking at the seams. Making way for what came out¨C a finger, pointing towards the sky. Seconds passed, the man remained locked onto the body, waiting for anything.

    ¡°I do not see. A small man, and twins watch over me. Why?¡± The voice was coarse, each sentence followed by a shuddering breath. ¡°There! There! There!¡± The finger pulled in on itself and extended rapidly, pointing at the sky.

    ¡°Devil, do not believe you can¨C¡± A blinding white light drowned out the darkness, he could not help but glance at the sky.

    ¡°I do not see. I do not wish to!¡± The devil roared. ¡°Leave me be!¡± As the man tried to process its words, his body reacted, tightening for the impact heading his way. The devil stood before him, in a single motion, it swung its right fist.

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    His feet left the ground as the impact carried him across the field, the ground tore as the man crashed into it. He stared at the sky, the blinding light remained, it flickered¨C a falling star. His arm fell limply, pain shot up his torso, it was clear now¨C he could not win. The Devil stood before him, it eclipsed him, and it burned; its screams shook the very earth. He could hear its wailing as it writhed on the field of sundews.

    ¡°As a Neirajie.¡± The man forced out through struggling breaths. The flowers withered and the ground cracked as life left the earth, the man¡¯s bones rattled as he stood. He took a step, his wounds mending, and approached the towering beast. Through the inferno, a bright shine pierced, the creature was missing the top half of its head, in its stead was a hemisphere of an iridescent, metallic substance.

    It¡¯s a lackey.

    The man''s face contorted, his lips quivered, jaw clenched. Tears rolled down his cheeks, ¡°As Shokro, the vast.¡± In a single motion, he slammed his foot on the ground, his muscles tightened and a crimson hue emanated from his body. He took a stance, pulling back one leg, and pushed his torso forward as he prepared to engage.

    ¡°It¡¯s only down from here.¡± A pleasant voice echoed, the man tensed as he bore witness to the sight of a tiny hand reaching out to the devil from behind him. Barely touching his eyelashes the fingers squished the devil with no more effort than stepping on a blade of grass.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Shokro? Scared? Frustrated? Confused?¡± Shokro turned to look at the source of the voice. There stood a man, no taller than he. He was nude and spoke calmly.

    ¡°Are y¨C¡±

    ¡°Samael¨C the morning star.¡± Shokro hesitated to inquire further. ¡°It¡¯s been centuries since anyone tried to invoke one of us, I was certain the knowledge was lost along with the library.¡± Samael calmly sat on the flowery ground. Shokro had paid no attention to his surroundings, failing to even notice the once bright light in the sky was now gone, the twin moons stood in its place, a massive ring of debris surrounded them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll say this, do not ask for power. You simply are not capable of wielding it.¡± Samael plucked a sundew from the stem. ¡°You doubted my existence, didn¡¯t you?¡± The man lowered his head and fell to his knees, keenly aware of the error he had made.

    ¡°Stronger resolve is needed, Shokro, and I have an idea.¡± A sinister smile was carved on his face. ¡°Bet on me, Shokro.¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened at Samael¡¯s words as he nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve done what you could, leave it to me.¡±

    The man had no doubt this was the devil, however, ¡°I couldn¡¯t act at the Alcheon summit. Why did he let me live?¡± There was nobody left to turn to.

    ¡°Why bother asking that when you know the answer?¡± Samael¡¯s words pierced his soul, Shokro questioned how much the devil knew. He had run, doubted himself, sought help from the devil and with no conviction, had murdered his son to get his attention.

    ¡°You¡¯re not completely worthless Shokro, and I¡¯m not horrible enough to not give you the minimum. Before anything else, what would you like to know?¡± Samael held out the sundew as it curled in on itself.

    With fire in his eyes and vigor in his voice, he inquired.

    ¡°Tell me about the Seraph.¡±

 Chapter 1: House of hope

    A low hum resonated in her ear, the closest thing to company she was allowed to have. She walked between four inordinately plain-looking guards, one behind, one ahead, one at each side. They kept pace, walking through the marble corridor of the longest hall, the silence seeming to echo.

    Her brow furrowed as she finally realized what had been bothering her: she couldn¡¯t hear her own footsteps, her own breathing, her heartbeat. Her concentration was interrupted as she bumped into the guard in front.

    ¡°This is as far as we go, Lady Alera.¡± The guard was nearly twice her size, not so much a giant; more so, she was adorably tiny for her age. The four knelt before her, presenting a path to a single, pitch-black door.

    Please, you really don¡¯t have to do all that. She wanted to protest and laugh off the situation; however, today she had resigned herself to protocol.

    Alera placed her right hand over her heart and offered a solemn, ¡°Thank you.¡± She bowed as she walked past them, her tension increasing with each step. Her fate drew ever closer.

    She approached the pitch-black door; a soft, melodic hum began to infiltrate the silence. It was delicate, like the gentle chime of a music box, its notes flowing through the air with an almost ethereal quality. The sound was faint at first, barely more than a whisper, but it grew more distinct with each step she took.

    She had heard of the headmaster¡ªa combatant who struck with the ferocity of lightning and shook the battlefields with thunder. Standing as one with the right to fight for the title of ¡°Almighty,¡± the headmaster had long surpassed the requirements for the title of ¡°Celestial.¡± An anomaly even among the cast of horrors the representative had described, wielding four spells simultaneously¡ªthis headmaster was her last hope for the answers she sought.

    A familiar aroma greeted her, faint as it was, she had become familiar with it¡ªink. She paused at the front door and stared into its near void-like darkness. Out of the corner of her eye, out of focus, she could see a glimmer; it disappeared when she tried to take a look.

    Her ashen eyes widened and her arm twitched as she tried to focus. She quickly raised her hand, hesitating before she slowly made contact with the void. Her finger traced crests and valleys, feeling countless pores so fine ¡°a baby¡¯s eyelash couldn¡¯t fit,¡± she thought.

    She gently pressed her face against the door, focusing on its smoothness as she massaged her cheeks on it.

    Click.

    The door opened, and Alera remained leaning against it. Trembling, her eyes looked up to see a young woman. Her hair shone a deep crimson as it rolled over her shoulders, and her eyes appeared a blazing red as she stared at the young girl leaning thoughtlessly against the door.

    ¡°Do you intend to come in soon?¡± she asked gently, a smile crossing her face.

    ¡°U¡­uh-huh.¡± Alera managed to reply. Her mouth agape, whether it was due to the headmaster seeing her in this odd position or her expecting an old man, she wasn¡¯t exactly sure.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting then.¡± Her smile grew as she giggled, closing the door on Alera.

    ¡°Are you certain she comes from the Astraelith family?¡± One guard asked, rubbing his freshly polished head as he watched her push herself off the door.

    ¡°You¡¯d be wise to retain your doubts, lest they turn inward. Judge too soon and you¡¯ll fall victim to the slightest inconsistency with your ideals, that¡¯s what separates you from a celestial.¡± Replied the guard beside him, his muscles bulging his outfit.

    ¡°How does that answer my question in any meaningful way?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never witnessed a case like hers. I¡¯ve never known of the families harboring members. Mayhaps, she possesses greater potential than the grandmaster.¡± They watched Alera rub her face to calm her nerves. Promptly, she turned back to them and gave them one final bow of gratitude, her cheeks stained by the black pigment.

    ¡°Maybe not.¡± The muscular guard relented dejectedly. Alera disappeared behind the veil of darkness.

    On the other side of that darkness, Alera¡¯s view fell upon a tiny room. The air burned her throat, a strong, bitter taste invaded her mouth as the scent of ink permeated throughout the room. As she looked around she could see stacks of tomes, each a head taller than her. Dark blots stained the floor, it carried over dozens of scattered sheets. Small items hung from a corner of the room, a straw doll, a flask, a few bells and a small silver knife.

    ¡°Good afternoon, headmaster!¡± Alera proclaimed as she bowed, her legs trembled as her nerves got the best of her.

    ¡°Lets have none of that, sweety. Have you had a look around the grounds?¡± Her voice was serene, like a mother speaking to a child. She spoke softly, slowly. Her gaze was kind, her blazing eyes appeared comforting, like a fireplace or a day¡¯s dawn.

    ¡°No ma¡¯am. The representative brought me, it was my first¡­¡± She clutched her hands to her mouth, holding a wide smile, but stopped herself short of going on an excited rant. She composed herself, her smile faded.

    The headmaster¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. ¡°Tell me sweety!¡± She implored, waving her hand pleadingly. ¡°Does it feel good to be out of the house? Tell me, what is your goal, attending this Institute?¡± Her face was wrought with curiosity.

    Alera paused, her mind lingered on the headmaster¡¯s question. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve left home ground.¡± She began. ¡°I wasn¡¯t allowed to talk to anyone but the guardians, but they never showed me anything they could do.¡± Her chest rose and fell heavily as her breathing grew quicker. ¡°Today I felt it, the tingle of mana. It coursed through my body, I¡­I had a rune!¡± She cried out, showing her palm to the grandmaster, as her glossy eyes finally relented their hold.

    Her tears flowed down her cheeks, over her wide smile. She pulled back her hand, caressing her palm. ¡°I can do that too, right? I have a rune, right? I have an ability, right? I can¡­ do something, right?¡± She remained still, waiting for the headmaster¡¯s response.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t ask such questions.¡± The headmaster stated firmly. ¡°The law of this world dictates everyone must have a specialty, innate and acquired. The first step is to believe.¡± The headmaster got up from her chair. ¡°You see, as we grow up we are given rules to follow.¡± Mi. She spoke barely a whisper. The walls of the small room disappeared as reality seemed to twist around them.

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    ¡°Over time we restrict ourselves.¡± She waved at Alera to approach the edge of the wall less room, Alera complied, making her way over, slowly. ¡°We hold ourselves back, initially by choice then it becomes subconscious; once you break those bindings, only then can you truly be certain of what your specialty is.¡± Re. She spoke with a soft breath, pointing at a hanging Amme¡¯s Fruit. It snapped from the pedicle, falling onto the head of a poor passerby. ¡°See? It¡¯s not something to be crying over, sweety.¡± She reassured Alera, drying her cheeks with her palms. Alera let out a laugh as she watched the seemingly random student look around for the culprit.

    ¡°I ask once more. What is your goal, attending this Institute?¡±

    Looking out at the view of the sprawling expanse of the institution, the three massive buildings, the faraway mountains, the rising sun shining behind the headmaster. She was certain, her dream would become reality. She proclaimed, staring into the blazing eyes of the headmaster.

    ¡°Headmaster, I¡¯m here to discover my specialty.¡± Those eyes defied her own doubts.

    ¡°Just call me Asha.¡± The headmaster insisted, patting Alera on the shoulder.

    The dining hall was quieter than usual, aside from the critters outside, apprentices came and went, carrying with them snacks and beverages, they took no time to sit and converse, they did not have that luxury today. Yet, in the corner sat a pair, a young man, his black hair fell to his shoulders, entangled wildly, he whipped his head back to keep it out of his food. Across from him sat a young woman, her bangs hid her gaze. She twirled her silk-like blonde hair as she laid her head on the table, resting on her right arm, she stared vacantly at her glass of Amme¡¯s Juice (Made from the tasty white innards of the green, spiky fruit).

    ¡°Yo! Aren''t ya gonna eat?¡± The young man asked for the third time. ¡°Kari?¡± His voice filled with concern.

    With a deep sigh, she turned to look at him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be with your class?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Her posture straightened as she sat properly, putting both fists on the table she leaned forward, ready to confront any incoming allegations. ¡°I have express permission from the headmaster to study Azurael at my own discretion!¡± Her fair face glowed pink. Lips quivering, doing her best to maintain her wavering frown.

    Unphased by her slight outburst, the young man continued to dine on his fried potatas. ¡°You can just call him Zu, y¡¯know? Or Az.¡± A childish, toothy grin crossed his face, he chuckled, ¡°Ass.¡±

    Kari stared at him, unimpressed by what he thought humorous. Rolling her eyes, she relaxed, dropping her head back onto the desk. ¡°I don¡¯t get how you two are related.¡±

    ¡°Luck of the draw, y¡¯know? Flip of a coin.¡± ¡°Eenie Meenie Miney¡­¡± He gestured flam- boyantly, pointing from one side to the other. ¡°Mo.¡± Holding his hand to his heart as a braggadocious smile formed at the corners of his lips.

    Kari pulled her bangs back to look at him, her eyes pierced daggers. If looks could kill, a life would have ended here. ¡°You. Suck. Pleb.¡±

    ¡°You know who else is a pleb?¡± His face tensed, his eyebrows narrowed and his lips tightened, he could not hold his smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare compare yourself to him.¡± Once again, Kari lifted her head to confront him. ¡°Is that all you have? You really think some flimsy familial tie will compensate for your lack of effort?¡± She had stood from the table, now laid across it, nearly close enough to bite him if she tried. ¡°Sorry Oren, that¡¯s not how the world works.¡± She forced out through gritted teeth.

    Oren¡¯s smile returned, ¡°You smell nice.¡± He said through glossy eyes, before he proceeded to rub them.

    Kari stared at him, bragging about lineage wasn¡¯t something she was particularly fond of, considering it didn¡¯t account for any of the effort she had to put in so far. If struggling to pull through on general incantations wasn¡¯t enough, she could hardly keep it active when she could manage one. For as arrogant and confident as he came off, Kari¡¯s comment left a bad taste in her mouth. It had even surprised her. Perhaps she was just trying to get him past this point, past the point where your expectations have to die, if her experience was anything to go by.

    ¡°Photus Effunde.¡± Oren stopped rubbing his eyes, turning to look up at her. ¡°Can you do it yet?¡±

    He extended his hand, palmside up. Curling his fingers, keeping his index extended, he pointed to the sky, incanting a single phrase, with a calm up-tone in his voice. ¡°Photus Effunde.¡± A pale white light coated his finger, barely visible even in the candle-lit dining hall.

    His incantation was perfect, however¡­

    Kari bit her lip before she could criticize his effort, in retrospect, if not for Azurael¡¯s encouragement, she might have never gotten as far as she had. At this point it had only been a Luna since the semester started; it had taken her four to achieve what he just did.

    ¡°I apologize, you¡¯re not a pleb. Maybe it does run in the family, huh?¡± She smiled awkwardly, giving a slight chuckle. Oren smiled back, closing his fist completely as he stared at it.

    ¡°There''ll be hell to pay when I find out who¡¯s toying with me, I tell you. Mornin¡¯, Kariavri.¡±

    Azurael strode in, the scar across the right side of his head visible even in the dim light¡ªa stark reminder of his clash with one of the most fearsome entities in creation. Kari¡¯s eyes flicked to it, recalling the stories of his battle with Erodax. The single child among a handful of celestials, they said. A paragon of this era, commanding respect wherever he went.

    Kari and Oren stared, momentarily frozen as Azurael¡¯s shadow fell over them. Despite his beast-like appearance¡ªespecially after a grueling training session¡ªhe moved with an unsettling grace, catching them off guard in the farthest corner of the dining hall.

    Kari finally broke the silence, her gaze settling on his, which held an infuriatingly calm smile. ¡°Paragon, you seem to have a little¡­ mess up there.¡±

    ¡°Hey, when life gives you fruit, you make juice. Anywa¨C¡± Azurael clapped his hands, clearly trying to divert attention from the white, stringy goop on his head.

    ¡°Nobody says that,¡± Oren chimed in, unenthused. Azurael turned to him, his smile fading as he stared blankly. "Why are you here?" he asked, licking his lips in annoyance.

    An awkward silence followed. Azurael¡¯s ear twitched as he straightened, his voice dropping to a reverent tone. "All rise for the grandmaster, the Songbird of New Dawns, whose presence graces us all."

    Kari¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief as she whipped her head around, sending her tray spinning across the table, trying to verify the statement. Oren stood quickly, coughing as he tried to clear a fry he had inhaled.

    The room stood empty, except for the trio making a ruckus, Kari held her chest to calm herself. Breathing deeply, she looked at Azurael.

    That wasn¡¯t funny, you nearly killed Oren! Oren remained still, looking at her. She paused, as both boys stared at her. You can¡¯t be pulling stunts li¡­ She froze, her words had not simply fallen on deaf ears, they had been rejected by the world that should project them. She could not hear her own voice.

    Wait. She realized, their eyes pierced through her. A soft glow enveloped her.

    Please be seated. A serene voice spoke in her ear. Kari complied, a wave of comfort washed over her as her heartbeat slowed, leaning on the table, her eyes slowly shut as she drifted off to sleep.

    ¡°Such a sweet girl,¡± Behind the sleeping Kari space warped, light was bent along it, a slender hand reached through the blanket of light and around Kari¡¯s neck, gently lifting her chin. The light faded as the space normalized, the headmaster leaned over Kari, pressing her cheek onto her own. ¡°Are you boys treating her well, Oren?¡± Her eyes seem to plead, glossy as if tears could roll at the slightest issue.

    Oren¡¯s eyes slowly went down to his empty tray, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± His body shook, a smile stretched uncontrollably across his face. His body grew hot. I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll be stronger. I. Will.

    ¡°Yay!¡± The headmaster smiled, turning to give Kari a peck on the cheek before carefully setting her head on the table to dream.

    ¡°Zu,¡± She straightened herself, clutching her hands to her chest, she asked, ¡°Will you accept my request?¡± Azurael locked eyes with her

    ¡°Anything. Always.¡± He responded softly, firmly.

    She extended her arms to him, closing the distance, reaching up with her left hand. She traced her fingers along his scar, she appeared lost in thought. Without warning, her right arm wrapped around his head as she pulled him in close. Azureal stood leaning a head lower than he was used to but there were no complaints on his part. She held him to her bosom with a sly grin, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving her in your care.¡± She turned around, pulling him lower, and he met face to face with a beaming Alera, wearing her new black robe, admiring her little golden scarf.

 Chapter 2: Stellar greetings

    Murmurs filled the air, whispers of the new girl¡¯s identity growing louder with each passing moment. A sparse few students dared to press their ears to the door, hoping to catch a hint of the conversation within. There they sat, in the center of the empty room, the ideal specimen of a man and someone who you could confuse for his child.

    ¡°Alera, sorry my companions couldn¡¯t join us. I¡¯ll have them branded for the inconvenience.¡± He broke the silence.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Alera pouted sadly.

    ¡°Very well ma¡¯am.¡± Azurael sat there, unsure of what to do, he looked down and tried to make himself less intimidating. Alera tilted her head curiously, wondering why he was trying to fit uncomfortably into his seat. He stole glances at her, a white mark lined the bridge of her nose, bright enough to stand out even against her fair skin.

    ¡°Um,¡± Azurael coughed, ¡°You¡¯re from the Astraelith family, aren¡¯t you?¡± He held his breath.

    Her eyes fluttered, she squeezed her hands. ¡°Miss Asha told you?¡± Concern in her voice.

    ¡°No!¡± He quickly refuted. ¡°I just figured it out. The concord dictates the sigils of the seven families must be visible at all times to avoid accidental conflict.¡±

    It just paints a target on them, probably so they can justify using article 14 to raze a continent. He thought.

    He said in a whisper, ¡°Considering previous events,¡± raising his voice for her to hear, ¡°It could only be someone from your family. You know, since the other six don¡¯t really hide their family.¡±

    ¡°My family¡­¡± She narrowed her eyebrows as she delivered a soft glare. ¡°I only know the representative, please don¡¯t talk about anyone else.¡± Azurael noted her shaky tone and sulking shoulder as she spoke.

    ¡°I came to learn and Miss Asha said you¡¯ll be teaching me everything about everything and all we¡¯ve done is eat and take the girl to the infirmary and the boy to bed and sit here quietly for the past two hours.¡± Azurael looked at her solemnly.

    The room was large enough for a dozen apprentices, it was empty aside from the two chairs. The corners curved smoothly, as three little rusted-iron bells stood suspended above their heads. No windows or ventilation was present and light seemed to emanate from the snow-white walls.

    ¡°It¡¯s just like before,¡± she held her hand between her legs as she bent forward, letting her hair fall to her knees. Soft sobs bounced off the smooth walls.

    His chest fell with a deep sigh, muttering under his breath, ¡°It¡¯s just standard procedure.¡± He had only heard stories of the seven families, powerful entities ruling over entire continents, their influence only matched by the fierce loyalty of their compatriots. As he watched Alera curl into herself, her small frame trembling, he saw no trace of the power or dominance he had heard about. She seemed more helpless than a newborn.

    He held out his hand, fingers curled inward, his voice crisp and clear. ¡°Photus Effunde.¡± The room grew colder. In the center of his hand, where the fingers would intersect, a prismatic light shone with the glory of a setting sun. Alera peered with teary eyes through her silvery curtain of hair.

    In a swift motion Azurael jabbed his index finger into the light and held it at the tip. Slowly, he inched it closer to Alera¡¯s face stopping at the tip of her nose, where the light seemed to balance as he pulled his hand away.

    Alera''s eyes widened, captivated by the glowing orb balanced delicately on the tip of her nose. She instinctively held her breath, not daring to move, as though the slightest shift might cause the light to flicker out of existence. It danced gently, refracting a spectrum of colors across her face and the walls around them, turning the stark white into a canvas of shifting hues.

    ¡°This is an incantation, the manifestation of a desire. Without it, no amount of action or knowledge could manifest it, let alone maintain it.¡± Alera¡¯s attention shifted past the light on her nose as her pearly-silver eyes glimmered a kaleidoscope, enthralling even Azurael. He spoke carefully, ¡°Give it time, you will find your desires. Maybe even discover your specialty.¡±

    The hair on his arms stood on end, as he watched this supposed novice imitate his hand motions and repeat, with a break in her speech as she tried to remember the words. ¡°Photos Effunde.¡± A brilliant white light sparked at her fingertips before going out with a sudden pop. The room chilled, the crisp air hurt to breathe, Alera hardly noticed as she focused on the tiny blisters forming on her fingertips. She braved the stinging pain as the smile across her face and quickened breath resulted from her mere confirmation that, ¡°I can do this!¡±

    Azurael held her injured hand, Alera gasped but kept still. ¡°Photus Effunde. Sana Corpus. Regen Vitalis.¡± He strung the incantations together with no effort, though slowly, not a single doubt or hesitation. Her fingers glimmered as a blanket of warmth washed over her, the stinging slowly faded. She stared at Azurael who kept his eyes on her palm, examining it for other injuries.

    ¡°You healed me.¡±

    ¡°Uh huh, nice and good again.¡± He lightly slapped her palm, as if disciplining her, and gave her a pleased smile.

