《Manifest: A Shattered Future (card game lit)》


 Episode One: Eye of the Storm

    Manifest: A Shattered Future


    Episode One: Eye of the Storm


    ¡°This city is an insult to the true brutality of our world. Aegea stands at the edge of the sea as if it has the strength to hold this position, but its people are fragile. They do not deserve the illusion of peace.¡±


    The cloaked man grimaced as he stood upon the quiet road which led to the city. Electrical lights scattered the buildings and pierced the night, illuminating banks of low clouds as they drifted overhead. The breeze carried in moisture from the nearby ocean, and the moonlight forced tiny droplets to shimmer. No walls or structures protected the city. Vulnerable people wandered through the quiet streets. Houses stood at the city¡¯s edge, practically taunting the darkness to rear its ugly head.


    ¡°This fragile peace is no more stable than a house of cards. The balance only appears real, but the slightest push will return it to its natural state. They¡¯re clinging to memories of a world long lost to time,¡± said the man as he reached into his bag.


    After fumbling through a deck of scattered spells, he extracted a black monolith and a blue monolith from his bag. He tapped them together and then set the black stone onto the quiet road; a gentle hum sounded from its resonating structure. In just milliseconds, a black light emanated from the monolith, and its wielder stepped back as the glow expanded. Obsidian energy spiraled together from the night as a powerful entity ascended from the monolith. Rumbles of thunder sounded from the transformation, and gale-force winds descended upon the dusty street. Sand and droplets of moisture lifted into the spiraling air. The sudden storm rapidly intensified, and in seconds, the man saw the silhouette of a sorcerer standing in the center of the storm.


    ¡°I knew I could count on you. Ride the wind and strike this city from the shore! I¡¯ll attack from the land; you attack from the sea. Break free from my hold! Rampage! Exert your rage upon this city!¡± shouted the man as he unleashed his monster.


    ***


    ¡°Hey, Altair! What the hell is going on? We don¡¯t normally get storms this time of night! Are we being attacked?¡± asked Romulo as he rushed through the streets.


    While frightened citizens ran desperately for shelter, Altair veered out of an alley and dashed over to his ally. As the two soldiers ran together through the pouring rain, Altair answered, ¡°It¡¯s worse than you think! There¡¯s a Rampager on the shore; I took off to alert the monks. But I ran into Terrance on the way, and he said there¡¯s a conjuror attacking from the south! From Adriatica, of course. I¡¯m headed that way now!¡±


    ¡°Two attacks at once? Holy hell, man! Who¡¯s gonna stop the Rampager on shore?¡± Romulo asked as thunder shook the storming sky.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know; I can¡¯t be in two places at once! Whoever fights the Rampager has their work cut out for them. It looked pretty monstrous to me,¡± Altair answered.


    As the two friends raced southward, a flash of lightning illuminated the night to reveal the silhouettes of people running about. Even when the lightning faded, Romulo saw the fiery light of a fierce battle in the south. The city rumbled with a series of loud crashes, drowning out the constant thunder.


    With a resolute grunt, Romulo stopped in his tracks and swerved around. As he sprinted away from his friend, he shouted over the pouring rain, ¡°Someone needs to stop the monster on shore! Good luck in your fight!¡±


    Even as he raced past frightened people and ran through alleyways, Romulo could practically feel his old friend¡¯s desire to retort. He could practically hear Altair¡¯s frustration from a distance, but he cleared this thought from his mind when he saw the scarlet glow of distant fire. He accelerated his run, jumped over a bench, and dashed down a brick road that led straight to the sea. Even from a distance, he could see fiery light dancing on the crashing waves. The powerful storm had angered the ocean, but even the downpour could not extinguish the flames. Romulo could smell both the petrichor of rain and stench of distant fire, but he narrowed his eyes to fight through his exhaustion.


    After minutes of running, Romulo emerged onto the beach with a look of shock. Flames fought against the pouring rain as they crept across seaside shops, and blinding wind tore the sand from the beach. A towering figure stood in the heart of the chaos, surrounded by a vortex of gusting sand and spiraling rain. A mother and her child screamed as they pushed their way out of a burning building. Powerful waves slammed ashore and devoured the beach.


    ¡°Rampager! Can you speak? I know this is a longshot, but why are you doing this?!¡± Romulo shouted at the sorcerer in the heart of the vortex.


    The sorcerer stared back but said nothing, leaving Romulo to contemplate his next move. But as he saw the state of the burning buildings, he decided that he could not waste any time on figuring out his enemy. He instead reached into his jacket pocket and extracted a blue monolith. After taking a deep breath, he tapped his knuckles upon it with enough force to make it ring. The stone vibrated in his hand until he set it down upon the wet sand.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that most Rampagers escape their conjuror¡¯s control, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case here. I think they released you just to cause this chaos. Not that it matters; you don¡¯t understand a word I say. I¡¯ll have to stop you in the only way I know how. With my Ice Crystal Barricade,¡± Romulo announced as a blue glow ascended from his monolith.


    In that moment, an enormous structure of ice materialized in the heart of the swirling energy. Romulo felt the temperature plummet as the sorcerer he conjured took a forward step. As it advanced, it froze the wet sand beside it. Even the enemy sorcerer watched with intrigue as the icy behemoth approached. Though he shivered, Romulo quickly sifted through the spell cards in his bag until he found two he could use. He passed them to his living wall of ice just before it moved too far away.


    But to Romulo¡¯s surprise, the Typhoon Paladin had patiently awaited this approach. As soon as the icy barricade entered its proximity, the opposing sorcerer cast a powerful spell. A web of lightning shot across the sky, and heavy waves crashed ashore in the background. Raindrops and saltwater splashed upon Romulo as the enemy¡¯s magic pulled in his creature. A vortex of water and wind dragged the barricade against its will.


    As the Typhoon Paladin steadied its arm and forced it glow with luminous electricity, Romulo desperately shouted at his sorcerer, practically begging it to defend itself. But because the Ice Crystal Barricade was still bound by the deafening vortex of wind and water, it had no way to fight back. The enemy struck with enough force to partially shatter the wall of ice. Romulo winced as he saw the energetic glow in his monolith falter, but the connection did not break. And now that he saw an opening, he enthusiastically shouted for his creature to fight back. The temperature fell quickly as the Ice Crystal Barricade slammed its enormous limbs into the enemy, sending a scattershot of ice splinters into the air.


    ¡°Yes! Nice work! Alright, cast your magic: Berserk Heart!¡± shouted Romulo as his creature enchanted itself with a powerful spell.


    After enchanting itself with a visible fury, the sentient ice structure struck its enemy with another wave-like arm of ice. Shards of broken ice scattered across the beach, and the Typhoon Paladin grimaced as the impact nearly knocked it to the ground. Romulo grinned with excitement as he prepared to end the fight, but then a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky. The storm intensified so suddenly that the nearby flames nearly extinguished; their vigorous embers illuminated the falling rain with a shimmering touch of fire. Almost as if the storm symbolized the sorcerer¡¯s vitality, the rampaging enemy steadied its electrified fist and prepared to counterattack.


    But in the moment that the Typhoon Paladin would have attacked, Romulo smiled widely and yelled, ¡°Now¡¯s your chance! Barricade, use your Curse of Frozen Chains!¡±


    As Romulo¡¯s sorcerer unleashed its curse, the rain which surrounded Typhoon Paladin turned to ice. Chains of ice then enwrapped its torso, binding its arms and preventing attack. Romulo grinned when he saw the success of his strategy, but even this could not stop the Rampager. Instead of retreating or surrendering, the Typhoon Paladin raced forward with startling speed. It bypassed its enemy, racing toward Romulo and the blue monolith which had manifested his sorcerer.


    By exerting his will directly upon the blue monolith, Romulo urged his Ice Crystal Barricade to retreat as quickly as it could. However, the sorcerer¡¯s size restricted its movement; it failed to come within striking distance of the enemy. Raindrops fell upon the living structure of ice, glistening in the light of nearby embers. The howling wind stripped flakes from its surface and carried them away. Just inches from the blue monolith, Typhoon Paladin cast a spell despite the chains which had bound its arms.


    Romulo watched with distaste as Typhoon Paladin became unshackled from his icy chains in that moment. But instead of merely tossing the chain aside, he holstered the weapon and then forced his arm to electrically illuminate. He then threw his glowing fist forward and struck the blue monolith, shattering the connection between it and the Ice Crystal Barricade. With no energy to uphold it, Romulo¡¯s sorcerer collapsed under its own weight and fell upon the wet sand. Broken ice scattered across the beach as the entity faded away, leaving behind icy shards to shimmer in the glow of lightning.


    Stumbling with a startled stare, Romulo shook his head and then unholstered a green monolith from his pocket. Without wasting a moment, Romulo jolted aside and slammed his knee into the monolith as he ran. The green stone vibrated with a reverberating hum, and Romulo set it onto the beach as a luminous energy brought life to the pouring rain. He watched in desperation as a second sorceress ascended from the green monolith.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Romulo shouted aloud, ¡°Dancing Wind Priestess, get ready to strike!¡±


    But when his sorceress prepared to attack with wind which spiraled behind her, the enemy showed a sinister smile and reactivated the same curse which had bound it in the past. By unleashing the Curse of Frozen Chains, the enemy sorcerer enchained his priestess before she could attack. As he realized the precariousness of his fighter¡¯s position, Romulo passed her a spell card and compelled her to cast it immediately.


    ¡°Launch him away; this is your chance! Invoke the Whirlwind!¡± yelled Romulo.


    By invoking the magic of the spell in her hand, the Dancing Wind Priestess summoned a whirlwind from the fearsome sky. It descended at an inescapable speed, stripping sand from the beach and raindrops from the air. When the whirlwind devoured Typhoon Paladin, it lifted the enemy into the air and then threw him to distance, but the enemy seemed unconcerned with this movement. After Romulo passed another spell to his sorceress, he compelled her to advance at an angle¡ªaway from both him and the enemy.


    However, the Typhoon Paladin would not let her escape. Before she could get far, he quickly advanced toward her and away from the city, electrifying his fist as he ran. The electric glow illuminated the falling rain as he closed in on his target, and then he hurled his fist with all his strength.


    ¡°There we go! Now¡¯s your chance!¡± shouted Romulo.


    The enemy sorcerer looked bewildered as Dancing Wind Priestess¡¯ magic encircled him with a spiritual pull. The magic depowered his attack as it assailed his vitality, but even when he ran away, the Typhoon Paladin could not escape this curse. Without any way to fight back, he instead ran away from his enemy¡ªturning his attention toward Romulo instead. But as the forceful rain poured around them, the rampaging sorcerer took this opportunity to cast a spell of his own. White magic ignited on his armor as the healing magic took hold. Romulo watched with concern as the healing breeze engulfed the orchestrator of this attack.


    Even though he had confounded his enemy to reduce their mobility, Romulo knew that he had to act quickly. Now that the Typhoon Paladin had restored its health with a healing spell, it could freely strike the green monolith and shatter its connection. Despite his sorceress¡¯ speed, he knew that she could not withstand the strike, and therefore he had to use her to go on the offensive. Without wasting another moment, Romulo compelled his Dancing Wind Priestess to sprint back toward him. When she came close enough, he managed to pass her a spell card despite the forceful winds between them. Water splashed around her feet even as she cast her spell of Temporal Stasis.


    After enchanting herself with this timeless magic, Dancing Wind Priestess rewound time and undid the Curse of Frozen Chains. As the icy shackles fell to the sand and shattered, she sprinted forward and forced wind to spiral across her limbs. She struck the Typhoon Paladin with all her strength, and though he stumbled, he seemed undisturbed by her assault.


    ¡°Can¡¯t breathe!¡± a loud voice shouted through the pouring rain.


    While the Typhoon Paladin maintained the same intense gaze it had throughout this battle, Romulo swerved to search the storm for the source of the shout. He narrowed his eyes to peer through the pouring rain, but a flicker of lightning revealed a silhouette stuck in the slamming waves. As soon as he realized that someone was fighting for their life in the surging sea, he took off running at his fastest speed. He grimaced in knowing that he could not protect his priestess if his attention were elsewhere, but then he heard forceful coughing in the waves. When he closed in on the ocean, he saw the swimmer¡¯s curly hair flail before she fell underwater. He gasped when he saw a bloody tincture in the water around her.


    As the Typhoon Paladin destroyed his sorceress behind him, Romulo raced through the shallows and slammed his way through crashing waves. He then dove a short distance underwater and grabbed the struggling swimmer by her ribs. He kicked underwater with all his strength until he pulled her to the surface. She took a desperate breath in the moment before a breaking wave slammed upon them both, pushing them underwater. Forced to open his eyes in the salty sea, Romulo saw a glimpse of the swimmer¡¯s body underwater. Her hair was dark, her arms were strong, and bruises scattered her scarred skin. He pushed off the ground and pulled her into the shallows, and together they stumbled their way to shore as the storm intensified. The air became colder, the wind grew fiercer, and the rain became so strong that Romulo could barely see her. It wasn¡¯t until she fell onto the wet sand that he realized the reason for her struggle.


    ¡°Oh my god! What happened to your leg?¡± Romulo asked.


    As she fought to catch her breath, the young woman answered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me; I wanted to stay out of your way! I¡¯m pretty sure my leg¡¯s been gone for a while. It doesn¡¯t hurt. It isn¡¯t bleeding!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ pretty sure¡­? How did you get here in the first place?¡± asked Romulo.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember! In fact, I don¡¯t think I remember anything. But you can¡¯t get distracted! You have to stop that thing!¡± she pleaded.


    Knowing she was right, Romulo sprinted back over to the battlefield where he saw the silhouette of his enemy. The powerful storm cloaked the Rampager, and a small shack near shore disassembled in the howling winds. Broken shambles flew across the nearby streets, compelling Romulo to finish the fight. He unsheathed a red monolith from his bag, tapped it with a miniature hammer, and then set it onto the sand as it reverberated. Soundwaves scattered the sand as a new sorcerer manifested in a flash of crimson light.


    When the Rogue of Broken Justice ascended in the heart of crimson light, it took a forward step into the swirling storm. As it advanced, it approached the Typhoon Paladin and illuminated them both with a crimson light. The glow distracted the enemy just long enough for his Rogue to steal a magical scroll. Romulo then encouraged his sorcerer to defend itself, but the enemy prepared to strike. The girl with curly hair crouched in the pouring rain, watching Romulo sprint toward the battlefield. She could see his exhaustion even from a distance, but he pushed onward as if obligated to do so. Just by the way he ran, she could tell that this was not the first time he had pushed himself past the brink of exhaustion. This was not the first time he fought with all he had to protect someone else.


    When the Typhoon Paladin threw its glowing right hand forward in an electrifying punch, Romulo shouted to his sorcerer, ¡°Dodge it! Evasive Lunge!¡±


    But even when the Rogue of Broken Justice attempted to cast its spell, the rampaging sorcerer stopped it with a spell of ice. Romulo watched as the ice locked his rogue in place, and then Typhoon Paladin struck it with a devastating force.


    The impact of this strike nearly shattered the Rogue of Broken Justice; the shockwave almost knocked Romulo to the ground. He could see his glowing monolith grow dim, and even its reverberating hum seemed to diminish. His sorcerer barely clung to life, but the Rogue still managed to steal a spell from his enemy and cast it, inflicting negligible damage.


    Romulo realized that the spell cards in his bag had become disorganized during his swim, so he only had time to extract a single card. But when he saw the card he drew, he sighed and set his last monolith on the ground. But unlike the others, he did not set it into vibrational motion; Romulo let it sit motionlessly on the wet sand as he passed his card to his sorcerer.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a moment to waste. This storm keeps getting stronger. We gotta do it now. Trade Power for Strength,¡± said Romulo.


    When the Rogue of Broken Justice cast this final spell, it enchanted itself with an unstoppable force. Even the enemy seemed to wince in surprise, and then Romulo compelled his sorcerer to unleash one final strike. In the moment of attack, the Typhoon Paladin fell to the ground and shattered. Romulo sighed with relief as the body of the Rampager faded, and the energy it left behind now poured into the motionless black monolith. The dark energy spiraled like a converging vortex. Romulo set his hands on his red monolith, rendering it motionless as he called back his sorcerer. He looked at the sky and watched the downpour finally lighten. The gusting winds lost their fury, and even the waves relaxed their earthshaking slams.


    ¡°That was amazing; you¡¯re amazing! I hope this doesn¡¯t sound weird, but I think I might have seen something like that before¡­ like a whisper from a dream. I think that¡¯s called d¨¦j¨¤ vu. It¡¯ll probably be like that for a while,¡± remarked the one-legged girl as she crawled across the beach.


    After Romulo retrieved his monoliths, he walked over to her and extended his hand. Though her curly hair was plastered to her face, she smiled brightly at him and accepted his hand. He helped lift her onto her foot, and then he held her arm so that she could stay upright.


    ¡°You said you lost your memory, right? I wonder if you were a conjuror. I hope I don¡¯t sound like a jerk, but I kinda wonder if you got beaten really badly. It might explain all your bruises and gashes. Maybe these weapons are more familiar than you think,¡± Romulo remarked.


    ¡°Maybe maybe. I¡¯m pretty adventurous! I think. I think I¡¯m pretty adventurous, so I can¡¯t imagine I wouldn¡¯t try to do that. It¡¯s so weird that I don¡¯t remember! I don¡¯t remember ever being here. I don¡¯t remember being anywhere. I almost feel like I¡¯m in a dream,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°Well if you¡¯re dreaming, then we¡¯re both dreaming. You don¡¯t remember anything? Have you heard of the Adriatic Empire? Do you know about the war? Do you know where you are?¡± asked Romulo.


    She shook her head and answered, ¡°Mm-mm. I don¡¯t remember anything but my name for some reason. I¡¯m Elena. Elena Estrada!¡±


    ¡°Elena Estrada¡­ that¡¯s a nice name. I wish I could help you, but I¡¯m really not a doctor of any kind. Hell, I¡¯m not even smart. I didn¡¯t even know your missing leg was an old injury until you told me! Problem is, I can¡¯t stay. There¡¯s a guy attacking our city; he¡¯s the one who let loose this Rampager. He might not be alone. I¡¯ve gotta help the others fight him off,¡± Romulo explained.


