ã€ŠReturn of the Runebound Professor [BOOK 6 STUBBED]ã€‹


 Chapter 1: Even in death

    Death, Noah Vines found, was not what he had been expecting. He¡¯d never considered himself a particularly religious man, but he¡¯d always thought there was something that came after.

    He was pleased to discover that there was indeed something.

    He was less pleased to discover that the something involved waiting in a line. A very, very long line. To make matters worse, he had absolutely no idea what he was waiting for. There hadn¡¯t been any introduction. He even would have settled for an onboarding video.

    Instead, he found himself standing behind another man, as naked as the day he was born, slowly wandering toward something. The only thing that existed was boredom. There was nothing around them but more lines of people, winding through empty space and standing on faint, translucent paths of energy. Time passed ¨C at least, Noah felt like time was passing. He didn¡¯t have any way to tell for sure.

    Several times, he thought about talking to someone. Each time, he decided against it. It just didn¡¯t feel right. Perhaps that came with being dead. It did give him a little time to self-reflect, though.

    Unfortunately, what he reflected on didn¡¯t make him feel particularly great. He would have loved to arrive at the afterlife ¨C whatever it was ¨C with a little bit more to be proud of. Thousands of successful students, or perhaps a loving wife and kids.

    He hadn¡¯t quite made it that far. Noah had a grand total of four years of teaching under his belt, along with a useless university degree that had barely gotten him the job ¨C the same job that had forced his fellow teachers to give up their sick days so he could afford the hospital bills.

    God ¨C Gods, however many or whatever type there are, I hope those kids have a good start to their life. They deserve it.

    The line inched along. Time stretched. It passed, but by how much Noah was unsure. Hundreds of years. Thousands. He wasn¡¯t sure anymore. The only thing that really kept him company was his own voice, echoing within the silent confines of his mind.

    He just stood, occasionally taking a step whenever the soul in front of him moved.

    The world changed.

    Noah wasn¡¯t sure exactly when it had happened. But, one moment he was standing in line floating in infinite nothingness, and the next his feet were on solid ground. The lines all converged on a single point, where a tall woman towered above them all. Behind her was a huge lake full of glimmering silver water.

    Unlike everyone else, she wore clothes. Beautiful silk hung from her body and danced around her like streamers, but nothing on or beside her could compare to the woman herself. She was perfect to such a degree that the only emotion that Noah felt was fear. Without a doubt, she was not human.

    One by one, the people in the lines stepped up to her. They paused for a minute, as if in silent conversation. Then they continued, walking into the lake dipping their hands into it. They raised the silver liquid to their lips and vanished, transforming into streaks of white light.

    The line continued on. Before Noah could even truly process it, he was standing before the beautiful woman. Time froze around him as they locked eyes.

    ¡°Noah Vines,¡± she said, as if reading from some invisible prompt. ¡°Died at the age of twenty-six. You were an influential figure for eighty four of your pupils. Many prayers have been sent up for you. A life well lived.¡±

    ¡°I ¨C are you god?¡± Noah asked, speaking for the first time since he¡¯d died and instantly cursing himself for it.

    ¡°I am Renewal, one of the many goddesses of Reincarnation,¡± she replied, looking slightly bored at the question. ¡°You have been chosen to be reincarnated in a higher plane. Drink from this well of the Waters of Life and, in losing the memories of your current life, continue unto your next. A suitable body will soon be born for you.¡±

    ¡°Wait, I won¡¯t remember anything? Nothing at all?¡±

    Renewal opened her mouth to respond. Then time snapped back into motion. Thousands of streaks of black light carved through the nothingness like a shower of falling stars. Noah stared up at them in awe, his mouth hanging askew.

    The first star hit, falling into a line of people just a short distance away from Noah. It obliterated them and smashed through the floor, sending huge chunks of it spiraling away into nothingness.

    A massive rumble shook the ground as more of the stars fell, each one tearing the serene scene into smithereens. Renewal raised her hands. A beautiful pink flower bloomed in the air before her, moments before a lance of black energy slammed into it.

    It crushed the flower and narrowly missed Renewal as she spun out of the way. More of the stars continued to rain down all around Noah, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to move. All he could do was watch as they tore through the other souls surrounding him, ripping them to shreds or sending them plummeting into nothingness.