    ¡°If you can heal, why do you have a scar?¡± She blurted out, blinking curiously, brows furrowed, tilting her head to the left to get a better look.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, so I¡¯ll give you the short version since our time here is almost done. Six years ago, in a small village to the south of Eurenai. I was tending to my family¡¯s Renn fields when it started to rain, then it poured, then it roared. The black sky lit up, at first I thought it was lighting but when it held out for a minute I began to doubt that, as I looked around I saw a brilliant light shining in the sky, I could see it even through the dense clouds. Not too far away, under the light, I managed to make out a group of four people in the treeline, the thunder came from their direction, the trees were being uprooted with each boom that came from there. I saw two figures go flying and I just felt something whispering in my ear, ¡®Prove yourself.¡¯

    I ran for five minutes straight downhill, sliding a lot of the way. You hear about them in fairytales but you never expect to encounter one, so let me be the one to tell you, never approach a humanoid. That was my first, and so far only, run in with a catastrophe. The embodiment of natural wrath. It turned to me as he filled the third guy¡¯s guts with silt and clay; you''d think an eleven year old would run after that, huh? The thought of this thing getting to the village held me firm, I stood my ground but¨C it decided to crush me, sucking me into the ground. I did the only thing I knew at the time, I punched. And I kept punching until the ground gave out around me, the clay became dry and cracked in large clumps; I didn¡¯t really have time to consider my own strength as it swooped in low and almost blew a hole through my gut. With broken ribs and through blurry vision, my mind snapped into attack mode, I cracked one across its face, the rain stopped for a moment, continuing just as quickly as it decided to swap blows with me.

    Lucky thing, I practiced with the boys in my village so I could dodge anything moving slower than a pebble from a slingshot. I lost track of the amount of hits I landed but the next thing I recall is the searing pain in my lungs, I froze as its rocky fist flew towards my face. But, it never made contact. It was just gone and my face burned, as it tried to regrow its arm I heard my mother¡¯s voice singing to me in my right ear, one hand covering the left, she pointed at the catastrophe. Snap. Its torso just exploded, we stood in a crater and I met the headmaster.¡±

    Azurael had hardly taken a breath as he recounted his story to Alera who sat staring at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re so strong!¡± She squeaked, fists balled, trying to contain herself. ¡°Tell me more stories, please!¡±

    ¡°Another time,¡± He clasped his hands, as the three bells rang, ¡°Everything''s cleared, that makes three hours so we won¡¯t have to be back here for a while.¡±

    Alera recounted the story again, and again, she pictured a human-like figure but couldn¡¯t picture it well, too many details were missing. She could see Azurael speaking, but she could only imagine him engaged in battle.

    How I wish I could have been there, I want to see this fight!

    The three bells rang, the walls creaked as they glossed over with a thick layer of ice. Frost immediately settled on their skin, Alera blended into the white backdrop, her uniform being the only indication that she was still there. She yelped as she pried herself from the frozen chair. Shivering, she instinctively shuffled and slid her way over to Azurael who was in no better shape.

    ¡°We leave.¡± Azurael commanded, pulling her into a cold embrace, covering her from head to toe in his robe. One of the bells chimed again, shattering to bits as Azurael spoke hastily, ¡°Vitam Expelli, Aer Ardesce.¡± The cloth became warm, Alera shivered with pleasure. He had picked her up and was carrying her to the exit, she could feel his careful steps, hear his sharp breathing, feel his slow, beating heart. A loud crunch accompanied the door slamming open, and no later she found herself laying on top of a shivering Azurael who had found comfort on the stone cold floor.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Alera jumped as the door slammed behind her.

    Azurael laughed, ¡°You¡¯ll be the death of me, huh?¡± His eyes frosted over, the outside of his robes stiff and unbearably cold. Alera was no worse for wear, however¨C

    Achoo!

    She sniveled, ¡°I don¡¯t feel well.¡±

    ¡°We should get you to the infirmary.¡± Azurael responded cooly, shivering. She remained sitting on top of his belly, trying her best to stop herself from sneezing more.

    She¡¯s this fragile while being able to strain Kjarkonste''s room? Miss Asha¡¯s testing me again, and I can¡¯t fight back this time!

    A defiant smile curved his lips, he welcomed the challenge.

    The infirmary was a rather large, sectioned-off piece of the institution, lying comfortably close to a sizable crystalline pond. You wouldn¡¯t be mistaken if you smelled your mother¡¯s cooking coming from it, much less if you could taste it; nor would you be wrong to hear whispers in the wind calling your name. You would much more be at fault if through the shimmer you failed to see the Rarry birds running up to send you to the nearby infirmary, if you were lucky.

    Despite being taller than an average baby giant, they moved with unmatched grace, speed, and precision. Their beady eyes glinted with a predatory intelligence as they scanned their surroundings for the slightest sign of weakness, and with razor-sharp talons, they could tear through flesh and bone with terrifying ease. Blinding light gleamed off their polished-marble white feathers as their long necks stretched out to feast on eyeballs and soft tissue; for as vicious as they were, they were the preferred hounds of their handler: Anaq, Overseer of Eternity¡¯s Scourge.

    This day, he had the honor of dipping his ladle into eternity to extract two drops of fragrance from the pond, for it wasn¡¯t every day one could mend the wounds of a prospect ¡®Almighty.¡¯

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Anaq stood at the closest edge of the pond, nearest to the infirmary, waiting. Not a plea, order, request, not so much as a sign came; for as it happens, Azurael couldn¡¯t think of anyone but his most loyal companion to mend his body.

    ¡°Paragon, I don¡¯t know if my incantations are enough.¡± Kari stood behind a shirtless Azurael, sweat ran down her brow, hands shaking as she tried to direct the effects of her incantations on the blistering white pustules spotting his back.

    ¡°It¡¯s called field training Kari, if you¡¯re gonna be a healer you¡¯re gonna be seeing things a lot worse than this.¡± Azurael responded softly as he sat on his bed, cross legged, breathing just enough to not aggravate his lesions.

    He raised his head, the room was silent aside from Kari whispering a string of incantations, she held her hands together. Kari steadied her breath. ¡°Not a lot of people today.¡± Azurael commented. Kari opened her palms, directed them to his bare back. Her fingers tensed, palms cramped, her eyes lost in thought.

    Too far, and nothing gets done. Too close, and I may hemorrhage important tissue. He trusts me, but¡­ I can¡¯t be confident, I need to be certain. I need to be ready to move if he does.

    ¡°Exuo Corium, Putresco, Renascor!¡± Azurael jolted forward and recoiled, thousands of pinpricks jabbed at his skin. The cold, still air jammed itself into his raw, exposed flesh, chilling him to the bone. Kari watched, wide-eyed, as his tightened back slowly relaxed, his sharp breaths becoming deeper with each passing moment. She kept close, careful to not touch or move away, hovering above his trembling skin, she prayed she had performed to his expectations.

    She waited for a response. None came from him, however,

    Hiss!

    Kari nearly jumped out the window but was held close at the shoulders by Anaq, his lengthy black hair was spotted with the glimmering down of his fluffy assistants, a Rarry bird accompanied him. Kari stood still as the beady eyes of the bird appeared to look into her very soul.

    ¡°Remarkable work, dear. In lifting the layer of tissue you trigger the body¡¯s natural response, however painful it must have been.¡± Looking at her with a cheeky smirk, as if he knew that she intended on the pain. She had not. ¡°However, decomposition should only be used under the condition that the flesh is unsalvageable and may poison the rest of the body. You¡¯re essentially cauterizing the wound, you should see the problem here.¡± His smirk shifted to a judgmental side-eye. ¡°Whether you intended on letting his pool be the fuel for the rejuvenation, I¡¯ll give you the benefit of the doubt.¡± He stuck out two fingers in a V shape. ¡°Two of your incantations compliment each other, the third is very circumstantial. What I suggest is¨C¡±

    ¡°You can leave, Kari.¡± Azurael interrupted. With a slight jolt, Kari gave a slight bow to excuse herself. ¡°Head to the alchemy lab, I¡¯ll meet you there in a bit.¡±

    Should I call somebody? I¡¯ve never seen Mr. Anaq leave his grounds, the hell¡¯s happened since I was out?

    The room stood silent after the door closed.

    Azurael slowly laid on his side and pulled a thin blanket over his back.

    ¡°She saved you about six months of recovery, small as it was, you really shouldn¡¯t take chances with frostbite.¡± Anaq snapped his fingers and the Rarry bird writhed its neck, making painful sounding gurgles as it hacked up a small ampule behind Azurael.

    ¡°I ain¡¯t touching that.¡± Azurael spoke firmly as he turned his head to glare at Anaq.

    ¡°Like I said, you¡¯d sooner die of age than a drop of eternity.¡±

    Azurael scoffed, ¡°So you probably put in two.¡± The snide remark clearly upset Anaq as his left eye started to twitch, appearing as though he had just eaten something sour.

    He looked away, turned to the Rarry bird at his side who was nipping at his robes. ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less if you trust me,¡± Anaq said, his voice tinged with irritation. ¡°And I¡¯m not giving this to you for free. I want to know how you got hurt. There aren¡¯t many places you can get frostbite here, are there? So, I want to know¡ªwho hurt you?¡±

    Kari heaved with all her might, splitting open the entrance to the alchemy lab, its two gigantic doors swerved slightly on their hinges, making just enough room to squeeze herself in. The sigil carved on its exterior pulled the doors back together. Before her stretched lush vegetation as far as the eye could see. Massive sprawling leaves weighed down the thick trunks of several massive trees, as if made of rubber, they bent at unnatural angles, a literal wave of wood created peaks and valleys in the distance. She was sure they would pierce the clouds if they were straight. Behind her, where the door was embedded, stood a small hill. At its peak, a house that bent light, refracted the sky above and reflected the light in and out at every angle.

    She walked around the hill, making her way over on a path of black stone that cooled her feet even through her thick leather boots. Each step up the slope challenged her patience as her hair ruffled more and more, clumping up and tying together in a messy haze. The humidity had settled on her skin, soaking her top beneath the robe; she promptly removed it, hanging it carelessly over her shoulder, pulling the door to the glass-like house with a waning resolve.

    The room was lit by small openings in the opaque ceiling, with no windows or torches, the room was eerily reminiscent of being locked in a basement; the natural light was hardly enough to navigate through the dozens of aisles of small potted plants, molds and a couple sealed containers labeled, ¡°WARNING: EXTREMOPHILE PATHOGEN, DO NOT EXPOSE TO LIVING ORGANISMS.¡±

    Uninterested in the little botanical garden, she continued. The air chilled, with a sudden sneeze she could tell peppers had been recently burned. Crossing through an aisle, she made her way to the back, the room opened up to a dark little section, a small fire crackled, heating a curious pot of purple-pink liquid. With an exacerbated sigh, she turned her gaze to the very corner of the dark room.

    ¡°What¡¯s your deal?¡± She asked, eyes half shut as she looked around for somewhere to sit. A figure sat in the shadows, almost blending with the darkness, but the soft glow of light revealed more. Kari¡¯s eyes adjusted, recognizing Oren on the floor, Alera¡¯s head resting in his lap. Her peaceful, pale-ish face seemed to glow with an otherworldly quality as the speckles of light caressed her form. ¡°That your girlfriend?¡± Kari sneered teasingly.

    Oren glanced up at Kari, unamused, he responded, ¡°This is Alera. She wasn¡¯t feeling good so Az asked me to get her some medicine.¡± He kept stroking her hair, pulling it behind her ear, keeping it out of her mouth as she kept trying to chew on it.

    Kari stood still for a moment then, her teasing expression fading, and with renewed interest, she went off. ¡°How¡¯s she doing? Do you have a current temperature?¡± She walked briskly over to Alera and knelt down, using the back of her hand to feel her forehead and neck. ¡°Have you been keeping a record of her temperature fluctuations? Have you given her anything? How long has she been asleep? Has she been complaining about any pains? Have any other symptoms manifested that you¡¯re aware of?¡± Slowly, Alera¡¯s eyes opened up, revealing both her moon-like eyes, Kari once again paused.

    ¡°Kari¡­¡± Oren said softly, as if addressing his mother. Alera raised her shoulders, as she shivered from tensing her body, giving a great wide stretch. She gave a great smile as she, without hesitation, pulled the kneeling Kari into her arms and into a tight hug.

    Giggling the whole time, Alera kept a firm hold on Kari. Kari, however, was quite upset by this development as the moment Alera had smiled she understood why she had been laying on the ground, feeble and sickly. ¡°Is this girl drunk?¡± Kari asked Oren loudly.

    ¡°It was the witch! The witch of the woods said, ¡®This elixir of life will make your body and soul stronger! But the choice is yours little one¡­¡¯ and this one was all like, ¡®Yes! Make me stronger!¡¯ and downed the whole thing.¡± Oren blamed, clearly shook by the prospect of himself being blamed for the situation.

    The witch of the woods, the greatest healer of her generation, McNellie Uvs¡¯Hert. She wouldn¡¯t harm one of us, right? Kari doubted. Alera soothed herself, rubbing her face over Kari¡¯s cool top. Using her chest as a pillow, she, once again, peacefully dazed off, a soft whistling came from her breaths.

    ¡°Well, Azurael should be here soon, let''s hope he knows how to deal with this.¡± Kari resigned herself to being Alera¡¯s pillow for the meantime, staring thoughtlessly at the ceiling. With a wide yawn, she felt her eyelids closing in on her, Alera was warm to the touch. Kari wrapped her right arm around her to make sure she wouldn¡¯t slip off; before she knew it, it was her that had drifted off instead.

    A fog of forgettable moments revisited her: the day she stubbed her toe, falling to the floor with two cups of mint tea; the time she took an involuntary mud bath in the training grounds after a particularly long rain, soaking the towel she had kept dry for hours; and the first time she got here, sitting alone at her table, looking around at the plebs who were sneaking glimpses of her, never meeting her eyes¡ªexcept for the one who was sitting across from her, unnoticed until it was too late, making her panic and inhale her drink, spilling it all over herself.

    Forgettable, yes, quite forgettable¡­ she would want to believe, but how could she? Through them, she could almost feel, almost relive those moments without all the embarrassment¡ªor at least without anyone around to notice it. Those moments when Azurael would give her a helping hand, taking off her boot to massage her toes, running hot water to complete her task. When he ran to get her a towel, returning with a dozen and wrapping her up like a mummy, only to carry her to her dorm room and wait for her as she washed up. (How nerve-wracking that was.) How he apologized for weeks for not making his presence known, triggering her primal response. In her dreams, she could say for sure why these things had happened, she could answer why he was remotely interested in her to begin with. In her dreams.

    In a haze, Kari, still half asleep, could feel herself moving, yet her body remained limp and unresponsive. A distant thud could be heard, echoing in her ears. Her body shook each time she heard it, lost in thought. On the third thud she finally realized¨C it was the closing show for the night¡¯s event. Suddenly everything came rushing back to her, with a sudden gasp, tightening her arms and legs; panic stricken, she jolted up in her stupor, remembering her plans for the day: Spend the Commencement Ceremony with Azurael.

    How could she have made such a mistake? She rejected the requests of several instructors, who had asked her for assistance, just to make sure she could be with him for the start of her first PyreBlossom Festival. There won¡¯t be another for three whole years! How did she even fall asleep to begin with? The short walk up the hill wasn¡¯t that bad, maybe¡­ it was because the headmas¨C

    ¡°The fireworks are beautiful, but if you miss them, don¡¯t worry. We have all night to watch the stars.¡± The voice was unmistakable. Slowly, she opened her eyes. A dark spiral stairway led upwards, their way being shone by a lue of vibrant colors, kaleidoscopic in appearance; they were moths to a flame. She hung limply on Azurael¡¯s back, his hand grasped her legs firmly as he leaned forward to keep her from falling. She tightened her arms around his neck, knowing very well that he would insist on carrying her, keenly aware of how quickly he could wear away at her. But right now, what mattered wasn¡¯t her embarrassment, but the understanding that this, too, would become just another forgettable memory.

    The expansive grounds of the Institute came into view as they reached the highest deck. Kari¡¯s eyes widened as she could see the immense size of the pyrotechnics in use dwarfing the entirety of the surrounding landscape. From beyond the horizon, at all sides, from distant mountains and through thick groves in the far off distance, day turned to night as the relentless, innumerable fireworks lit up the sky with every color imaginable.

    The scent of fireworks was inescapable, its tinge made Kari¡¯s nose tingle with an odd satisfaction. It hadn¡¯t occurred to her until a tap came to her shoulder, followed by a cheerful, ¡°You are Kari, aren¡¯t you?¡± That the enormous explosions in the sky were going off with a mere, distinct thud.

    Kari looked back, not too far, Oren sat and waved a simple hello. Looking lower she locked eyes with her as she finally got off Azurael. Alera looked expectedly at Kari waiting for her answer. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Kari asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

    ¡°Yeah, look!¡± Alera candidly pointed further along the deck where a woman stood.

    Her deep crimson hair seemed to have brightened, it shone a vivid scarlet as a number of luminous balls hovered around her. She waved her hands, seemingly conducting the explosives as they seemed to match the graceful swing of her arms perfectly. The four stood silent, respectfully and delightedly watching the headmaster perform her elegant routine. Finally, she brought her hands together and allowed the stars to reclaim their rightful time slot once more. Azurael brought his hands to Alera¡¯s ears as she turned to look up at him, he warned, ¡°Cover your ears.¡± Which the other two quickly heeded.

    Asha threw her left arm to the sky, as far as she could, holding in her hand her thumb and middle finger held together tightly. And, at the peak of her motion, she uttered ¡°La¡± before quickly snapping her fingers; her arm was thrown back as if she had just fired a gun, but the sound did not come from her fingers. The luminous balls had shot far, far into the sky and seemed to disappear into the darkness of the night sky. Before anyone could question what was going on, day had once again reclaimed the night and with it came a thunderous BOOM that shook the very foundations of the Institute. Glass shattered, birds flocked by the hundreds into the sky, the clouds parted around them in the distance. The source of this glory stood with open arms and a pleased smile as the balls danced around in the sky wildly, slowly losing their vitality as they fell back down beneath the torn up clouds.

    Oren had been knocked onto his back; Kari had fallen over, struggling to breathe; Azurael was tense but standing; Alera was trying to copy Asha¡¯s movement, Azurael promptly stopped her by refusing to teach her how to snap her fingers.

    Asha held her hands at her hips as the sky slowly darkened once more, a satisfied smile across her face. Silence fell upon them, pierced only by a shrill and constant ringing in their ears. She turned to the four, her head tilted upwards in a prideful display for them, as if waiting to be praised.

    Oren sat up, rattled and delivered light applause. Kari held his ear and her own, casting a simple numbing incantation for them both. Alera was beaming, her hands delivering frenzied applause. Azurael remained still, his eyes delivered a slight glare as he tightened his fists. It wasn¡¯t just the power that unsettled him¡ªit was the way she wielded it, effortlessly and without regard for the aftermath. A roaring applause could be heard from below. Asha¡¯s gentle voice boomed as she spoke through the thunder below, ¡°I welcome you all once more, and I wish you all good fortune through these three Lunas, I hope you are able to discover yourself. Do your best!¡±

 Chapter 3: Wind and Water

    Having immediately gone to bed the night prior, as instructed by a certain blonde-headed healer, Oren woke with a fervent hunger, and the faintest pain in his ear. He had overslept but wasn¡¯t rushing to pack. Instead, he headed straight for the cafeteria after freshening up. The long, twisting halls were filled with dozens and dozens of novices, carrying their large backpacks through the hallway. Squeezing through, the halls felt too cramped, even though they were supposed to expand, making the place feel like supper time back in his village: a hot, clustered mess to get through.

    ¡°Last time an instructor died¡­ so I heard.¡± One scruffy-haired novice voiced loudly, seemingly hoping for someone to confirm the story. The crowd was filled with muttering, and mild profanity, some grinned from ear to ear, one fainted. Oren wasn¡¯t all that fond of tall tales, surely Azurael would have told him about something like that. All he ever heard about it was that it was amazing for training, although nothing Azurael could describe as amazing could be good.

    ¡°Kah! Quit spreading rumors!¡± A giant, muscly instructor slapped him cleanly behind the head causing the rest to walk hurriedly past.

    A slight comfort came to him, seeing the anxious faces on the passing students. His stomach stirred, he couldn¡¯t tell apart his hunger from his nervousness, quickening his pace in hopes of snuffing out one of his problems without fueling the other.

    The PyreBlossom Festival, as Azurael had mentioned to him, was a recent inclusion to the curriculum. One only made possible by the headmaster herself. Held every three years, it was ninety days of traveling to, and experiencing some of the most  hostile and inspirational sites she could get permission to visit. (Not that anyone could object to her request.)

    The cafeteria called to him, he caught a whiff of his favorite: seafood. It didn¡¯t matter what, fish, crab, lobster, squid, nem, relacks; there was nothing he couldn¡¯t stomach, nothing he didn¡¯t crave for. However, upon approach, a torrent of people flooded out of the doors, pushing Oren back as he hopelessly protested the crowd¡¯s inconsiderate action. Nearly trampled, he managed to pull himself through, his robes had been lost in the stream and was walking around in his undergarments (a dark-gray undershirt and black, baggy breeches.) Not like he really cared all that much, he wore it ¡°for their sake¡± anyway.

    He proceeded into the still-buzzing cafeteria, muttering to himself, ¡°Damn useless people, wasting more of my time, Az didn¡¯t wake me¨C he better be dead.¡± But he was not, in fact, he was more lively than usual.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡± A high-pitched, satisfied moan echoed through the half-empty cafeteria. Oren froze, his head snapping toward the sound along with everyone else¡¯s. At the farthest corner sat Kari, slumped over the table, arms shielding her face from view. Azurael was laughing heartily, battling a thick slab of unidentifiable meat. Between them sat Alera, happily dancing in her seat, her fork twirling over a plate of garlic butter shrimp.

    Oren made his way toward them, his eyes briefly meeting Alera¡¯s. She tilted her head cutely, her shining, pearly eyes locked on his. He quickly shifted his gaze to Azurael, but she continued to watch him. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me?¡± Oren asked coolly, his head tilted up in mock intimidation. Kari shifted in her seat, now listening.

    ¡°Sha...rry,¡± Azurael mumbled through a mouthful, struggling as the meat tried to pry his jaws open. With a forced smile, he finally swallowed. ¡°I overslept too. Alera kept me up all night.¡± Kari glared at Alera, sending a little chill up her spine.