    Elena nodded slowly and answered, ¡°I get it, I get it! It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t really know where to go or what to do. This probably sounds silly, no, I know this sounds silly, but I kinda want to go with you. Just to see if I remember anything. But I¡¯d only slow you down. It¡¯s not like I can just run behind you! Maybe I could forge something if I found some driftwood and maybe-¡±


    But Romulo shook his head with a chuckle and then gently pulled her toward the city. She stumbled at first with a half-hop on her left foot, but when it came time to take a right step, she put her weight on Romulo¡¯s hand and then quickly hopped forward. She giggled at first because the jump sent a wave through her curly hair, and Romulo easily upheld her weight with his strong left arm. She continuously watched him to see if she had burdened him, but he showed no signs of fatigue.


    ¡°Relax! I¡¯m not just gonna leave you here, Elena. There¡¯s an infirmary nearby; I know a guy who works there. They might be full with victims from the storm or the attack, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll have a bed for you if nothing else. At least until you get back on your¡­ uh, or at least until you figure out what¡¯s going on. They might even know something about your amnesia. I¡¯ll make sure you get there,¡± Romulo promised.


    ¡°Mm. Thank you, thank you! I appreciate your help, but I really don¡¯t want to slow you down. I feel like you¡¯ve been through a lot already, and that¡¯s kinda my fault. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t want to cause problems! I¡¯m normally a better swimmer than that, but my whole body hurts and I don¡¯t know why!¡± Elena confessed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even worry about it! It¡¯s just kinda my job at this point. I don¡¯t even really like fighting¡ªnot really. It just feels nice to help someone when they need it, you know?¡±


    Elena smiled and nodded, but she said nothing. She winced with every jump on her left leg; the impact aggravated the bruises which scattered her skin. Her curly hair lifted and fell with every bounce, but Romulo figured that she could not keep this up for much longer. As a gentle drizzle fell from the night sky, he lifted her into his arms and carried her through the streets of the city.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair,¡± she muttered quietly.


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry. There¡¯s a lot of things about this-¡±


    ¡°No no no. It¡¯s not fair that you know my name, but I don¡¯t know yours,¡± Elena pouted.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I suppose that¡¯s true. Well then in that case, I¡¯m Romulo. It¡¯s nice to meet you! I¡¯m almost honored to be the only person you know right now.¡±


    Elena giggled and answered, ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re right! I guess that¡¯s true. Um, Romulo, I hope this isn¡¯t weird to ask, but¡­ could you visit me sometime? I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll be at the infirmary. But I feel scared and I don¡¯t normally feel scared, or at least I think I don¡¯t normally feel scared, so¡­ can you come by sometime?¡±


    Romulo smiled and answered, ¡°Of course I can! It¡¯s a promise.¡±

 Episode Two: The Girl Stolen from the Past

    A cool breeze swept through the street and carried the scent of blossoming flowers. Though he had almost reached his destination, Romulo smiled and leaned over to smell a rose in a nearby garden. But when he tilted his head, some strands of his auburn hair fell upon the wet dirt. He straightened out his back and looked around, hoping that no one had seen his blunder. When he saw Altair standing just outside the infirmary with a disapproving stare, Romulo chuckled and shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful day to stop and smell the roses, wouldn¡¯t ya know?¡± Romulo said to his friend.


    But Altair simply shook his head and pulled his glasses off his face. He briefly wiped them with the edge of his gray shirt, returned them to his face, and answered, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you take this more seriously? We still haven¡¯t found that conjuror from last night. His monoliths are totally recharged by now. He could attack again as soon as he wants.¡±


    Even as he approached from a distance, Romulo could see light wounds and gashes on Altair¡¯s dark skin. Trying to stifle his optimism, Romulo remarked, ¡°We just have to wait for news to come in. No way we can patrol everywhere. Speaking of which¡­ what brings you to the infirmary?¡±


    ¡°They woke me up early. They asked me to rig up something for some patient they¡¯ve got in there. Some energetic girl¡¯s missing a leg, so I fashioned her something. To be honest, it¡¯s no better than a plunger, but I don¡¯t have time to come up with anything else,¡± Altair explained.


    ¡°Funny you should say that, she¡¯s actually the one I came here to see! Did you get a chance to talk much to her?¡± asked Romulo.


    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t; you know me better than that. I helped her affix the seal to her stump, told her how to screw in the pegleg, and left it at that. My time¡¯s better spent on strategizing, anyway.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame you didn¡¯t get to talking, ¡®cause you both have a missing memory in common. She¡¯s got no clue who she is or how she wound up here,¡± Romulo remarked.


    Altair chuckled and teased, ¡°That is completely different. I probably lost my memory as a battle injury. She¡¯s just forgetful!¡±


    Romulo shook his head with a quiet laugh before stepping inside. But to his dismay, when he entered the infirmary, he saw that it was filled with overworked medics, wounded civilians, and injured conjurors. Because Elena had comparatively light injuries, Romulo knew the medics would relocate her to a back room so as not to take up space. Romulo poked his head into several back rooms until eventually he found her sitting on a white cot, playfully fumbling with a pair of monoliths.


    ¡°Heh, you should be careful with those! You wouldn¡¯t want to manifest something here by mistake. Where¡¯d you find those things anyway?¡± asked Romulo.


    Elena giggled and answered, ¡°I had them with me when I washed ashore! There was kind of a lot going on, so I didn¡¯t really notice until after I got here. They look just like the ones you used to fight that guy on the beach! I even found a few spell cards with me. I hope this doesn¡¯t sound crazy, but I kinda had a dream about it¡­ using them, I mean. Like I manifested a sorcerer to help me fight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fascinating. I didn¡¯t realize when I found you that you were a conjuror just like me! That¡¯s what that was, right? A memory from your life before?¡± Romulo wondered.


    But Elena shook her head nervously and explained, ¡°I don¡¯t think it was real! I mean it felt real. It felt like I had just lived it days ago, but the world wasn¡¯t anything like this. There were cars, and a lab, people shuffling into tall buildings. It didn¡¯t look anything like this! And besides, I didn¡¯t bring out my sorcerer for war. It was like a game with a friend. We were practicing! We didn¡¯t want to hurt each other or anyone else. We played a long game and then went out for fast food. A fried chicken sandwich. That doesn¡¯t sound like anything I¡¯ve seen here.¡±


    Romulo scratched the back of his head and looked over her belongings. Several spell cards sat beside her wooden pegleg, and her red monolith lay dangerously close to the edge of the mattress. Her blue monolith rested beside her flesh leg as she peered around the room. Even as her light brown eyes scanned the room, she seemed to fixate on minor details that seemed mundane to Romulo. She stared at cracks in the wall or leaks in the ceiling. She watched a small trail of ants walk into the nearby sink. A gurney stood in the corner of the room, and several tools lay out upon it, shimmering in the incandescent light.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got a couple diners and a restaurant here and there, but I don¡¯t really know what you mean. Sorry about that. Do you think it¡¯s possible it was a dream intermixed with a fantasy? You seem strong. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you were a conjuror,¡± Romulo suggested with a smile.


    ¡°Maybe maybe! But I don¡¯t know; I just don¡¯t know. Hey, Romulo, can we go for a walk or something? It¡¯s kinda stale here, and they already dressed my wounds. I don¡¯t really want to stay for very long,¡± asked Elena.


    After pondering for a moment, Romulo moved closer to her bed and offered her his arm. Elena contemplated as she stared at his hand, but when she glanced over to the pegleg which would have to support her weight, she relented and gleefully accepted his help. Despite her small frame, Romulo found himself surprised by her strength when she lifted herself off the mattress. She shakily steadied herself on her new leg, but it proved itself able to uphold her weight even though it could not keep her balanced. Once upright, Elena gathered her belongings and followed Romulo toward the door. He led her out through a side door and stepped into an alleyway. The bright daylight overwhelmed Elena, but the cool ocean breeze kept the air cool. Romulo guided her toward the nearest street, and when they arrived, Elena took a moment to look at the humble buildings around her. Even as they began walking through the quiet city, she excitedly looked at every shop she passed.


    ¡°Do you know how to manifest a sorcerer?¡± asked Romulo.


    ¡°Well¡­ not entirely. Yesterday I saw you make your monoliths reverberate first, then they released some energy and made a sorcerer. It was the same way in my dream! I guess I just don¡¯t get how that works,¡± Elena admitted.


    Romulo chuckled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t really get how it works either; I don¡¯t think anyone does. But when these monoliths resonate, it¡¯s like they lock onto the frequency of a sorcerer, usually one that they¡¯ve entangled with before. If we can make it to this field nearby, would you maybe wanna have a practice match?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯d like to practice. I know I¡¯d like to practice! But, well, wouldn¡¯t it hurt the guys we manifest? I saw you fight the monster on the beach. Your sorcerers shattered when they fell!¡± Elena worried aloud.


    Romulo nervously laughed as he scratched his head and answered, ¡°I can¡¯t really say for sure. I haven¡¯t thought a lot about it, but I don¡¯t think it seriously hurts them. I mean, my Rogue of Broken Justice has suffered some really brutal defeats. Then, after my monolith recharges, I can manifest him again just several hours later. Completely unscathed, like it never happened at all. Besides¡­ not to sound callous or anything, but I¡¯m a soldier. I¡¯ve fought more battles than I can count, all by compelling the sorcerers I conjure. Even if our sorcerers get hurt in this battle, it¡¯s the difference between 10,000 and 10,003.¡±


    Elena stared at Romulo with wide eyes as they walked together, but then she giggled and nodded in agreement. Romulo smiled when he saw that his words had convinced her, and then he glanced ahead at an open field beside an old bakery. A few other citizens pushed wagons along the cobblestone street in the background, but Elena struggled to keep herself balanced as she walked. Romulo could tell by the way she walked that she had used a prosthetic leg in the past, but her makeshift pegleg struggled to accommodate the uneven ridges in the road. Even when they crossed onto the grassy field, Elena had to fight to stay stable and upright. He watched her with a gaze of concern, but she seemed proud of herself in spite of her struggle. Convinced that she could handle herself, Romulo bounded to the other side of the field and unsheathed his blue monolith. He struck it with a small hammer, forced it to reverberate, and then set it on the field as it unleashed a vortex of azure light.


    Romulo explained, ¡°When your monolith resonates, it can synchronize with a special frequency¡ªone that it has locked onto in the past. So with this resonance, I can manifest my main defender: Ice Crystal Barricade!¡±


    Elena watched as an enormous behemoth of ice ascended from the blue monolith. The temperature quickly plummeted as spirals of snow and ice danced through the air. She stared into the eyes at the center of the giant ice wall, and then it slowly advanced. Its icy body stretched so far that it blocked off the field. Romulo passed a card to the sorcerer he had conjured, and then Elena excitedly unholstered her own monoliths. She smacked them against each other, felt them vibrate in her hand, and then dropped her red-colored monolith onto the field. A vortex of crimson energy emanated from the stone, and in just a matter of seconds, a sorcerer materialized in the heart of the energy.


    Shortly after Elena manifested her Summoner of Cyclones, it materialized a spell card in its hand. Because this jogged her memory, Elena quickly reached into her pockets and located several scattered spell cards. Though she seemed uncertain of the spells themselves, she excitedly said, ¡°This is the same sorcerer I used in my dream! My Summoner of Cyclones. That¡¯s so exciting!¡±


    ¡°It is exciting! Do you know how to use your grimoire?¡± asked Romulo with a grin.


    ¡°No I don¡¯t, no I don¡¯t! I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve even heard of that,¡± Elena giggled.


    Romulo nodded and explained, ¡°It¡¯s honestly a bit of a silly word, I think. As far as I¡¯ve been told, some conjurors used to keep all their spells in these big dusty spell books. Called them grimoires. Problem is, we¡¯re just ordinary people! The creatures we conjure can cast all kinds of magic, but not us. To me, these spells are just ink. Anyway, older conjurors got tired of tearing pages out of their grimoires all the time, so we instead just made cards with spells on them! It¡¯s hard to sort through them or even keep track of them, but it works better than tearing up a book every time we want to fight! Basically, you just pick a spell you want your sorcerer to have, and you pass it to them when they¡¯re nearby.


    ¡°Mm. Okay, okay, let me try! I found one here. Summoner of Cyclones! Catch!¡± Elena said excitedly as she passed a card to her sorcerer.


    Compelled by Elena¡¯s command, the Summoner of Cyclones caught the card that she had passed. It then unleashed the magic on the card and enchanted itself with a fearsome surge of power. Romulo watched with intrigue as a tornadic energy swirled around her sorcerer and empowered it. The wind quickly accelerated, and small whirlwinds carried dust across the field.


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    ¡°Well done, well done! Now use your Supertyphoon Ceremony! Throw yourself at the enemy and give it your strongest strike!¡± Elena yelled.


    Romulo watched with wide eyes as Elena¡¯s sorcerer struck his Ice Crystal Barricade with a tornadic force. But even though the punch sent fractures through the body of the barricade, Elena compelled her Summoner to step aside. She then smiled, steadied her still-reverberating blue monolith, and set it on the ground beside her pegleg. With a chuckle, Romulo watched her launch her aggressive assault by manifesting a second sorcerer in a shower of blue light. At that moment, a blade-wielding warrior ascended from the blue monolith and raced across the field. Passersby watched in the background as Elena¡¯s newest sorcerer raced toward its target.


    ¡°Underwater Illusionist! Get ready to strike!¡± Elena shouted with glee.


    Romulo watched with an impressed grin as Elena¡¯s sorcerer thrust its blade into his living wall of ice, but even this could not force his barricade to crumble. Almost like a submarine, the Underwater Illusionist then rapidly retreated after making its attack. Elena compelled it to race back toward its monolith, keeping it out of reach from Romulo¡¯s attacks.


    And while Romulo held several cards in his hand, he paused to look over the field as he contemplated his next move. He lifted his green monolith and prepared to manifest his sorcerer, but then he saw Elena¡¯s exhaustion from a distance. In addition to stumbling her way across several city blocks, she seemed to be drained after manifesting two sorcerers within seconds of each other. Even from a distance, he could tell that she moderated her breaths in the way that a runner would in a long race. A thin layer of sweat shimmered on her skin.


    ¡°Why am I so tired?¡± Elena asked with a giggle.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know why, but it takes a lot of stamina to manifest a sorcerer! It¡¯s possible that our bodies pay part of the price to conjure them. Somehow or another, it¡¯s all connected. Your monoliths won¡¯t recharge if they¡¯re not near you, and they recharge faster if you¡¯re active. Again, I really can¡¯t say why! It¡¯s just what we¡¯ve noticed,¡± Romulo explained.


    ¡°Okay, I get it, I get it,¡± Elena said as she fought to stabilize her breathing. But in the meantime, Romulo compelled his Ice Crystal Barricade to shift its body and then unleash a powerful strike. Elena¡¯s Summoner of Cyclones watched the icy arm approach, but then she yelled out, ¡°Summoner! Use your Banishment from the Sky!¡±


    Romulo grimaced when he saw the Summoner of Cyclones unleash its fearsome curse upon his sorcerer. His Ice Crystal Barricade practically stopped in its tracks, and Elena¡¯s sorcerer ascended with a cyclonic gust. Despite this crushing setback, Romulo struck his green monolith with his little hammer and then tossed it onto the grass. In just a matter of seconds, a silhouette appeared inside a swirling vortex of green light. The snowflakes which danced in the air illuminated with the same green light. Elena watched with excitement as Romulo manifested a sorceress that she had seen once before. In just a matter of moments, the Dancing Wind Priestess raced across the battleground.


    With a fearsome gust of wind, Romulo¡¯s sorceress rapidly closed in on the Underwater Illusionist. She struck with all her strength, and though Elena¡¯s sorcerer withstood the strike, the priestess retreated before he could fight back. Elena watched with an impressed stare as her opponent managed to compel two sorcerers at the same time. As the Dancing Wind Priestess retreated to the middle of the battlefield, his Ice Crystal Barricade also shifted right. Just from its movement alone, tiny shards of ice caught the breeze and danced in the wind.


    During the barricade¡¯s movement, Romulo yelled out, ¡°Now¡¯s the time! Cast the Familiar of the Deep Abyss!¡±


    While Romulo¡¯s sorcerer pushed itself onward with rejuvenated valor, Elena watched with wonder as a mystic serpent materialized from the enchantment. The scaly serpent surrounded the icy structure and gave it an aquamarine glow.


    Despite her excitement, Elena had finally recovered enough energy to fight back. She compelled her Summoner of Cyclones to materialize another spell card in its hand, and then she commanded her Underwater Illusionist to race across the field. As if it were surfing on nothing but its own speed, Elena¡¯s sorcerer closed in on its icy enemy. It used all its strength for a single decisive strike, but the magical serpent sacrificed itself to save its sorcerer. The serpent shattered beneath the Underwater Illusionist¡¯s blade, and then the Summoner of Cyclones descended from the sky with the strength of a supertyphoon. As Romulo winced, Elena¡¯s sorcerer managed to shatter the Ice Crystal Barricade with a cyclonic strike. A shower of broken ice fell to the grassy field.


    Elena excitedly cheered, ¡°I saw that look on your face when I manifested both sorcerers! You thought I was being too aggressive. You thought I jumped the gun. But nope! Look at that, look at that! I brought down your biggest sorcerer!¡±


    But as her Underwater Illusionist raced back to its monolith, Romulo smiled and replied, ¡°You definitely do fight well! I like the way you compel your sorcerers, but don¡¯t count me out yet; I¡¯ve got a strategy of my own. Wind Priestess, return to me! It¡¯s time to use your Dance of the Fiery Gust!¡±


    Romulo and Elena both watched as the Wind Priestess performed a mythical dance. Embers materialized in the wind which spiraled around her, and it quickly grew into a blazing gust. Scarlet streams of fire spiraled around Romulo¡¯s sorceress, and then he commanded her to commence her onslaught. She charged at the Summoner of Cyclones and struck with a fearsome blaze. The storm of embers nearly overwhelmed Elena¡¯s sorcerer, but Romulo did not stop here. His sorceress then launched herself across the battlefield and descended upon the Underwater Illusionist. She struck with a cyclone of cinders and sparks, and then she retreated to the middle of the field. In between drafts and streams of fiery gusts, Elena saw a second spell card in the priestess¡¯ left hand; Romulo had passed it to her during her flight.