    A deep, grating howl echoed through the air. Renewal staggered as a jagged black spear erupted from her shoulder. Cracks formed in the air around her and a gurgling mass seeped out from within it, pouring onto the ground like sludge.

    Screaming faces rose up within it, as if they were straining to escape the bubbling goop. It rose up, forming into the blobby shape of a man. He ripped the spear free of Renewal.

    ¡°I finally found you, Renewal,¡± the man said, his whispery voice laden with a mocking tone. ¡°My beautiful flower.¡±

    Renewal¡¯s face didn¡¯t budge. She thrust a hand toward the man. A beam of brilliant energy erupted from her palm, searing into him. A thousand voices screamed in pain and he clutched his chest. Black liquid poured down his body and into the pool of silver water, tainting it.

    Another falling star slammed into the ground just beside Noah, snapping him out of his reverie. There wasn¡¯t a single other soul left that he could see. He¡¯d been so close to Renewal and the terrifying man that he¡¯d been spared from the destruction so far, but it didn¡¯t take a genius to tell that sticking around for a battle between gods was a terrible idea.

    His eyes latched onto the Waters of Life. He glanced up at the two, but neither of them were paying attention. Noah scrambled to his feet and threw himself forward. The man turned, and for a single instant, he locked eyes with Noah.

    Then Noah plunged into the silver pool. He drank without waiting to see what would happen. It poured into his throat, sweet and syrupy. A sense of peace enveloped Noah, cradling him in its comfort.

    The terror that had been gripping him just instants ago faded away. He was safe. There was nothing to fear. All that mattered was moving on to his next life. His past didn¡¯t ¨C

    Noah recoiled as something bitter hit his tongue. It spiked through the peace, binding around him like a thorny vine. The fraying memories of his mortal life suddenly stopped decaying and rushed back into him, packed into his body along with the disgusting taste.

    And then Noah was gone, a streak of light shooting across the cosmos.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Worlds stretched past him in a blur of color across a black canvas. He streaked through the infinite black, his mind a muddled mess as he tried to comprehend the visions flashing before him. Time became a foreign concept. To Noah, existence became the dancing shapes and universes that he passed by.

    But, as all things must, it came to an end. He felt a sharp jerk in the area that would have been his chest, had he had a physical form. The dull pain was the first thing that he had felt in ¨C well, Noah wasn¡¯t sure. A while.

    Images bloomed before him, no longer of flitting worlds or stars, but of endless green fields and massive mountains. Lakes the size of an ocean and intricate cave systems deep below. Awe filled his being as he hurtled through the new world, his awareness sputtering as it tried to fully reignite.

    For the briefest instant, Noah spotted two massive, reptilian eyes looking down at him from within the stars. Then he was gone, getting lower and lower to the surface of the planet. A faint drawing force pulled him down into a village and he slipped through the wooden planks of a small house.

    A woman laid in bed, a newly born infant mewling in front of her. Her features were a mixture of relief and pain, but Noah didn¡¯t get to examine them long. The force tugged at him, pulling him toward the child¡¯s body.

    He descended, brushing the crying boy¡¯s face for an instant. Tight bands wrapped around him, sending flashes of agony throughout his body. No more than a second later, he was yanked away and sent hurtling across the planet once more.

    Several more times, Noah was pulled into scenes of births, where his floating body tried and failed to merge. The tightness grew stronger, to the point where he could barely even muster the meagre thoughts that he¡¯d managed thus far.

    Noah caught a glimpse of the towering walls of an enormous castle the size of a city an instant before he shot through them. He pushed through the cracks in the stone and continued onward, hurtling past forests and great plains.

    He slammed to a halt in a small clearing surrounded by charred, blackened trees. They stretched into the air around him like withered hands reaching for the heavens. To his surprise, there was no child. There wasn¡¯t even a mother. A greasy black haired man sat beside a dying campfire beside a small lake. His features were sharp and pinched in pain. Blood trickled down his chest from a deep wound. Noah wasn¡¯t a doctor, but he was pretty certain that it wasn¡¯t the kind of wound that people walked away from.

    The corpses of several furry creatures laid around him. They roughly resembled monkeys, but had large, jutting fangs and claws far longer than any monkey on Earth. Their fur still smoldered, and they were all riddled with holes as wide as quarters.