    Alera leaned over and whispered something in Azurael¡¯s ear. ¡°Yeah, trust me,¡± Azurael added with a grin, ¡°he isn¡¯t usually that stupid.¡±

    Oren¡¯s brow twitched. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t talk behind a guy¡¯s back¡­ while he¡¯s standing right here.¡± He immediately winced at his own comeback, wishing he could take it back.

    Alera stood up suddenly, giving a deep bow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble I caused you yesterday. I acted without regard for your position and responsibilities. I am in your debt.¡± Kari steamed with the memory of the night prior.

    Oren blinked, completely caught off guard. He hadn¡¯t even felt responsible for anything, let alone expect an apology. He stared blankly, lost in a search for an appropriate response.

    Alera rose slowly, her silver hair cascading over her face. For a moment, Oren caught a glimpse of her lips through the strands¡ªthe same image that kept flashing in his mind. Her glowing face, her pursed pink lips, and the warmth of her skin as she had rested on his lap. He couldn¡¯t shake the memory, each step bringing it back as if it had left an imprint he couldn¡¯t escape.

    ¡°It¡¯s cool,¡± said Oren, unable to keep eye contact as his face warmed up. ¡°No debts to be paid.¡± He made to pull out a chair from under the table, but was quickly interrupted.

    ¡°Hey! Have you packed? The first years have to attend PyreBlossom and the sigil activates in 10 minutes.¡± Azurael warned as he tore back into the rubbery gray slab.

    ¡°But they said Eleven!¡± Oren rebutted pointlessly.

    ¡°You sleep like the dead, y¡¯know? It is eleven, well, ten-fifty.¡± Azurael noted as he stabbed at his plate, missing the flailing meat. Oren¡¯s stomach sank.

    Can I even ask for more time? Who would I ask? Will they not let me go without my stuff? Didn¡¯t Az say he went with nothing but his shirt? Why is today so terrible? Did I use up all my luck yesterday?

    Oren stood still for a moment, torn between sprinting back to his room for a futile attempt at packing and the equally pointless idea of ordering food. It would take at least ten minutes to get a meal, and that was time he didn¡¯t have.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, trust me. Unless your first instructor is Lemos¡ªyou know, the short, bulky one¡ªthen you¡¯ll survive.¡± Azurael nodded confidently, despite Oren flinching at ¡°survive¡±, and even as the meat on his plate twisted his fork into a mangled mess. ¡°Oh, by the way, I¡¯ll be joining you guys on day three. I¡¯ve got my exam rescheduled for tomorrow, so I need time to prepare.¡±

    Azurael¡¯s expression shifted. He set his fork down, his gaze locking onto Oren¡¯s. ¡°But listen carefully,¡± he added, his voice growing serious. ¡°You have to look after Alera. No matter what happens, do not leave her side. You¡¯re responsible for her, Oren. Live, breathe, die¡ªfor her.¡± He paused. ¡°Those are her orders.¡±

    Oren blinked, taken aback by the sudden intensity in Azurael¡¯s voice. He¡¯d only seen him this serious when the headmaster was present. It wasn¡¯t a request¡ªit was an order. Oren understood in that moment that he didn¡¯t have a choice.

    Azurael¡¯s words further dazed an already disoriented Oren as he stood still for about a minute, shifting his bewildered gaze, aimed at Azurael, to a concerned expression, aimed at Alera. Alera locked eyes with him, calmly dining, oblivious to the weight of her presence as the headmaster¡¯s guest.

    From one moment to the next, Oren had gone from a glowing, confident young man to a pale, trembling figure as he shakily took a seat. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me she was the headmaster¡¯s guest?¡± Oren kept his gaze down, paying no heed to anything else being said, his mind occupied by worry.

    She got drunk on my watch! I let her sleep on the floor! I touched her without asking! No one will believe me if she says anything! Az set me up?

    Oren slumped forward, letting his head fall onto the table, his arms limp at his sides. The weight of his thoughts pressed him down like a stone.

    Kari and Alera exchanged glances, both watching his quiet unraveling. Kari leaned in close to Alera, whispering, ¡°He probably thinks he¡¯s in trouble for letting you get drunk.¡± Alera looked at him curiously, her fork pausing mid-air. She failed to understand why he would be in trouble.

    ¡°Sh¨CShould I do something?¡± Alera asked Azurael, holding her plate firmly in her hands.

    ¡°No No, give him some time.¡± Azurael patted Alera on the shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile.

    But it wasn¡¯t my fault she drank ¨Cwhatever that was¨C so I¡¯m good, right? Yeah, I didn¡¯t have control over any of that! Wait! She thinks she caused me trouble¡­her debt.

    Oren suddenly looked up and locked eyes with Alera over her plate, which she was holding up, and asked curtly. ¡°Did you tell the headmaster anything about yesterday?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been with me and Kari since yesterday and the headmaster has been busy since she dropped her off to us.¡± Azurael had responded instead. ¡°You¡¯re acting wildly suspicious though, what¡¯s on your mind?¡± He prodded with a teasing smile.

    Oren quickly considered Azurael¡¯s comment, ¡°No, nothing suspicious!¡± He replied, shaking his head furiously, offended by the notion. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯d rather not have the headmaster think I¡¯m incompetent.¡± He leaned over the table to Alera, just over her plate, ¡°You wanna repay your debt right? To me, remember?¡±

    Alera nodded. ¡°Could you maybe, never tell anyone about anything that happened after the witch? Let¡¯s just say we found you some medicine and sat down near the fire for you to keep warm, yeah?¡± Oren spouted rapidly.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Alera responded just as quickly. ¡°But¡­¡±

    Alera broke off as Azurael held her left wrist and tied a ribbon around it. ¡°Remember, three days. I¡¯ll be seeing you, don¡¯t mess up, cuz!¡± Azurael gave Oren a serious look before turning to Alera with a pleasant goodbye smile. A glimmer appeared in front of their left eyes; a symbol flickered in their vision for a brief moment, and in the blink of an eye, the world around them changed.

    Alera fell back onto a large backpack laid behind her, the ribbon tied to it, while Oren tumbled forward onto her legs, his face landing squarely in her plate of shrimp.

    The open sky was endless. It stretched over and around them, far beyond the horizon at every turn, nothing impeding the vast, deep blue waters that surrounded them as far as the eye could see. The sun-kissed ground was hard, brittle, barren; the salty, dry air sucked away every drop of moisture from their bodies.

    ¡°Mr. Oren,¡± Alera paused, watching as Oren fumbled, trying to find a place for his hands that wouldn¡¯t touch her as he awkwardly pushed himself up. ¡°Where are we?¡±

    Oren scouted the area briefly. ¡°That was the sigil,¡± Alera reached for her left eye, trying her best to see it again, ¡°But it should be eight of us.¡± Oren got to his feet, shaking off the sauce on his face, wiping some away with his dusty hand.

    Alera laid still, staring at the ruined plate in her hands. ¡°I was going to offer those to you.¡± She said in a matter-of-fact tone. Gently placing the plate at her side, she pushed herself onto her feet.

    ¡°We have bigger problems right now.¡± Oren scanned the surroundings carefully, covering his eyes from the glare of the sun, he saw a couple figures in the distance. ¡°There! Something¡¯s moving¡­ something.¡± He pointed to the shimmering haze in the distance, turning back to grab Alera. ¡°Woah! Don¡¯t eat that.¡± Oren pulled back her wrist from her face, fingers holding tightly onto a dusty shrimp.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they good?¡±

    ¡°N¨CNo.¡± Oren said, questioning her sanity, shaking his head in disbelief. Looking around for someone to see his, ¡®are you seeing this?¡¯ face.

    ¡°Are you certain? I recall you have yet to eat anything. I¡¯ll let you know if it¡¯s good.¡± A strange sensation washed over Oren, perhaps it was merely the heat getting to his head but he definitely felt light-headed, as Alera gave him a determined, reassuring nod.

    Oren quickly dismissed the idea by stomping on the remaining shrimps, burying them into the dust. ¡°You will not be eating dust-flavored shrimp on my watch.¡± He frowned, Alera tilted her head curiously. His stomach grumbled. He untied the ribbon from her hefty backpack. ¡°Come on¨C we gotta find the rest somehow. The instructor is probably looking for us right now.¡± He tied the ribbon to his wrist and spoke to Alera carefully, ¡°Stay at my side. Not in front, not behind. I can¡¯t risk you taking a hit for me or vanishing into thin air.¡±

    Recovering from a near fall as he strapped the heavy backpack on, they began to trek forward toward the hazy figures. Each agonizing step Oren took felt like a battle, the backpack pressing down on him like a weight determined to crush his spirit. The thought of Azurael putting in no effort for the same task gnawed at him, pushing him onward. Through burning feet and a soaked, hot cloak, he pushed on, making sure to keep pace with Alera who seemed to be having a battle of her own. She would pause every few dozen steps, searching for shade in the taller Oren¡¯s shadow. Each time she nearly disappeared from his sight filled him with dread, compelling him to spin around and follow her. Their ceaseless dance continued under the unforgiving sun, which left no place to hide. Yet, despite the heat, Alera refused to let it break her spirit as she continued her search for respite.

    An hour had passed before they took a meaningful break. Oren panted like a dog, Alera rubbed her feet. ¡°Why don¡¯t we remove these?¡± Alera asked Oren, tugging at the collar of her long black robe.

    ¡°It¡¯s against the rules¡ªto be in combat attire¡ªoutside of the institute,¡± Oren said through deep breaths. But then a thought flashed through his mind: maybe, as the headmaster¡¯s guest, he could get away with it if Alera was on his side. Oren turned to Alera, ready to persuade her to reconsider, but his words stalled in his throat when he saw her already removing her robe.

    ¡°What even is that?¡± Alera asked, glaring at the sun. Her face was flush, her under- garments soaked, and her body trembled ever so slightly. She tossed the robe over herself, as a makeshift umbrella, nearly taking off with it as a sudden gust of wind blew past. Oren had foregone the rules as well, taking off his robes, his combat attire lay perfectly on every nook and cranny of his body. From beneath her robe-brella, Alera glanced at Oren. His combat attire fit snugly, accentuating every muscle that flexed as he hoisted the backpack once more.

    She stared down at her own attire¡ªa tight-fitting dark gray top that comfortably cushioned her chest and hugged her torso. The lightweight fabric extended to her wrists, practically unnoticeable. It transitioned seamlessly into her black tights, which firmly cushioned her legs. Yet, despite the heat around them, Alera felt oddly chilly.

    The robe she held up radiated an intense heat, but without it, it was as if her body¡¯s warmth was being drained away, she felt nude. She frowned, confused by the strange sensation, as the desert sun continued to beat down on them.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Meanwhile, Oren seemed in good spirits, as he kept whistling a tune as he walked. His robe was stuffed inside the pack, his sun-kissed skin glowing beneath the bright light. His wild hair, dripping with sweat, glinted like threads of obsidian under the harsh rays.

    They kept pace, walking further towards the ever growing figures in the distance.

    Another hour had passed before they could hear a response to Oren¡¯s whistling. The sounds kept being lost to the wind, which was now an active threat to Alera as the ribbon had kept her on the ground twice thanks to Oren¡¯s quick reaction.

    The hazy figures in the distance were now approaching quickly, evidently eager to meet them halfway. Alera clung to Oren¡¯s backpack, her grip tightening as the wind picked up again. Oren, feeling her weight pull him slightly, couldn''t help but smile inwardly, enjoying the role of protector.

    ¡°Oren, how ya been?¡± A young man¡¯s voice cut through the wind as he stepped forward, extending a large hand to pat Oren¡¯s shoulder. His toothy grin was disarming, though Oren struggled to make eye contact, distracted by the man¡¯s acne-covered face and absurdly extravagant haircut. His teeth were pristine, yet the wild hairstyle made it hard for Oren not to think of him as a rooster with perfect teeth. He quickly turned his gaze elsewhere to dismiss the thought, not wanting to disrespect him¡ªespecially in a situation like this.

    Looking around, he saw another young man scouting the area around them, his back to the pair, along with four young women, huddled together taking inventory. ¡°Arhen, where¡¯s the instructor?¡± Oren dodged his question.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the guy. New I s¡¯pose. Short, bald lil guy, mean mug though.¡± He chuckled. ¡°We showed up together with ¡®em but he started spoutin¡¯ off,¡± Arhen got low, scrunched his face, his arms became animated, ¡°¡®Ya¡¯ lil bastards don¡¯ like how I run things? Guess what ya¡¯ lil punks, ¡®ve permission from top brass to dump ya¡¯ ¡®ere and come back for survivors!¡¯¡± He got back up laughing, Oren joined in awkwardly, but it quickly subsided as another gust threatened to make Alera a human kite again, holding the backpack even tighter.

    Oren looked around desperately at the others. ¡°Do any of you guys know how long he¡¯ll be gone?¡± Alera peeked from behind her cover, staring eagerly at the girls.

    The four girls turned to look at him, two returned to frantically rummaging through their backpacks. ¡°Well, he said he¡¯ll be back for survivors, so probably by the end of the week, worst case scenario.¡± Replied a short girl with her cute blonde hair in a high bun.

    ¡°We''ll be moving towards the north side of the mesa, Mallo says there¡¯s a cave that leads to a small coast.¡± Added the other girl, a quiver in her voice, shifting her long black hair out of her face, her pale blue eyes narrowed gloomily.

    ¡°Mesa?¡± Oren said.

    ¡°Apparently, Mallo says he knows the rocks or something.¡± Arhen scoffed cheekily. ¡°Guess what?¡± he smiled.

    ¡°What?¡± Oren asked, irritated by Arhen¡¯s lack of seriousness.

    ¡°This here¡¯s Hopman¡¯s Isle.¡±

    Oren¡¯s heart seemed to stop for a moment. Hopman¡¯s? The Lost Isle? His throat tightened, and his mind raced through every tale he¡¯d ever heard of the cursed place. We¡¯d be three thousand miles from anyone else.

    ¡°Ha!¡± Arhen snickered, ¡°See? I had that same face. Them four still can¡¯t accept it.¡± He pointed at the four girls who had pulled out and were now scouring through a few small, thick tomes.

    ¡°But, that¡¯s just a legend. Some stupid sailor¡¯s tale.¡± Panic surged through him, and he struggled to keep his voice steady.

    ¡°Dunno what to tell ya¡¯, Mallo says it is.¡± Arhen nodded towards the young man behind him who was bent over looking at something on the ground. Oren stared at Arhen with a look of doubt. ¡°I¡¯d argue with ¡®em too but¡­¡± Arhen shrugged, ¡°been around ¡®em enough to know I¡¯m wrong.¡± He peeked around Oren, meeting Alera¡¯s glittering eyes. ¡°So, that your lil sis? Dunno if this is tha¡¯ right place for kids mate.¡± Arhen was older than Oren, his stubble beard and deep voice made that evident.

    ¡°I guess I can¡¯t disagree.¡± Oren debated whether or not to correct him further. ¡°She¡¯s not my sister,¡± He decided, hoping to avoid some elaborate story down the line. ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s not a kid.¡± He turned to his side, Alera quickly grabbed onto his arm, her grip weak and her body shaking.

    ¡°You¡¯re cold? Why didn¡¯t you say something?¡± Oren took her robe from her hand and began to help her put it back on.

    ¡°You were talking, it would have been impolite.¡± Alera said frankly, pushing her head into her robe.

    ¡°Y¡¯look more like a nanny than anything, so I¡¯ll assume ya¡¯ll ain¡¯t an item.¡± Arhen chuckled as Alera stuck her head out, the robe was backward. ¡°Did she start with us? I ain¡¯t seen her for any lessons, didn¡¯t even see ¡®er for the first with ya¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I found a better teacher,¡± Oren lied. In fact, he had avoided all his lessons, though they weren¡¯t mandatory, in order to watch Azurael train. He couldn¡¯t bear the thought of asking Azurael for lessons¡ªnot after years of watching him excel at everything. It would just confirm what Oren already knew: he could never measure up. And Kari would only make it worse, constantly drawing comparisons between them.

    ¡°Mallo, ya¡¯ met this one before?¡± Arhen called to the young man behind himself. The girls began to trace out shapes on the dusty ground.

    Mallo stood up slowly, pulling a small, dark-metallic rod from the ground, slipping it into his robe. He turned to look at Oren scanning him with a drowsy look, then turned his gaze to the graying clouds in the distance.

    ¡°Oren, we¡¯ve been here attempting to get a reading for the past two hours. The sun is overhead, and Hopman¡¯s Isle is the closest land near the meridian. We had to burn time, and Arhen saw you two, so we decided to wait and make sure where to go. No sticks around, so I used my ferro rod. It¡¯s not perfect, but now I¡¯m sure.¡± Mallo pointed toward the gray sky. ¡°That¡¯s north. Our best shot at survival.¡±

    Oren could make out a hint of contempt in Mallo¡¯s voice. He pulled Alera in front, holding her arms firmly. ¡°Then, should we get walking?¡±

    ¡°I do not permit that,¡± Mallo replied, his voice steady, unmoved.

    Oren raised an eyebrow, feeling a jab of amusement in his gut. He puckered his lips, trying to suppress the urge to laugh. ¡°And why¡¯s that?¡± A grin crossed his face. ¡°A little rain¡¯s gonna catch us? That¡¯s what the robes are for.¡± Oren began to walk away from the group, nudging Alera ahead. Her eyes glittered, as she stared wide-eyed at the vast expanse of gray swallowing the horizon, slowly blackening.

    ¡°That¡¯s no rain, that there¨C that¡¯s a storm.¡± Mallo pointed dramatically, Oren paused abruptly. ¡°I had expected it to change direction, but the winds are getting stronger.¡± He turned to look at the group of girls. ¡°We don¡¯t want to get caught up in that, so our best bet is to dig in and wait for it to blow over.¡± The four girls stood around a large symbol scraped on the ground, barely visible as the hard, tacky ground had refused to cooperate. With a single, unified voice, the four yelled out, ¡°Vis!¡±

    With a burning glow, the sigil shook the ground, kicking up dust and then it was gone. A fraction of an inch of the ground had been displaced in the outline of the sigil. The girls worked as a unit, heaving larger chunks together and scooping out fragments by hand. ¡°With eight people, the trench will have to be wide rather than deep. They volunteered for this, Arhen will take care of the hunting.¡± Oren turned with Alera, he stared at Mallo quietly, appalled at the lack of reaction from the others at his conclusion. A storm? Storms are myths! No, Azurael witnessed one when¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ma crazy fast swimma¡¯!¡± Arhen interrupted, beaming, his large comb seeming ever more extravagant. ¡°Yo, Mallo ya¡¯ met¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t storms follow catastrophes?¡± Oren asked abruptly, Alera¡¯s head perked up, turning her head to gaze at the storm once more. A flash of light came and went as a bolt of lighting ripped through the approaching clouds.

    ¡°No.¡± Mallo spoke expertly, ¡°A catastrophe is surrounded by their respective disaster. The last reported catastrophe, Erodax, landslides, was terminated by the headmaster six years ago; he brought heavy rainfall.¡± He contemplated, ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a reported catastrophe for storms, but...¡±  A crash of thunder boomed over them thirty seconds later as Oren handed the backpack to Alera, who sat down with it, anchoring herself to firm ground. Oren made his way to help the girls. ¡°There is a record of Typhoon.¡± He looked back at the encroaching storm, ¡°Though it hasn¡¯t been seen for the past century.¡± Caught in his view was a mousy-looking Alera, sitting on the ground backpack-strapped, quietly listening to their conversation.

    ¡°Ya¡¯ ever met this one Mallo?¡± Arhen asked irritably. Mallo¡¯s eyes scanned over Alera, her white-blonde hair whipped in the wind, mirroring the turbulent clouds above; her eyes were silver mirrors reflecting his astonished gaze.

    ¡°Not formally, no.¡± He blinked away his surprise, and kept quiet for a moment, lost in thought, then asked Alera. ¡°You¡¯re from the north, are you not?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Alera replied, her voice soft, her eyes flicking to Oren as if hoping he might answer for her. But he was too preoccupied, discussing plans with the girls.

    ¡°Sirzia north or Parmsa?¡± Arhen gave Alera a look of concern.

    ¡°Sirzia. The headmaster would never allow another Parmsien into the institute.¡± Alera felt a shiver run up her spine, whether it was due to the cold breeze whipping her neck or Mallo¡¯s menacing glare, she couldn¡¯t be certain.

    ¡°She don¡¯ look much like tha¡¯ sun peeps.¡± Arhen said doubtfully.  The group behind them yelled ¡°Vis!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m wrong?¡± Mallo challenged. The ground shook violently behind them.

    ¡°Nope.¡± Arhen threw his hands in the air and backed away, declining the confrontation.

    Oren, who had been watching them with growing irritation, finally spoke up. ¡°Guys, if we all chip in, we can make the hole comfortable without wasting half our manpower.¡± His voice was edged with annoyance, his eyes narrowing at the pair. These bastards would really stand around watching four girls struggle? Oren¡¯s jaw tightened. I¡¯ll have to teach ¡®em some manners when we get back to the institute.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, it was their plan.¡± Mallo hissed back.

    The black-haired girl, drenched in sweat, spoke up as she scraped the sigil into the hard ground with an earring. ¡°He got the direction in twenty minutes,¡± she whispered, glancing toward Oren. ¡°Said we should start walking immediately. We didn¡¯t think it right to leave you two behind, especially with a storm coming.¡±

    She glanced at Alera, then chuckled softly. ¡°We really thought she was a kid from a distance. I¡¯m just glad she¡¯s okay.¡±

    Oren smirked and shook his head at the idea of Mallo¡¯s ¡°leadership¡± starting with the decision to abandon what they believed to be a child. Though it wasn''t like they were completely off the mark. Alera had been keeping pace with Oren, who was a head taller, and fighting against cold, turbulent winds, holding onto her robes tightly, walking for miles with little rest, rationing what water and snacks she had left.

    The minutes passed with little progress. The lack of tools to break through the layers of compact dirt was much too frustrating, as Oren kept glaring at Mallo who was busy with the girls¡¯ tomes. The wind howled fiercely, now threatening to carry off Alera backpack and all. The work became considerably more bearable once the sun overhead became obscured by the rolling dark clouds, but, of course, this was not cause for celebration. The air around them became saturated by misty droplets, and soon after came the first drops of cold, hard rain.