    But because the fiery sorceress had stepped within striking distance, Elena forced her two sorcerers to surround her lone enemy. She smiled and shouted, ¡°Summoner of Cyclones, now¡¯s your chance to strike!¡±


    But with a single silent command, the Dancing Wind Priestess counterattacked with the deadly magic of its fearsome spell.


    Elena watched in horror as an enormous inferno engulfed the enemy sorceress and everything around it. While her Underwater Illusionist managed to escape, her Summoner of Cyclones was trapped inside the inferno. Flaming gusts and airborne cinders danced across the field, and fiery shimmers illuminated the nearby buildings. Romulo scratched his head nervously because the fire had caught the attention of bystanders, but then he noticed a familiar face standing on the other side of the cobblestone street. Altair stood with his back against a tree, silently watching the battle from a distance.


    But in the moment that the firestorm faded into a whirlwind of embers, Elena realized with a shock that her Summoner of Cyclones had survived the onslaught. Even though the fire had devastated his body, he withstood the flames and continued to strike with a cyclonic slam. Smoke lifted from his smoldering skin as he completed his assault, and he struck the Wind Priestess with enough force to defeat her. She dropped to the ground in defeat and shattered; Elena¡¯s sorcerer had defeated her with a single punch.


    ¡°I did it, I did it! I took out two of your sorcerers without losing either of mine,¡± Elena exclaimed with glee.


    Romulo nodded and answered, ¡°You should be proud! You¡¯ve done a very good job; it¡¯s clear that you learn quickly. I almost wanna let you win on principle. But to tell you the truth¡­ I let my sorcerers fall on purpose. I¡¯ve been building up to something, and I want to see my newest sorcerer in action. He may look a little familiar!¡±


    In that moment, Romulo forced his black monolith to reverberate with a gentle strike from his hammer. As the stone reverberated in his hand, he took a deep breath and then tossed it onto the ground. A vortex of obsidian energy emerged from the monolith and spiraled forcefully. A strong breeze still swept across the battlefield because of the fallen Wind Priestess, and this wind quickly converged on the black spiral. As it raced across the field, the wind picked up shards of broken ice left behind by the Ice Crystal Barricade. In just seconds, Elena watched a fearsome silhouette arise in the heart of black energy. A flash of lightning then revealed the face of Romulo¡¯s newest sorcerer.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is it. Typhoon Paladin, it¡¯s time to finish them off,¡± Romulo said as he passed his sorcerer one last spell card.


    Elena watched with shock as the Typhoon Paladin raced across the battlefield and closed in on her sorcerers. As a tornadic energy surrounded him, the enemy forced its right hand to illuminate with the power of lightning. Thunder echoed across the city block as Romulo¡¯s sorcerer attacked with a full-force punch. Elena compelled her sorcerer to defend in any way possible, but it was too slow; her Summoner of Cyclones shattered in an electrical slam.


    Romulo called after his sorcerer, ¡°I think you know what comes next, Typhoon. Invoke the magic of Berserk Heart!¡±


    To Elena¡¯s surprise, the Typhoon Paladin actually nodded as it cast its final spell and enchanted itself with a furious force. Without any delay, its other hand illuminated with a second glow of lightning. The wind picked up, and many bystanders scattered as if they feared the monster before them.


    Elena winced as Typhoon Paladin unleashed a second strike upon her sorcerer. The electric strike fractured and shattered her Underwater Illusionist; it crumbled with such a shockwave that Elena fell off her pegleg and into the grass. She grunted when she landed, and Romulo ran over to his black monolith. He set his hands upon it to render it motionless, and shortly thereafter, his Typhoon Paladin evaporated. It left behind a forceful swirl of wind, but Romulo dashed through the windstorm toward his fallen friend. As he approached, he saw Altair watching disinterestedly in the distance, but he chose not to call out. Instead, he worriedly set his hands upon Elena and helped her to her knees, but then he realized that she was giggling at her own defeat.


    Elena exclaimed, ¡°I thought I had you; I really thought I had you! Mm. I still need to figure out how to use the few spell cards I¡¯ve got. Let¡¯s do this again soon! I think my sorcerers wanna get revenge.¡±


    Romulo chuckled and answered, ¡°You fought very well! I would say you¡¯re a natural, but¡­ I get the idea that this probably wasn¡¯t your first time as a conjuror.¡±


    Elena stumbled upright with Romulo¡¯s help, but then a voice from behind her said, ¡°Your style really isn¡¯t bad. Guys like Romulo always criticize aggressive strategies, but it¡¯s honestly more useful. If have to hold back a squad of conjurors, you could take out five of them before he would take down one. Sure he¡¯s hard to beat, but that doesn¡¯t account for much if he only stops one guy per hour.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you! I remember you! You helped me get this leg earlier today. Thank you again! Are you also a conjuror like Romulo?¡± Elena asked Altair while Romulo scratched his head.


    ¡°I am, but I don¡¯t like to advertise. At the risk of sounding haughty, most conjurors have no concept of strategy. They learn how to manifest and let their thinking stop there. You have a lot of work to do, but unlike most others¡­ you have potential. Come find me if you ever figure out a way to win a battle,¡± Altair declared as he turned to walk away.


    Elena tilted her head as she watched him leave, but Romulo laughed and explained, ¡°That¡¯s just the way he is. Altair is¡­ one of the smartest guys I think I¡¯ve ever met. Only problem is, he likes to make sure everyone knows it. Don¡¯t take it too seriously! He¡¯s not as good as he thinks he is.¡±


    ¡°I get it, I get it! But thank you for practicing with me,¡± Elena said with a wide smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome! But for now, let¡¯s get you back to the infirmary. It sounds like our enemies are still at large, so¡­ I¡¯ll have a long night ahead of me.¡±


    Elena nodded quickly and bounded onto the cobblestone street, but she almost lost her footing. Her pegleg nearly tripped on a crack, but she caught herself on a slender tree. Romulo pushed himself after her, but she quelled his worries when she turned to face him. The two friends then turned toward the infirmary and walked away together.

 Episode Three: The Adriatic Emblem

    ¡°Do you have a favorite spell card?¡± Elena asked with a quizzical excitement in her light brown eyes.


    Romulo stood a short distance away with his back against the white wall of the infirmary, seeming to ponder an answer to her question. While they listened to the quiet din of patients and nurses speaking in the background, Elena stood beside her cot with her cards scattered on the sheet. The incandescent light touched every corner of the cobwebby room, and it caused his light blue eyes to shimmer. As he spun his black monolith in his hand, he answered, ¡°It seems to change all the time! Sorry if that¡¯s a boring answer. Now that I¡¯ve got Typhoon Paladin on my side, it seems like it should be something that works with him! Although¡­ I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m a sucker for the generic spells that anyone can cast. There¡¯s a simplicity in that!¡±


    Elena smiled and nodded quickly, but then she heard a set of forceful footsteps moving through the infirmary¡¯s main room. This person took larger steps than anyone else, and they quickly grew in volume with each passing second. Even Romulo seemed to notice this disturbance, and then in just seconds, the door to Elena¡¯s room opened at a frightening speed. Altair stepped inside, steadied his jacket, and quickly gazed across the room with evident worry.


    ¡°Hey Altair, is something wrong?¡± Romulo asked.


    ¡°I think the Adriatic Empire is making their move tonight. We gotta get going. I sent Terrance off to find more soldiers, but we need you. I don¡¯t know how many we¡¯ve got,¡± Altair quickly explained.


    Romulo grimaced but nodded. He quickly holstered his monolith and started stretching his legs, but Elena looked to him with a gaze of worry. Elena asked, ¡°Do you need another conjuror to help?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. It¡¯s just too dangerous; these Adriatic soldiers really play for keeps. Can¡¯t risk you out there. I hate to just leave you here in the infirmary, but I¡¯ll be back when the night is over. Can you look over everyone here?¡±


    Even though she had to largely balance her weight on her pegleg, Elena sprang forward and wrapped her arms around him. Altair widened his eyes as he watched, but Elena whispered to Romulo, ¡°Please stay safe out there! I feel like I woke up in a brand new world, but you¡¯re the only thing I have.¡±


    Romulo smiled and promised, ¡°I¡¯ll be safe. Don¡¯t you worry.¡±


    Altair pushed his way toward the side door, and then the two friends emerged into the outside street. Romulo and Altair dashed together across the cobblestone roads beneath yellow streetlights, racing south toward the enemy attackers. Even from a distance, Romulo could see a cloud of dust and smoke lifting from the outskirts of the city. A few citizens gathered in the streets, whispering words of worry to each other. But despite their uncertainty, Altair and Romulo ran side-by-side against the wind. Romulo¡¯s auburn hair danced in the breeze, but it had no effect on Altair; the wind merely knocked his glasses loose every now and then.


    Romulo asked his friend, ¡°Do you think Adriatica is making their big push tonight? They¡¯ve tried to occupy us before.¡±


    Altair shook his head and answered, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what they¡¯ve tried before. We hardly have any conjurors left. Even if the Adriatic Empire has their forces spread thin, they still outnumber us. With the Adriatic Emblem on their side, they could easily circumvent us. Even if we all won our fights by some miracle, it wouldn¡¯t make any difference.¡±


    ¡°Unless we beat them more quickly than they can show up,¡± Romulo said.


    Altair nodded but said nothing. He rationed his breaths so that he could match Romulo¡¯s pace, but he found himself slowly falling behind. While he could keep up on solid ground, Romulo moved effortlessly across obstacles. He would turn on a dime, jump over benches, and dodge cracks in the road without stopping. After many minutes of running, Altair and Romulo both arrived at the edge of the city. White ellipses scattered the dark field, and their gentle glow faintly illuminated the night sky. Two conjurors stood in each circle, both standing across from each other with sorcerers traversing the space between them.


    ¡°It took you long enough to arrive. I wanted to teach this city a lesson in pain, but it¡¯s just tactically smarter to take down its defenders instead. So which one of you will it be? I¡¯ll give you a choice, but make it fast,¡± said a low voice on the other side of the field.


    Between a fiery flash and the faint white glow, Romulo saw an Adriatic soldier standing a short distance away with a red-colored monolith. Romulo sighed, exchanged a brief glance with Altair, and then stepped forward. As Altair jogged off to find another opponent, Romulo faced the attacker and retorted, ¡°Go ahead and use it. I captured your buddy¡¯s Rampager just the other night, so it¡¯s only fair I take down one of you tonight.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I just hope you¡¯ve already said your goodbyes.¡±


    The Adriatic soldier banged his red monolith with a miniature hammer, forced it to reverberate, and then reached into his jacket. Just by moving his fingers, the soldier forced a white ellipse to ignite on the ground beneath his feet. The white ellipse then rapidly expanded and raced across the field, closing in on Romulo. Once the edge of the white ellipse engulfed him, it stopped growing; a white wall ascended from the Adriatic Emblem. He could barely see through its translucent walls, but the outside world no longer mattered; Romulo was now locked in battle with a soldier who wanted nothing more than to defeat him.


    ¡°If we¡¯re going to battle like this as enemies, I should at least know your name,¡± said Romulo as he struck his black monolith with a similar hammer.


    ¡°I am Illano, and I will now manifest my Creator of a Balanced World,¡± answered the Adriatic soldier as he set his monolith onto the ground.


    Romulo watched with intrigue as a specter-like silhouette appeared in a vortex of scarlet sparks. The light of the monolith pierced the white illumination of the walls, but Illano compelled his Sorcerer to march forward. Before it wandered far, Illano passed a few cards to his Creator of a Balanced World, and then it steadily advanced. In just a matter of seconds, it cast a powerful spell which warped the ground around its feet. As if spurred by this enchantment, the grass and budding saplings rapidly grew. Romulo watched as saplings sprouted into trees which scattered the ground between them. And in the next moment, when the Creator wandered on, a gentle glow ignited from the forest.


    Evidently perturbed by the transformation of the field, Romulo took a deep breath and steadied his black monolith. With unwavering determination, he unsheathed two different monoliths and then struck them against each other, forcing them to vibrate. His muscles tensed as he prepared the energy he would have to expend, and then he set both monoliths onto the grassy field. A vortex of blue energy erupted from one resonating monolith, and spirals of green energy surrounded the other. Illano watched with an intrigued grin as Romulo forced two of his sorcerers to manifest at the same time. Despite the heavy toll it took on his body, Romulo did not glance away as his living weapons materialized. One was a windblown sorceress with black tears stained upon her face, while the other was large and close to the earth. Romulo passed one spell to each sorcerer, and then he compelled them to march onward.


    Illano watched with an entertained smile as the Last of the Valkyries jumped upon the Quicksand Carrier, and then they rapidly advanced together. When the Quicksand Carrier crossed into the forest, it steered past saplings and trees before eventually coming to a stop. Romulo compelled his sorceress to disembark from the Quicksand Carrier, and then she continued to advance while his boat-like sorcerer turned toward the Creator of a Balanced World. Romulo excitedly declared an attack, and then the Quicksand Carrier rushed between the trees.


    But before the Quicksand Carrier could crash into the enemy sorcerer, Illano yelled out, ¡°Creator, cast your curse! Bound by Ancient Roots!¡±


    Luminescent roots emerged from the undergrowth of the forest and enwrapped the Quicksand Carrier, but Romulo fought against his exhaustion and shouted, ¡°Fight back! Use your scroll, Icy Imprisonment! Don¡¯t let it bind you!¡±


    And though the Quicksand Carrier cast the scroll as Romulo had commanded, even that could not protect it; the Creator of a Balanced World had another countermeasure ready to go. Illano compelled it to unleash the powerful magic of another deadly curse, and in the end, it both confounded Romulo¡¯s spell and left his sorcerer susceptible to a second binding. A luminous moss engulfed the lower edge of the Quicksand Carrier, and the magical roots tightened their stranglehold. In the end, his Quicksand Carrier still failed to strike.


    Despite the failure of his first attack and the curses which now plagued his Carrier, Romulo compelled his second sorceress to advance deeper into enemy territory. She dashed toward the red monolith which had manifested Illano¡¯s sorcerer, and then she struck it with her scepter in a sudden slam. Shards of light emanated from the monolith, but it overall withstood the attack.


    Almost as if in a fierce counterattack, Illano forced his sorcerer to immediately attack Quicksand Carrier with an energetic expulsion. Without wasting another moment, the Creator of a Balanced World then retreated from the understory and stopped outside the forest. At the end of its high-speed sprint, Illano passed another pair of cards to his fighter, tossing them directly over Romulo¡¯s valkyrie. As Romulo fought to catch his breath, he watched Illano show a sinister smile. Illano forced his sorcerer to cast a spell which stole energy from the night like an eclipse from the sun. This sudden surge of magic shot back toward Illano, converged into a ghost-white monolith, and forced it to reverberate. Illano opened his mouth with an enthusiastic grin as he tossed his white monolith onto the field at his feet.


    Illano grinned as a jester-like silhouette ascended from a vortex of pallid energy. A tense electricity coursed through the air as the powerful silhouette materialized over its monolith, and then it quickly advanced. Illano then compelled his newest sorcerer to unleash a powerful strike with its magic staff, but the Last of the Valkyries defended herself with the restrictive magic of Astral Rejection. But even though his sorceress managed to save herself, her curse failed to plague the Disciple of the Ancient Gods. Instead, the curse dissipated and faded into the earth. Romulo winced at this setback, and then he watched as the Creator of a Balanced World dashed back into the forest. The trees illuminated and empowered the wounded Creator.


    With the little energy he had left, Romulo compelled his sorceress to swiftly strike Disciple of the Ancient Gods with her scepter. Without waiting to catch his breath, Romulo redoubled his onslaught by advancing his Quicksand Carrier past the edge of the forest. As soon as it entered the proximity of Illano¡¯s sorcerer, the curses which plagued his Carrier faded with a flash of white magic. Free from the curses which had locked it down, the Quicksand Carrier retreated and struck the Creator of a Balanced World.


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    ¡°Come back to me. I¡¯ve got the spell to silence his sorcerer,¡± Romulo commanded.


    Without wasting another moment, the Quicksand Carrier raced through the forest, swerved between the trees, and reached the other end of the woods. Romulo passed it two spell cards, and then it returned to the forest where it cast its newest spell.


    ¡°Target the enemy! Oceanic Adaptation!¡± yelled Romulo as his sorcerer¡¯s spell took effect.


    An azure swirl of magic engulfed the Creator of a Balanced World, clinging to its body and confounding its mind. However, Illano quickly retaliated by forcing his Disciple of the Ancient Gods to attack the nearest enemy. Its magic staff slammed upon Romulo¡¯s sorceress with an extraordinary strike, but the Last of the Valkyries withstood the attack. And as if he expected a counterattack, Illano passed a card to his Disciple and compelled it to march into the forest. Because his Creator was plagued with a chant which confounded its magic, Illano forced it to pass its spell card to his other sorcerer, which the Disciple then cast to lightly heal its teammate. The Creator then paced forward and unleashed an energetic strike upon the Quicksand Carrier.


    But in that moment, Romulo grinned and exclaimed, ¡°This is what we waited for! Defense of Jagged Rock!¡±


    By invoking the magic of the spell inscribed on the card, Quicksand Carrier deflected the energetic strike and forced jagged pillars of rock to ascend from the forest floor. The sharp pillars pierced into the Creator of a Balanced World and nearly overpowered it, but then the healing effect of the forest took hold. Romulo watched with a grimace as the Disciple of the Ancient Gods also replenished its health with a flash of ominous light.


    ¡°Valkyrie, this is your chance!¡± shouted Romulo when the healing light faded.


    The Last of the Valkyries swung its magic scepter and struck Illano¡¯s red monolith; this force managed to break the connection which upheld the Creator. Illano watched with a grimace as his sorcerer shattered, and then the Quicksand Carrier raced across the forest without delay. It slammed into the Disciple of the Ancient Gods with almost enough force to destroy it, but the Disciple narrowly withstood the strike. It then counterattacked with a swipe of its magic staff, and the Quicksand Carrier failed to survive. Romulo watched with unease as his oblong sorcerer shattered, and then it faded away altogether.


    ¡°You fought well, at least for the meager defense that Aegea can raise. It¡¯s such a shame that you never had a chance against Adriatica¡¯s forces, and now you can see the sword of that truth. Now rise! I manifest the Knight of Broken Brambles!¡± Illano announced as he forced his black monolith to resonate.