    Drawing a labored breath, the man fumbled in his belt and pulled out a small gourd. He snapped the wax seal at the top and lifted it to his mouth with trembling hands, drinking greedily from it.

    Noah tried to move, but he had no control over his body. All he could do was float and watch. The wound on the man¡¯s stomach rippled and bubbled. Strands of flesh and organ reached out, reconnecting themselves.

    The man went to take another drink. He stopped halfway through the motion, his eyes bulging as he grabbed at his throat. The bottle slipped from his hands and fell to the ground, liquid spilling from its mouth.

    A sharp tug pulled on Noah¡¯s navel. The man glanced up just as Noah was yanked downward and into his body. Ice rushed through Noah. It felt as if he¡¯d been plunged into the freezing ocean.

    A scream split through his thoughts, but only later did he realize that it hadn¡¯t been his voice. Noah drew a ragged, desperate gasp for air ¨C and it worked.

    Noah froze. He slowly reached up to his face, pressing against skin instead of ghostly ectoplasm. He patted himself down, slowly at first, then leapt to his feet. His foot landed on a patch of bloody mud and he lost his footing, slamming onto his back with a loud crash.

    Pain flashed through him, but he didn¡¯t even register it. Noah scrambled on all fours over to the lake and peered into it. What stared back was the man¡¯s body, but no traces of his wound remained.

    ¡°Gods above,¡± Noah muttered. His head throbbed and he grimaced. He ran his hands along himself again, just to make sure he could still feel. ¡°I¡¯m alive. I¡¯m alive!¡±

    Noah burst into hysterical laughter and slapped himself across the face, just because he could. He had a physical body again. Sinking down into a small ball beside the lake, Noah continued to laugh until tears streaked down his cheeks.

    He was alive.

    The bout passed, bringing considerably less joyous emotions with it.

    ¡°I thought I was supposed to lose all of my memories and be reborn,¡± Noah said, staring at one of his pale hands. The voice that emerged from his mouth wasn¡¯t his, though it wasn¡¯t all that different from it. ¡°Neither of those seem to have happened.¡±

    A shudder ran through him at the thought of the terrifying creature that had attacked Renewal. Whatever it was, he never wanted to see it again. But, possibly worse, someone had been inhabiting this body before his¡­ arrival.

    ¡°Did I just murder someone? Or did I just watch them get murdered and take advantage of it?¡± Noah asked himself, swallowing nervously. He crawled over to the gourd the man had drunk from and picked it up.

    A small piece of parchment was tied to its lip with tweed. To Noah¡¯s surprise, he could read the words on it perfectly, despite knowing full well that they weren¡¯t English.

    Thanks for everything, Magus Vermil. I hope this healing potion helps you out.

    Evidently, some of the man¡¯s memories were still bouncing around in his head. That might have explained the throbbing headache. Something sharp poked into his chest. Noah reached up, pulling a small metal badge with the words Magus Vermil carved into it from a slot in his jacket. He tucked it into his pant pockets with a grimace.

    Judging by the man¡¯s expression moments before he¡¯d died, Noah was pretty sure that this potion had done more than just heal him. From the looks of things, it actually did more to kill him.

    Whoever this guy was, he had some enemies.

    ¡°Tough luck, man,¡± Noah muttered. ¡°The line isn¡¯t too bad when you get used to it, though. Hope things go better for you next time around.¡±

    He gave it a hesitant sniff. The gourd smelled like honey and cinnamon. Noah carefully set the gourd back on the ground, making sure not to spill any of its contents on himself. Just because it didn¡¯t seem to be affecting him anymore didn¡¯t mean it wouldn¡¯t work again if he got more of it on himself.

    ¡°Well, this certainly isn¡¯t anything like monkeys on Earth,¡± Noah said, studying one of the dead monkeys. Now that he had an actual pair of eyes to look through, he was even more certain. The dead monkey¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and its fur was so matted that it could have been armor. There was no word to describe it other than monster.

    He pushed himself off the ground, standing on shaky legs. Strangely, Noah felt no panic or fear. He¡¯d spent more than enough time coming to terms with his life when he was waiting in line for the afterlife.

    If gods existed, it wasn¡¯t hard to extrapolate that monsters did as well. More importantly ¨C something had seriously injured the previous owner of Noah¡¯s body, and he wasn¡¯t sure if it was still around.