    Mallo clicked his tongue in annoyance before he jumped into the ankle-deep crater. The ground, having sponged up every drop that fell, began to crumble at the edges.  At this, Mallo ordered the five out, they begrudgingly complied as he began to carve a small sigil, in the shape of three little balls tied to cords, into the damp dirt. ¡°A proper spell would get this done in an instant,¡± he muttered to himself, ¡°Can¡¯t do much with a crowd like this¡­ don¡¯t even know the incantations?¡± He quietly judged.

    ¡°The ground is getting softer.¡± He announced, drawing a circle around the sigil and scraping tethers from it, like rays from the sun. ¡°Everyone touch a line, and continue Vis.¡± The five rejoined at the outskirts of the crater, Arhen jumped in as well, and touched a line in the dirt.

    ¡°Vis!¡± They shouted once more, but the ground remained firm. Mallo crouched in the center, his thumb plunged into the middle of the sigil, his frame shook. Alera gazed at their ritual from under her hood, the warmth of the cloak only went as far as it could cover but her shivers were not from a chill, she stared at Mallo expectantly.

    The rain plummeted and whipped at them, helping Mallo stay low into the dirt. His heart raced, the crater filled with water and he prayed to anything that this would work. ¡°La!¡± He uttered, in an instant the ten minutes of continued chanting seemed to be released threefold as the dirt and mud blasted high into the air. Mallo lay sprawled five feet inside the crate over chunks of debris, gasping heavily.

    The group, having been blasted outside of the crater, was panicking and frantically searching for each other. ¡°Connie, you okay?¡± Shrill voices pierced the now raging storm. ¡°Vai! Get this thing off me!¡± Alera sat quietly watching them run around, getting their bearings. Oren felt a surge of pain throughout his face, a feel of his nose immediately discovering the cause as he could feel a distinct bend that was not there before.

    The next instant lightning ripped into the nearby ground and a sudden chill tore through them, through their enchanted robes, their frenzy died off as the instinct to survive took over. With no hesitation, the four girls, Oren and Arhen jumped, slid and rolled into the crater, nearly crushing the still wheezing Mallo.

    ¡°¡®Kin¡¯ nose¡¯s broke.¡± Oren complained as the six of them huddled around a dazed Mallo. He could hardly make out the blood flowing from his nose as the torrent of water swept any sign of it away.

    ¡°Here.¡± The short, blonde girl gripped his nose and tugged hard to the left. With a crack his nose straightened out, but not before sending a current of electricity throughout his body. Tears welled in his eyes, thankfully, he thought, the rain would cover that up. Then, as another flash of lighting crashed in the distance, he felt a horrible sensation in his gut, as if he¡¯d forgotten something.

    As he made an attempt to remember, not a thought, not a single one excluded Alera; he had not forgotten, he was simply not thinking. In a panic that made him forget his injured nose and the raining bolts of death from the sky, he heaved himself out of the crater and made a mad dash for Alera who was goggling at the sky.

    Why didn¡¯t she jump in? Why is she just sitting there? Is she insane? Is she¡­smiling?

    Her wide smile could convince you that she felt no danger, in fact, for a mere moment, Oren felt a deep unease at her apparent lack of fear. But, regardless, he reached her not fifteen feet from the crater, surrounded by debris, put his arms around her and the backpack and heaved them both to the edge of the crater, sliding together down the crumbling edges.

    ¡°Are you insane?¡± Oren shouted at Alera, who recoiled ever so slightly. ¡°You could have died¡­¡± Oren began mumbling to himself, cursing and pleading with Alera to ¡®get a sense of danger.¡¯

    ¡°It¡¯s just like Miss Asha¡¯s show!¡± Alera chirped, her face lighting up in innocent admiration as though the chaos around them were a spectacle meant for entertainment. But before Oren could tell her off again, a shout rang out.

    ¡°Give me your robes!¡± Mallo stood holding his shoulder, ¡°Take them off.¡± He shouted through the deafening torrent. The crater filled, rising to their knees within minutes. The cold water overwhelmed the warmth the robes could provide but even still, from the numbness of their exposed hands and faces, they knew it was working far better than nothing. Still, they were standing in a crater Mallo had made in a couple minutes, as reckless as his method was, they would surely not survive to the morning without a gamble, so, hesitantly, they took the robes off.

    Mallo took hold of the eight robes and bundled them together, twisted and tightened. He shoved his fist into the bundle and pulled it out, and in an instant, the bundle sprang to life; nine were now standing in the crater. The robes had formed a short silky torso and four limbs, two uneven legs and a pair of stubby arms, its head, a bundled bit of cloth, was hidden under one of the many hoods. It stared at Mallo awaiting orders.

    ¡°Be a tarp, keep this damn water out!¡± Mallo commanded the bundle. With a salute, it sprang upward, before it could be blown away, its many fibers shot deep into the edges of the crater and the robes fell apart only to be rewoven into the proper shape of a circus tarp.

    Everyone except Arhen, who was busy berating Mallo for his use of a storage and amplification sigil, were looking up at their newly constructed roof, many a mouth agape. The thunder shook them but the light could not pierce the structure of the cloth roof. Alera tried to look upon it but the darkness was uniform, instead, she resolved to touch. She poked and felt the silkiness of the cloth closest to her causing it to jump back and wriggle at the touch. A tiny opening appeared, she could peer at the lighting through it, and there stood a little bundle of string resembling a stickman that seemed to be shaking a finger at her actions. Alera smiled with glee at the little figure who proceeded to tickle the tip of her nose.

    The seven others were focused on tending injuries, the girls had found themselves and were now in a huddle doing their best to calm the long, black haired girl who was in tears. ¡°It¡¯s okay Lil¡­ We¡¯ll be okay Lil.¡± But to no avail.

    Her voice broke between sobs as she gripped her friends¡¯ hands. ¡°We¡¯re gonna die¡­ Vai! Connie! Dalli! I love you¡­¡± She gasped between panicked breaths, her chest rising and falling in jagged motions. The sound of the outside winds appeared calm but the occasional roar of colliding and crashing currents violently shook the tarp. Still, Alera peeked through a tiny gap.

    Mallo sighed at the sound of the panicked girl, calmly commanding. ¡°Get this damn water out.¡± A tiny string formed a tight straw from Alera¡¯s peephole, and siphoned the knee deep water until all that was left was sticky, slippery mud. Throughout the ordeal, Oren had focused on holding Alera firmly around the waist with absolutely no intent to let her out of his sight again.

    From her peephole, the little string-man fought back the incoming water with great success, she could see a figure. A tall, lanky figure in the far off distance. Unafraid of the raging winds and undeterred by the shaking ground caused by the indiscriminate bolts of lighting falling around it. As she stared, a single thought flashed through her mind, Azurael¡¯s words.

    Never approach a humanoid.

 Chapter 4: Tribulation

    The three other girls laid in a huddle surrounding Lillie, all fast asleep. Arhen and Mallo rested nearby¡ªMallo using Arhen¡¯s back as a pillow. Arhen, lying face down in the still-wet mud, continued to snooze, creating small bubbles with each exhale. Alera, having been unable to escape Oren¡¯s grip, was laying down over his chest, her head beside his.

    The tarp that had shielded them was now neatly wrapped at the center of the crater, no longer needed as the storm had passed. The first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon, casting a soft glow on the scene. The dark, gray sky gave way to a brilliant gradient of colors¡ªblack, blue, purple, yellow, and orange blended into one another, painting the morning with quiet beauty. The still damp air woke a particularly-struggling-to-breathe Oren, his stomach growling with a deep pain. He looked around at his muddied companions and at the tiny Alera in his arms.

    ¡°We¡¯re alive.¡± He groaned as a weak smile crossed his face. He tightened a hug around Alera and shouted, ¡°We¡¯re alive!¡± Alera was the next to awaken, kicking her legs in surprise as Oren had yelled beside her, not to mention squeezed the air out of her. The girls woke one by one, groggy and feeling gross as the mud clung to their faces. Mallo woke and quickly moved to the clothes at the center of the crater, pulling out a silver locket from under the muddy stack of robes. Arhen remained face down for several minutes as the rest of them scampered out of the crater and regained their bearings.

    Lillie, the long black haired girl, looked dismally at the rising sun, doing her best to avoid anyone¡¯s gaze, without fear all that remained was the embarrassment of wailing like a child. Seeing this, the remaining girls launched themselves at her and fell onto the damp ground teasing her. Oren smiled at Mallo who¡¯s gaze had lingered on the half-dressed girls, their robes still laying in the crater. Rolling his eyes to him, he turned to look at the rising sun in the east, then back down at Oren who was still holding tightly onto Alera, who was issuing no complaint but had a rather perplexed expression.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be holding her like that.¡± said Mallo, glaring at Oren. ¡°We still have five days to go, don¡¯t take advantage of the situation.¡± He continued scathingly.

    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Oren addressed Alera, releasing her from his embrace, making great effort to ignore Mallo¡¯s accusation.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I did it to Kariavri too. She said it was okay too!¡± Alera beamed at Oren and pulled him into a hug of her own. She clung to his neck. Oren felt a heat not unlike the day prior rise from within. ¡°You¡¯re warm like Azurael.¡± Giggled Alera, causing Oren to blush fiercely at the odd compliment. His stomach growled intensely, though he didn¡¯t seem to pay any heed to it, Alera quickly released him and gave a worried look. ¡°You didn¡¯t eat anything yesterday either!¡± Her eyebrows furrowed, and she went looking for her backpack.

    Oren could feel Mallo¡¯s glare burning a hole through the side of his skull. ¡°So¡­we headed north?¡± Oren asked Mallo, his blushing face obscured by blots of mud, blood and grime on his face.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Mallo said, tossing everyone a set of robes. ¡°Considering we can see water across the horizon, I roughly estimate we need to walk six miles. If the maps are accurate we should be relatively close to the northern edge, can¡¯t be a coincidence.¡± Alera handed him something wrapped in foil.

    ¡°Ya¡¯ sure? Just six miles?¡± Arhen pulled himself out of the mud. His face looked cleaner, more handsome than ever before, his hair falling to the left, covering an eye as he gave a cold, confident smirk. Alera shoved something wrapped in foil into his hands.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s hard to say for sure, but the mesa towers a couple hundred feet at its center. We¡¯re probably twenty to thirty feet above the lowest point, or we¡¯d see a lot more ocean.¡± A silence fell over the group as they processed Mallo¡¯s words. Alera broke it by shoving something wrapped in foil toward the four girls. ¡°Can you all manage that?¡±

    ¡°Right! North!¡± Alera declared in a sweet, upbeat tone and began to walk toward the sun. Tearing off a piece of the foil and chowing down on a fresh-looking sandwich, plump and dripping with sauces. Oren leaped out of the crater, backpack in tow, and escorted her in the right direction before she got too far.

    They walked, Alera in the lead, Oren followed closely behind. The rest fell behind her, having decided to keep pace with her as a thank you for the sandwiches. Oren refused food from two of the girls before they decided to stop offering, Arhen seemed to be carrying Mallo¡¯s food as he seemed hesitant to offer him any, clearly trying to avoid getting on Mallo¡¯s bad side.

    Oren, still perplexed by Mallo¡¯s performance the day prior, decided to prod a little. ¡°That spell, the one that nearly killed us, well, you¨C what was it?¡±

    ¡°First off¨C it wasn¡¯t a spell. It was a sigil, you saw me marking it into the ground.¡± Oren could only hope to ignore Mallo¡¯s condescending tone.

    I gotta work with this guy, can¡¯t afford to piss him off more. Seems like he¡¯s the most qualified one here. He looked around at the girls singing a chorus for Alera¡¯s march, Arhen giving a carefree to Oren and Alera jovially marching ahead as the sun rose across the sky, admiring the endless blue of the sky and creeping waters.

    Oren had meant to sound indifferent, but he caught himself leaning into the question with actual interest. ¡°What¡¯s the difference, though?¡± He added quickly, hoping to smooth things over.

    Mallo gave Oren a puzzled look, quickly shaking it off before he responded. ¡°As they said in the very first lesson, sigils are a form of invocations, similar to spells but do not require the stringing of several incantations to take proper effect. It¡¯s what you start with until you learn basic incantations.¡± Mallo spoke in an almost uninterested tone, Oren listened intently.

    ¡°You?¡± Oren¡¯s attention lingered on this. ¡°You¡¯re saying you¡¯re above sigils?¡±

    ¡°I can perform a few spells, but everything is circumstantial. I had to go through their tomes yesterday to find something that could help us. What you saw me do was employ a sigil to invoke a spell, though I wasn¡¯t sure about how it worked or really any of its specifics.¡±

    ¡°So you had no clue what you were doing?¡± Oren scoffed, coughing in order to cover it up.

    ¡°Yes, I chose a completely random spell to use and it just so happened to do what we needed.¡± Mallo¡¯s sarcasm was not lost upon Oren, who returned a dopey smile. ¡°If you bothered to read a tome¨C you¡¯d know they describe the intended function of the sigil.¡± He returned a sharp look at Oren, ¡°If you¡¯re not using your tome, I could take it off you.¡±

    ¡°Why would you want mine?¡± Said Oren, puzzled.

    ¡°Everyone gets different sigils and spells to learn.¡± Oren replied with another look of utter disbelief. ¡°Too many invocations for any single person to go over so they thought this was the best way to go about things.¡±

    Oren frowned, shaking his head slightly. ¡°Wait, so I¡¯m stuck with what I¡¯m given? That¡¯s insane.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll assume you haven¡¯t read a single page.¡± Oren looked away, not wanting to show the guilt on his face. ¡°Hundreds of incantations, sigils and spells are out there in the world. You would go mad before you could choose where to start.¡±  A confident smirk crossed his face. ¡°Although¨CI¡¯ve never had a problem in that regard.¡± Mallo¡¯s smirk widened as he stepped past Oren, closing the gap to Alera with an air of satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯m just better, I suppose.¡±

    From the moment Alera noticed everyone was behind her she had begun walking briskly, as fast as her legs could take her, hoping to spare someone from the midday sun that had punished her the day before. She wore her robe as a jacket, the cloth-man had modified her outfit especially, to keep her arms warm, and allow the cool breeze to blow into her cape-like outfit.

    Mallo pulled up carefully, closely. ¡°You¡¯re from Parmsa.¡± He said abruptly in a hushed voice.

    ¡°I am?¡± She whispered back with a tilt, perplexed.

    ¡°Your nose has the marking of the Asrealith family but there is no record of your name.¡± Mallo did not look at her, he appeared to be sweating from much more than walking. ¡°Even the disgraced Seraim is mentioned from time to time.¡± Alera winced at the mention. ¡°It would not be wise to pass off as one of the families, you haven¡¯t the slightest as to their reach.¡± Mallo stuck his tongue out briefly, much to Alera¡¯s curiosity. A brilliant shine emanated from the back of his tongue, much like it was encrusted in diamonds. ¡°Even those from the branch families can be targets. Don¡¯t make yourself such an obvious one.¡± But it was not obvious, if fact, the white mark crossing the bridge of her nose could hardly be seen under the glory of the sun.

    Alera slowed her pace, falling behind Mallo and beside Oren. She grabbed Oren¡¯s wrist weakly as she walked with her gaze to the ground. ¡°You okay?¡± Oren asked, glaring at Mallo who turned to look at her with a sort of curiosity on his face.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Said Alera, her voice tense. Though he couldn¡¯t be sure why, what he did know is that whatever Mallo had said, shook her more than the storm ever could. And, he reasoned, if he had to protect her from that then whatever Mallo said must be kept from her at all cost.

    The trek had taken longer than Mallo¡¯s estimate. With the girls trying to cheer up Alera, Arhen sharing stories of wrestling beasts of the deep and Oren holding her robe for her to block the sun, none could lift her spirits that had staggered her pace. Nonetheless, they had reached the edge, winds howled over the steep drop. A short survey of the land quickly resulted in sighting of a deep, long fissure that ran along the cliff edge-to-edge.

    ¡°I realize it¡¯s a little late to ask this¡­¡± Dalli, a rather skinny looking sun-burnt girl, noted. ¡°Where exactly did you get information about a mythical Isle?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Mallo looked into the depths of the fissure dejectedly. ¡°Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have asked Azurael for advice. Guy¡¯s a monster.¡± He forced out a laugh.

    ¡°Why would you ever ask him for advice?¡± Oren¡¯s tone made it clear that he detested the mere idea. He took a slow, deliberate step toward the edge, holding the still clung-on Alera an arm''s length away, eyes narrowing at the abyss as if expecting it to hold more answers than Mallo did. Alera shimmied her way to peek over it. ¡°Yeah¡­ I guarantee he jumped in here to get down¡­ if he didn¡¯t jump off the cliff outright.¡±

    At this, Alera lept.

    The seven froze, struck silent by the impossible. Not a gasp, not a yelp¡ªjust stunned disbelief as Alera vanished into the abyss. Oren¡¯s heart seized. His mind barely registered the drop before his body moved, diving into the void after her, no thoughts¡ªjust sheer impulse.

    The cool wind rushed past him, the darkness surrounded him as the opening shrank behind him. ¡°Spread your body out!¡± He shouted into the void to no response¨C but a small giggle. And then¨C

    Splash.

    He heard Alera hit the water, getting a great splash in the air briefly before he felt the icy cold surround him completely, causing his body to stiffen and gasp, the cold shock penetrating deep into his body. Through the suffocating space, an echo reverberated¡ªhe could hear it, feel it, pulsing through the abyssal chamber. The moment seemed to linger as he fought back to regain control of himself, slowly, one-by-one his muscles relented their hold. To his left fell another.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    The impact shoved him aside, his body jerking in response. He reached out instinctively. A hand caught his, yanking him toward the faint light above. They broke the surface together.

    ¡°You a¡¯rite there mate?¡± Arhen''s voice reverberated off the walls, slipping his arms under Oren¡¯s and around to the back of his head to hold him still.

    ¡°Alera!¡± Oren thrashed around, trying to free himself from the bind.

    ¡°Calm down, you¡¯ll kill us both.¡± Oren¡¯s breath came in ragged gasps as he finally stopped fighting, sinking back into Arhen¡¯s support.

    ¡°Find Alera.¡± He spoke into the abyss through panicked breath.

    ¡°Oi, Mallo, drop the thing!¡± Arhen shouted, his voice was deafening.

    The distant light above them wobbled and intensified, getting closer¨C it was falling. With a pathetic splat, it fell onto Oren¡¯s face further suffocating him. Arhen removed the robe, now shining brilliantly, and wrapped it around his right hand, suddenly releasing Oren from his bind.

    Arhen whipped his head around, the glistening walls of the cave were all he could see. He went under, The depth and darkness was such that the light could not pierce a foot ahead, his feet straggled behind in the void.

    And then, there she was.

    Alera shone like a distant star, her hair suspended like strands of spider¡¯s silk drifting in the current. Arhen blinked, certain for a moment that he was imagining it. But there she was, her wide eyes fixed on him, an infuriatingly calm smile playing on her lips.

    She didn¡¯t need rescuing.

    With a swift kick, Arhen launched himself forward weaving his body to and fro, practically serpentine, effortlessly carrying his streamlined body through the  and took hold of Alera¡¯s waist, holding her tightly.

    Looking around he managed to glance the faintest glimmer of the cave wall beside him and used it to kick off, the water tightening its hold the faster they went. It had not been a minute before Alera was once again at the surface, staring at the shining robe wrapped onto Arhen¡¯s hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s about a fi¡¯ty foot drop.¡± Arhen shouted. Holding tightly onto Alera he spun around, extending the light in his hand, ¡°Can¡¯t see a damn thing, get down ¡®ere already.¡± A blip came from the darkness nearby.

    The water sprang up and remained suspended, a pale blue light emanating from it. A tendril of water waved itself over Alera, dropping about a cup of water over her. Her body trembled as she turned to look over at a mound of water towering over them.

    Her smile widened as the mound slowly shifted, contorting itself into the crude shape of a man.

    The watery figure danced around them, sending tiny spouts of water to playfully tickle Alera before slipping away into the shadows beyond.

    ¡°That¡¯s the robes?¡± Alera asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a poltergeist.¡± Arhen whispered back.

    Alera pondered. A poltergeist¡­it¡¯s so funny. I want it. Leaning her head fondly on Arhen¡¯s chest, waiting for the dim light to return.

    The water rushed as the light came from under them, untwisting the robe from Arhen¡¯s arm, it kept a hold of his hand as it pulled them further into the darkness. The light from overhead vanished as they swam further into the void. The robe curved around a bend, and the sound of running water could be heard.

    The current pulled on the pair but it took no hold as they were tugged onto a sharp, jagged landing for respite. With a brief salute the robe-light disappeared once again around the bend. ¡°Come on ova! Wat¡¯as runnin¡¯, must be a way down.¡± His words practi- cally lost in the echo.

    ¡°Why¡¯da jump?¡± Arhen asked Alera, who sat beside him. A sincere curiosity coursed through him, that such a frail looking girl, who was struggling against mere winds, was capable of taking a plunge into the unknown. He needed to know why.

    ¡°Oren said Azurael did.¡± He could tell by her tone that she truly believed that her utter disregard for her safety was justified by that.

    With that much faith, you¡¯d think the guy¡¯s her dad. He thought.

    ¡°Photus Effunde.¡± A light appeared, Alera looked at it and around, the cave wall glimmered like stars in the night sky. Arhen chuckled. ¡°Ya¡¯ know, ya¡¯ might be crazy enough ta¡¯ meet with Azurael one day.¡±

    Alera replied with a smile. Around the bend came the light, slowly, it got to Alera¡¯s feet, it had pulled a seemingly comatose Oren who was floating on his back muttering to himself. ¡°So, so sorry. I don¡¯t know why. Not cut out for this. Alera, please try to stay alive.¡± His eyes looked up at a curious Alera standing over him. ¡°Another day with you.¡± He looked defeated, utterly surrendered.

    Deafening splashes echoed as the remaining five took the plunge, the light had worked to splash the water around as they did, breaking the surface, cushioning the fall. One by one, it pulled them along the bend and onto the ever-shrinking landing. The girls huddled together, pulling Alera in the middle, checking her for injuries, scolding her actions and hugging her for being okay. Mallo was the last to take the leap, being careful to know if anyone had gotten hurt before he leapt.

    ¡°You little bitch.¡± Mallo growled as he pulled around the bend. ¡°You know the look that fat bastard would give me if you ended up dead? Do you know what you¡¯re costing me? If you¡¯re going to kill yourself then do it as far from me as your pale, lanky legs will take you.¡±

    What am I saying? He nearly regretted his words, however, he reasoned no point in doing so. What am I thinking? I know she¡¯s not from one of the families, I know that. But¡­I feel like I¡¯ve spoken out of turn. No. They can¡¯t have, she can¡¯t be¡­ She must be, yes¨C an imposter like that deserves no reverence.