    A fearsome armored warrior ascended in the spiraling center of a black vortex. Even though he was too far away to interfere now, Romulo started desperately combing through his grimoire in search of a spell that could protect his Valkyrie. At the same time, Illano passed a spell to his magical knight; the Knight of Broken Brambles immediately cast another Nature Territory. Trees and saplings ascended from the ground around his feet. At the same time, Romulo located a spell which could help, but he was too far away. In the end, he had no way to save her; the Knight of Broken Brambles struck and shattered his sorceress with two swipes of his sword.


    Illano compelled his armored sorcerer to march deeper into the forest, and then a restorative energy illuminated from the forest floor. In a matter of seconds, the Disciple of Ancient Gods replenished a portion of its power.


    Even though he stared down two enemy sorcerers who both possessed fearsome power, Romulo grinned and struck his black monolith with his tuning hammer. As soon as the stone resonated, he tossed it forward, tensed his muscles, and manifested a mighty sorcerer whom he had called on in the past. Flickers of lightning and a forceful wind emerged from the black vortex, and in just moments, the Typhoon Paladin materialized in the heart of the battlefield.


    ¡°Does this sorcerer look familiar? It¡¯s the same one that your people used to attack our city. One of your conjurors cut it loose from its monolith and let it rampage here,¡± Romulo declared.


    Illano laughed and retorted, ¡°It was a good strategy! The type of strategy that lets a single conjuror inflict massive damage by themselves. I¡¯m not surprised! Mr. Neonia advised us to use that technique whenever we want to hit extra hard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that the opposite happened. Your loose cannon now works for me! Typhoon Paladin, advance into the forest. Take your spells and change the world! Cast your Familiar of the Deep Abyss! Cast your Water Territory!¡±


    Illano grimaced as his ethereal trees quickly faded into the night sky. A splash of saltwater poured across the battlefield in its place, and the water shimmered in the white light of the walls which enclosed them. At the same time, Typhoon Paladin enchanted itself with a powerful serpent which both protected and empowered it. And now without the forest to protect it, the Disciple of the Ancient Gods was left vulnerable to an attack. Romulo¡¯s sorcerer approached, forced its fist to illuminate with an electric glow, and then punched the target with all its strength¡ªshattering Illano¡¯s Disciple.


    ¡°Prepare your counterattack. Cast your Stratospheric Transcendence,¡± Illano declared with unwavering disdain.


    The Knight of Broken Brambles enchanted itself with a spell which created a windy vortex. The wind sent waves across the shallow water which flooded the field, and the Knight of Broken Brambles raced across the surface as if he were running on dry land. Illano compelled his sorcerer to close in on the black monolith which upheld Typhoon Paladin, and then he commanded his sorcerer to attack. The armored knight swung his sword with all his strength, but the black monolith harmlessly withstood the strike as if there had been no impact at all.


    With a confident smirk, Romulo called his sorcerer back onto dry land and then passed he a card. A moment later, the Typhoon Paladin raced across the battlefield and accelerated as he ran. He ran so quickly that he forced wind-waves to splash across the water, and then he crossed into the forest without slowing down. Illano watched with an anxious gaze as the enemy approached, and he glared at the serpent which enwrapped Typhoon Paladin.


    ¡°Grow stronger than ever! Trade Power for Strength!¡± Romulo shouted at his sorcerer.


    Typhoon Paladin enchanted himself with so much power that his body became luminous. The wind became so powerful that it rustled the trees around him. Lightning spiraled across his arm as he thrust his fist at his enemy¡¯s black monolith, and he shattered its connection in a single strike. Romulo watched with pride as his enemy¡¯s sorcerer faded without a monolith to uphold it. The spells it carried fell to the ground.


    Romulo taunted, ¡°Almost a shame you won¡¯t be going home. You could¡¯ve warned your puppeteer that he just sent all his pawns to their death. He must be embarrassed! And to think, I¡¯ll beat all of you with a sorcerer I stole from your teammate.¡±


    But instead of conceding or giving in to despair, Illano grinned and unsheathed his final monolith. He struck the blue stone with his knee, forced it to resonate, and then tossed it beside a sapling near his feet. As a vortex of blue energy swirled around the monolith, Illano grabbed a handful of cards from his grimoire and said, ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re up against. Prepare yourself! Meet my Mage of Hidden Secrets!¡±


    Illano passed a handful of spell cards to his sorcerer, and by his instruction, that sorcerer then began tossing the cards aside, burning through their enigmatic magic. But despite the magic it so callously discarded, Illano forced his sorcerer to closely cling onto a single spell. In the moment that Mage of Hidden Secrets stopped discarding its spells, it unleashed the power of a devious scroll.


    ¡°Everything has led to this moment. You¡¯ve played right into my hand, and now you¡¯ll see why. Mage! Cast it now! Enchantment Conglomeration!¡± shouted Illano.


    In that moment, Typhoon Paladin lost both its ocean serpent and the mythical glow which enchanted it. As if pulled by a fearsome gravity, these enchantments both converged upon the Mage of Hidden Secrets. Romulo could practically watch its power skyrocket, and then it unleashed a calamitous strike which sent a tremor through the earth. Every tree danced from the motion, and waves poured across the water as the Mage struck Typhoon Paladin with all its strength. Leaves and dust surrounded the attack, but to Illano¡¯s surprise, Romulo¡¯s sorcerer withstood the attack. Romulo compelled it to desperately strike back, but when it did, it merely struck the ocean serpent which had once protected it. The serpent partially shattered, but before it faded completely, it raced through the water toward Romulo and retrieved a spell card that had fallen to the ground. Romulo smiled when he saw the gift of his fallen serpent, but it was still too late to save his Typhoon Paladin; the enchanted Mage of Hidden Secrets struck with enough force to violently shatter his sorcerer.


    As the earth and trees trembled from the impact, Illano compelled his sorcerer to tear across the battlefield. Romulo glanced at the Oceanic Adaptation card in his hand, but he knew it could not help him; Illano had already discarded his spells to empower his Mage. But with no other way to defend himself, Romulo quickly unsheathed his red-colored monolith and struck it with the little hammer. As soon as it reverberated, he threw it forward and manifested his sorcerer in a vortex of red light.


    Immediately after Romulo manifested his sorcerer, he passed his Rogue of Broken Justice a spell without hesitation. It cast the spell without wasting a moment, and then a flash of white light illuminated the space beside it. The Rogue performed a chant which made Illano shudder from a distance.


    Romulo shouted out, ¡°Overwhelm him! Spirit Alter Genesis! Manifest the conduit; end this fight!¡±


    Romulo then passed his Rogue a card while its doppelg?nger jolted aside and struck the Mage of Hidden Secrets. A moment later, the Rogue unleashed its own energetic assault. And while Illano¡¯s Sorcerer had no way to protect from the attack, it then counterattacked by throwing an earthshaking assault of its own. However, despite his exhaustion and the sweat which covered his trembling body, Romulo yelled out, ¡°Rogue! Use the strongest shield we¡¯ve got; Scroll of Paralysis!¡±


    The growing earthquake suddenly stopped. The Mage of Hidden Secrets became completely motionless, and electricity coursed across its limbs. When Illano realized the extent of his plight, he sprinted toward the white-glowing wall of the Adriatic Emblem. He slammed his fists against it, leaving his sorcerer behind. With nothing to hold them back, Romulo commanded his Rogue and its doppelganger to both attack the enemy at once.


    When Illano realized he could not break through the wall which had locked him in, he desperately compelled his Mage to rush toward the wall. The Mage of Hidden Secrets had narrowly survived Romulo¡¯s onslaught, and it used the little strength it had left to attack the wall in a seismic strike. But in the end, the wall remained intact. Romulo commanded his sorcerer to strike the enemy with an energetic attack. When Illano¡¯s last sorcerer shattered, he grunted and stepped backward until he bumped into the glowing wall. Romulo picked up his monoliths, but he did not retract his sorcerers; he instead walked across the field as they followed closely behind him. He waded through the water and wandered through the trees, closing in on his defeated foe.


    ¡°I can¡¯t pretend I¡¯m not surprised. You¡¯re a stronger fighter than I expected,¡± Illano confessed.


    ¡°I tried to warn you. The city of Aegea has stood for a long time; it¡¯ll take more than a few conjurors to take us down. Listen, man. I don¡¯t wanna kill you. That isn¡¯t our style. But we also can¡¯t just let you run off and attack us again someday, so I¡¯ll tell you how this is gonna go. You¡¯re gonna get on the ground, face-down, and I¡¯m gonna cuff you. I¡¯ll take you back to the city. Maybe you¡¯ll learn some decency while you¡¯re there,¡± Romulo explained as the Rogue of Broken Justice lit the air behind him.


    Illano stared at his uncharged monoliths in the field above, but then he sighed and relented. With an exasperated nod, he crouched onto the ground and set his arms over his back. It only took Romulo a few seconds to cuff his former enemy, but once he did, the Adriatic Emblem finally faded. The white walls descended to reveal the world from which they had been hidden.


    But when Romulo¡¯s eyes readjusted to the darkness, he felt a fearsome shock when he saw the state of the battles around him. Several bodies scattered the field, some of which stumbled while others stayed inert. Spell cards and used-up monoliths littered the ground. Romulo could hear the clashes of distant battle, but when he turned toward the city, he saw that the enemy forces had advanced their onslaught. Enemy soldiers stood inside Aegea¡¯s outskirts, and their sorcerers attacked the innocent with flashes of fiery light. The white glow of the Adriatic Emblem littered the outskirts, but only infrequently. Most of Aegea¡¯s defenses had fallen in the fight, and it seemed that civilians would soon pay the price.

 Episode Four: The Princess of Swirling Cinders

    ¡°Good morning, Elena! What¡¯re ya working on? Another hydraulic manifold?¡± asked a friendly voice from the door to the lab.


    Elena giggled and nodded as she said, ¡°Yes of course, of course of course! I¡¯ve got a pretty long connection here, but it¡¯s strong enough! I mean it¡¯s not perfect. One of the pistons doesn¡¯t fit, so we¡¯re losing lots of power there. But it¡¯s good other than that! One of the pneumatic shafts actually gets really close to being a vacuum, but it got stuck a little while ago. It keeps getting stuck! I just wanna finish this design. I¡¯m tired of this design! How about you? How are you? Adder! You¡¯re supposed to be my partner! Why are you always gone?¡±


    ¡°Heh, you know I¡¯d be right beside you if it were up to me! Problem is, the astrophysics team keeps needing my calculations. They¡¯re working on some pretty cool stuff! That is, at least, when they¡¯re not ogling each other. I swear they¡¯re obsessed. Ockham and Annabel¡­ absolutely love ¡®em, absolutely sick of ¡®em,¡± Adder explained.


    ¡°No fair, no fair! I¡¯m working on cool stuff too! Maybe not like dark energy waves or whatever they¡¯re doing¡­ but they get all the press. It¡¯s not fair! Mechanical engineering¡¯s just not as flashy! I should¡¯ve picked a different major.¡±


    Elena sighed and lowered her hands from the hydraulic seals. She took a backward step and nearly tripped when her prosthetic leg slid along the ground, but she caught herself before she could collapse. When she turned her head to peer past her curly hair, she saw that Adder stood half a step behind her with his hands extended; he had lunged to catch her just in case she fell. Elena smiled at his generosity as she stabilized her stance.


    ¡°Thank you, Adder. Sorry. I don¡¯t mean to complain; I don¡¯t like to complain. I think¡­ maybe I¡¯m a little jealous of Annabel. It¡¯s stupid. But she¡¯s so pretty and calm and smart and happy. The people from the press are basically stalking her, just so they can get a little detail of her project. Everyone wants to know. Everyone cares! Not like for us. Besides, you¡¯ve seen the way Ockham looks at her! He looks like he could fly when he looks at her! She won¡¯t ever be alone,¡± Elena explained with a self-deprecating laugh.


    ¡°Hell, I get it! I thought working at a small lab meant our work would matter more, but it¡¯s just like ya said! Everyone cares about their work, never ours! But if it¡¯s all the same, I wouldn¡¯t get too jealous. Ockham¡¯s a little overwhelming. Intense as all hell! I think you could probably do better anyway. Ya know, if that¡¯s something you¡¯re interested in,¡± Adder laughed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I want! You know that; you know that! It¡¯s weird. Sometimes I feel like I want someone to love, and¡­ other times I feel like I¡¯m not really ready. Probably won¡¯t ever be ready! Like don¡¯t get me wrong. I had guys I liked in high school. Guys who liked me. Same way in college. But everyone else was always hooking up, so it made me feel weird like I¡¯m expected to do the same, when¡­ it¡¯s complicated. Sorry. This is a little overly personal, isn¡¯t it?¡± Elena asked.


    ¡°No worries! Hell, it¡¯s just us; you can talk about anything you¡¯d like. I guess I just don¡¯t get it. You don¡¯t ever clear your browser history, so, like, it really seems like you¡¯re straight. Just based off that. But then, you make it sound like-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say it! I don¡¯t know if there is a way to say it. Um. I am straight, and I like¡­ you know, guys and all that. But I can¡¯t imagine sharing myself with someone else. If you know what I mean. I don¡¯t think I ever will. It¡¯s like¡­ is autosexual a word? I think I¡¯m that. As in, like, only by myself. Or maybe I¡¯m just shy. Adder! Why are we talking about this?!¡± Elena interrupted.


    Adder laughed and answered, ¡°Hey, this isn¡¯t my fault! You did all that on your own.¡±


    Elena giggled and nodded, but she quickly wandered away from her machine. As she walked toward the desktop computer in the corner of their lab, she listened to the asymmetric patter of her footsteps. The hinge on her leg clacked every time her other knee bent, but she plopped herself down on her computer chair when she arrived. Adder watched with an entertained smile as she opened a browser and cleared her search history.


    ***


    Elena shook herself awake in her infirmary cot, smiling at the dream of a different life. But when she took a moment to glance around the room, she realized that it looked more unfamiliar than usual. Not only did it look nothing like the laboratory in her dream, but it also seemed different than when she first fell asleep. Other cots had been moved into her room, and she could hear bustling activity in the background. Romulo crouched at the foot of her bed, unaware that she was awake, and he fiddled through spell cards on the sheet beside her foot. Elena smiled when she saw him, but then she realized that he stared upon the cards with an intense gaze. His tired eyes betrayed his exhaustion.


    ¡°Romulo! Why are you awake? It¡¯s so early; it¡¯s too early! Even the sun isn¡¯t awake yet. Did you get any sleep?¡± Elena asked.


    Romulo gazed at her with a gentle smile, but he tiredly answered, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t. We¡¯re losing territory by the hour, and Altair¡¯s the only other person defending this place. Besides, we¡¯re getting more patients than the nurses can handle. It¡¯s a damn shame. Seems like the Adriatic Empire¡¯s raiding the city. If the citizens don¡¯t surrender, then they¡¯re forced to pay the price. Hate to say it, but this really might be the end of Aegea. We could be days away from being their newest conquest. I can¡¯t let that happen.¡±


    Though she could sense his terror from a distance, Elena did not yet feel the pressing danger. She closed her eyes momentarily and still saw the laboratory in her dream. For a moment, she felt like she kept one foot in that dream and one foot in this infirmary, and that was the reason why she only had one leg in each reality. But since she knew she had to be strong for her friend, Elena dragged herself out from under the white sheet. She found her prosthetic, pulled it onto the stump of her leg, and then dragged herself out of bed. Romulo tiredly watched as she pressed her leg deeper into the prosthetic¡¯s opening.


    ¡°I saw a few families leaving here yesterday. Do you think they were trying to escape? I don¡¯t really know what it¡¯s like outside right now,¡± Elena admitted.


    Romulo shook his head and explained, ¡°There aren¡¯t many places to go. There¡¯s a long road that leads from here to the nearest city-state, but that¡¯s about it. Nowhere else to go. If people don¡¯t get caught by the raiders, they¡¯re usually headed to the monks in the center of the city. It¡¯s the safest place to be. But at the same time¡­ that¡¯s why me and Altair have to guard this place. A lot of the patients here can¡¯t run away on their own. They¡¯re stuck in place. Neonia¡¯s forces won¡¯t stop just because the people here are hurt.¡±


    The lights to the infirmary suddenly dimmed, causing many patients to gasp. Elena glanced around with concern, but Romulo jolted upright. In the tense silence which followed, Elena overheard the clashes of battle coming from the nearby street. When Romulo heard this as well, he dashed toward the door, and Elena clumsily bounded after him. He ran agilely through the crowd and quickly exited the front door of the infirmary, but Elena struggled to move as easily. She nearly tripped over object obstacles and sleeping people, and by the time she made it outside the door, she saw Altair locked in battle with an enemy conjuror.


    Romulo glared through the smoky darkness at another enemy soldier who slowly approached the infirmary, but he glanced aside when he heard the tap of Elena¡¯s wooden leg on the doorstep. He opened his mouth as if to protest, but then a fiery glow illuminated the nearby alley. Romulo cursed under his breath and dashed toward the alley, but then he jolted backward without wasting a moment. As soon as he pulled back, a stream of fire shot across the street and illuminated the darkness.


    ¡°Damn, I can¡¯t deal with a Rampager right now. I¡¯ve gotta fight off this conjuror,¡± Romulo groaned as he watched the slow-approaching enemy.


    But after a short journey over to his side, Elena set her hand on his shoulder and said, ¡°You two shouldn¡¯t have to do all this on your own. Let me help, let me help! I can take on the Rampager. Don¡¯t worry about me!¡±


    Romulo winced as if the idea itself were anathema to his ideals, but he suppressed his pride and decided, ¡°Just be careful. Leave yourself room to run away if you have to. Don¡¯t let her hurt you!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t run away. I¡¯m tired of not carrying my weight. You¡¯ve done so much for me¡ªfor all the people hiding here. I¡¯m done hiding myself away and dreaming of a different world; I¡¯ve got this.¡±


    Elena bounded across the cobblestone street with asymmetric steps, pushing herself toward the nearest alley. Right before she stepped into the clearing to face the Rampager, she struck her blue monolith upon the brick wall. It reverberated in her hand, and she tossed it onto the ground when she crept into the alleyway. A fiery sorceress stood at a distance, but she swerved to face Elena as soon as she arrived. The sorceress then unleashed a stream of scarlet fire, but Elena lowered herself and hid behind a vortex of azure light. The energy from her monolith deflected the fiery strike, and just a moment later, her Underwater Illusionist materialized in the open space.