    An image of a towering, furry mass flickered through Noah¡¯s mind. He paused, trying to bring it back, but the memory was already gone ¨C and it certainly wasn¡¯t one of his.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Noah muttered, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Is that what gored this Vermil guy before I got around to him? I hope not. I don¡¯t want to be anywhere near that thing.¡±

    A shadow passed over Noah¡¯s head. He stared down at it, as it eclipsed him, passing far into the campsite. His lips pressed thin. ¡°Ah. Of course. It¡¯s behind me.¡±

    He turned around and came face to face with the fattest, ugliest monkey he¡¯d ever seen. The monster towered nearly twice his height and had long, gangly arms that ended in disproportionately long clawed hands.

    Its eyes were small and beady, and fangs jutted out of its mouth in every which direction. If someone had taken a rabid orangutang and shoved a bunch of extra teeth into its mouth before driving its face into the wall half a dozen times, then it probably would have been this thing¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Hello there,¡± Noah said, lowering his gaze as he desperately tried to dig through his old memories of earth to recall what to do when one came face to face with a predator. Avoid smiling. Don¡¯t make eye contact. Give a firm handshake and talk with confidence.

    Wait, that last one might be for an interview. LinkedIn articles didn¡¯t prepare me for this. I don¡¯t think ¨C

    The monkey screeched. Its awful voice tore through Noah¡¯s ears like a rusty saw. He clapped his hands over his head and spun, sprinting away as fast as his legs could carry him.

    Screw the rules. Those are for bears, not the goddamn sasquatch¡¯s hillbilly son.

    Heavy thumps behind him marked the monkey as it charged after him, but Noah didn¡¯t dare waste the time to glance back at it. He was fairly sure it was gaining on him, but the jagged trees surrounding the clearing could slow it slightly.

    Out of the corner of his eye, Noah spotted a massive gangly claw hurtling toward his head, jagged claws glistening in the light of the setting sun. Panic flooded through him. His body moved of its own volition. His hands rose into the air and white lines danced in the air before him, forming a strange pattern.

    A streak of wind ripped out from his palms. It bit into the monkey¡¯s paw, carving a deep cut into it, and pulling a pained screech from the monster¡¯s lips. Noah stumbled as energy rushed out of him. He stared at his hands in disbelief, overwhelmed for a moment.

    ¡°I just did magic. I can do¨C¡±

    Four huge claws slammed into his head as the monkey swung its other hand at him, carving down through his body and cutting the rest of Noah¡¯s sentence as short as his life.

    It was his first death on this new world ¨C but it would be far from his last.

 Chapter 2&3: Civil

    Screaming in agony, Noah¡¯s soul split apart from his body. The desecrated corpse pitched to the ground, its top half cut into ribbons. He stared down at it, the pain fading now that he no longer had a body with which to feel.

    ¡°Well, shit,¡± Noah said. ¡°That was fast.¡±

    Invisible energy tugged at his chest, pulling him away from the world. Noah sighed.

    Oh well. So long as there are other places to revive, I already know what¡¯s going to happen. What¡¯s a few thousand more years of waiting?

    Something wrapped around his throat. Noah¡¯s ghostly eyes bulged and he choked ¨C something he hadn¡¯t thought actually possible for a spirit. A black ribbon materialized around his neck, leading back off into the clearing.

    The force pulling him away from the world vanished as the black ribbon yanked him back down to the world. Pain erupted throughout him once more and his eyes snapped open, drawing in a ragged gasp and clutching a hand to his thundering heart. He was in a body once more.

    His head slammed like an entire orchestra had been trapped within it. Noah groaned in pain, unable to even move from his spot. It was several minutes before he gathered the energy to push himself upright.

    There was no sign of his clothes. He was completely naked. Noah staggered upright. A heavy fog hung around his mind, even though the pain started to recede. He was in the same clearing.

    The gourd of poison still sat on the ground where he¡¯d left it. In the all too close distance, Noah could hear crunching noises from the direction of where he¡¯d run. Swallowing heavily, Noah crept up to the pool of water and peered inside it.

    The face of the man whose body he¡¯d stolen looked back at him. He¡¯d kept it, somehow. Unfortunately, the clothes didn¡¯t seem to be part of the package deal.