    Mallo had the keen ability to remember every single detail he paid attention to, short of photographic memory. His brain was a repository for information, one he had trained through countless hours of flipping through documents for the family, one he had acquired to repay his failure. Indeed, no document, official or otherwise had ever listed the existence of Alera. The Asrealith family had only ever had six heirs, five were deceased according to records. The youngest was at large.

    But something ate at Mallo, of course he would take responsibility if she died, he was the smartest there after all. On the off chance that this was some unregistered heir to the Astrealith family, what implications would that have? His mind raced with too many possibilities to notice the fact that Oren held him by the collar.

    ¡°...you got that?¡± Oren looked vicious.

    Mallo gripped his wrists. ¡°Some backwater plebeian handling me?¡± He threw his body around infuriated, trying to overpower Oren, to no avail as he was thrown back into the cold water.

    ¡°Right, both ya''s. Ease down else I¡¯m gon¡¯ ¡®ave to take these ladies with me and ya¡¯ can both stay ¡®ere bickerin¡¯ amongst ye¡¯selves.¡± Arhen tried to calm them both down, pulling Oren to the side and extending a hand to Mallo. ¡°Don¡¯ be such a dick¡¯ead Mallo, she¡¯s safe, s¡¯all ya¡¯ should care ¡®bout.¡±

    Mallo was steaming but he bit his tongue as Arhen bulldozed through his dialogue, ¡°Now, onto tha¡¯ issue of gettin¡¯ down ta¡¯ coast from ¡®ere.¡± Alera stood beside him, a silver locket in her hand and a glistening orb of light on her nose, her eyes as curious as ever, walking forward slipping off rocks playfully as she lit the way. They walked the stretch of cave, water rushed faster and faster until it roared below.

    ¡°Cascade.¡± Lillie announced, keeping close to Alera.

    ¡°Go ahead, keep jumping till you see an exit!¡± Mallo sneered, still fuming, his words dripping with contempt.

    His stomach dropped as she moved to the edge. It was just a jab, he hadn¡¯t meant¨C but Alera took him at his word, her face brightening as she readied herself to jump once again.

    ¡°Alera, no!¡± came a chorus of desperate voices behind her as she leapt forward with sheer glee.

    But Alera barely heard them. What were heights to her? She could not see the bottom, but each time she jumped, she landed in a pool of cool, rushing water. And after all, Azurael had done it.

    Arhen, not to be outdone, jumped right after her. Oren staggered over the edge after her, part of him was fighting the urge to jump into the abyss for some reason. Mallo and the girls lagged behind, doing their best to gather their nerves to take the plunge once more. By the time they managed to catch up to the frolicing Alera, they had jumped twice more and were in far too much shock to be relieved to see daylight breaking through a rather large hole in the wall.

    Alera twirled her way to the exit, Arhen sat in the darkness waiting for the rest to gather their wits. Mallo and the girls were not in good shape, he had twisted his leg as he hesitated to leap and the girls¡¯ nerves had been rattled so that Lillie and Connie had come down with fevers. Oren dragged himself along the sandy bank towards the exit trying to reach Alera, he was supposed to be taking care of her after all.

    ¡°Alera¡­¡± He choked out, she turned curiously. ¡°Wait¡­ for us¡­¡± He did his best to issue a command but between his labored breathing and his voice cracking, he was sure she might as well have been looking after him.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Alera stopped in her tracks short of reaching the exit and waited politely for them all. Arhen walked past, looking at her with a certain admiration; the girls were too busy taking care of Connie and Lillie to worry about she-who-had-no-fear; Mallo walked past everyone, falling to the rough sand the moment the sun once again singed his sallow skin.

    ¡°Come on.¡± Oren gripped her wrist firmly and tugged her along to the cave¡¯s shore.

    The expanse of the ocean couldn¡¯t have been received any worse as the last two girls seemed to get more sick than their patients. Of course, they couldn¡¯t be blamed, leaving the confines of a claustrophobia-inducing, pitch-black, ice cold cave in an attempt to find reprieve on a tiny, empty, scorching hot, beach would leave any normal person with a distinct feeling of ¡°we¡¯re gonna die.¡±

    ¡°¡¯rite, time ta keep my end a ta¡¯ deal.¡± Arhen stretched his long slender body and made his way forward, barely a couple dozen feet ahead. He had tossed his robe and was wearing his undergarments, looking like a sort of wetsuit.

    Oren had barely recalled ¡®the deal¡¯ and no sooner his stomach had him on his knees still gripping Alera¡¯s wrist. ¡°One sandwich wasn¡¯t enough.¡± He chuckled, but Alera reached over his shoulders to rummage through the backpack he still carried. Between hunger and exhaustion, he could merely remark. This would be hot if I wasn¡¯t dying. As Alera¡¯s chest suffocated him with her wet robe.

    She pulled back, in her hand, a single foil-wrapped sandwich. ¡°Last one.¡± Alera didn¡¯t seem to notice Oren¡¯s struggle. Her face was serene, almost childlike, as she casually offered him the last of her food. For a moment, Oren thought he might pass out, and yet here she was, unfazed, offering him the last sandwich like they were on a picnic.

    ¡°Thanks¨C¡± Oren stopped his outstretched hand as a yell came from the shore.

    ¡°Oi! We gon¡¯ starve.¡± Arhen yelled mere inches from the shoreline as his head bobbed up and down. He reached out to the sand and pushed his body up and out of the water. ¡°Da¡¯ ocean¡¯s dead.¡±

    ¡°You get in there and find us something!¡± Mallo yelled back. He glared at Arhen with wild eyes. ¡°We did not just crawl through that damn cave for you to fail. There is no failing now, do you think we have the option of going back up?¡±

    ¡°Mallo¨C¡± Arhen began, but Mallo exploded.

    ¡°No, no! Don¡¯t you make excuses! If you¡¯re useless then just say that, you worthless plebeian. Azureal said he thrived here, that means we survive here. Are you so incapable that you can¡¯t measure up to a fraction of him?¡± Mallo¡¯s voice trembled, each word laced with panic. His eyes darted around as he continued to ramble madly, oblivious to the fact that Arhen had reached him, and was dragging him to the water¡¯s edge.

    Arhen held Mallo¡¯s head underwater, everyone was still for the moment, then he let go. ¡°Really is Hopman¡¯s Isle.¡± Arhen stared down at Mallo who backed away from the water with a panic.

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t it be a lie?¡± Mallo dug his fingers into the sand.

    It was quite the unfortunate circumstance, the sun overhead beat down on the tiny cliff-beach throughout the day. For this reason they had made the decision to explore the cave as much as they could, at least those who could manage to steel their nerves. Arhen slowly mapped out the cave with his orb of light, Alera¡¯s robe glowed with such radiance it would give the moon a run for its money. Oren had followed her, his energy temporarily boosted by the sandwich he had chosen to split with Alera, though he wasn¡¯t exactly up to the task of being all that productive, he was only supposed to be taking care of her after all.

    The rest had been through enough for a day, the girls lay sleeping on their robes and backpacks, makeshift beds for the feverstruck two. Mallo stared almost catatonically at the expanse, his eyes unblinking as he tried to see, as he hoped to see, something to spur him onward. And as the sky filled with crimson streaks, and the shadows lengthened, he saw it.

    In the far distance, hundreds of feet from where he sat, a gigantic fish glimmered in the twilight as it tore through the divide of sea and sky.

    ¡°There!¡± Mallo yelled, jumping to his feet. ¡°That was a Bluefin!¡± Though nobody else seemed to share his excitement.

    ¡°Mallo... please... just let us have peace for tonight,¡± she murmured, too tired to care about giant fish or any other miracles.

    Hungry as he was, Mallo had been better off than Oren, who had managed to chug through a third day on one and a half sandwiches. Arhen returned to the tiny beach, Alera followed behind giving a shoulder to Oren who was straggling along.

    ¡°Well mate, cave¡¯s got notin¡¯ useful. It¡¯s cold as ¡®ell but we could take cova¡¯ in case of anotha¡¯ storm. Everyone¡¯s beat, the girls¡¯ food supply got mopped up.¡±

    ¡°I saw a bluefin,¡± Mallo said, his eyes narrowed as if daring Arhen to find an excuse.

    ¡°Ye¡¯ well, those be deep sea fish. Them don¡¯ usually break surface ¡®less somethin¡¯s chasin¡¯.¡±

    Mallo''s face twisted, his excitement deflating at Arhen¡¯s words. The last sliver of hope he''d clung to now felt like a cruel joke.

    Darkness crept, the group fell into a heavy silence, the only sound the distant waves crashing against the shore. The promise of the Bluefin felt more like a taunt now, mocking them from the depths, just out of reach.

 Chapter 5: A day with a hero

    The night settled in quickly, the cold breeze nipped those close to the entrance. The meager foot of water that rose was met with a reproachful stare by Arhen, who stayed awake to keep Mallo company late into the early hours of the day. The girls had retreated to the back of the cave, bright sigils glowed overhead as Lillie and Connie slept away their fevers, Vai and Dalli taking turns to reactivate the sigils and keep watch over their condition.

    Very near lay Oren, having kept close to the girls so Alera could enjoy the sight of the sigils; he had dozed off, exhaustion had rendered him incapable of so much as shivering from the cold, wet floor. Yet, his hold on Alera was such that even in his state of twilight he held onto her wrist firmly, onto she who had fallen asleep on his belly as she gazed fascinatingly at the shimmer off the cave walls.

    The sky was filled with thousands of lights, each shone with a glorious, flickering in- candescence. ¡°¡®Least we don¡¯ ¡®ave to deal with any bull t¡¯night, huh?¡± Arhen poked at Mallo who had ignored any attempt of his to get his mind off the dire situation. Arhen stared at the moonless sky, tracing shapes among the star but the arbitrary nature of his connections lacked any real foundation or structure. ¡°Dy¡¯know if constellations ¡®ave incantations¡­ y¡¯know, like¡­ are they sigils?¡±

    Mallo¡¯s leaden eyelid seemed to lighten as his eyes darted to the stars. They crossed here and there inspecting every light, as if looking for answers among them. ¡°That¡¯s not how sigils work.¡± Mallo explained as he scanned the sky.

    Arhen stared at Mallo who¡¯s eyes darted left to right methodically. ¡°Ya¡¯ know, it¡¯s a dick move ta¡¯ just tell someone they¡¯re wrong and not correct ¡®em.¡± Arhen snapped.

    Truthfully, that¡¯s just what you do when you¡¯re not in a rut ain¡¯t it? He thought, hoping to elicit anything to overcome whatever weighed Mallo down.

    ¡°Everyone has a sigil, they say it comes to them in their dreams¡± Mallo began. ¡°They call it a representation of the soul, separate from what we are capable of defining. So, some people die without ever knowing their sigil, they never understand their soul, I suppose. No different from your heart or brain really¨C neglected but no less necessary.¡±

    ¡°How would one go ¡®bout understandin¡¯ their soul?¡±

    ¡°If I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be an apprentice woul¨C¡± Mallo froze, his eyes locked onto a gleaming light. A panic seemed to take him as he got up but stayed low onto his feet, ¡°That¡¯s not a star.¡± His breath was steady. Arhen¡¯s eyes darted around but he could see nothing other than the clear skies and the sea stretched out beneath them; a black void that swallowed the horizon.

    ¡°Mate¨C did ya¡¯ seriously memorize the sky?¡± He stared at Mallo incredulously.

    Mallo¡¯s gaze remained fixed on something just beyond Arhen¡¯s perception. Frustrated, Arhen decided to level the playing field. He raised his palm and muttered, ¡°Photus Effunde.¡± An orb of light flared into existence, casting sharp shadows on his face. With a quick jab of his finger, he sent it forward with a command, ¡°Vis!¡±

    For a few moments, Arhen let himself believe that Mallo was just having another panic attack, But that hope was crushed when the light, having traveled a hundred and fifty feet, collided with something solid, it hit and scattered over a glistening green and blue carapace that remained steady over the rolling waves. The light streaked along the dark sky to the left, Mallo¡¯s eyes followed it; another star streaked to the right, Arhen managed to track its quick motion, stopping at what they could only assume was the center of the black mass concealed by the night.

    It blinked.

    ¡°That¡¯s an Oppressor,¡± Mallo whispered, stepping slowly backward into the cave.

    As much as Arhen wanted to ask what the hell an Oppressor was, he bit his tongue. His gaze stayed locked on the two lights, waiting to see what the creature would do next.

    The lights flickered¡ªthen came motion. The sea roared as if a ship had crashed into it, and waves lashed against the cave¡¯s entrance, spraying Arhen. He blinked through the water, realizing the lights had vanished from the sky. Silence returned.

    An oppressor¡­ The name troubled Arhen, the thought that it was more, that it was a title, worried him. Still he held off on asking for clarification as he could not bring himself to torment Mallo further, who was struggling with muffled sobs and laughter, teetering on the edge of hysteria. Arhen would spend the night awake waiting for, what he could only rationalize was a creature, to reemerge; there would be no further activity.

    The sun rose on the third day to a disheveled group that included four sickly girls, who had been trying to find helpful sigils; a delirious Mallo, who had retreated into a crevice at the back of the cave; a heavy-eyed Arhen sitting cross legged at the entrance; a rather bright and cheery Oren who was patting his flat belly in a rather proud fashion as he stood by a small pool inside the cave that Alera had taken to explore, her robe illuminated brightly in the shallow depths.

    ¡°I got something.¡± Vai stood with her tome in her hand, brushing down her frizzy ginger hair, and she made her way to Mallo. She spoke an incantation and held a light in her palm. Setting her book beside the crevice she leaned into it to see Mallo had dozed off. She read the tome again and gave a sigh.

    Smack!

    She struck Mallo across the face with an open hand, and just as quickly pulled him in to deliver a kiss on the lips. ¡°Be a man! You¡¯re brave, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re gonna protect us, aren¡¯t you?¡± She yelled at him. All heads turned to the speck of light at the back of the cave. Her lips trembled as she did her best to keep her eyes locked on his, Mallo blushed furiously. ¡°Hmph!¡± She picked up her tome and left him to his confusion.

    ¡°What was that about?¡± Dalli asked as Vai sat back down with the girls.

    ¡°Tome said to!¡± She blushed indignantly as she shoved the tome for them to read.

    Got a sorry excuse for a warrior in your alliance? The solution is quite simple! No Incantations necessary!

    The first and most effective way, as I can attest, to ensure drive and maximize vigor is to take them for all they got.

    Heart- Make their body desire yours! Start with a kiss! A hug! A slap! Be careful if you plan to go big, the more intimate you are the less effective the smaller things may become!

    Mind- Torture them with the thought being without you! Let them know how much you¡¯re counting on them! Show them how much you believe, how much they have to lose!

    Soul- A mysterious thing still! Perhaps by applying the previous two honestly and wholeheartedly you truly can invigorate the soul! Or perhaps it is a result of the subject convincing himself of the two!

    Got an infestation of mind lice? Try this remedy of fire quartz and rejuve goop! Just dry and grind into a simple snortable powder! (May cause brain damage!)

    The girls gave her an awkward look. ¡°You kissed him? I thought you liked Ar¨C¡±

    ¡°Shut up! I did what a healer does, okay?¡± Vai snapped at Dalli and snatched her tome back. Connie and Lillie snickered.

    ¡°Got some news.¡± Mallo announced as he walked to the entrance of the cave. Oren cleared his throat, ¡°Last night we sighted an Oppressor.¡± Arhen was glad to hear a lack of gasps, he wasn¡¯t the only one lost anymore. Mallo looked around at the confused girls, Vai kept her eyes on her tome, Arhen awaited an explanation and Oren asked Alera to step out of the frigid water. He sighed, ¡°You know the stories of Hopman¡¯s Isle, right?¡± The reminder of being on a supposedly fictitious Isle seemed to make something click in their minds.

    ¡°That monster¡¯s real?¡± Connie¡¯s voice quivered.

    An enormous splash drenched Arhen, and as the cold shock of realization set in, it compounded with his fear¡ªthis had to be the monster. His instincts took over, driving him to turn swiftly, rod in hand, ready for whatever loomed.

    The water bubbled, Arhen waited. The sun had risen to a cool morning, the breeze was calm and the waves rolled gently around the cliffside. The ocean was somehow extra salty today, he noticed, licking his chapped lips.

    The surface broke with great force.

    He lept.

    To deliver a swift swing overhead, through the yet airborne water. With a distinct snap he confirmed. Contact. He tugged at the long rod but it would not return. Releasing his hand, he extended his arm and pointed to the falling water. ¡°Vis, Acus. Ignis!¡±

    A pop went off, the water around him scattered and steamed. His forearm pointed to the sky. ¡°You¡¯ll hurt yourself.¡± A voice said, chuckling. Arhen landed backwards onto the tiny beach, held up by his forearm and the hand firmly on the rod. The water splashed and blurred the visage of the figure, a cough could be heard behind the blurry man. The moment passed, vision cleared¨C a head taller than him stood a beaming Azurael, Kari held tightly around his neck.

    ¡°You¡¯re¨C¡± Arhen stared, his eyes widened with disbelief.

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy! You know I was joking, right? We thought you were Hopman¡¯s Blight!¡± Oren pushed Arhen aside, his frustration directed squarely at Azurael.

    Kari slid off Azurael, carrying a backpack. She floated her way majestically into the cave, giving Arhen a shy smile as she passed; her golden hair clung to her still-wet face.

    Arhen could only gawk at the scene¡ªa powerless Oren venting his anger at the paragon of their age.

    ¡°You let yourself go, back on the farm you could at least catch a basheep.¡± Azurael teased Oren after hearing his complaints about no fish in the waters. ¡°So you guys haven¡¯t eaten? No worries, I¡¯ll get something, but first¡­¡± He clapped his hands, and wore a serious expression, ¡°Alera. Where is she?¡± The four girls had held back after the splash, pulling her along to make sure Alera couldn¡¯t put herself in danger.

    They turned to the entrance as Kari walked out with Alera clinging to her, showing her glowing robe with childish wonder. At the sight of Azurael she skipped, prancing her way to him. ¡°Look!¡± The glow faded as she pulled out the silver locket from an inside pocket. ¡°It¡¯s a poltergeist!¡± Azurael smiled but his eyebrows furrowed.

    She befriended a poltergeist? Those things hate people being even near them. Maybe she¡¯s confused¡­

    He tried to open the locket but could not budge the tiny hinge. For a moment he thought about prying it open, but Alera¡¯s trusting smile dissuaded him from exposing the supposed spirit to the light of day. Reluctantly he returned the locket, making a mental note to look into it later and to keep a close eye on it.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you made a friend.¡± Azurael smiled, ¡°Well then, fish!¡± He clapped his hand, Kari handed out small lunch boxes to each, the smell of shrimp immediately made Oren¡¯s mouth water. ¡°Lemos is currently being reprimanded for abandoning you all here, so don¡¯t worry about getting back at him. Instead, I¡¯ll be teaching you about this supposedly mythical Isle.¡± The girls stood at the entrance of the cave, Dalli and Vai already tearing into their lunchboxes while Connie and Lillie picked at theirs. Arhen and Mallo stared at Azurael, blinking as if trying to shake off a dream. Alera listened intently as she kept forking shrimps into Oren¡¯s mouth, to which he issued no complaints.

    ¡°The ocean you see before you was once a great nation. Three hundred ninety seven years ago, its fall marked the end of the age of dragons. Isvar Hopman, widely considered the most powerful combatant to ever exist, exterminated the Celestial Queen and drove away the oppressive dragons from the Lands of Athre. But you know this.¡± His thin smile faded. ¡°Unfortunately for Hopman, the battle with the Queen would cost him the kingdom he tried so dearly to protect. Their battle is one of the few events ever classified as Extinction Level. This Isle is all that remains of his kingdom¡­ The castle rests upon its highest point still.¡± The group kept quiet, looking at each other, still processing the situation. Hardly five minutes had passed since his arrival.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Mallo, seemingly finally coming to his senses, spoke. ¡°You¡¯re Azurael right?¡± Azurael nodded in confirmation.

    ¡°Now, that recap was necessary for you to know why this place is a wasteland. There are no confirmations from any primary sources but witnesses of the end of the battle say a brilliant light more blinding than a star fell from the heavens and cradled the horizon. The wall of death dug an enormous crater around the Isle, estimated maybe five to seven miles deep. Leading to mass extinction of sea life and the complete annihilation of the continent.¡± Perhaps it was because some hadn¡¯t cared much about fairy tales or were too enthralled by his presence to interrupt, they continued to watch Azurael calmly give his history lesson.

    ¡°Water levels fell as the vaporized water brought about the Age of Deluge. Water levels fell by six hundred feet as the water moved to fill in the sink.¡± He nodded. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t blame you for being unable to hunt here, everything¡¯s at the bottom, if there¡¯s anything that is.¡± He pulled his robe off and handed it to Kari. ¡°It¡¯s best if I just show you.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± They yelled in unison. Azurael jumped, surprised at their sudden change in demeanor. He could pick up pieces of what they were saying, each a more confused and incoherent version of events.

    They saw the monster! The blight is real! Somethin¡¯s in da water! There¡¯s an Oppressor in there! Their yells blended together.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Azurael chuckled, ¡°There¡¯s no Oppressor in there.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you! It¡¯s in there, it¡¯s huge!¡± Mallo yelled out desperately.

    ¡°No¨C that¡¯s the little guy. I killed the Oppressor three years ago.¡± He smiled before diving and disappearing into the depths.

    They had hardly processed his words. Little guy? Arhen thought, estimating the size of the creature, and the noise it made sinking back to the water. The lights, which he concluded were its eyes, easily stood at a tower fifty feet.

    Kari giggled. ¡°It¡¯s true. They were still using its carapace to make armor sets when I was an apprentice. They say it blocked out the stars. It was Azurael¡¯s first Oppressor.¡± They were stunned by the casual tone of kari¡¯s voice, Alera¡¯s eyes twinkled. They held their breaths as they waited.

    The ocean spray whipped at them, even the famished Oren had lost his appetite as he kept his eyes on the rolling waves. His stomach twisted nervously, and an unusual tightness in his chest grew as the seconds turned to minutes. Doubt rose in his mind as, though he had been raised alongside Azurael, he had never witnessed him take on Fearsome Beasts. One quick glance at Kari gave him enough indication that things were not ideal, as her thin smile had faded and she wore a rather uneasy expression, though, for his own sake, he chalked it up to just her being a worrywart.