    And while Elena intended to go on the attack, she had her attention distracted by the sound of a manifestation elsewhere in the adjacent street. She figured that Romulo had entered battle with an enemy soldier, but during that time, the Rampager materialized a spell card in her hand. Sparks and embers danced in the air around the Princess of Swirling Cinders as she then cast a different spell, reserving the one she created. A flash of variegated light danced across the shadowed alley as the fire sorceress enchanted herself with a protective spirit.


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    But knowing that she could not survive if she divided her attention, Elena passed a pair of spell cards to her speedy sorcerer. She then sent her Underwater Illusionist to race across the battlefield. It crouched as it ran as if simulating a submarine, and it quickly closed in on the fiery sorceress with its lance steadied in its hand. Elena compelled her sorcerer to strike with all its strength, but the Princess of Swirling Cinders defended itself with the colorful spirit that had earlier enchanted it. While the ambitious spirit shattered from the strike, the Rampager intensified her glare and forced a second familiar to materialize in its place.


    As an incendiary spirit spiraled around the Princess of Swirling Cinders, Elena realized that the enemy could easily counterattack. For that reason, she compelled her Underwater Illusionist to race back toward its monolith; she hoped that the distance would protect from a counterstrike. But before she could devise an actual defense, she heard a heavy pair of crashes in the street behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Romulo standing a short distance away, desperately defending himself with only a single sorcerer. He was locked in battle against one enemy while two others closed in. Elena worked to hold off a Rampager while Altair fought off another enemy conjuror, but Romulo stood at the heart of the onslaught.


    ¡°The infirmary isn¡¯t the target; it¡¯s him! They know Romulo¡¯s strength. They know Romulo is this city¡¯s only hope! Mm. I can¡¯t let myself fail,¡± Elena whispered.


    But when she glanced back toward her own fight, Elena saw that the Rampager had rocketed across the battlefield. As soon as she stepped within striking distance, the Princess of Swirling Cinders unleashed a fearsome spell by channeling the magic of its blazing familiar.


    The shadow magic dispelled the cards that Elena had earlier entrusted to her sorcerer. And now that its target had no spells with which to defend itself, the Princess of Swirling Cinders lunged and struck the Underwater Illusionist with a burst of searing sparks. Elena watched with worry as her sorcerer reeled from the strike, but then she compelled him to strike back with a swing of his mighty lance. The Rampager glared at the approaching weapon, but instead of fleeing, she merely allowed her blazing familiar to take the strike instead. The Familiar of Flashing Flames shattered in the strike, and then Elena fortified her defenses by passing her illusionist another spell card.


    ¡°Now no sorcerer can stop you on their own! Go, go, Shell of the Divine Turtle!¡± yelled Elena.


    Despite the enchanted shell which now protected its enemy, the Princess of Swirling Cinders unleashed a fearsome strike of fire. Dancing flames and scattered sparks descended upon the Underwater Illusionist, but he managed to defend himself with the Shell of the Divine Turtle. But even though its attack had been rebuffed, the fiery sorceress retreated to a short distance and then cast a powerful spell. Elena watched with worry as a scarlet glare illuminated the dusty darkness.


    As the Princess of Swirling Cinders danced and swirled, she sent a rain of sparks across the battlefield. With no way to protect herself, Elena compelled her sorcerer to stand in the way. The flames singed its surface and scoured its armor, but in the end, the Underwater Illusionist withstood the damage and prepared to counterattack. By Elena¡¯s command, the spear-wielding sorcerer lunged toward its enemy. But in the moment that the Underwater Illusionist retaliated with a spinning spear strike, the Rampager reacted with a devious spell.


    This flash of magic both stifled the strike and forced another card to materialize in Princess of Swirling Cinders¡¯ left hand. But when Elena realized that her sorcerer only had a single line of defense, she passed it two cards and compelled it to cast one immediately. When the Underwater Illusionist unleashed its spell, it enchanted itself with a glow of healing magic. The protective spirit clung to its skin and repaired a fraction of the damage it had suffered; the white magic slowly replenished its strength by the second.


    But before Elena¡¯s sorceress could restore much of its health, the fiery sorceress retaliated with a fearsome spell of Enchantment Eradication. Elena watched with worry as the magic froze both the Shell of the Divine Turtle and her cloak of white magic; they both became dysfunctional at once. But even though her sorcerer had lost both its defensive spell and its healing cloak, Elena did not lose her courage. She trembled with excitement and nearly lost her balance when the Rampager prepared to strike again, but she had awaited this opportunity; her sorcerer had a single hidden spell with which to defend.


    ¡°Confound your enemy! Unleash your Inescapable Illusion,¡± Elena declared.


    Before the Princess of Swirling Cinders could strike, Elena¡¯s sorcerer cast a spell which created a powerful illusion. By bending the light of smoldering embers and distant streetlights, the Underwater Illusionist appeared to occupy various places at the same time. The Princess of Swirling Cinders attempted to destroy one, but in realizing the extent of her curse, she quickly retreated into the center of the alley. Her long hair danced in the breeze, and she cast a simple spell to dispel her curse. When the illusion faded, the sorceress glared at Elena and whispered words in an imperceptible language. Elena listened closely to see if the words even resembled a language she had heard, but then another detail caught her attention.


    This enemy Rampager had appeared in an alley beside the infirmary and attacked with the power of fire. If the Adriatic soldiers had truly targeted the infirmary, they could have already destroyed it. Elena narrowed her eyes as she realized that the enemy was truly committed to taking down Romulo. He was their top priority.


    After drawing a single card and passing it to her sorcerer, Elena whispered, ¡°We¡¯re running out of time. Let¡¯s take her down!¡±


    But when the Underwater Illusionist lunged forward and attacked, the Princess of Swirling Cinders reacted with a fearsome counterstrike.


    Elena watched in horror as a scourge of scarlet fire descended upon her spear-wielding sorcerer. The flames engulfed her Underwater Illusionist and appeared to swallow it entirely, revealing nothing but the silhouette of the warrior. She shuddered with fright as the inferno illuminated the droplets of sweat on her arms, but to her surprise, her sorcerer still stood when the firestorm faded. Smoke lifted from his scorched skin and armor, but the Underwater Illusionist had narrowly withstood the strike. And with nothing else holding it back, it lunged its spear and struck the Princess of Swirling Cinders with all its strength. When the fiery sorceress swung to retaliate, Elena compelled her sorcerer to retreat to its monolith.


    Exactly as Elena predicted, the Rampager glared upon her and then advanced. But as soon as the enemy stepped within range, she compelled her sorcerer to unleash its fiercest spell.


    A dense fog suddenly descended upon the battlefield, enshrouding and confounding the enemy sorceress. The sparks which surrounded the Princess of Swirling Cinders illuminated the fog and blinded her; she could not even see the silhouette of her enemy. Because the Rampager could not safely advance, she had no means of defense; the Underwater Illusionist lunged into the fog and struck the enemy with its spear. But in that moment, the Princess defended itself with the spell it materialized partway through their fight.


    Elena watched with shock as the Princess of Swirling Cinders blocked her attack with a flash of powerful magic. The attack stopped the swing of her sorcerer¡¯s spear, but it also pilfered the energy thrust into the strike. Streams of energy flowed through the fog and poured into the fiery sorceress, partially replenishing her power. In realizing the extent of this misstep, Elena compelled her sorcerer to return to its monolith with a jolt; the Illusionist effortlessly dodged the enemy¡¯s attack. Without losing focus, the Princess of Swirling Cinders advanced closer to its enemy, though it could only take a single step.


    Because the Princess could not reach her enemy, she had no way to strike. Elena took advantage of her enemy¡¯s confusion and compelled her Underwater Illusionist to attack again; he struck with his spear and then made a hasty retreat. The enemy then wandered through the fog, working to move closer, but it still could not cross the distance quickly enough. Before long, Elena compelled her sorcerer to strike again. The Underwater Illusionist plunged its spear into its enemy, knocking the Rampager onto her knees in the swirling mist. But before the sorceress could shatter or fade, Elena chose to set her unused red monolith on the ground beside her feet.


    ¡°I watched Romulo do this to another Rampager. When we meet next, it will be as allies; we will fight together,¡± Elena announced to her fallen enemy.


    The fiery sorceress locked eyes with Elena and whispered words in an unknown language. She finally nodded, bowed her head, and let herself collapse onto the alley ground. Her body started to fade, and then white streams of energy poured into a single spell card instead of a monolith. Elena crawled over to the spell, one titled Heart of the Inferno, and nodded slightly. She then set her hands on her blue monolith and called back her Illusionist.


    Though the adrenaline of battle had finally faded, Elena stepped forward and lost her footing; her prosthetic leg slipped on the sweat which had fallen from her skin. She landed painfully on the cobblestone, but she quickly pulled herself toward the embers and spell cards which scattered the alley. Despite her pain, she gathered every card she found and loosely shoved them into her grimoire of loosely-sorted spells. She sighed with relief because the battle had ended, but then she heard an energetic burst from the adjacent street. She crawled over to the brick wall, carefully placed her hands, and pulled herself upright as quickly as she could. In just a matter of seconds, Elena bounded into the intersection, but when she arrived, she saw that Romulo had narrowly defeated his opponent.


    Despite his victory, Romulo practically panted with exertion; even his Rogue of Broken Justice seemed to have exhausted its power. Romulo said to his enemy, ¡°You put up a hell of a fight, but it¡¯s over. Because I respect you, I won¡¯t try to hurt you. Just think this through. You¡¯re too good a man to waste your life fighting for them.¡±


    When Elena reached Romulo¡¯s side, the enemy conjuror shook his head and replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter one way or another. It¡¯s too late. I made my choice, and there¡¯s no turning back; all I can do is warn you while I can. Romulo, please! I respect you as both a man and a conjuror, so I must tell you truth. Neonia is on his way as we speak. He knew we couldn¡¯t defeat you. We were only meant to lock you in place, and now it¡¯s too late. He fully intends to kill you himself.¡±

 Update and Extreme Content Warning

    First off, I apologize if there''s a better way to do this than just throwing it into the body of a "chapter". I have no idea how to navigate this site.


    These last few weeks, I have used my creative time to polish off the cards and effects for the Manifest card game. I will not be updating the episodes that are already uploaded; they will keep outdated artwork for the cards. For the future (already-written) episodes, updates will be on a case-by-case basis. I only updated cards with a major change. For Sorcerers, you can tell if they are updated if they use the Hermes Shoe symbol for Speed instead of dice. At some point, the new episodes will exclusively feature the updated cards.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    For those who are enjoying the story, please be aware that the next episode will be extremely graphic in terms of violent content. You''ve been warned.

 Episode Five: End of the New World

    Episode Five: End of the New World


    ¡°Don¡¯t know if I like this. I can¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯m running away,¡± Romulo muttered.


    Elena nodded, but she did not immediately reply; she instead fought to catch her breath as they slowly jogged through the interlocking streets. Her pegleg squealed with every step, and her leg bled slightly in the place where it bonded to her prosthetic. Romulo recognized her struggle and slowed his pace, but Elena pushed herself forward with all her strength. A faint drizzle fell from the overcast sky and shimmered in the daylight. Distant thunder rumbled beneath dark clouds, and the wind swept dust and debris from the streets. Whenever they approached another intersection, Romulo sped ahead and stealthily searched for enemy soldiers. It seemed that the citizens had hidden themselves indoors.


    ¡°They¡¯re targeting you. It¡¯s a bad move to walk right into their trap! You¡¯re a good strategist; you¡¯re a great strategist! You know it¡¯s a bad idea. They have no reason to hurt people if they just want you,¡± Elena reasoned.


    Romulo shook his head and answered, ¡°That didn¡¯t stop them from hurting people before, and it won¡¯t stop them now. The only thing that changed is I¡¯m not there to protect them.¡±


    Elena nodded somberly as she said, ¡°You couldn¡¯t protect them anyway. Our monoliths need to recharge, don¡¯t they? If you just stayed by the infirmary back there, you couldn¡¯t fight anyone. You had just used them to fight someone else. You¡¯d be defenseless!¡±


    As the drizzle slowly transformed into a rainstorm, Romulo sighed and slowed to a stop. He explained, ¡°You¡¯re half-right. I recalled my red sorcerer and hadn¡¯t used my black monolith, so I could at least still fight with those. Besides, our monoliths are like little parasites. When we expend energy, it flows into them. All this running has probably replenished their power. If I couldn¡¯t fight them then, maybe I could at least fight back now.¡±


    A low rumble of thunder coursed through the sky and forced the street to tremble. The pouring rain flattened Romulo¡¯s hair, and his soaked clothes became plastered to his skin. Even Elena¡¯s curly hair turned wavy from the weight of water. Her light brown eyes studied Romulo as he seemed to contemplate his next move, but the conundrum had confounded him. Instead of continuing to jog, he set his back upon the brick wall of a building. He stood just steps away from an awning, but he chose to stand in the pouring rain.


    ¡°Do you think we should go back to the infirmary?¡± Elena sheepishly asked. The rain had soaked the wood which made her pegleg, and it seemed to struggle beneath her weight. She leaned against the brick wall and lifted her prosthetic leg off the ground.


    Romulo sighed and answered, ¡°I don¡¯t think we could make it in time. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anyone still there. Or maybe our real mistake was stopping in the first place. I think someone¡¯s coming.¡±


    Elena swerved her head and saw a silhouette approaching through the pouring rain. Without determining whether this silhouette represented a tangible threat, Romulo pushed himself into motion and offered his arm to Elena. She sensed his urgency and kicked off the brick wall, leaning her weight on Romulo¡¯s strong arm as she struggled to stabilize herself. The two friends quickly jogged away from the silhouette, racing through the downpour even though Elena could hardly keep herself upright. She nearly tripped every time her pegleg struck the edge of a cobblestone, but she always caught herself at the last moment. Romulo led her down a narrow alley, and before long, they found their way into the quiet courtyard of a large church.


    ¡°They¡¯re not the monks, but maybe they can help,¡± Romulo reasoned.


    ¡°I heard you mention them before. Who exactly are the monks?¡± Elena asked as they scurried toward the church doors.


    ¡°The monks are powerful conjurors who serve to defend those who come to them for protection. They do not align themselves with Aegea or any other city-state, but they consider themselves protectors of human life. They¡¯re basically the last place for people to run and hide. Especially now when Adriatic soldiers are invading the city,¡± Romulo explained.


    When Romulo reached the large front door of the church, he firmly pushed to force it open, but the locked door would not budge. He then banged forcefully upon it, hoping the echoes of his knock could drown out the patter of pouring rain. But after half a minute of waiting and intermittent knocking, Romulo and Elena accepted that no one would let them inside; they wondered if anyone was even inside in the first place. But when they turned their attention back toward the courtyard, Romulo saw a human-sized silhouette beneath the pouring rain. He groaned, swept Elena into his arms, and then dashed across the courtyard as quickly as he could. She protested at first, but she could see the determination in his eyes; he would not let an enemy soldier catch them in a dead-end.


    The silhouette moved closer when Romulo approached an alleyway at the courtyard¡¯s entrance, but Romulo outran him and executed a swift swerve. With Elena in his arms, Romulo splashed through puddles and jumped over fallen branches. He ducked beneath trees and felt Elena¡¯s wet hair slap across his skin, but she clenched his strong body tightly. A web of lightning raced across the sky and illuminated the city for an instant. But when it disappeared, Romulo tripped in a puddle before his eyes could readjust. As he fell to the ground, he swerved and cradled Elena in his arms; he landed on his back with a skid. Elena gasped as she fell out of his arms and rolled across the street, but Romulo worked to quickly pull himself back onto his feet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t embarrass yourself by trying to run. You had to know that this was a foregone conclusion,¡± said the silhouette in the rain from a short distance away.


    Romulo faced the dark shape and whispered, ¡°Get out of here, Elena. I don¡¯t think that he is an ordinary enemy. You aren¡¯t safe here.¡±


    ¡°Fuck that! I¡¯m not running. I¡¯ll fight with you; I¡¯ll fight by you! Who cares if he¡¯s not ordinary? He can¡¯t take on both of us!¡± Elena shouted, practically pleading as she tried to climb upright.


    ¡°The choice isn¡¯t yours. You¡¯ll stay out of this whether you want to or not,¡± retorted the enemy as he unleashed the power of the Adriatic Emblem.


    After forcing his green monolith to reverberate with a gentle smack, the rain-cloaked enemy forced a white ellipse to appear around his feet. The glow illuminated every falling raindrop with a haunting light, and then it rapidly expanded like an inescapable fire. Romulo glared at the approaching ellipse, but instead of running, he helped Elena climb to her feet. The edge of the luminous ellipse pushed Elena aside, and then it locked her away from Romulo. It stopped expanding after it enclosed Romulo, and then the Adriatic Emblem created a translucent curtain to separate the two friends. Elena could see Romulo through the white wall and the pouring rain, but he could hardly see her. She slammed her fists upon the wall, but she could not break through; Romulo was now locked in battle with their surreptitious enemy.


    ¡°You should be proud of yourself. I¡¯ve heard stories of your skill! Some of my strongest conjurors couldn¡¯t defeat you. Even when I let my strongest sorcerer loose, you managed to defeat it. Hell, you even caught it! That¡¯s impressive. But let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anything you can do to stop me now,¡± the cloaked soldier said through the pouring rain.


    ¡°Typhoon Paladin was yours? That is¡­ interesting. Your name wouldn¡¯t happen to be Neonia, would it?¡± asked Romulo.


    A shiver shot down Elena¡¯s spine; Romulo could practically sense it from inside the Adriatic Emblem. She glared at her enemy through the white walls, sensing a familiarity about the enemy even though she could not see him. She repeated the name several times quietly, feeling that her lips had whispered that name many times in the distant past.


    ¡°That is correct. I am Adder Neonia¡ªthe captain of the conjurors sent to overthrow your fragile city. Consider this an honor. You made such a splash that I came out to fight you on my own! Prepare yourself to face my first sorcerer, my Faithful Forger of Fountains,¡± Adder taunted.