    ¡°I came back to life?¡± Noah whispered to himself. He touched his face, just to make sure it was there. A roar split the forest behind Noah and he paled, launching himself into the lake. He swam down as deep as he could go and latched onto a stone at the bottom, holding onto it for dear life.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how long he waited there. Time had lost most of its meaning during his stay in the afterlife. Noah didn¡¯t dare release the rock until his lungs burned so much that he could hardly feel them and shadows danced before his eyes.

    His body barely managed to propel him back up to the surface of the lake. He gasped for air, slumping over the edge as his lungs desperately pulled oxygen in. Suppressing a groan, Noah rolled over and glanced around.

    The clearing was empty. His head still felt like mincemeat, but it was better to feel it than to actually become mincemeat¡­again. Noah pulled himself the rest of the way onto dry land and pushed himself upright.

    He glanced at his hands, then held them up before him. The image of the strange pattern that had appeared before them felt etched into his mind. He tried to picture it forming before him, but the fog surrounding his head grew thicker. A spike of pain ran down his spine and Noah dropped his hands, grimacing.

    A cold breeze rustled by him. He shivered and tilted his head to the side, listening as hard as he could. He couldn¡¯t hear the monkey anymore. That didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t still there ¨C he hadn¡¯t forgotten how silent it could be when it wanted to be.

    Pants or not dying? Which one is more important?

    Noah crept into the burnt woods. He hadn¡¯t made it far in his previous escape attempt. He spotted the bottom half of his corpse lying in the tussled dirt between several trees. There was no sign of his upper body or the monkey.

    He crept up to his former legs and quickly tugged his pants and belt off. Noah pulled them on, grimacing at the still-warm blood covering them. A small book clipped to the belt thumped against his side as he pulled it on. As soon as his legs were through the holes, Noah shuffled off into the trees, tying his belt with numbed, fumbling fingers as he walked.

    Despite his best ¨C and largely ineffective ¨C efforts to be stealthy, Noah winced at every dry branch that cracked beneath his feet. He threw glances over his shoulders every few feet, jumping at the slightest winds.

    He didn¡¯t allow himself to calm down until he¡¯d been walking for so long that the sky started to darken and night fell. Noah slumped against a scorched tree and slumped down.

    ¡°This is not how I saw my afterlife going,¡± Noah said to himself in a low whisper. He shivered as a cold wind dragged its chilly fingers across his bare chest. The fog covering his mind had only just started to peel away a few minutes ago.

    Inventory. I need to take inventory. See what I have.

    He dug through his pockets. They were empty.

    Right. A book, a badge, and some torn up pants. That¡¯s it. Not bad considering I didn¡¯t even have a body yesterday.

    Noah unclipped the book from his pants and flipped it open. Detailed notes drawn in tight, flowing handwriting covered many of its pages, each of which was dedicated to a single, complicated pattern similar to the one he¡¯d drawn in the air a few hours ago.

    A Rune.

    The words drifted to his mind of their own volition. Noah frowned. Runes certainly felt like the right way to describe the feature, but he was quite certain the thought wasn¡¯t his own. He¡¯d retained a lot of his previous body¡¯s memories, but it didn¡¯t seem like he could access them consciously.

    At least I can read.

    Noah flipped through the pages, searching for the Rune he¡¯d envisioned while fighting the monkey. His efforts were rewarded by an old page near the very back of the book. It was covered with dozens of sketches of plants and animals that he didn¡¯t recognize, along with descriptions of each one.

    ¡°Wind Rune,¡± Noah read, tracing the pattern with a finger. He raised his hand from the book, picturing the Rune in his mind. A thin blade of wind leapt from his palm and carved deep into the brittle trunk of the tree in front of him. A faint blanket of weariness fell over his shoulders.

    Noah scrambled to his feet, eyes darting around to see if anything had heard him. He stood still for several seconds. Nothing came. He crept over to the tree, inspecting his handiwork. The magic had carved a deep cut into the rough bark.

    He envisioned the Rune again, this time pointing his palm at the ground. Another blade of wind leapt forth and bit into the earth. The weariness grew stronger, but the fog didn¡¯t encroach on his mind again.

    Okay. Brain fog comes from dying. No magic when foggy. Conclusion: don¡¯t die.