    And then there was rain. The ocean seemed to come to life, flooding over the edge of the cliff-beach, sweeping them off their feet and doing its best to drag them in. An enormous claw breached the water with a shattering crash, its blue-green surface gleaming like polished armor. It crashed against the cliff, stopping just inches from Kari¡¯s face, filling her vision until she saw only the jagged, broken end.

    ¡°Right, that¡¯s breakfast.¡± Azurael pulled himself up the cliff-beach. Perhaps he was used to being gaped at or he didn¡¯t care for the astonishment of apprentices but he walked around the claw to meet with Kari, ignoring the stupefied looks of the group with a satisfied smile on his face, and asked for his robe back.

    ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡± Connie yelled out, Lillie nodded in affirmation. Arhen twitched. Oren, and Mallo could not take their eyes off the massive claw. Alera had taken to determine the texture of its surface, as smooth as polished marble. Azurael had not taken notice of them as he spoke to kari.

    He turned timidly and walked briskly to Connie and Lillie. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t go down I¡¯ll need to extract the group.¡± He stood before Connie, he looked down at her as he raised his hand to her cheek, she shuddered as his cold hand cupped the right side of her face. ¡°Hmm¡­ was it worse before? You¡¯re really hot.¡± Azurael frowned. Connie yelped and fell back into the three girls, hiding her face from him.

    ¡°We¡¯re doing better than last night, I promise.¡± Lillie replied with an awkward laugh, slapping Connie on the arm.

    ¡°Well, just let me know if you feel any worse.¡± He turned to the three boys, ¡°Well you three, make yourselves useful. Hand over your robes and get to deshelling that claw.¡± The three had no objections but had slight reservations about giving up their robes, its warmth was the only thing regulating the chill experienced from wearing only undergarments, but relented nonetheless. ¡°Young ladies, please follow me.¡± He led their way into the cave, Oren ushered Alera along.

    The darkness surrounded them, the pitiful sounds of the boys trying to break the claw echoed. A flutter and thud was explained the moment after Azurael spoke. ¡°Calor, Luz. Infierno.¡± A bright light radiated a blazing heat from the center of the cave, illuminating even the furthest walls of the cave and the jagged ceiling that hung precariously, dark cracks spread across it.

    The three robes shone brightly. Alera exchanged a gleeful smile with Azurael, but he held her back as she attempted to reach out to them. ¡°Careful, it¡¯ll hurt.¡± The other girls kept their distance from it, the bundle pulsating warmth. He sat around the robes, Kari and Alera by his side; the girls sat opposite, still in slight disbelief that sitting before them was the pride of the institute. ¡°It¡¯s Constanza, Elizabeth, Dalvana and Vaihlet. Is that right?¡± Azurael¡¯s smile was met with a mix of looks¨C  Connie blushed heavily, Lillie looked offended, Dalli recoiled and Vai was surprised.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little rude to call people out like that, you know?¡± Lillie said indignantly. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to let people introduce themselves.¡± She frowned suddenly as her statement edged a question into her mind¨C How does he know our names? She had barely formed the question before it was answered.

    ¡°Oh yeah, my fault. I¡¯ve got a habit of learning a bit about each apprentice.¡± He scratched his ear, ¡°If you would be so kind, please, tell me a bit about yourselves.¡±

    Connie cleared her throat. ¡°I am Constanza Samos. I¡¯m from the grand city of Newdings.¡± She blushed heavily as Azurael looked at her, giving a distinct look, she thought, of being unimpressed. ¡°It¡¯s the biggest city in Menestes!¡±

    ¡°Lover¡¯s Lowe!¡± Azurael snapped, seemingly connecting the dots in his head. ¡°You guys have huge families, even by Menestes standards.¡± He chuckled.

    ¡°What?¡± Connie was appalled. ¡°No, I meant¡­ We¡¯re the largest manufacturers of metalwork and magical articrafting!¡± To have her pride be sullied by the fact that her city was in fact massively populated, approximately 66 million residents, a tinge of shame and embarrassment rose within her, what could Azurael be thinking about for his first thought to be family?

    ¡°I know, the headmaster took me there in my first year to get these.¡± Azurael pulled out a shimmering pair of dangerous looking metal pieces, he slipped one on. ¡°I use these to train.¡±

    After being quiet for a good ten seconds, it was evident he wasn¡¯t going to explain, at least not today as he kept admiring the piece. ¡°What is it?¡± Alera asked as she twisted her neck up to gander at his fist.

    ¡°They¡¯re soft knuckles, typically you wear iron knuckles to cause more damage but the headmaster says my punches do too much damage. With these, my punches are pulled without effort on my part. It¡¯s to make sure I don¡¯t accidentally hurt someone.¡± He laughed, pulling off the soft knuckle and placing them back into his robe pockets. ¡°Incredible craftsmen, and supremely gifted enchanters. I¡¯ll be expecting a lot from you  Cons¨C Connie.¡±

    Connie convinced herself that her fever was acting up again as she lay on her side, warmed by the fire, looking at Azurael¡¯s rather pleasant features, his voice echoing her name in her head.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°What about you¡­¡±

    ¡°Lillie, you can call me Elizabeth if you wish. I¡¯m with stupid.¡± She shook the intoxicated Connie.

    ¡°Ah, long time friends I¡¯m guessing?¡±

    ¡°Something like that, she¡¯s my niece.¡± The silence was palpable, Lillie gasped as she looked at Azurael as if she had said something she shouldn¡¯t. ¡°I meant¨C we¡¯re like sisters!¡± She blurted out, in an attempt to save face.

    ¡°Niece and sister are very different, I don¡¯t know how you can confuse the two.¡± Lillie blushed as Azurael gave her a teasing smile.

    ¡°Dalvana, you¡¯re up.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Azurael shifted his gaze, allowing Lillie to dodge any question about family dynamics, onto Dalli who gaped as the attention switched to her. ¡°Uh¨C¡± She froze with the look of a lost child, pulling on Vai¡¯s robes, who sat beside her.

    ¡°Dalli¡¯s from¨C¡± Dalli gave a little yelp, ¡°Really? Um¡­ Massi Valor.¡± Dalli squirmed a bit, seeming hesitant to let Azurael know even the continent she lived on.

    ¡°I¡¯m from Sinfini, a little island town.¡± Vai looked inquiringly at Azurael, ¡°I wondered why you would know the name of someone like me.¡±

    ¡°Well, I came from a village that wasn¡¯t even on my nation¡¯s maps at the time. If I wasn¡¯t found by Miss Asha, who knows what would have become of me.¡± He smiled at Vai, knowing that she probably thought he would have done well either way, though he was quite aware that without the headmaster he wouldn¡¯t be around to ask the question.

    ¡°Well then, you don¡¯t seem very eager to tell me more, so it¡¯s best if we move on.¡± Azurael peeked over at the entrance, grunts could be heard, each followed by a slight crack. ¡°We won¡¯t even have dinner at this rate.¡± He stood and excused himself from the girls, asking Alera to stay with Kari, he walked to the exit.

    Alera gazed into the radiating robes as the girls looked at Kari, who had not spoken so much as a word since Azurael had resurfaced.

    ¡°Are you his assistant or his lover?¡± All eyes turned to Connie, laying on the floor, looking at Kari with a sort of withheld disdain.

    ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate such callous inquiries.¡± Kari coughed, doing her best to hide a smirk.

    And enormous crunch reverberated through the cavern, and Azurael strode in, a massive, fleshy slab of white meat hung over his shoulder. The three boys followed closely behind, doing what they could to avoid the gaze of the girls.

    ¡°So, here¡¯s the thing.¡± He dropped the fleshy slab onto the robes to which it immediately began to sizzle and steam. ¡°The little guy is stalking you.¡±

    Oren gave him a worried look, as did the girls. Arhen and Mallo had realized that not even Azurael could have swam down the rumored seven miles to hunt the creature, at least not in the amount of time he was gone for. To this end, Mallo was certain the monster either swam closely under the surface or clung itself to the side of the cliff-like drop off of the Isle.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be an issue for now. Ten minutes ago maybe it would have tried but now he knows there¡¯s something that can tear him apart.¡± The salty smell of the now golden meat made their mouths water, uncertainty grew as nearly all had thought Azurael had dealt with the creature just as he had done with not-the-little-guy a few years back.

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t kill it?¡± Oren voiced the thought to everyone''s surprise.

    ¡°It was clearly stalking you. You two were scared weren¡¯t you?¡± He looked at Arhen, who turned his head, refusing to dignify the question. Somehow it was easier to swallow his pride for Alera, easier to admit she was seemingly uninhibited by such things as fear.

    ¡°I just hurt him a little as payback for causing you two mental distress.¡± Azurael began to pull apart the meat, handing out hot, steaming chunks of unidentifiable origin. ¡°It¡¯ll attack once the sun sets, you can be sure of that. You will all help me take it out.¡± He wore a great smile as he handed a piece to Kari who returned a reassuring nod.

    ¡°How will we help if we don¡¯t even know what it is?¡± Oren said, stuffing his mouth with a generous amount of meat.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Crabmera. Tough shell, long tail, massive claws and ridiculously fast in water.¡± Azurael filled his mouth nodding fervently as the rest stared at him clearly doing their best to picture the beast. ¡°Won¡¯t be a problem, even if he were the size of an oppressor, oppressors are two MCI¡¯s under Catastrophes.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Connie asked in a quiet voice that carried over the silence left by the rest of the group, as they had all waited intently for Azurael to mention more to the note of catastrophes.

    ¡°Well,¡± Azurael frowned ever so slightly, he was sure even children were informed of the Mass Casualty Index. ¡°Oppressors fall under Mass Threat, meaning they pose risk to large populations, particularly because of their physicality. Y¡¯know, they¡¯re big, ugly and really tough to put down. Need a skilled celestial-level combatant to put one down.¡±

    Arhen stuck out his tongue, trying to get the disgusting taste of the self compliment out of his mouth. Mallo, however, was keen to see if Azurael would continue as the girls looked at him with pleading eyes to do so.

    ¡°Above that,¡± Azurael continued, glancing briefly at Alera, whose fair face glowed faintly in the robes¡¯ soft light, ¡°is Index One. ¡®Anomaly.¡¯

    ¡°Anomalies are¡­ well, creatures of unknown origin with consequences that are usually catastrophic. If one of those surfaces, the governments don¡¯t take chances¡ªthey¡¯ll evacuate thousands, even hundreds of thousands, just to keep them safe.¡±

    Vai shuddered as the blood seemed to drain from her face. Dalli embraced her quietly, still listening intently as Azurael continued.

    ¡°Index Zero¨C Catastrophic.¡± The pause was such that you would swear you could hear someone¡¯s heartbeat. ¡°Dragons used to be part of this group, thank good o¡¯le Hopman for that.¡± He patted the dirty floor of the cave. ¡°They¡¯re the worst of things, catastrophes. At least dragons would only claim land, their worst trait was being sore losers, destroying entire nations if they could not conquer them.¡± Kari, taking another chunk of meat he was handing to her, noticed a faint stutter in his movement. ¡°Catastrophes do nothing but take life. It is part of their pointless existence. Pitiable creatures that should not walk these lands.¡±

    ¡°Paragon?¡± Azurael blinked back to a handful of juices being crushed out of a chunk of meat.  Kari was touching his shoulder ever so lightly.

    He laughed the moment off. ¡°Sorry, I have little vendetta against catastrophes.¡± Careful not to have any of their limbs on the robes next, nobody inquired further.

    ¡°In any case, this little guy should take a couple master combatants at least.¡± He looked around. ¡°I like what I¡¯m seeing.¡± He smiled widely. ¡°Aside from Arhen, none of you have really been concerned with it attacking early.¡± Arhen turned back to him, unsure if he had just been insulted. ¡°A bit of bravery is the first step to becoming an effective apprentice.¡± He clapped his hands, ¡°Now! Tell me how much you know.¡±

    Over the next hour Azurael would listen intently to them all, singling out things they were particularly good in, sigils of spells they were particularly fond of and interested in, and went over their tomes until three of them were left.

    ¡°Miss Vai.¡± Azurael smiled as her cheeks rosied under the white light of the robes. ¡°What are your strengths?¡± The thought of running into the ocean for the Crabmera to take her out of this situation crossed her mind briefly.

    Her lips trembled as her eyes shifted, searching for words that would speed this up. ¡°I¡¯m good at¡­at¡­¡± Sewing! Crying! Dancing! The three girls whispered in support.

    ¡°Just what you consider yourself to be good at.¡± Azurael smiled kindly.

    ¡°W¡­writing?¡± she mumbled, hardly audible.

    ¡°Curious,¡± Azurael immediately tilted his head at her. ¡°Writing is more so a medium. Not impossible but definitely makes things harder to pin down if your specialty is something more specific.¡± Azurael paused. ¡°You¡¯re a healer aren¡¯t you?¡± Vai gripped her tome tightly, her face red with embarrassment.

    ¡°May I?¡± Azurael stretched out for her tome. Slowly, and with an indignant look she handed it over, lowering her head ever so slightly. Azurael pulled on a little golden bookmark and the tome stretched from the size of his palm to a hefty record that crushed his legs. Alera beamed.

    The tiny words on the tome¡¯s massive pages seemed to dance across the paper, impossibly fine, yet the ink did not bleed through the delicate, thin sheets. Azurael marveled at it, running his fingers over the pages with an impressed smile. ¡°This one was dedicated.¡± Azurael laughed, struggling to focus on any particular section.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been forced to keep it miniaturized because of that. It¡¯s really hard to read.¡± Vai said with a hopeful tone. Kari was looking at the pages with a sort of shock.

    ¡°Can you show her?¡± Azurael pleaded casually to Kari.

    ¡°Of course.¡± She replied, turning to rummage through the backpack behind her and pulling out a palm-sized tome and tossed it to Vai.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to assume it¡¯s the same as mine.¡± Vai quickly retorted in hopes of sparing her legs of the heft. Azurael gave her an expectant look, to which she pulled on the bookmark apprehensively. Sure enough, the same enormous frame with delicately thin paper, and words that seemed to blend¨C the only difference was the gold-colored font.

    ¡°That belongs to Miss McNellie Uvs¡¯Hert.¡± Azurael informed simply.

    ¡°The witch of the woods?¡± Vai perked up. ¡°You know your author?¡± She directed at Kari.

    ¡°Hardly, I¡¯ve never met her.¡± Kari closed her eyes with a sort of disappointment.

    ¡°So¡­ I have one of her tomes? Or a copy?¡± The three seemed to have forgotten the rest of the group as their looks went unaddressed.

    ¡°No.¡± Azurael said. ¡°That one book took her centuries to write down. And copies can¡¯t be made from it unless copied by hand, you can see why that¡¯s unlikely.¡± Vai flipped through the silky pages, the words blurred into one another, yet, somehow, she grasped some meaning between the lines.

    ¡°Can you read it?¡± Vai asked Kari.

    ¡°In a way.¡± Kari tilted her head in thought. ¡°It¡¯s like trying to get meaning from moving images, you can understand what it¡¯s saying but only as well as you can interpret it.¡±

    ¡°You could be a scribe.¡± Azurael noted. ¡°Complicated¡­Y¡¯know, you can think about it a bit more.¡±

    Azurael tugged on the golden bookmark and the book shrank with the sound of creaking Oak. Vai did the same and traded it back for her own.

    ¡°You¡¯re all very promising but there¡¯s a reason you spend the first year learning sigils and exploring, I suppose. Well, that does it, I¡¯ll have you practice a bit before it begins its assault.¡±

    ¡°Hey, what about us?¡± Oren asked with a hint of annoyance.

    ¡°You all will be helping me wrangle the beast and put it down.¡± Oren scoffed, expecting Azurael to break into a fit of laughter but he was looking at them quite expectantly. ¡°You will endure a warm up with me in order to prepare to engage. Kari will be in charge of developing a strategy for the girls to aid us.¡± He got up suddenly, and beckoned the rest to follow as he went outside, passing by the cracked claw and stood beside the face of the cliff.

    ¡°I¡¯ll meet ya¡¯ll up top then.¡± He smiled as he lowered himself, Kari pulled Alera forward and helped her up, tying a thin gauze around her waist and Azurael¡¯s. The rest exchanged frantic looks.

    ¡°Up top?¡± Arhen asked with incredulity, seemingly having forgotten how Azurael had made his entrance.

    ¡°Yessir, we need open space. Can¡¯t risk getting cornered when it chooses to attack, can we?¡± Arhen stared up at the cliff face, his neck ached at the angle.

    ¡°And how do you expect us to get back up?¡± Oren, quite aware of what his cousin was suggesting, asked in hopes that it would occur to Azurael that the request was very much so beyond the skill of anyone but him.

    ¡°Be practical about it.¡± He smiled as he began to climb the sheer cliffside, his fingers breaking through the red, hard rock. ¡°Follow if you can, I¡¯ll come back for those who can¡¯t.¡± His massive figure scaled effortlessly. ¡°And don¡¯t touch the water.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not right in the head is he?¡± Mallo whispered as they watched Azurael scale the cliffside, his massive figure shrinking into the distant heights.

    ¡°You finally caught up? What, him planning to have us help him kill some monster wasn¡¯t enough to clue you in?¡± Oren laughed frantically.

    As if Oren had to remind them of the ludicrous request. Any sense of Arhen¡¯s pride, Mallo¡¯s fear, Oren¡¯s anxiety or the girls¡¯ proclivity for getting sick took a backseat as Azurael carried them up, and forward to some encroaching battle they wanted no part in.

    The sun was sweltering by the time most had reached topside, Azurael had to waste precious minutes precariously climbing back down as to avoid disturbing the water below.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be okay!¡± Kari gave a halfhearted thumbs up to the huddled group, failing to ease their nerves. Azurael had gone to fetch Arhen who had done his best to climb but was stuck halfway up the enormous ascent.

    ¡°He couldn¡¯t kill that thing, how will any of this help?¡± Dalli asked bashfully.

    ¡°Well. it¡¯s not that he couldn¡¯t. He just barely failed his exam.¡± Kari smiled hopefully, oblivious that no failure would instill confidence.

    Arhen pulled himself up and lay sprawled on the edge, a defeated look on his face, Azurael rose calmly to instruct the rest.

    ¡°Mallo, I need you to go through everyone¡¯s tomes. As much as you can by the time the sun sets, look for blunt and piercing incantations, temperature won¡¯t be much effective.¡± Mallo did not argue, thankful that he would not be subjected to some brutish training.

    ¡°The quartet, I¡¯ll have you form this sigil.¡± He pulled his robe open and pulled down on his combat tee, a symbol in the shape of a perfect circle with a wisp of fire at its center seemed carved in deep black ink upon his chest. ¡°Make it as large as you can, I mean that.¡± The four girls ogled at his firm pectorals before Kari coughed, holding Alera forward to receive her instructions.

    ¡°Alera, I have something only you can do.¡± He reached into his robe and retrieved a tiny silver marble and held her hand, putting the tiny, gleaming ball in her palm. ¡°Do what you feel is right with it. When the time comes, I¡¯ll tell you what to do.¡±

    Alera held the tiny marble to her cheek, a warm feeling emanating from it. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°My gift to you.¡± Azurael smiled kindly.

    Gift? Alera pondered on the meaning of the word.

    ¡°Oren, Arhen¨C You two will help me hit it directly.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You expect us to get close t¨C¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Arhen reached into his robe and extracted a wooden spear with a dull, rusted tip. ¡°I¡¯ll crush da¡¯ joints. Hope tha¡¯s enough ta¡¯ let ya break through da carapace, not that it should be an issue. Will that do?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s all you can do, it¡¯ll work for now.¡± A tinge of irritation irked Arhen.

    Oren pulled Azurael by the collar and distanced himself from the group. ¡°Can¡¯t we just head back? Do you just forget? You¡¯re supposed to be some prodigy, things like this are second nature to you, you need to remember, please. This is plain reckless, you¡¯re not normal¨C NOT NORMAL AZ!.¡± Oren stressed his whispered plea.

    Azurael stared at Oren, his eyes scanning the wavering from on his face. ¡°It¡¯s okay to be scared, everyone¡¯s scared of something.¡± Azurael''s heavy hand gave Oren a gentle pat on the shoulder. ¡°Just have a little faith, I think you¡¯ll see just how much like me you really are.¡± A devious chuckle escaped Azurael as he made his way to inspect the girls¡¯ sigil.

    The sun scorched the flatlands. Azurael checked up on them all over the following hours, needing to fetch the boys¡¯ cloaks from the cave below to cover their exposed faces that were now glowing pinkly. The girls bickered over the size and symmetry of the sigil, Connie, quite enthusiastically, made several trips back to Azurael to ¡®verify the dimensions.¡¯ Mallo was quite invested in the tomes, he sat so rigidly that had it not been for his eyes moving to and fro¡¯ and the occasional flipping of pages, he might have been mistaken for the only natural formation on the barren land. Alera had taken to playing with the little marble, tossing it to Kari who hesitantly joined in her little game. Arhen sat at the edge of the cliff, spear in hand, he appeared to be meditating. Oren had spent his time tending the painful pulse on his temple, walking the stretch of the sigil, doing what he could to prepare himself mentally for whatever was to come.

    The sun began to set under a patchy sky, a crack of thunder gave the group a start  as they readied themselves behind Azurael, keeping their distance while staying within the sigil. At the edge stood Azurael and Alera, Arhen closely behind, Oren sweating bullets beside him.

    ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡± Azurael looked over the horizon at the setting sun. Alera stared at the gleaming ocean, its rippling waves appeared to be dancing for her alone, the silence seemed to be lulling her. A ringing in her ear kept her aware, she listened closely and could almost tell where it came from, maybe not, but she was certain she could feel it. The silver marble vibrated ever so slightly, no more than enough for it to be mistaken for a kissing breeze. She wondered if there could be true silence, some semblance of peace, if the marble was gone. At that moment she tossed it over the edge.

    ¡°Miss Asha has asked me to gauge you Alera, I know you¡¯ll exceed her expectations.¡±

    The water below dipped, it curved upward, massive walls formed around the tiny marble that had merely approached its surface, like a bubble parting the water¨C or a bomb, as the deafening boom shook the cliff and steamed the surrounding water, dark clouds formed immediately.