    Adder Neonia unleashed a vortex of green energy from his monolith. The beautiful light illuminated every falling raindrop and then converged to create a luminous silhouette. When the Faithful Forger of Fountains finally took form, she stepped away from her monolith and glared through the pouring rain. Romulo watched as she enchanted the rain-soaked ground, transforming it into an ethereal fountain. When the Forger then marched through the fountain and emerged at the other side, an unusual glow illuminated Adder. Adder grinned, passed three cards to his Sorcerer, and then compelled it to quickly approach the center of the battlefield. Though the Forger had left the vicinity of her glowing fountain, Adder Neonia remained luminous.


    ¡°Cast your Waterfall¡¯s Divination. Let¡¯s make this happen,¡± said the ominous enemy.


    The Faithful Forger of Fountains unleashed the magic of a spell card it carried. Streams of magic descended from Adder¡¯s grimoire, but he maintained his confidence as the glow which surrounded him grew brighter. Romulo grimaced when he saw this, but Elena watched with confusion; she had never seen a conjuror glow like this in the past.


    Determined to fight back quickly and decisively, Romulo manifested his Ice Crystal Barricade and compelled it to advance. The massive wall of ice barreled across the battlefield with enough power to scrape rocks from the ground. Every falling raindrop struck the sorcerer and froze. Fog slowly lifted from its surface. Romulo then passed his Barricade a pair of cards, one of which it cast immediately.


    By harnessing the power of Stratospheric Transcendence, Romulo¡¯s sorcerer summoned a powerful gust of wind to tear across the storm. Elena watched with a conflicted stare as the Ice Crystal Barricade managed to push itself forward, sailing with the wind and sliding its massive body across the empty street. Elena could feel the forceful vibration on the other side of the luminous wall, but she watched with concern. While Romulo had successfully blocked off the battlefield, he had also left himself exposed by being so aggressive.


    ¡°Ice Crystal Barricade! Go now and attack his Forger,¡± Romulo yelled out.


    ¡°You know what to do! Cast your Spiritual Shield,¡± Adder shouted to his sorceress.


    The Ice Crystal Barricade swiped its tremendous arm of ice at its enemy, but the Faithful Forger of Fountains defended herself with a sudden shield. The Spiritual Shield deflected the attack and practically devoured the energy behind it. Streams of ethereal energy then poured from the Forger into Adder Neonia as he stood safely behind his monolith. Romulo and Elena both watched as their glowing enemy became even more luminous than before; they could both sense that he had acquired an energy that they did not understand.


    ¡°When a conjuror becomes powerful enough, he can force the fabric of the universe to resonate in his favor. Streams of energy cross from darkness to light and manifest the Seraph of the Aether,¡± announced Adder Neonia as he held his left hand to the sky.


    Romulo watched with wide eyes as energetic streams spiraled across his enemy¡¯s arm and converged to create a colorless monolith. Adder¡¯s new monolith had already entered a state of resonance, so he set it on the ground and conjured a new creature. The enchanting glow faded partially as Adder manifested his newest fighter.


    In the moment that the Seraph of the Aether appeared before Adder, it forced a glowing card to materialize in its hand. Adder gazed over the battlefield, passed a pair of cards to his newest sorcerer, and then compelled it to approach the towering wall of ice in the distance. While Romulo worked to wrap his head around the unusual manifestation, a flash of lightning shot across the stormy sky. Elena used the lightning to study the enemy¡¯s face from a distance, and before it faded, she realized that she had certainly seen him before. She could feel her nervous system stumble toward some reaction, but she still did not know where she had seen him.


    ¡°Forger! Enchant the ground behind you. Empower yourself and your ally! Transform this hopeless clearing into Soul Territory,¡± Adder commanded.


    Quickly realizing the threat this posed, Romulo dove into his grimoire and swiftly searched for a handy spell. But because he was still out of reach, he had no way to retaliate when the Faithful Forger of Fountains struck a decisive blow. By attacking with ethereal whips of enchanted water, she struck the Barricade with enough force to send fractures across its icy flesh. The Forger then danced back onto the luminous earth, sprang forward, jumped back again, and then jolted to the side. Each time she stepped on the glowing space, Adder shone even brighter than before. He then compelled his Seraph of the Aether to advance and cross over the enchanted ground. Then, by commanding the air beneath its wings, the Seraph fiercely struck the Ice Crystal Barricade.


    In realizing the extent of his disadvantage, Romulo compelled his Barricade to go on the attack. He forced it to cast Trade Power for Strength, enchanting it with a fearsome strength. But when Romulo¡¯s sorcerer swung its icy arm at its enemy, the Seraph of the Aether cast a powerful spell of its own¡ªinvoking the magic of its glowing card..


    By using the magic of its spell card and draining all the light from Adder Neonia, the Seraph of the Aether unleashed a whirlwind so powerful that it overwhelmed Ice Crystal Barricade. The extraordinary vortex stripped debris from the street and devoured every falling raindrop; it voided the Barricade¡¯s attack and even lifted it off the ground. The ice wall partially fractured from the pressure of entering the air, and Romulo watched with horror as his creature then fell to the ground far away from him. He was now practically defenseless.


    However, Romulo felt that he had invested too much magic into his sorcerer to just let it fall now. So by sacrificing his stamina, he struck his green monolith with a hammer and forced it to resonate. With a sudden burst of emerald energy, Romulo manifested his Dancing Wind Priestess while forcing his Barricade to retreat. He then passed a pair of cards to his sorceress as he fought to catch his breath, and then he commanded his sorcerers to meet near their enemies. While fighting to stay upright, Romulo compelled his Dancing Wind Priestess to pass a card to his Ice Crystal Barricade. She then struck the Seraph of the Aether in a cyclonic strike before retreating to the space in front of the living ice wall.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    In that moment, Adder realized the brilliance of his enemy¡¯s design. The Dancing Wind Priestess surrounded herself with a powerful whirlwind which would deter any attacker, but she had parked herself protectively in front of her ally. And because the Ice Crystal Barricade formed a large ice wall across the battlefield, the enemy sorcerers had no way to go on the attack.


    But instead of attacking, Adder compelled his Seraph of the Aether to retreat back into his vicinity. As the Seraph moved, it crossed over an enchanted space, causing Adder to glow faintly again. Despite the forceful winds and the rain which poured around him, Adder passed three cards to his sorcerer. It then flew forward and unleashed the magic of a spell with which it was entrusted. This spell spurred a forceful vortex that merely intensified the surrounding storm. Adder called out, ¡°Invoke the Whirlwind! Blow back the Barricade!¡±


    When the cyclonic winds strengthened, they forced the cobblestone street to tremble; loose stones clacked against each other while others lifted into the air. The extraordinary winds pressed upon the massive ice wall and even pressed it backward; they overpowered Dancing Wind Priestess¡¯ protective gust. The Ice Crystal Barricade partially fractured when it landed upon the cobblestone street, and then the Faithful Forger of Fountains rapidly lunged forward. By Adder¡¯s command, she violently struck Romulo¡¯s sorcerer while enchanted by the spiritual magic around her. She attacked with enough force to shatter the ice wall, and Romulo watched as his living shield collapsed in a shower of ice shards. Flakes of snow and ice danced in the air, fighting to withstand the falling rain. And in the next moment, both the Seraph and Forger advanced. Romulo watched with concern as his enemy¡¯s sorceress stepped dangerously close to his resonating monolith.


    ¡°You should consider it an honor that I¡¯m attacking so aggressively. You¡¯re too powerful an opponent to give any slack. Seraph! Start your combo! Unleash your Aethereal Surge!¡± yelled Adder.


    By Adder¡¯s compulsion, the Seraph of the Aether then unleashed a powerful spell which sent streams of white energy across the battlefield. The glow illuminated every dancing raindrop as it surged into both conjurors, enchanting them both with a bright light. Both Elena and Romulo watched as he acquired the same mythical light as his enemy, although the light which embraced him was far dimmer than Adder¡¯s. However, Romulo realized with a grimace that the Seraph of the Aether clenched another spell. He braced himself and glared forward as a flash of lightning coursed through the dark clouds.


    As soon as the Seraph¡¯s spell took effect, Romulo felt a surge of pain course through his body. He nearly dropped to his knees as an energetic stream of white plasma poured from his body and surged toward his enemy. Elena shouted and slammed her fists against the Adriatic Emblem, but she failed to break through; she was forced to watch as Adder Neonia pilfered the power which had enchanted Romulo. When the transference ended, the glow had completely faded from Romulo¡¯s body. Adder, on the other hand, now illuminated the rainstorm with a brighter energy than ever before. Elena could tell with one glance that Romulo did not have the strength to manifest another sorcerer, so instead he sifted slowly through his spell cards.


    ¡°That monolith kinda came from nowhere¡­ but that doesn¡¯t mean it can take a hit. It¡¯s already weak. Take it out, Priestess,¡± Romulo muttered as he compelled his sorcerer to race across the alleyway.


    When the Dancing Wind Priestess struck the white monolith and shattered it, breaking its bond with Seraph of the Aether, Adder glared at his enemy and asked, ¡°Why are you ignoring me? I was told by my men that you fight with honor.¡±


    As he fought to catch his breath, Romulo retorted, ¡°I fight with honor because my other opponents are pawns. Puppets. They¡¯re not evil, at least not all of ¡®em. They¡¯re just doing your bidding. Far as I¡¯m concerned, you¡¯re the one attacking defenseless cities. You¡¯re the one hurting innocent people. You¡¯re the cause. You¡¯re the villain. You could end this onslaught with a wave of your hand, but instead you¡¯d rather hurt people who just wanna live in peace.¡±


    With an amused stare and a boisterous laugh, Adder asked, ¡°Is that really your reason? That¡¯s just so dreadfully boring. I expected better of you! Here my men have hyped you to be some brilliant tactician, but you¡¯re just like any other enemy I¡¯ve ever crushed. Just some poor sap with a bleeding heart, spouting tired rhetoric like he¡¯s all righteous. I really thought you were different! Such a shame. You¡¯re just an above-average conjuror¡­ and that¡¯s it. There¡¯s nothing interesting about you.¡±


    In that moment, Adder compelled his sorceress to strike Romulo¡¯s green monolith with a full-force strike. The glowing water scoured the monolith and nearly broke the connection, but Dancing Wind Priestess remained intact. Romulo then commanded her to race across the battlefield and directly strike the Forger, but the enemy sorceress deflected the strike with a simple spell. And with a forceful onslaught of glowing water, Adder defeated and shattered the Dancing Wind Priestess. After the Forger took one last step to the side, Romulo was left completely defenseless. He stared down his enemy¡¯s sorceress as thunder shook the storming sky.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been a massive disappointment. Go ahead and use my own sorcerer against me. It¡¯s nothing I don¡¯t see coming, but that¡¯s just the theme of this whole encounter,¡± Adder taunted.


    Romulo grumbled and reached for his black monolith, knowing that only his Typhoon Paladin could save him from this predicament. He sighed, cursed himself for getting backed into this corner in the first place, and then struck his monolith with a small hammer. A vortex of black energy emerged from his monolith and cast a gentle darkness across the rain.


    At the same time that a web of purple lightning shot across the clouds, an electric glow illuminated from inside the vortex of black energy. The Typhoon Paladin materialized in the heart of the storm, and after receiving three spell cards from Romulo, it unleashed a thunderous punch directly upon the Faithful Forger of Fountains. Adder Neonia watched with intrigue, noting that Romulo had not bothered to pass spells to his Priestess even when she needed it most. He concluded that his enemy had invested everything into this one sorcerer, and he had planned to all along. Directly after the attack, the Typhoon Paladin raced across the battlefield and thundered toward Adder.


    The Adriatic warrior did not even bother attacking his enemy¡¯s monolith; he instead compelled his Forger to race across the luminous battlefield. Though the Soul Territory enchanted his sorceress with a speed boost, she still could not catch up to Typhoon Paladin. Romulo commanded his sorcerer to sidestep the Forger and then strike her monolith with a luminous punch. He struck with enough force to sever the connection, and then the Faithful Forger of Fountains shattered and faded.


    ¡°Ringmaster of the Wildfire, go forth and strike him down,¡± Adder commanded as a shower of red light forced every raindrop to shimmer. The storm itself seemed to reflect the crimson glow.


    A fiery glow illuminated the rainstorm as a new sorcerer materialized. Even though rain poured from the sky above and left puddles upon the street, this water could not suppress the sparks which danced around the Ringmaster of the Wildfire. Adder excitedly passed a pair of cards to his newest sorcerer, and then he compelled the Ringmaster to cast one immediately. The sorcerer unleashed the magic of the spell card in his hand, preparing to engulf his enemy in a devastating fireball.


    ¡°Typhoon Paladin! Save yourself! Invoke your icy imprisonment,¡± Romulo commanded.


    As soon as the Ringmaster of the Wildfire ignited his fiery sphere, Typhoon Paladin shut it down and froze the spell with chilling magic. However, this powerful spell caused the ice to devour its own caster¡¯s limbs, leaving him vulnerable and open to attack. Adder commanded his sorcerer to strike, and then in a flurry of flashing sparks which evaporated the falling rain, the Ringmaster unleashed an incendiary attack. The high-temperature strike assailed Romulo¡¯s sorcerer, but it failed to melt the ice which held it back. But as if that weren¡¯t enough, Adder Neonia set his unused monoliths on the ground beneath his feet.


    ¡°I almost have enough strength! Lend me your power, my sorcerers. Ringmaster! Use the Advanced Art of Aether!¡± Adder announced as his sorcerer steadied the spell card in his hand.


    In that moment, a divine-looking fire ignited every monolith around Adder¡¯s feet. The white fire scoured his monoliths, even the green and red ones which had already been used, unleashing streams of heavenly energy which then poured directly into the Adriatic warrior. Romulo watched with shock as his enemy became more luminous than the lightning which shot across the sky. Elena angrily banged her arms against the white wall of the Adriatic Emblem, certain that Adder would soon unleash another monstrosity. And as if to confirm her fears, Adder forced two spirals of luminous energy to race across his arms; they converged at a point in the space between his hands. Every falling raindrop became a tiny shard of white light as the Adriatic Warrior forced another monolith to converge between his hands.


    Adder asked, ¡°Have you ever stopped to ask why it is that we are able to manifest sorcerers? We all have no magic. We have no power. And yet we can summon entities who wield a fearsome sorcery. We can even command them with our will! Have you ever asked yourself why?¡±


    Trying to conceal his terror with a joke, Romulo chuckled and answered, ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m really not the brightest; I¡¯ll never understand how a vibrating rock can manifest anything. But it doesn¡¯t matter to me!¡±


    ¡°I think most of our enemies are that same way. Heh, you get a little speck of power and think you¡¯re in control even if you don¡¯t understand why. But in the end, that will be the reason for your downfall. You don¡¯t have the intelligence to put up a real fight. You weren¡¯t around when we shattered the past and forged a new future; that means you¡¯re fuel at best. A roadblock at worst. And now it¡¯s time to see the instrument of your downfall¡ªmy Apothecary of Enchanted Aether,¡± Adder announced across the violent storm.


    After materializing the monolith in his hand, Adder unleashed his Apothecary of Enchanted Aether onto the battlefield. He manifested an entity which surrounded itself with the shadow of the fallen Forger, and then it attacked with a spiral of enchanted water. The attack sent fractures across Typhoon Paladin¡¯s armor and nearly knocked it to the ground. Adder then compelled his two sorcerers to race toward the center of the alleyway, standing in the luminous safety of Soul Territory. Once there, the Ringmaster of the Wildfire unleashed a swirling vortex of fire. Romulo watched with worry as the flames surrounded his Typhoon Paladin, but to his surprise, his sorcerer still stood when the searing cinders fell. Sparks danced through the air and illuminated the rain around him, but Typhoon Paladin narrowly clung to life. Steam lifted from his skin.


    Though Romulo felt like he was at the end of the line, Elena slammed her fists upon the glowing wall and yelled, ¡°You can pull your way out of this! I know you can. I know you will! This world is a sick dream, but at least you can steer a dream when you know you¡¯re in control.¡±


    ¡°Steer the dream¡­? Elena, what makes you think this isn¡¯t real?¡± asked Romulo as he reached for his red monolith.


    ¡°I know why he looks so familiar. This sounds like it¡¯s not real because this world isn¡¯t real, but¡­ I saw Adder in a dream of a different place. He wasn¡¯t a heartless warrior like this. He was a good man with a good heart, so either this isn¡¯t real or that wasn¡¯t real. It¡¯s too much of a coincidence if it¡¯s anything else! So control this dream or at least wake up!¡± Elena shouted from the other end of the Adriatic Emblem.


    But Romulo shook his head and muttered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Elena¡­ but I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. This is real, I promise you. And there¡¯s only one way I can save myself.¡±


    Romulo unleashed the power of his monolith by releasing a sudden vortex of crimson light. He set the monolith on the ground and watched the red energy converge. When he manifested his Rogue of Broken Justice, Romulo pulled a card from his grimoire and glanced at it. Romulo narrowed his eyes and saw that the card was a Berserk Heart, which meant he still had a chance to win this brutal fight.


    ¡°Rogue of Broken Justice, advance on the enemy; get in position! Typhoon Paladin, unleash your magic! Dance of the Fiery Gust!¡±


    Romulo compelled his Typhoon Paladin to run toward the other sorcerers. He imagined commanding his strongest sorcerer to strike both enemies, and then he would enchant it with the Berserk Heart so that it could attack again. Between that and the Rogue, Romulo figured that he could crush his enemy in one fell swoop. But when Typhoon Paladin pushed its way closer, Romulo realized that it could barely move without collapsing under its own weight. The Apothecary of Enchanted Aether watched the enemy approach, and as soon as it came too close, the enemy sorcerer unleashed its vile spell.


    Romulo watched as a sudden alchemic burst engulfed his Typhoon Paladin and vanquished it at once. The sorcerer shattered, and the black monolith finally stopped vibrating; all the spells it carried fell to the ground beneath the pouring rain. Romulo fell to his knees as he realized that he had no way out. He watched his enemy¡¯s sorcerers advance, but he cursed a quiet lamentation to his own failure.


    ¡°I was supposed to protect this city. It can¡¯t end like this,¡± Romulo whispered.


    Elena¡¯s shouts became increasingly frantic as she slammed her fists against the luminous wall. But when she watched Adder¡¯s sorcerers overwhelm Romulo¡¯s Rogue, she felt her adrenaline surge. Sweat covered her skin and rain soaked her hair. Her muscles flexed with power as she shouted and punched. Steam lifted from her body in this violent state of panic. With a sky-piercing shout, Elena punched the wall with more force than ever before; her fist broke through the barrier as her pegleg fell out from underneath her. She landed on her arms on the cobblestone street with a painful slam, but she ignored her bleeding wounds and crawled closer to her friend. Both Romulo and Adder watched with shock; they had never seen anyone or anything break the Adriatic Emblem.


    ¡°Just conjure something and run! Let¡¯s just run away together. This city isn¡¯t worth your life!¡± Elena shouted at Romulo.


    But Adder retorted from across the storm, ¡°You misunderstand my intentions! I could conquer this city in a matter of hours; this city is a benefit but not my priority. All I really want now is to take out Romulo Soliatsis. No one else has the power to oppose me.¡±


    But when Romulo tried to stand upright, his legs nearly collapsed under him; he retreated back to a crouch on his hands and knees. Between running for hours and manifesting his sorcerers, Romulo did not have the energy to run. Instead, he weakly grabbed the nearby cards which had drifted downstream from the puddles. He then grabbed three monoliths¡ªall except the blue one which was too far away¡ªand pushed them toward Elena.


    Romulo whispered to Elena, ¡°You have to protect them because no one else can. I know I have no right to ask this of you, but-¡±


    ¡°No, shut up! Shut the fuck up! You¡¯re not dying, Romulo! I won¡¯t let you. I¡¯ll put myself in the way before I let that happen! I don¡¯t know if this world is real, but¡­ if it isn¡¯t a nightmare, then it¡¯s just a shattered future. Something you shouldn¡¯t die to defend! Please, just run away from here. You¡¯re the only thing I have. You¡¯re the only one I care about! You can¡¯t just let him kill you,¡± Elena begged.


    Because of the fiery glow which illuminated the rain, Elena realized that the enemy was close. She swerved around and yelped when she saw Adder and his two sorcerers just a short distance away, ready to attack at a moment¡¯s notice. But when Adder saw Elena¡¯s face, he tilted his head and pursed his lips. He even took a half step backward and stared at Elena as if in a trance.


    Adder Neonia announced, ¡°If you were anyone else, I would tell you it¡¯s too late. I would kill you both in cold blood and leave it at that. It¡¯s only because of our past that I will let you live just this once. Just make sure it¡¯s the last, Elena. This time is the last.¡±


    Elena gasped as she realized that he recognized her, but then Adder stepped closer and grabbed hold of Romulo¡¯s shirt collar. Romulo groaned, and Elena yelped; she threw her arms at her enemy in distress. But before she could even strike him, the Apothecary of Enchanted Aether seized her arms and effortlessly restrained her. Elena wriggled and wrestled but failed to free herself; her half-detached pegleg scraped uselessly against the cobblestone. The Ringmaster of the Wildfire glared disdainfully as Adder lifted Romulo into the air, and then he walked away. Romulo winced with pain and coughed out a word of farewell, but Elena could barely hear him over the pouring rain and rumbling thunder. She could barely hear him over the sound of her own screaming.


    After Adder turned down a different street and went so far that Elena could not see him, the Apothecary of Enchanted Aether dematerialized. Elena sobbed and shook in the pouring rain as she quickly collected Romulo¡¯s belongings, but she still could not stand upright. After many minutes of trying, she realized that her half-detached prosthetic did more harm than good. She removed the pegleg from her stump, used a brick wall to pull herself upright, and then hopped on one leg across the cobblestone street. She chased her enemy by hopping through the roaring storm, following a faint trail of blood in an attempt to find her friend. She winced with every step, and before long, her left knee ached from the impact of each step. The pain and the panic brought her to tears, but she pushed herself forward for minutes. Even when she slipped and fell to the ground, she pulled herself up and kept going.


    In the end, Elena spent hours trying to crawl and hobble along the blood trail, but when she finally reached its end, she saw that it led to Aegea¡¯s town square. She saw the silhouette of a circle atop a wooden pole, and a few other citizens stood beside it beneath the pouring rain. Elena felt her ice turn cold as she pushed herself closer, and when a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, she saw the head of her friend placed upon a pike. Romulo¡¯s blood stained the upper half of the pike, and red-tinged water splashed along the puddle below. Elena felt her entire body turn cold, and she dropped to the ground and spilled her belongings. She stared into Romulo¡¯s lifeless eyes as the flash of lightning finally faded. She saw his auburn hair dance limply in the wind.


    Though she could feel her body surrender to exhaustion, Elena whispered a promise to her fallen friend, ¡°I swear I¡¯ll make him pay for what he did. He should have killed me when he had the chance.¡±

 Episode Six: Echo of the Fractured Past

    Episode Six: Echo of the Fractured Past


    ¡°Adder! What are you doing?¡± Elena asked with an entertained smile.


    Without tilting his head, Adder lifted his index finger to his lips as he kept his ear against the laboratory wall. Curiosity got the best of Elena, so she set her ear against the same wall. She could not hear anything other than an electrical hum from another room. She showed her partner a quizzical look, but Adder shook his head and continued listening to sounds elsewhere in the building. After a few seconds, he stood upright and excitedly asked, ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    Elena shook her head quickly, but Adder smiled mischievously and motioned toward the door. He explained, ¡°It¡¯s Ockham and Annabel! They¡¯re definitely making out; I¡¯m certain of it. And here they thought they could get one over on ol¡¯ Adder Neonia, but that¡¯s not happening! Sure they¡¯re the star scientists of our lab, but I¡¯m the star detective. And I think our coworkers are conducting an exploration that isn¡¯t covered by our grant¡­ if you catch my drift!¡±


    ¡°Oh my god can we go check? Please? They¡¯re so cute together, but I really really want to catch them. They¡¯ll never live it down,¡± Elena said with a giggle.


    Adder nodded excitedly and opened the door to their laboratory, letting her leave first. As they quickly made their way toward the astrophysics lab, Adder accelerated and peeked his head into the electrical engineering lab. He yelled into the room, ¡°Hey, Silvia! Altair! We¡¯re about to go spoil Ockham¡¯s fun, if you know what I mean! Want to come with us?¡±


    But there was no response. Elena peeked her head into the doorway right beside Adder, but a quick scan of the empty lab did not show anything of interest. Disassembled circuits and solenoids scattered the largest workbench, but Altair sat alone in the shadows with a series of notes spread out on the counter. He had a calculator by his right hand and an open textbook by his left, but he continued scribbling equations onto the page without paying any attention to the interlopers. Elena narrowed her eyes and peered through the fluorescent lighting; she recognized his differential equation as one that involved both capacitors and inductors.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯d rather be here. Silvia¡¯s already headed that way,¡± Altair answered without glancing up from his equation.


    Elena tilted her head, wondering why Silvia would have already been on the way, but Adder recommenced his journey before she could ask. She curiously followed Adder toward the astrophysics lab, but she struggled to keep up; her prosthetic leg kept dragging on the linoleum floor. But when Adder saw her trying to catch up, he accelerated and quickly rushed through the doors to Ockham¡¯s lab. Elena scratched her head, wondering why Adder had not held the door open for her as he had in the past, but she continued after him.


    When Elena finally reached the door and pulled herself inside, her four friends loudly shouted together, ¡°Happy birthday!¡±


    Elena widened her eyes in shock as Ockham and Silvia cheered and sounded noisemakers. Adder threw handfuls of confetti into the air, and Elena watched with a bright smile as it rained down around her. Annabel shouted gleefully in the background as she carried a chocolate cake with flaming candles. Adder and Elena hungrily watched Annabel approach her friends with the cake, and after she set it down on the counter, she warmly embraced Elena.


    ¡°I hope your birthday is every bit as beautiful as you! I baked you this cake, and I really hope you like it,¡± Annabel said sweetly to her friend.


    Elena smiled and returned her embrace as Ockham reached into a cabinet for napkins and paper plates. Silvia placed a cone-shaped hat on her head before doing the same for Adder and Annabel. Elena opened her mouth and tried to express her heartfelt thanks, but tears and a breathy sob surfaced instead. She quickly fought to stifle her cry, but the damage had been done; her friends quickly noticed her emotional reaction.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry! I don¡¯t mean to cry, it¡¯s just¡­ no one¡¯s ever made this big of a deal out of my birthday before. Not friends, not family, certainly not coworkers. You guys are so sweet! My favorite people in the world! I can¡¯t believe you did this,¡± Elena confessed between breathy sobs.


    As she fought to clear the tears from her eyes, Elena caught a glimpse of the notes which covered the nearby counter. While she recognized some relativity equations and a formulation of the universe¡¯s expansion, she noticed a series of wave equations with matrices that she could not decipher. But when she smelled the delicious aroma of Annabel¡¯s chocolate cake, Elena quelled her curiosity and let her hunger take hold. While Annabel and Ockham searched the cabinets for plastic knives, Elena turned toward Adder and smiled shyly.


    ¡°You really knew exactly how to lure me here, didn¡¯t you?¡± Elena asked with a grin.


    Adder answered, ¡°Of course I did! Don¡¯t act surprised; I know you better than anyone! We planned this whole thing weeks ago. It was worth it for that smile!¡±


    Elena opened her mouth in protest, but Annabel interrupted and said, ¡°Before you blow out the candles, don¡¯t forget to make a wish!¡±


    Elena nodded excitedly and closed her eyes in contemplation. After selecting her wish, she smiled and took a deep breath. She pursed her plump lips and blew out air with all her strength.


    But when Elena opened her eyes to see if she succeeded, she saw the dim daylight of a spacious room filled with scores of wounded people. She saw familiar faces of nurses and doctors shuffling between their patients, but their expressions could not hide their emotions. They had more patients than ever before, hardly any supplies with which to save them, and nowhere else to run if the Adriatic Empire came to attack again. Elena nervously lifted her gaze and saw the shape of someone sitting at the foot of her bed.


    Still emerging from the dream she had witnessed, Elena forced herself to remember the disastrous state of the city. The warm faces in her dream had no basis in reality, nor did any building contain the machinery she had seen. She shuddered as she considered the possibility that Romulo¡¯s death had been just another dream, but when she sat upright and saw Altair¡¯s face, she let out a quiet sigh. Altair noticed her disappointment, but he did not turn his gaze toward her.


    ¡°I think you were in my dream. I didn¡¯t really see your face, but they said your name,¡± Elena muttered.


    Altair nodded disinterestedly and answered, ¡°They said my name repeatedly here. I think that may have percolated into your dream. Believe me; there¡¯s no running from this reality.¡±


    Elena perked up and narrowed her brown eyes, studying Altair as he stared out over the makeshift hospital. While Romulo would have been rushing to help anyone he could, Altair stared at the patients with something in between apathy and disgust. The skin on his left arm reflected the fluorescent light with a shimmer, revealing a different texture than the dark skin on the rest of his body. A touch of sweat settled on his short hair. A pair of bruises speckled his sharp chin.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I know he was your friend; I know you loved him too. Romulo died trying to protect me, but I won¡¯t let it be in vain. I¡¯ll find Adder. I¡¯ll make him pay,¡± Elena muttered with her tired voice.


    But Altair shook his head and said, ¡°That would be a waste of our resources. As much as you want to fight back, you must know that you don¡¯t have the skill to avenge him. At least not yet. Don¡¯t let your animosity get you killed. Don¡¯t let your emotions rob this world of its only chance for freedom.¡±


    ¡°Only chance for freedom¡­? That doesn¡¯t make sense. That makes no sense. I can¡¯t even stand upright on my own; I lost my leg chasing Adder. Sorry. I can¡¯t save anyone, but I don¡¯t need my leg to fight back. I can kill Adder if I get close enough. I just can¡¯t run away afterward,¡± Elena replied.


    ¡°If I can survive long enough, you¡¯ll one day come to see your missing limb as an advantage; I guarantee that. Mine¡¯s the only reason I managed to save you in the first place¡­ or don¡¯t you remember?¡± Altair asked.


    Elena recollected the time she spent hobbling through the rain, pushing her broken body past its limit just to find her friend. She remembered the horror of seeing Romulo¡¯s head placed upon a pike for all the city to see, taunting the civilians with the death of their last hope. But when she had fallen to the cobblestone ground on her bruised forearms, she fell unconscious but stayed lucid enough to retain a fraction of her surroundings. Adder Neonia had emerged from a nearby alley, knowing his trap would lure her back into his grasp. But before the heartless enemy could come close enough to grab her, Altair appeared and hoisted her into his strong arms.


    ¡°How did you manage to save me?¡± asked Elena.


    Altair smirked with pride and answered, ¡°It¡¯s a simple arithmetic; no one runs faster than I can. Besides, I already told you that there are advantages to a replacement limb.¡±


    Elena glanced again at the unusual material on Altair¡¯s arm, but Altair continued, ¡°I got Adder to admit something before I ran away. He said that he doubted his instinct at first, but one of his Rampagers detected something special about you. It seems you¡¯re more permanent than the entities we manifest, but you yourself are essentially a Rampager. You are an entity conjured from a different reality, just like all the sorcerers we summon. I believe it¡¯s your permanence that has him desperate to catch you.¡±


    Although Elena found herself skeptical of this conclusion, she tilted her head and asked, ¡°Why would that matter? I can¡¯t cast spells. I can¡¯t do anything he can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I cannot say with certainty, but the calculation seems simple enough to me. In one way or another, you are not from this reality. This world has suffered from the Adriatic Empire for decades, and none of us could stop them. That means if anyone can, then it has to be you. Call it process of elimination or even Occam¡¯s Razor, but Adder¡¯s not the only one who sees your potential. To be honest, I never saw it myself, but Romulo asked me to protect you if anything ever happened to him. You were my best friend¡¯s last wish, so I have no choice but to believe that there¡¯s a good reason. I owe him that much,¡± explained Altair.


    ¡°I get it. I think I get it. I just don¡¯t want you to misplace your hope. I don¡¯t feel like I can save anyone right now; all I can do is make him pay. Can we¡­ get out of here? I don¡¯t care if there¡¯s nowhere to go,¡± Elena muttered.


    Altair nodded and then passed her a cane which lay beside the cot on the floor. After Elena grabbed hold, she pushed herself upright with a pained grunt and balanced a portion of her weight on her cane. Despite the pain shooting through her overworked leg, Elena managed to slowly push herself into motion. Altair wordlessly led her toward the nearest exit of the makeshift hospital, but Elena paused before she wandered too far from her cot. As she used her right hand to support her weight with the cane, she felt along her jacket to make sure she still had her belongings. She felt a total of four monoliths in her pockets, but her spell cards were left in a state of disarray. She glanced at them briefly and saw them shuffled without order. Some belonged to Romulo, and others had been with her since she first arrived on shore. Some faced upward while others faced down. She peered one last time at the mattress to ensure that she had not left anything, and then she stepped into the gloomy daylight.


    As Elena and Altair stepped slowly through the crowded urban camp, Elena confessed, ¡°I woke up three times in the night, and every time I prayed that my memory was just a bad dream. A bad dream and nothing more. That¡¯s what he always thought, right? That all my memories were just dreams of a different world.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°But as lovely as that would be, I think you¡¯ll find that reality is rarely ever that convenient. The enemy knew their targets, and they struck with all they had. They scoured my home and killed our friend; they¡¯ve overtaken this city. Between the monks and the few soldiers we have left, this is the last part of the city they haven¡¯t occupied. That isn¡¯t a dream; it¡¯s just a shitty reality,¡± Altair answered.


    As she stared upon scores of forlorn faces, Elena said, ¡°All of my memories felt like a lie whispered by a fantasy of peace, or maybe¡­ I just never understood the madness of a world at war. He showed me this world, and he was all I had to hold onto.¡±


    ¡°As great a man as he was, Romulo had an upper limit. He¡¯s one of the strongest conjurors I¡¯ve ever known, but he knew all along that he would never be the man to save our dying world. I think that was why he was adamant that I save you; we don¡¯t yet know your limits. As irrational as it may seem, it¡¯s always smarter to pick a tenuous chance over certain failure. Try to remember that,¡± explained Altair.


    Elena nodded nervously and then gazed across the crowd. Families and friends huddled together, but they hardly spoke any words. Soldiers and monks ] stood protectively at the edge of the camp, protecting both the citizens and the monastery at the center of it all. Even from a distance, Elena could see that the monks wore gray clothes and stood intrepidly as protectors, but the same could not be said of the soldiers. She noticed that even Altair showed signs of anxiety; his shaky grimace widened as he stared at the hopeless crowd.


    ¡°How did everyone get here in just a single night?¡± Elena asked.


    Altair shook his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s the thing; you weren¡¯t out for just one night. You kept waking up and falling back asleep, almost like you¡¯re hiding from the world, choosing bright reverie over a dreary reality. Romulo¡¯s death really took a lot out of you.¡±


    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t know that. I had no idea! I think I get it then, why you seem so nervous. You¡¯re afraid all your hopes are pinned on someone too weak to face reality,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have put it better myself; that is precisely what I¡¯m afraid of. I know it must seem impersonal-¡±


    But Elena interrupted and said, ¡°No, no, I get it, I get it. Your city has fallen, you¡¯re at war, and your enemy has taken everything they want. Your last chance didn¡¯t wake up for days. Well¡­ that changes now. Please tell me, Altair, what do I have to do to become stronger?¡±


    A faint smile interrupted Altair¡¯s grim expression, but it quickly faded as he walked into the crowd. He waved his hand so that Elena would follow him, so she carefully stepped between people. Her leg ached already from the movement, but she placed her cane very carefully so that she would not mistakenly trip herself. Altair guided her away from the makeshift hospital and toward the monastery. Its white walls contrasted with the grayness of the overcast sky, and people leaned against its pillars without anything better to do. A picnic table sat outside the monastery, but Elena noticed wooden lines on the ground, indicating that the table had been dragged a short distance to get here.


    ¡°Why are we stopping here?¡± asked Elena.


    ¡°Because you aren¡¯t a good enough conjuror to even bother learning from the monks yet. I intend to help change that. You can consider yourself a soldier-in-training, if you like,¡± Altair answered.