    Azurael took hold of Alera as she stumbled forward, a look of professionalism crossed his face as he hoisted her onto his back. She clung tightly as the ground beneath them shuddered, a set of massive, thin, legs dug into the cliff as a massive crab-like abomination rose from the edge. A massive deluge of foam spurt forth from its mandibles, over Azurael and the attack team, aiming to engulf the group in the far back; the enormous sigil appeared to suck up the foam into the ether.

    Its body wrapped around the cliffside, three of its massive claws snipped furiously as a gash in its side held two others limply, another had been torn off.

    Without a single moment¡¯s hesitation, Arhen lept forward and pierced the base of its largest claw. The beast reared the rest of its body onto the cliff, Arhen clung to his embedded spear. Azurael lept, the cliffside crumbled beneath his force. Oren stood frozen, clinging tightly to the slender rod he borrowed from Arhen.

    ¡°Ignis.¡± Arhen whispered, the carapace blackened around the spear and the arm fell limply with a pop. The beast thrashed its body into the falling Arhen and tossed him into the sigil. He landed with a soft thud.

    In that same moment Azurael had made level with the beast, his leap was unnatural as it had carried him about sixty feet in the air, Alera was absolutely jubilant.

    ¡°Snap your fingers.¡± Azurael yelled over the beast¡¯s crazed roar, showing her how to perform the action.

    Alera extended her left arm and tried. Before she could try again she realized, the silver marble was between her fingers, and the beast cried out in pain. Half its head was missing, a spherical wound appeared between its abdomen and head, though this was not a killing blow.

    The beast clawed towards the group in the sigil, a gutteral hiss escaped its maw. As it climbed what appeared to be an invisible wall surrounding the sigil, its claws disappearing into it. The group watched in horror as their potential death loomed mere feet above with nothing but a drawing in the dirt to keep them alive.

    To nobody¡¯s notice, a hook came over the beast and found a hold on one of its many segments. Azurael had taken to borrowing the rod from Oren and having him hold tightly to his torso as he leapt onto the beast.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fear fun!¡± Azurael yelled out, a grand smile across his face.

    A boom reverberated in the air, and the beast slammed to its side, its legs bleeding profusely. The sigil glowed a brilliant purple, from the center, from the wick came a thin silver string, in bundles and then rolls. It wrapped itself around the invisible dome of the sigil, and then headed for the writhing beast.

    It fed itself to it through its half torn mandibles, fanatically the wispy thread exploded out and away from the sigil, wrapping itself around the beast. The creature¡¯s blood seemed eager to escape, as a great lot of it pooled heavily onto the ground. Azurael and the two had clung tightly to the creature, the thread had not harmed them.

    With a sudden jolt, the three of them were thrust into the air. The creature fell backwards with a deafening crack as it folded in on itself, another deluge of foam sprayed from its reforming maw toward the trio.

    ¡°Vis!¡± Azurael clapped his hand and the foam parted as they fell. And in that moment, from the misty foam that had split, something glimmered towards them, it reflected the faintest light from Alera¡¯s marble, causing Azurael to take notice. Before he could consider it, he had caught the object. A singular, jet black throwing star had pricked the palm of his hand.

    From the heights they fell, Oren cried out. Alera laughed with exhilaration. They fell onto the beast with a crunch, but they were unharmed. The carapace was paper thin and below it lay a bed of fine thread, soft and warm, Alera nearly sank to the bottom.

    ¡°Up you come.¡± Azurael grabbed her under the arms and tugged her out. ¡°You, let go.¡± He told a catatonic Oren.

    ¡°Are you okay!¡± Kari rushed over to the three. ¡°Arhen nearly died, and Oren disappeared under that thing!¡±

    ¡°Kari! He¡¯s fine, it¡¯s okay¡± Azurael broke the shell, spilling the loose thread onto the ground below. ¡°Calm him down.¡± He tasked Kari, prying Oren¡¯s grip from himself.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we can do that again.¡± Alera asked timidly.

    ¡°Again? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s another one around.¡± Azurael thought out loud, holding carefully onto the throwing star.

    ¡°I mean being up there.¡± She pointed to the sky, stars dotted its expanse.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Azurael stared at the weapon. ¡°I wanna say ¡®yes¡¯, but I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m about to die.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kari jumped, accidentally slapping a petrified Oren into consciousness.

    ¡°Does this belong to anyone?¡± Azurael casted a light in his left hand, shining it over the jet black piece of metal. The group made their way to look at it, a clear air of uncertainty emanated as the girls looked around at each other, Mallo followed behind, supporting uncomfortably a dazed Arhen.

    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re going to die?¡± Kari¡¯s throat ached, her mouth dried.

    Azurael looked at her, then at the light in his palm. The faintest stream of blood ran off a tiny pool that had risen from the faint prick. ¡°Well¡­ maybe not immediately.¡±

    ¡°That cut you, and it¡¯s laced?¡± Kari pulled his face down and inspected his eyes, mouth and heart.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s laced.¡± He struggled through his inspection.

    ¡°You¡¯re not bleeding from anywhere else, it¡¯s not a hemotoxin. You¡¯re still aware so it¡¯s not a hallucinogen. No arrhythmias.¡± She kicked his legs, he responded with an audacious ¡°Ow.¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t had time to affect your nervous system. I propose we return to the institute.¡±

    ¡°But that would forfeit everyone¡¯s festival permit, and I really don¡¯t think it was laced. Just ask¡­¡± The plateau¡¯s emptiness made him pause. Why hadn¡¯t he considered a third party? But, here? They had been out all day, under the scorching sun. Flat, empty land for miles. When would a third party have had the opportunity? Was he the target? Or the girl that clung to his neck?

    The clear sky had darkened, perhaps unnaturally so. As the sheer quantity that had been evaporated weighed down the very sky. A light shower was met with Alera¡¯s giggles.

    ¡°I need each one of you to answer honestly.¡± His voice was stern and sweet. ¡°Did any of you throw this?¡± The girls shook their heads. Mallo had not paid attention as he rendered aid to a confused Arhen. Azurael reluctantly dismissed them, no branch family noble would even know how to get a hold of it; and Arhen had paid the price of the barrier, a tapestry of his battle had been drawn, his memory of it long gone, dazed for the day.

    ¡°We¡¯re heading back.¡± He whispered to Kari.

    It hit him once more, the realization that he had dismissed a rather logical option.

    He paused, turning his gaze to the edge of the cliff. The world seemed to twist and pull away for a moment, but he shook it off.

    ¡°Why are you stumbling, Azurael!¡± Kari was supporting him.

    ¡°Take Alera and the others into the wastes. Go¡ªnow. I won¡¯t be long. He slurred slightly.

    Kari pulled Alera away, leaving Azurael to process the situation.

    The target couldn¡¯t have been Alera, she was unprotected for nearly three days. The attack was weak, it would not have been enough to kill outright, so a venom is only logical.

    His blood from his palm seeped more and more.

    ¡°Come on!¡± Kari went under Arhen, helping Mallo carry him into the vast nowhere. Pulling Alera behind.

    If there¡¯s someone here, they¡¯re here for me.

    He clenched his open hand, the faint light grew brighter, and pitched it towards the cliff. The rain was a shower of crystal scattering the revealing light across the darkened land. The light was split as the night itself appeared to contort, a crude attempt at a masterful art.

    At least it can¡¯t be an anomaly. Azurael scoffed as he steadied himself for the emerging challenger.

    A figure clad in black, night itself had come for him.

 Chapter 6: Incident: #13606

    ¡°Hand over the antidote and I¡¯ll consider giving you the chance to surrender.¡± Azurael taunted the man.

    The man stepped forward, the air weighed heavy. ¡°I¡¯ll trade,¡± he rasped, ¡°for your heart or brain, not many get a choice.¡±

    ¡°How kind.¡± Azurael quipped, slipping on his soft knuckles.

    Without a word, the man raised his hand skyward, as if beckoning to the stars. The heavens responded. Light shimmered and condensed into a thin, silvery edge, its form ethereal yet sharp, a blade no thicker than the stars from which it was born.

    ¡°Well then.¡± In that instant, that second, Azurael closed the gap between them, a hundred meters to a thousandth of one, as his fist flew with measured force into the man¡¯s face.

    The man was thrown backwards, his sword failing to aid his recovery as it effortlessly divided all it touched.

    ¡°Coward.¡± The man spat, steadying himself. ¡°Use your specialty.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t help you.¡± Azurael looked at him, pity in his eyes. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°A scale.¡± He grinned, blood gushing from his busted eye.

    Azurael¡¯s mind raced as he recounted a meeting with the headmaster.

    ¡°A friend?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a mark of status, you see, to be a scale. Bronze, Silver, Gold. Ebony, Dragon Bone, Fang. The material really matters and all their equipment is made from it. He gave this to me before he graduated. As you are, you¡¯d probably earn a dragon bone weapon if you joined.¡±

    ¡°How do you earn status?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever asked, but it can¡¯t be that hard if he managed to get a silver around your age. Oh to be fourteen again.¡±

    ¡°What do they do?¡±

    ¡°These days? Don¡¯t know, he wouldn¡¯t tell me. I know¡­ they were the group used to dispose of dragons, at least a hundred years before Hopman. Back then they were called the¨C¡±

    The Greatest Good? Too many unknowns. Azurael''s thoughts raced. Focus. He wants to kill me, I don¡¯t care why. He might not have the antidote. I don¡¯t know if he has a specialty.

    The man whispered an incantation and a ball of fire manifested before him. It trembled terribly as the rain dared to touch its wick. ¡°You¡¯ll beg for death.¡± The man croaked, slicing at the fireball.

    The hit splintered the furious orb, Azurael¡¯s eyes struggled to track the dozens of lights camouflaging themselves among the stars.

    I¡¯ll just hurt him a little. He cleared the distance once more and swung but there was no connection. His fist drove through the man¡¯s torso, which erupted into cold flames, and came out the other side singed. His flesh dripped and sagged, immediately reforming as it melted together. All feeling lost.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Mage. Azurael hissed.

    The rain stopped and fog fell upon the land, the air thickened as flames erupted above. For the briefest moment he caught a glimpse of a starry shimmer. The flames danced above.

    His enchantment isn¡¯t offensive? A spell most likely. A sigil is possible. My arm is useless for now, so he¡¯s recovering. His breathing was becoming heavy. His palm was bloody, with each stinging pulse blood gushed from the miniscule cut.

    ¡°Your blade, is it an heirloom¨C not meant to spill blood?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s to butcher the arrogant.¡± The man swung downward from the fiery sky cloaked in flame. Azurael rolled to his side, then took aim, heaving his body and bloody palm into the man.

    ¡°Vis.¡± His palm short of making contact, but the man was torn asunder. His body dispersed in a brilliant explosion of light. The sword rose to the heavens.

    He didn¡¯t try to evade. That fire reforges flesh. His body is made of the flames. He split the fire with the sword. The sword transmutes the wielder, it must.

    Azurael held firm as the flames above danced.

    It¡¯s a lockzone! The realization came to him the moment four terrible pillars of flame surrounded him, walls of scorching air screamed between them. From a pillar rose the black-clad man.

    ¡°You¡¯ve felt the flame. Spare yourself the agony. Give me your heart.¡± The man stuck out his wispy hand, sword held inches off the ground.

    Azurael¡¯s gaze narrowed, his breathing steady despite the oppressive heat. ¡°You¡¯re a royal,¡± he said, his stance softening¡ªnot in surrender, but in recognition.

    The blood streamed from his hand, the miniscule, unceasing flow pooled at his feet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to get you out of this alive. But I won¡¯t make any promises.¡± He smirked, his head feeling heavy.

    An unceasing wound. A weapon of absolute sharpness. A flame that binds. He intended to torture me from the start. A hit with that sword would have been fatal. It could have been¡­ it¡¯ll need to be fast.

    He reformed his stance, facing the black-clad man squarely. A bleeding left hand. A mangled right. His advantage¡ªthe man¡¯s busted eye.

    ¡°You know the good thing about being trained with the headmaster?¡± Azurael asked. The man winced. ¡°You learn to take a hit.¡±

    You learn to use your weakness to your advantage.

    In an instant he sidestepped the man, his great strides crushing the ground beneath him as he bolted to a nearby pillar, scooped up a handful of dirt and swallowed it.

    ¡°Veni.¡± He smiled. His opened arms wide, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. At the instant man¡¯s body combusted and reformed from a pillar behind Azurael. In a single stride he closed the gap, the sword formed quickly, and swung forth as a ray of light.

    Azurael swayed for the briefest moment, shifting his body to the left. The blade did not acknowledge contact as it phased through his mangled arm.

    Blood flowed ceaselessly as the man turned mid swing to catch Azurael. With a single step, his direction changed and he sliced across Azurael¡¯s abdomen.

    A striking pain shot up his arm as a thud came from the ground, his arm lay severed, still gripping the hilt of the fine blade. The realization came swiftly, and so did Azurael¡¯s retaliation. As he took that moment to twist his body and slam his remaining fist into the man¡¯s rib cage, crushing his heart. The lockzone dissipated but not before Azurael heaved his body into the flames, bleeding stump forward, and felt it lick his wound.

    In an instant his wound was sealed.

    Lost that much? Kari¡­ Azurael spun, his breathing shallow, looking into the distance for a sign of the group.

    A glint in the distance caught his eye. And the world fell apart beneath him, the ground cracked and fractured. The crumbling earth dared to swallow him whole as it was blasted into the sky.

 Chapter 7: Engagement

    Steps thudded against the wet, compact dirt. Oren fell behind Alera as Kari dragged her along.

    ¡°Wake up, please,¡± Kari begged, dragging the dazed Arhen along.

    ¡°Why are we headed into the wasteland, Kariavri?¡± Mallo chided, heaving Arhen¡¯s weight as much as he could.

    ¡°Orders.¡±

    The dirt crunched at Mallo¡¯s sudden halt.

    ¡°Who¡¯s he to order around royals?¡± As he turned, the light of a blinding inferno flashed his eyes. The group stopped, looking back in terror as a column of flame devoured Azurael.

    Thunder ripped through the air, the sky shone no brighter.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the lightning?¡± Connie asked with a quiver in her voice.

    The wind whistled. The air screamed in the distance, heat radiated from the inferno. They stood frozen, caught between running ahead and turning back..

    The ground crushed before them, cutting off their path of escape. A figure landed hard and sprang forward. A shadow reached out, past Kari, behind her. However, short of reaching Alera''s wrist, its stride was halted. At that moment Arhen had reached out, palm to face, and pushed forward. The shadow fell backwards and leapt back up in a smooth motion.

    Arhen tumbled forward, and pushed himself off the ground, pulling out the rod from his robe as he whispered, ¡°Gresa.¡± He swung with great force, the whiplike strike broke sound as he made contact with the shadow.

    "Do not lose your mind," he said calmly. The shadow stood unaffected as the rod broke the side of his helmet, and remained embedded. ¡°No more blood needs to be shed.¡± He took hold of the rod and pulled Arhen along with it. He flicked his finger and a glint of darkness broke from the gloves and sped towards him, aiming for the head.

    Arhen snapped his head back. A moment later, his foot struck the man''s ribs with a vicious crack. The man barely budged, his body absorbing the force before his hand shot out in retaliation. The man gripped his ankle and began, ¡°Sevr¨C¡± but halted again as Arhen had spun midair, delivering a devastating kick. The man stumbled back, having released his grip in favor of blocking the kick.

    It had been mere moments, a lifetime it seemed to the two, before the rest even realized they had encountered a threat.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Kari looked down and raised her index finger, ¡°Illumo, Xplosi.¡± Blinding light burst forth and shot in all directions. Arhen, his back to Kari, was unaffected, so was Kari as she ran forward, toward the man in brown, rugged armor that resembled the bones of some creature.

    The man took a stance, grounding himself as he blinked frantically. Arhen whipped the rod high, the man covered his face with both arms as Kari made contact with the armor.

    ¡°Vrakie.¡± The man coughed out, splattering blood over Kari, and curled forward. Kari jumped back as Arhen swung once more.

    Thunder roared, drowning out Arhen¡¯s strike in a relentless assault on their ears.

    The girls yelled out to one another, Oren held Alera to himself as he scoured the sky, Alera covered her ears and winced with each inflection, Mallo shifted his gaze from inferno to opponent to roaring heavens. Shadows rained from the sky, surrounding the group.

    In the instant between thought and action, one of the shadows closed the distance, hand forward, aiming for Alera¡¯s neck. A million thoughts blew through their minds, but only one was able to process any of it. Alera stared at the figure approaching with ludicrous speed, she caught a glimpse of a shining rune on his palm. This stranger intended to take her somewhere, but¨C she had not been given permission by Azurael. And Oren was holding onto her so tightly, like he held her hand before, when he told her to stay with him.

    The world fell still as she contemplated her choices, yet the noise of it all barked at her. Then, as she looked at the silver marble in her hand, a curiosity struck her¨C if the strangers from the sky made all this noise, the marble could silence them.

    She held out her hand to the shadow¡¯s and carefully laid it over his hand. Time accepted this and made it so it always had been so.

    The shadow could not react, an instant prior Alera had her hands to her ears, the next she had placed a silver ball on his hand and he was falling through the earth. His entire body felt like metal falling through the sky, his body pulsing, expelling excess power, and yet it was not enough to dissipate the energy in his body. He felt it building for what seemed like an eternity until he broke through the ceiling of the cave beneath.

    Screams rang out as the ground tore apart beneath their feet. Their legs buckled like jelly as they scrambled for footing, the cliff crumbling into the ocean. The confrontation was the least of their concerns now, at least, the least of the group¡¯s. The shadows clawed and heaved their way toward Alera as the cliff carried everyone towards the sloping edges.

    A few fell over but a half dozen jumped towards Oren and Alera as the ground crumbled over them, plunging the pair into darkness. Each second was an eternity as Oren tried to make sense of anything, but his prerogative remained clear¨C he held Alera close, shielding her from the suffocating debris.

    A hand broke through the darkness, hitting Oren across the face with ruthless force before it reached out to Alera and slammed into her forehead. In that instant she caught a glimpse of a bloody palm, and a sigil shining ever so slightly through the crimson mess. A gleam of light emerged for a fraction of a second before they were all blinded by a shower of light.

 Chapter 8: Far too much

    Alera squinted at her surroundings, still flat on her back. Oren groaned, sprawled over her. Moans and cries echoed around her. She lay on cool, smooth marble, staring up at an intricate ceiling where grand chandeliers swayed gently.

    Kari knelt beside Azurael, her breath ragged. ¡°Help!¡± Kari called out in desperation.

    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ve been expecting you.¡± An ancient looking woman walked towards and past Alera, who sat up to look around. The group lay sprawled across the floor, each clutching a wound¡ªan arm, a side, a bloody mouth¡ªgroaning in pain. Kari looked no worse for wear but a figure clad in black was missing an arm, and bled heavily onto the floor.

    Kari¡¯s eyes went wide as the ancient lady knelt beside her. ¡°Miss McNellie.¡± A glint in her eyes echoed hope as her face seemed to soften.

    ¡°All you pibbies, get to the emergency wing.¡± The group quieted as they watched her, passing her hands over Azurael and holding the stump of his arm. ¡°Well? A couple of broken bones won¡¯t kill you! Unless you¡¯d rather take on this boy¡¯s toxic blood and maiming curse instead.¡±

    "The hallway stretched ahead, silent and empty. Those who could stand did so without complaint, their pain drowned by exhaustion and urgency. In arms they made their way to the distant doors. Oren dragged Alera forward, his swollen eye and jaw barely allowing him to speak. They left behind Azurael, Kari, Arhen, and the shadow¡ªfate uncertain.

    ¡°Nasshra to the east wing. Javir to the north. We require salve and opium to the west.¡± A white cloaked woman with a gold circlet was ordering a crowd of white robed healers. They ran about in apparent chaos, searching cabinets and darting from room to room as they carried injured folk, some limp and lifeless.

    ¡°H¡¯pital.¡± Oren pulled Alera along. The girls held their cries as corpses were carried past them. Alera massaged her forehead, easing away the pain. She wondered where the sleepy people were being carried to.

    The doors to the east wing flung open, and the staff led them to the firm, cold beds of the infirmary. Immediately, they removed their cloaks and underarmour to reveal the extent of the damage. From broken arms to ribs and jaw, all bore the same gleaming symbol, an X with a crescent through the top. Alera undid her own to find bruises where Oren had held onto her.

    ¡°W¨CWhat happened?¡± Connie broke down, her tears overflowing. Dalli left her bed and hugged her.

    ¡°We were attacked¡­¡± Mallo stated simply.

    ¡°Why?¡± Everyone in the room asked in unison.

    ¡°How would I know? I couldn¡¯t even see who it was, I just saw the fire, and then Kariavri blinded me.¡± He spat.

    ¡°His clothes looked like rock.¡± Alera chimed in. Everyone turned to her.

    ¡°You saw who it was?¡± Connie asked.

    ¡°Who? No.¡± Exasperated sighs were shared through the room.

    ¡°Can¡¯t blame you.¡± Said a boy with golden curls sitting at a corner bed. His head was wrapped with a golden turban. My group was at the springs of Quevale, there was thunder, and water just splashed everywhere. Our guide and Mr. Avros only realized what was happening when Gio was pulled into the boiling springs and some creatures ran out at us from the water.¡± His voice quivered as a girl beside him curled up, holding a wrapped arm. ¡°It was just one guy but he boiled Mr. Avros and three of us alive, then he just left in a clap of thunder.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just royals? Mallo thought to himself. No, it had to be. He looked at Alera. But then why kill anyone? Azurael was engaged first, then we were attacked after the split. It has to be.

    ¡°Alera,¡± Mallo hesitated. ¡°How did someone from Parmsa get in here?¡±

    Alera stood frozen as gazes shifted from her to Mallo.

    ¡°Hey, what would that matter? You¡¯d think we¡¯d moved past that, no?¡± Dalli spoke up.

    ¡°Fine, what¡¯s an Astrealith doing here?¡± The room went silent.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Alera¡¯s chest tightened. She hadn¡¯t told anyone, of course Azurael knew this but that time it had been part of a conversation, not an interrogation such as this.

    Mallo sprang to his feet and advanced. ¡°Don¡¯t play coy, the last Astrealith tried to kill everyone. Suddenly here¡¯s another and people start getting killed?¡±

    Oren stepped in his way. ¡°Back off.¡± He warned, his mouth aching from the treatment.