    ¡°Fine, fine, but don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not a soldier. I¡¯m not doing this to defend the city; I¡¯m not even doing this for myself. This is about revenge. Whether or not I ever knew Adder Neonia, I will be the one to kill him,¡± Elena declared.


    Altair tilted his head with intrigue, but then he took a deep breath and shook his head. He offered his left arm and partially crouched, allowing Elena the perfect chance to grab on and lower herself onto the bench. Once she stabilized herself, she set her spell cards and her monoliths onto the picnic table. Altair sat down beside her and sifted through her cards, immediately recognizing many of Romulo¡¯s favorite spells. He examined the cards in quiet contemplation.


    After a short while, Altair said, ¡°You have an interesting collection of cards, that¡¯s for sure. They¡¯re pretty incohesive; some are downright bad. It almost makes me wish I hadn¡¯t given away most of my cards to other soldiers, but what¡¯s done is done. It¡¯s not that they don¡¯t work together; it¡¯s just that the way I¡¯ve seen you play doesn¡¯t work toward anything.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask. I¡¯ve been meaning to ask. Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but you have a really high opinion of yourself. It¡¯s pretty annoying. Why do you need to find someone else to fight if you¡¯re so good?¡± Elena asked with a mischievous smile.


    ¡°Just call it a consequence of the one fight I managed to lose. The man I fought was an absolute monster; he was the only one who could ever overcome me in a fair match. As I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve figured out, this was no friendly match between competitors. His sorcerer destroyed my arm and almost took my life; it¡¯s practically a miracle that I managed to survive,¡± Altair explained.


    Elena widened her eyes and stared at his left arm, noticing that its sleek material merely resembled his dark skin; it was an altogether different substance. Upon closer inspection, Elena noticed electric signals flashing deep inside the prosthetic.


    ¡°I hope this doesn¡¯t sound mean. I don¡¯t mean this to sound mean. But if you¡¯re basically undefeated, then why was Romulo considered this city¡¯s strongest conjuror?¡± Elena asked.


    Altair rolled his eyes and answered, ¡°It¡¯s because you didn¡¯t let me finish explaining. I can still conjure the occasional sorcerer, but I¡¯m physically limited from participating in a full-scale showdown. You¡¯ll see what I mean in time; for now you only need to know that I cannot fight at full power. I probably never will again, but even that is more than enough to overcome weak conjurors. In the meantime, I think it¡¯s best that we discuss strategy. Tell me, Elena. What do you know about the different-colored monoliths?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s a little hard to say for sure. I mean I know they¡¯re limited, like I can only use a blue monolith to make my Underwater Illusionist. I can¡¯t do that with another color, but I could use it to make a different sorcerer instead. I just have to pick carefully. Once I pick, I can¡¯t pick again. And it takes so long to recharge the monolith that I¡¯d be dead before I ever get the chance,¡± Elena answered.


    Altair nodded slowly as he let out a quiet sigh, and then he said, ¡°You¡¯re right, but those are only the basics. Anyone who¡¯s ever watched a conjuror could tell you that. Think about blue sorcerers in general. What have you noticed?¡±


    Elena paused for a moment and closed her eyes, forcing her memory to envision the blue-monolith sorcerers she had seen in the past. Her Underwater Illusionist fought like a submarine, striking and retreating before it could take damage. Romulo had often used Ice Crystal Barricade, a defensive sorcerer who protected everything behind it. He had also used Last of the Valkyries once, another high-health sorcerer that worked to lock the opponent. However, Illano had used a Mage of Hidden Secrets which took four strong hits to knock down.


    ¡°I think¡­ they¡¯re very defensive, right? Like they protect your operation! I know Romulo had a couple he liked, but mine¡­ seems like I usually make my Underwater Illusionist. I like that one,¡± Elena answered.


    ¡°I saw you use it against Romulo, and I must confess it functions nicely. Romulo had a couple decent sorcerers, and you¡¯re right. A blue sorcerer gives structure to your entire operation. I¡¯ve heard it said that patterns appear even in chaos; even randomness itself has some structure. Physically speaking, blue sorcerers have nothing in common; they do not even seem to come from the same reality. That said, they all serve a similar function in battle. They stand on a scale between a fortress and a tank; they serve to defend themselves and you, often dealing a heavy hit in the meantime. Some people use them as just another layer of support, others use them as a resilient weapon. I see merits to both strategies. Is that consistent with everything you¡¯ve seen?¡± Altair asked.


    Elena nodded enthusiastically and murmured with agreement, remembering the time she relied wholly on her Underwater Illusionist to combat the Princess of Swirling Cinders. It fought fiercely and withstood many strikes to overcome the enemy.


    ¡°Which monolith is the most important?¡± asked Elena.


    Without wasting a moment, Altair answered, ¡°Black sorcerers are generally the most dangerous. Conjurors compel them to ruthlessly dismantle their enemies¡¯ defenses. They hit hard. In the end, a black sorcerer is often the last one standing in a showdown between conjurors. It¡¯s usually the last one you manifest, when you¡¯re ready to end the battle.¡±


    Elena contemplated as she nodded, having only heard of two black sorcerers since she arrived in Aegea. Illano¡¯s Knight of Broken Brambles was a warrior who led a powerful assault, but Romulo¡¯s Typhoon Paladin had repeatedly proven itself as an incredible threat. Both black-monolith sorcerers had demonstrated themselves as forceful attackers and agile movers. They both could sustain a heavy strike without crumbling. Seeing the logic in Altair¡¯s explanation, Elena nodded excitedly and stared upon the black monolith. But when she set her hand upon it, she felt a soothing sensation like static electricity. She almost felt like she could detect a gentle vibration from the monolith, even though she had only ever seen it manifest the Typhoon Paladin. She smiled as she recalled the many times when Romulo had used that same sorcerer to save himself¡ªeven when he fought against her.


    Altair reached next for the green monolith and said, ¡°Green sorcerers tend to be weaker, but it¡¯s not a universal rule or anything like that. Some are fast, some are slow. Some are hardy, others crumble in a single hit. But for some inexplicable reason, they all seem to help support the other sorcerers around them. Take Romulo¡¯s favorite greens, for instance. His Dancing Wind Priestess would race across the battlefield and support his other sorcerers, whether in battle or just bringing them spell cards. Hell, his Quicksand Carrier would even carry his other sorcerers anywhere they needed to go. Some help protect their allies from curses or support their magic. Some will materialize the very spell their allies need. They go about it in different ways, but it is statistically impossible that this pattern is mere conjecture. Make sure you keep that in mind as you move forward.¡±


    Elena nodded slowly as she stared upon the green monolith in Altair¡¯s hand, envisioning the two green sorcerers that she had seen Romulo manifest in the past. Even Adder¡¯s Faithful Forger of Fountains supported his strategy, enchanting the ground to build his ethereal glow. Elena showed a small smile as she considered that it was now up to her to use his weapons correctly.


    But when she shook herself free from her contemplation, Elena realized that Altair glared at the red monolith with an unwavering stare; he suppressed a faint tremor which coursed through his body. Elena could see a profound sadness in Altair¡¯s eyes as he grabbed his fallen friend¡¯s red monolith. He took a deep breath as he prepared to speak, and he stood up from the picnic table with the stone still in his hand.


    Altair explained, ¡°The red-monolith sorcerers are hard to categorize as they defy a simple pattern. They all seem to do wildly different things, but they serve a similar purpose. They¡¯re problem solvers. They serve primarily to carry you out of a hopeless situation, or to tip the scales in your favor when you need them most. Many conjurors strive to access as many red sorcerers as possible¡­ ¡®cause with a wide enough toolbox, you can get yourself out of any situation. I think that¡¯s the idea. Of course, ol¡¯ Romulo went another way with it. Instead of having seven sorcerers to handle seven situations, he only ever used one¡ªa sorcerer with the power to steal the spell to save him. To tell you the truth, I disagree with that approach for more than just the obvious reason. But at the end of the day, he was loyal to the sorcerer he loved most. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen-¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve seen it; I¡¯ve seen him many times. The Rogue of Broken Justice. Romulo¡¯s favorite. He always used it when he was in a jam. Although¡­ it¡¯s probably not normal to save the red for last, is it?¡± asked Elena.


    Altair smiled and shook his head. After he set the red monolith back down onto the picnic table, Altair answered, ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it. Most people find that it¡¯s too late for the red sorcerer to save them if they save it for last. Of course, there are other reasons as well. In the matches I¡¯ve fought and watched, I can say with statistical significance that the red sorcerer is transformed more than any other. Usually this happens when¡­ oh. That word doesn¡¯t mean anything to you, does it? Elena, do you know about the Scroll of Transformation?¡±


    Elena tilted her head and answered, ¡°It sounds familiar, like an echo or a faded dream. I don¡¯t know what it is. I don¡¯t know what it does.¡±


    ¡°I cannot say I understand the mechanics of it. In some ways it seems to violate the laws of thermodynamics, and I¡¯ve only seen its magic wielded by exceptional conjurors¡ªnot ordinary soldiers. While sorcerers generally cast magic through which we do battle, we as conjurors are usually limited. All we can do is manifest or compel our sorcerers and hope for the best. It¡¯s no surprise you haven¡¯t seen it, but a strong conjuror can also materialize the Scroll of Transformation. It takes a toll on your stamina of course, but it doesn¡¯t matter as most soldiers here can¡¯t do it in the first place,¡± Altair explained.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s pretty awesome! I want to do that, I wanna learn how! But¡­ I still don¡¯t know what it does, you know?¡±


    Altair smiled and nodded as he took a deep breath. He set his hand into her pile of spell cards on the bench and slowly fanned them out. She stared at his prosthetic arm as it swept across her cards. He could practically sense her curiosity even from a distance, and she realized Altair enjoyed this explanation. While he had been distant and conceited every other time they spoke, he seemed to be easygoing when he had the chance to educate.


    Altair finally answered, ¡°Have you ever conjured the wrong sorcerer by mistake? Or you got in a situation where you wished it was someone else? Let¡¯s say your sorcerer exhausted all its magic or becomes too tired to attack. What if you could rejuvenate it with the strength of another? You could command a powerful onslaught with a spell like that. Once you become powerful enough to wield the Scroll of Transformation, you will have the power to transform one sorcerer into another¡­ as long as it¡¯s the same color.¡±


    Elena widened her brown eyes and asked with wonder, ¡°How do I get the power to do that?¡±


    Altair gazed at the monastery and answered, ¡°By becoming a stronger conjuror. There¡¯s no secret trick to it; you don¡¯t gain it when you¡¯re desperate. Emotional. Calculating. There¡¯s no formula that just spits this weapon into your hand, or if there is, it¡¯s not one that I¡¯ve found. All you can do is practice, and as long as the monks believe that you want to protect the innocent, they will train you. What is your stance on prevarication? Are you willing to lie for a little taste of power?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to protect the innocent¡­ I would rather them be safe in a perfect world. But it¡¯s like you said. I don¡¯t belong in this world. I don¡¯t belong anywhere. There was one thing I cared about here, and Adder Neonia took it away. I don¡¯t care who he is in my dreams. I¡¯ll do anything it takes to bring him down.¡±

 Comic Scenes and Updates

    Hello again, sorry to keep you waiting. We have gone through some rounds of critical redesigns to the actual card game itself, which has taken temporary priority over updating new chapters of this. That said, I do have quite a backlog of chapters now, so I will hopefully begin posting again soon. This site''s interface does not work well with Images, so just the act of posting takes an unfortunate amount of time.


    That said! Some cards in previous chapters will be mildly retconned in future chapters. All changes made are for the sake of establishing a balanced game. While our company partner/sponsor is happy with the cards themselves, we also expend a good portion of time on the business side of things, as well as adjusting other important details (the game board, box design layout, etc.)This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    We intend to have a Kickstarter ready for launch this year.


    If you check back to the first chapter "Eye of the Storm" please see that some art has been included to illustrate the opening scene. I am in the process of learning Procreate. I am not very good.


    Lastly, I intend to start posting a "Card of the Day" here, so even when I don''t have time to upload a full chapter, I can at least give you insight to the world we''re creating. It will probably be most days, but not all days.

 Breaker of the Tainted World (Cotd)

    Card of the day: Breaker of the Tainted World.


    One of the first Sorcerers ever made in Interitus: Manifest! While his story has not yet been made public, Breaker is a powerful Sorcerer who can, in the right circumstances, crush entire strategies almost all on his own. With high Endurance and Strength, he is an excellent choice for Fire strategies, but many players also choose to use him in unrelated decks as well! Since his powerful effect can strip the field bare, some players view him as a powerful tool. A break-in-case-of-emergency choice. Furthermore, his Speed stat allows him to clear Territory spells from up to 2 regions in the turn he is manifested.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

 Curse of Blinding Fog (Cotd)

    Card of the day: Curse of Blinding Fog.


    This is another one of the first cards I ever made, a powerful water Curse in our Ice starter deck. While it isn¡¯t strong enough to entirely shut down most sorcerers (average speed is 4), it can catastrophically reduce their range of motion. In line with the ice strategy, it slowly limits the opponent¡¯s options. In our testing, it is a card that also gets included in other Water strategies because of its power. If you find yourself fighting against Ice, beware of this curse!Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

 Building a Better World (Cotd)

    Card of the day: Building A Better World.


    This card has quickly become one of the most iconic Territory chants in the game, rewarding aggressive play in a deck which was once forced to play on the defensive. In addition to granting speed (and power!) to a deck which desperately needs it, this card has quickly become the cornerstone of the Synergy Nature strategy¡ªa very aggressive swarm-style deck. It is a valuable part of the Nature starter deck, often the most ¡°searched¡± card in the deck. If you find yourself on the receiving end of this card, your best options are to either avoid its region or try to replace the Territory with something else! You also may see this card make an appearance in a future Tales of a Wanderer chapter¡­ those two sorcerers on its image have quite a story!Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

 Scroll of Healing Magic (CotD) for

    Card of the day: Scroll of Healing Magic


    is one of the most basic spells in the game! In fact, it was the very first generic scroll as a proof-of-concept. The original effect made it relatively unusable, but because we don¡¯t want to have ANY throwaway cards in this game, we powered it up with a Restock effect! You¡¯ll find that final line on a number of our scrolls¡ªmost often on cards that did not seem powerful enough without it. Just beware when using this card: you might heal your opponent¡¯s Sorcerers in addition to your own!If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

 Scroll of Healing Magic (Cotd)

    Card of the day: Scroll of Healing Magic is one of the most basic spells in the game! In fact, it was the very first generic scroll as a proof-of-concept. The original effect made it relatively unusable, but because we don¡¯t want to have ANY throwaway cards in this game, we powered it up with a Restock effect! You¡¯ll find that final line on a number of our scrolls¡ªmost often on cards that did not seem powerful enough without it. Just beware when using this card: you might heal your opponent¡¯s Sorcerers in addition to your own!The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

 Seismic Expulsion (Cotd)

    Card of the day: Seismic Expulsion.


    In this board game, certain scrolls and curses respond to specific triggers¡ªin this case, a very specific trigger. While the two spaces mentioned are well-trodden parts of the board, this is the type of card where you must CAREFULLY watch the movement of your opponent¡¯s sorcerers! I designed it at a time when we wanted to make cards interact more directly with specific spaces on the board. All 5 of the original types (water, earth, fire, nature, air) got one at the same time! So if you¡¯re rushing down an Earth Sorcerer, beware of this card.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

 Supertyphoon Ceremony (Cotd)

    Card of the day: Supertyphoon Ceremony. In addition to being a fun spell in the Tales of a Wanderer lore, this is one of the first Chants ever made! It has actually had some effect changes during testing: one to make it stronger (removing a cost), then one to make it weaker because it became too strong, and a third to support the future Lightning magic type. For those who have used the Air deck, they know it is a powerful toolbox in which you must carefully select the best option from many. This card, due to its ability to enchant your Sorcerer, is a common choice for aggressive strategies. It can be found, of course, in the Air starter deck!


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

 Sprite of Sleeping Songbirds (Cotd)

    Card of the day: Sprite of Sleeping Songbirds. This card is the mascot of the Nature starter deck and a centerpiece of the Nature Synergy strategy! While her stats are somewhat middling, she shuts off your opponent¡¯s ability to defend themselves¡ªleaving them open to an all-out assault. While there are many dangers in swarming the board in this game, she helps mitigate that risk. Furthermore, she is a very important character in the lore for Interitus: Manifest. Her true name is Lila, but you can learn more about her when the story is released. Until then, if you find yourself fighting against the Nature deck, be wary of her power to shut down your curses!


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

 Swift Statue Made of Ice (Card of the Day)

    Card of the day: Swift Statue Made of Ice. While Sorcerers can ordinarily be manifested any time from your Sorcerer Deck, a Summon-Chant is a specific type of spell that manifests itself as a sorcerer! Though this means you must first draw the card before you can manifest, it has the advantage of not using up one of your colored crests! Summon-Chants are somewhat rare in this game, and this one is the last one made for the starter decks¡ªspecifically to help the Ice deck. While it is powerful, many of its sorcerers struggle with low speed. Swift Statue more than makes up for this, boasting an aggressive option in a defensive deck. Any water deck could benefit from this card, as its speed quickly ups the pressure on your opponent!


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

 Cyclone in the Sunlight (CotD)

    Card of the day: Cyclone in the Sunlight. This is a powerful Air curse used to protect its caster, but unlike ordinary protectors, it even works in the event of a monolith strike. Each starter deck comes with one way to protect the monolith, and the Air deck¡¯s choice is especially sinister. By invoking this curse at the right time, you can trap an enemy sorcerer on a very small portion of the board. This can take away its ability to restock spells or even defend itself!


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 Guardian Sprite of the Woods (Cotd)

    Card of the day: Guardian Sprite of the Woods. When I made the very first batch of cards to test out the mechanics for this game, I did not yet have any Familiar cards or a real direction for the Nature type. It only had a few loosely-connected cards as a placeholder for what would later become one of the most dynamic magic types in the game! Many early Nature cards included powerful curses with a need for battle protection, so when we came up with the idea of protective Familiar Chants, this was a natural conclusion! This may not be the first Familiar, but it is the first made for Nature. If your opponent arms themselves with this, it might be worth bypassing their sorcerer to strike their monolith instead!


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