    ¡°The hell is this? Why was Azurael there to begin with, huh? And you two were awfully friendly with Miss Asha¡¯s protege. You know what, he was way too friendly with royals. Answer something you stupid b¨C girl.¡± The room was cold and silent.

    ¡°The last Astrealith was¨C my brother. I do not know him well, I have only met him four times before. Before I left, the representative told me to keep my name secret.¡± Mallo went pale. ¡°Zuz is taking care of me, Miss Asha told me to listen to him.¡± She tilted her head and looked Mallo dead in the eyes. ¡°What is ¡®killed¡¯?¡±

    Mallo scowled. ¡°You make jokes? It¡¯s by your hand that people lose their faith in the families. Wasn¡¯t the head satisfied with the war? How many hundreds of millions had to die for his actions? Now you joke, or do you mean to tell me you¡¯re so sheltered you haven¡¯t known the concept of death?¡± He paced. ¡°Killed means they¡¯re dead, gone. They¡¯ll never laugh, cry, breathe again. Do you get it?¡±

    Oren wanted to shout, to stand up for her, to punch Mallo in the face, but it had been a long three days and Alera had not been the most normal girl he¡¯d met. Part of him wanted the answers as to her being but the risk had been evident when Azurael had been the only one aware of the headmaster¡¯s approach on that first day.

    That¡¯s quite enough. A serene voice came from the air. The doors to the infirmary opened as the deep crimson hair of the headmaster flooded forth along her arms. ¡°There has been enough pain today. You would all do well to comfort one another. I assure you those responsible will be brought to justice, in the name of the Zoraveth.¡±

    Her voice was chillingly calm. Breaths paused, a few braced themselves as if standing in a gale.

    ¡°Miss Asha,¡± Alera croaked, coughing as she merrily got to her feet. ¡°I lost the marble Zuz gave me.¡± Mallo shot daggers at her.

    ¡°Not a word. To anyone.¡± She turned to Alera, snapping her fingers. ¡°You can never lose this sweety.¡± Alera gave a pining look, touching the warm silver marble to her face. ¡°I¡¯d wager none of you would enjoy giving the families a reason to go to war.¡±

    Her fair skin was marred by the bloody mark on her forehead, the blood had run down to the bridge of her nose and stained her eyes. A bruise formed under her eyes. The marble fell from her fingers as her knees buckled, Asha reached out holding her by the waist and pulling her into an embrace.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°Alera?¡± Asha held her as her head swayed and her weight pulled them both down. Her lips moved but nothing could be heard. Mallo and the boys made their approach. ¡°No closer.¡± Her tone of warning. She heaved Alera back onto the bed beside Oren and waited in silence¨C until Oren, concern weighing heavy, dared to ask.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s sick, you¡¯ll all be too.¡± Her matter of fact tone struck them all like a breaking cord. ¡°But you¡¯ll be fine. She and I might die.¡± She giggled, a bluish vein betrayed her attempt at easing their worry.

    Their minds swam with questions.

    Sick with what?

    The headmaster will die?

    Why is an Astrealith at Hristak?

    Oren sat, staring at Alera; the headmaster at the foot of his bed, his heart thrumming with vigor and from nerves. At least, he could feel it. There was a silence¨C an uncomfortable, unnatural, surreal stillness in the air, in his body. Not a beat, the blood in his veins or some form of tinnitus could be made out, he could swear that even his thoughts were drowned out by the oppressive peace.

    If time passed, Oren could not tell. All he had to go by was the rise and fall of Alera¡¯s chest, her deep, slow breaths as sweat glinted silver light off her fair skin. Then the door opened with a bang.

    ¡°It¡¯s the fetid scourge.¡± McNellie made her way into the infirmary, bringing with her the wonder of noise.

    The headmaster lost any sense of patience, of calm, she glared at the ancient woman. ¡°How? I ordered you to eradicate it. Every. Single. Sample.¡±

    ¡°I kept one.¡± She replied simply, eyeing the headmaster lazily.

    ¡°Let me remind you, miss Uvs¡¯Hert, that before our agreement you were wanted for a list of atrocities committed against the people of the seven nations.¡± Oren was surprised to hear anything at all, the world seemed to quiet when the headmaster addressed someone directly. ¡°You have not been pardoned, simply given a lease.¡±

    ¡°We were victims of the times, all is fair in war.¡± The ancient woman walked forward, to Alera¡¯s side. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like I let anyone die.¡±

    ¡°Might I remind you that was the issue.¡± McNellie gave a low chuckle.

    ¡°I met the pib with my tome. She¡¯s been afflicted as well.¡± Oren felt an unease as his mind drifted to recent memories. Those of strange, familiar people. Those of familiars who acted strangely around each other. And McNellies tome in the cave, how someone he was just getting used to was in possession of it. Kari.

    ¡°Will they be alright?¡± The words slipped out before he could ask something more meaningful, or choose a more appropriate time, as he interrupted their discussion.

    ¡°No.¡± She chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s made to kill in thirty minutes and it¡¯s been¡­¡± She looked at the ceiling, apparently watching the precious seconds tick away. ¡°Fifteen minutes, give or take.¡± She scratched her wrinkled chin.

    ¡°Fix this,¡± The headmaster spoke simply, seemingly having regained her composure.

    ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± McNellie pouted, her head to the side, and began to walk out. She halted at the door frame. ¡±That boy of yours, what¡¯d you call him? Azurael? He died.¡±

    Oren¡¯s heart skipped a beat, the world pulled away. Except for one thing, the headmaster¡¯s eyes, as they lost some luster and Oren could see beyond the warmth of the fireplace that was her eyes, beyond the molten gold. Something burning unimpededly.

    ¡°Well, technically anyway. All his blood was worthless. I had to change it out, repair the arm too, just like he likes it. The scar¡¯s hideous as hell, that¡¯ll teach him to touch Feral Flames.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s alive?¡± She asked.

    ¡°T¡¯sRight, got that other kid up too. Left Anaq with him.¡± With that, she left. Not a single word of a cure or treatment, or an explanation of how or why, and what next. And yet, Oren felt a horrible ease as he watched the headmaster brush Alera¡¯s silver bangs away from her eyes and wipe the sweat from her brow. Her features eased as she stared longingly at Alera, and the notion that either of them were about to die seemed like nothing more than a farce, a joke that missed the mark. After all, who could know their death is coming and be at peace?

    ¡°I¡¯ll return in an hour,¡± Asha rose from the bedside, ¡°I have a few people to contact.¡±

    ¡°Hang on.¡± Connie called out. ¡°What¡¯s even going on? Please, everything¡¯s happened¡­ it doesn¡¯t make sense. Weren¡¯t we supposed to be safe, even out there?¡±

    ¡°Constanza, I can assure you were¨C would have been, the safest group. If Lemos had stayed at his post. I have been played for a fool and lives have been the price. The representatives will be held responsible, I promise you all.¡± With that she made her way out, leaving the ambience of nature and a fair silence in her wake.

    * * *

    It was an odd thing, she thought, those times when you couldn¡¯t keep your eyes open. When your body felt so heavy it was as if the silk sheets were trying to keep you in bed. But it had never been so sudden before, in fact recently she had gone without that feeling longer than ever. A feeling so hot it could only be compared to the cold she felt on her first day in the room with Azurael. Or, she recalled, to when she drank from the bottle of the tiny lady in the cabin that same day.

    It warmed her up, a deep, penetrating heat that moved through her body and made her head feel just as fuzzy.

    This elixir of life will make your body and soul stronger!

    Who could ever refuse such an offer? After all she needed to be stronger, why? How should she know? The representative kept telling her; after all, the old man kept coming to her room to see if she¡¯d gotten that.

    Stronger¡­

    Language had been a funny thing, she didn¡¯t know it, and what little she knew had come from the few talks she had had with the old coot. And she was grateful. For as long as she remembered he had refused to talk to her, that was when he wore a mask to match the room, it had happened thousands of times; and who knows how many since before she could count. A silent meeting that communicated nothing more than the knowledge that, at the very least, one more, something, existed¡­ here. Wherever here was.

    Er¨C to be more.

    She needed to be strong to begin with, but what could that mean? A memory, a point of reference¨C the old man, his rugged hands; Azurael, that solid physique. Large and unyielding, unstoppable. Is that what she had to become? But, she had always been so much smaller, so much¨C less.

    You can do it, I know you¡¯re stronger. You¡¯re like him, just like Azurael.

    Asha¡¯s voice pierced the here and there, the place between conscious and unconscious. Time stood still, or perhaps all of it passed, as she weighed the words. She could not make sense of it, for how can someone know what to do if they don¡¯t know what they¡¯re being asked? And yet she had accepted the representative¡¯s request before he had to hand her over.

    To anything that could get her closer to that goal¨C The old woman¡¯s offer.

    Yes.

    * * *

    Oren laid at her side, staring at the marble white ceiling. The room was in hushed discussion, silent argument, and a million questions filled his mind still. Not so long ago they were all worried about facing the oppressor; he still couldn¡¯t understand how a couple people could just show up there and cause so much trouble.

    Though he was actively suppressing the apparent fact that each of the eight first year classes had been targeted. The why, though he didn¡¯t want to, he had to agree with Mallo. Alera the timid, silent, spontaneous and wonder-filled addition to the institute: an Astrealith.

    His head pained as his heart thumped even imagining the possibility that another war could be looming. Had they tried to kill her? They did try to get Azurael. No, something like this would be a much too foolish way to go about it. Going after an unknown member of the most infamous family, but why? Why?

    He had been worrying about the past quarter hour, supposedly the time it would have taken for whatever the fetid scourge was, to do them both in. And yet, he turned to her, her chest was heaving ever so gently¡­ and it was bigger¡­ she was bigger. He sat up on the bed, staring at where the child-like Alera had laid, now replaced with a stunning young woman. Her larger form filled out her robe, her long limbs stretched out leaving the ends of her sleeves to tighten around her forearms, rosy red marks on her pale skin.

    Oren took in the sight, trying and failing to make sense of it all. Invocations were a deal with the world, a give and take¨C for each action and equal, opposite one. And yet, here she laid, changed and looked none the worse for it¨C had her lips even moved?

    She opened those ashen eyes, though he wasn¡¯t sure, he couldn¡¯t help but feel they were a shade darker.

 Chapter 9: Responsibilities

    Azurael opened his eyes to a sterile-white room and a tightness in his right arm. He did not want to look down, fearing his words may have backfired on him this time. But as he gripped the bedsheet at his side, he resolved to believe it wasn¡¯t a phantom limb touching a phantom sheet.

    It was a wonder, to be honest, he didn¡¯t expect even the witch of the woods to be able to recover his arm, then again he¡¯d never lost a limb before. He¡¯d heard stories, of course, but for a healer to be so good to heal anyone? That was something beyond skill.

    ¡°Had it been anything but a limb you¡¯d be dead out of luck.¡± Her old raggy voice croaked to his side.

    His eyes widened at the sight of Kari lying in a black, crimson stained white bed at his side as the witch dug her slender fingers into the veins of the pale girl.

    ¡°Do her a favor¡ªsave her life, won¡¯t you?¡± He sprang from the bed, his heart racing as he looked around for something¡­ nothing actually. ¡°You throw yourself into deathmatches, but a little blood on your partner makes you freeze? Some hero. Just take the damn bottle and make her drink.¡± She kicked a flask that stood at her feet.

    He caught himself, his pulse still hammering. A sharp breath, then another. He forced himself to move, snatching up the flask with shaking fingers. Moving to tip the clear liquid into her mouth. A viscous, alcoholic smelling thing. The scent repulsed him, and roused a gag from the pale girl as it slid its way down. Sweat clung to her golden locks as shivers wracked her frail body, each breath a trembling gasp.

    ¡°Will she be alright?¡± He asked, steading his voice.

    ¡°She¡¯ll live.¡± She twirled her fingers; flesh tore and healed as they moved. ¡°You should be thankful.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡± His voice sharpened. ¡°Miss McNellie, we were attacked. What did this to her? What is this?¡± He stood, arms wide¡ªone whole, one mangled; trembling companion beneath.

    ¡°From what I gathered,¡± she pulled out her fingers, flesh joined seamlessly where it had been punctured. ¡°Each of the eight first year groups was attacked¨C there were seventeen casualties total.¡± His arms fell to his side, shoulders sagging. She gave Azurael an appraising look. ¡°Your group was the only one without casualties. Why would that be?¡±

    He stood silent, his stomach turned and sat at Kari¡¯s side. McNellie¡¯s gaze trained on him as he seemed to gather his thoughts. ¡°I was attacked, while we were taking on the oppressor.¡±

    ¡°They went for the greatest threat?¡±

    ¡°I thought¡­ Maybe it was just an assassin coming for me. But you say each group was attacked. Did they wait for me to get there to attack? Because they were alone on the Isle for about two and a half days.¡± He tightened his fists, his right arm ached from bicep to fingertips.

    ¡°The child.¡± McNellie hushed.

    Azurael gnawed at his cheek. ¡°What do you know about her?¡±

    ¡°About her? Not a clue of her existence.¡± she stared at the bloodstains on Kari¡¯s white sheets. ¡°Though¡­ Seven years ago, when the boy Astrea attended, after he escaped Asha. She broke protocol and chased after him, went directly to the Parmsien royal¡¯s home and demanded he be handed to her.¡± Azurael met her eyes¨C a fragmented gold ring, specked with crimson. ¡°That¡¯s when she first met the girl.¡±

    His gaze darted, piecing together the few things he was sure of. ¡°Was it her though, Alera, they were after? They only attacked after I¨C¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a narcissist, you think they intended to drag things out fighting you?¡± She scoffed. ¡°That kid you brought back, you crushed his eye.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a royal.¡± A bead of sweat slid down his cheek.

    ¡°Hardly¨C branch family¡­ you killed him.¡± He stared at her, hoping there was more. ¡°Never seen you go that far against an opponent.¡±

    ¡°I got caught in a lockzone, nothing else to do in that situation. Is he¡­ am I in trouble?¡±

    ¡°Of course you¡¯re in trouble,¡± she chuckled heartily. ¡°But Asha would never hand you over, I¡¯m sure. Not even if he were a main line royal.¡±

    ¡°Could you not¨C¡±

    ¡°Doubt?¡± She yelped, affronted. ¡°Of course I revived him! With the body being fresh a two bit healer could stitch up his heart. Although, I left his arm off as punishment.¡± Azurael gave a sigh of relief, coupled with a perplexed look at the ancient lady.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get it wrong boy, if the main family learns about what you¡¯ve done you will be hunted. They¡¯re not fond of foreign agents getting involved in their affairs.¡±

    ¡°They really make it easy to hate them, don¡¯t they?¡± He rolled his eyes, landing them on Kari¡¯s, who¡¯s cheeks were beginning to flush with color once more.

    ¡°Then, we let this one die?¡± Her eyes were sinister, wearing a cheeky smile.

    ¡°She¡¯s nothing like them.¡± McNellie laughed as she pushed off the bedside, short and stout. ¡°Whatever you say. I replaced your blood, don¡¯t be pushing yourself for the next couple days, you might find yourself blacking out.¡± She made her way to the door.

    ¡°Replaced? Why?¡± Incredulity thick in his inquiry.

    ¡°Fetid Scourge.¡± She said, waving away his look of bewilderment as she shut the door behind her.

    Fetid Scourge, the plague that tore through armies in the Before War. It was supposed to be gone, it killed every last person it infected and died with them.

    His heart pounded no less than when he had first awoken and spotted Kari bedridden.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    I infected her?

    He turned to Kari, the flask laid beside her head. The deep black and crimson sheets reeked of metal, it infected his mouth as he began to make silent pleas for her to recover. He squeezed her palm, soft and gentle, as she had done for him after his failed exams

    * * *

    The air still stung his lungs, familiar as he had been with it.

    ¡°I¡¯m less concerned about Azurael than what happened with the other groups, Marquis.¡±

    His chest ached from deep within, each beat tender and felt.

    ¡°He was my only target ma¡¯am.¡± Sweat soaked into his pitch-black coverings. His eyes wore dark circles and the edge of his oak-dark skin around them seemed drained of life¨C like faded wood. ¡°I have no knowledge of any other events.¡±

    ¡°You know I can tell a lie, yes? From your heartbeat, the way you breathe, how much you sweat, even the slightest involuntary twitch.¡±

    ¡°Then you know I have not lied.¡±

    Her eyes met his, a strange calm crossed her face as she breathed out.

    ¡°Why were you assigned to be the one?¡±

    ¡°A guarantee that I would kill him sooner or he dies later.¡±

    ¡°When the family learns he killed you.¡± She leaned forward, hand to forehead. ¡°Would it still count if you¡¯re alive?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of pride ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said you were only going to test him.¡± Her eyes looked past Marquis, to a slender man with long black hair, white fluffy down patching strands and matted.

    ¡°I said¡­ ¡®He poses a significant threat and should be monitored or removed.¡¯¡± Anaq coughed. ¡°You know all too well what that room measures headmaster.¡±

    ¡°You believe he¡¯s capable of tearing through the wards of the institute?¡± Asha stared at him intently. ¡°Regardless, I do not remember giving you the responsibility of guarding the institute.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps not, but I will not leave the defense of Eternity to a fledgling like you.¡±

    ¡°You old folk will never respect me it seems.¡± She sighed in defeat.

    ¡°Well, if it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re alive, I have no use for you. I should dispose of you.¡± Her eyes bore through him, the eerie calmness to her voice made him shudder. This must have been it, what others felt when confronted by the likes of him¨C by someone they couldn¡¯t hope to fight.

    ¡°I¨C have information.¡± Fear was something beaten out of him. Something that had saturated his body from the day he was old enough to talk, old enough to serve. It was a privilege, after all, to be part of the royal family, however removed. And fear was unbecoming of royalty, for they were the example, the ideal; afraid not even of other royals, for war could always be waged and billions would fall before a step could reach royal grounds.

    ¡°What good would anything you have do for me?¡± She almost chuckled.

    ¡°In my unique position, I have learned quite a bit.¡± His throat was dry. ¡°He¡¯d like you to know, he¡¯s doing well. He would like you to reconsider your agreement. And¡­ his offer is always on the table.¡±

    She turned her head to a corner behind her, her eyes locked onto a small silver knife. ¡°I fear more than ever that agreement will be necessary.¡± Her voice was low, her eyes longing.

    Her lips moved, though he could hear nothing but a low hum. Anaq moved behind him and took him under the jaw and pulled his head back. His hand squeezing his face, he resisted the urge to fight back, assuring himself that if he would have been killed it wouldn¡¯t be this slow; this was after all, Asha, the headmaster of Hristak, she who could dispatch the strongest catastrophes in minutes.

    Anaq stared at him with disdain. ¡°You better not let that stump hinder you.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t.¡± Of course, he had no clue they were talking about. But for the time being, his life didn¡¯t seem to be all that disposable now.

    ¡°They know, don¡¯t they?¡± Asha asked, ¡°That you died.¡±

    Anaq released him. He gave a nod to the headmaster.

    ¡°I won¡¯t wait for the summit to clarify things.¡± Anaq stared at her as she pulled back her cloak and the sleeve of her battle suit beneath. Her body was a tapestry of intricate sigils, small and dark, dozens on a single forearm alone. She spoke silent words as she traced the sigils, cutting into her skin making the stained ones glow a faint bloody hue.

    ¡°Asha!¡± Anaq yelled, his brows furrowed. It was something that had been avoided since the conflict seventy seven years ago, something for fear of war or legend becoming reality.

    ¡°This is Songbird. I demand an audience with the Crowns.¡±

    * * *

    Her head thrummed, temples pained like a nail being driven into her skull. A faint smell of copper filled her nose as she opened her eyes to a sterile, near-blindingly white room. She could feel her palm being held, a soft massage like her mother used to give her. But she was not here, and she was not a child anymore.

    She squeezed her hand shut.

    ¡°Kari?¡± Azurael stood to meet her eyes.

    She took him in, the young man she knew, tall and strong. He whose confidence could not even be shaken when facing the headmaster, stared at her with glossy eyes, his chest heaving. Like a crack in steel, something had put it there, she hoped it hadn¡¯t been her. But she was glad it was. ¡°Your arm. Why didn¡¯t you let her complete it?¡± Her throat pained as she spoke.

    ¡°She couldn¡¯t do more for me.¡± He lied. She knew, but relented. ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°I taste metal and I can feel my organs. What happened?¡±

    ¡°Fetid Scourge.¡± Kari stared at him with tired eyes. ¡°Ms. Uvs¡¯Hert said that.¡±

    She gave a defeated laugh. ¡°Of course she¡¯d recognize an ancient virus. She made it after all.¡± Azurael was none too surprised to hear that. For the creation of Biological agents was one of the many things the families had labelled her a war criminal for.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even consider it, but I guess it checks out. All those stories, wounds that would not heal, blood that ate you from within, and organs that fought to leave the body.¡± He shuddered. ¡°But if that¡¯s what I was hit with, why didn¡¯t it cripple me?¡±

    ¡°My guess¡­ those very stories are why. Those who crawled away alive built an immunity. I¡¯m surprised two generations is all it took for people to be resistant to it.¡± She clutched her stomach and rolled to her side to face him. ¡°Are the others alive?¡±

    His mind drifted to the memory of the moments of extraction. The ground shattering under his feet, a swift incantation and the sigil on his palm glowed through a bloody deluge. The cliff crumbling into the sea, him pushing off what he could to slam his open fist into the corpse of the black-clad man. Screams pierced the air as he turned and pulverized what ground he could get his feet onto. Closing the gap in moments, slamming his palm into each of the girls, feeling bones snap as he did. Going past them, slamming a mark on Mallo¡¯s ribs and having to push through Arhen defense as he raised his rod to block the palm strike. Seeing a dozen more figures struggling their way to Oren who held Alera tightly and disappeared into the crumbling earth. The acid in his stomach rising into his throat as he pushed through burning muscle and intense cramps, his head light and hardly even conscious. Sinews snapped as he launched himself, kicking off crumbling rock before it even knew he had stepped onto it. Driving his fist into the ground and slapping Oren across the face, as his incantation slipped from his tongue the moment his bloody palm bumped Alera¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°I owe them all an apology.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°I could barely hold back when marking my sigil.¡± He stared at his palm, clean and tough with a single raised line where the ceaseless cut had been drawn. ¡°My blood infected you¡ª it probably infected them too.¡± His face was solemn, mournful eyes held back tears.

    ¡°You saved us,¡± she pushed the stained sheets aside without so much as looking at them and slid her legs over the bed. ¡°But if it will make you feel better. Let''s go.¡±