    Noah looked up at the night sky. Bright stars twinkled far above, glowing with faint golden light. Despite his situation, he let a small breath of awe slip out from between his lips. It was beautiful. Nothing like the dull, smog-muted stars that he could make out through his apartment window back on Earth.

    He looked back down at his book, determination etching itself into his features.

    ¡°I need to get to civilization.¡±

    ***

    Noah didn¡¯t sleep that night. He just walked, trying to move in a straight line as much as possible. It was as good a direction as any, and the last thing he wanted to do was wander in circles.

    The crunch of dead and burnt foliage beneath his feet was the only noise in the still night. Windy gusts slithered through the trees, but despite their stark chill, they were nearly soulless. The trees had no leaves with which to rustle.

    Noah came to an abrupt halt as he stepped around a tight group of scorched trees and found himself face to face with a monkey. His breath caught in his throat and a tiny yelp slipped out of mouth before he managed to silence it. The monster¡¯s eyes were closed in sleep. It hung upside down from a blackened branch with its hind legs.

    He swallowed heavily, taking a slow step backward. This monkey was roughly the size of the ones that had been lying dead in the clearing when he¡¯d arrived in this world, but that didn¡¯t make its claws and teeth any less deadly.

    A branch cracked beneath Noah¡¯s heel. The monkey¡¯s eyes snapped open, instantly catching onto him. It hooted, dropping from the tree and landing on all fours. Noah cursed, scrambling backward and thrusting a hand toward it.

    Wind whipped from his fingertips, and a thin blade of white magic carved into the monkey¡¯s chest. It screeched in pain and blood splattered across the ground from a deep wound. The monster threw itself at Noah and he threw himself to the ground.

    It flew over his head, slamming into a tree behind him with enough force to crack the wood. He bolted upright and sprinted in the opposite direction of the monster as fast as he could. Loud whooping yells followed Noah, growing closer at an alarming rate.

    Noah spun, raising his hands to fire another arc of wind into the monster. He had a pretty good head start on it, so he was pretty sure that there should have still been enough room to ¨C

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Its face was an inch away from his. Noah screamed, his bolt of magic cutting across the monster¡¯s shoulder an instant before its claws dug into his throat, ripping it out. Agony seared through the wound and he choked, gasping for air that wouldn¡¯t come.

    The monkey screeched in victory. It didn¡¯t last long. A final arc of wind leapt from Noah¡¯s numbing fingertips and caught it in the throat, severing the monster¡¯s head from its body. A weak grin flickered across Noah¡¯s lips, even as blood bubbled up behind them.

    ¡°Serves you right,¡± he muttered.

    A strange feeling of warmth flooded into his body. For an instant, he felt Greater than he had before ¨C but Noah didn¡¯t get time to appreciate it.

    Death took him for the second time that day. Noah¡¯s soul slipped out from his body. He hovered above his corpse for an instant, but a familiar force started to pull him away within seconds.

    Noah narrowed his eyes, memorizing his surroundings as best as he could. The pull grew stronger, and then he was hurtling through the forest. Noah focused, keeping track of the trees that whistled past him and taking note of anything that could be used as a marker to orient himself.

    A few seconds later, reality slammed into him. Cold, wet dirt pressed into his bare back and his eyes snapped open. Heavy fog hung in his mind. His lips felt gummy and dry. Noah grimaced, pushing himself to his feet.

    He was naked. Again.

    The clearing was empty, at least. Noah shivered in the cold night wind. The empty gourd rested just by his feet, in the same place he¡¯d left it. A small frown flickered across his lips as a thought pushed its way out of his muddled mind.

    ¡°Why do I keep coming back to this clearing?¡±

    He turned in a slow circle, trying to see if there was anything that might be causing him to reform here rather than anywhere else in the world. Aside from the dead monkeys and the empty gourd on the ground by his feet, there was nothing.

    The gourd.

    Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed. He picked the gourd up carefully. It sloshed faintly, a little liquid still left within it. He studied it for a moment. The gourd certainly didn¡¯t look like anything special.

    He scanned the ground until he spotted the wax seal. He picked it up and carefully pushed it back into place. Noah would have loved to have a pair of pants to hang the gourd from right about now.

    ¡°Right. You¡¯re coming with me,¡± Noah muttered. He looked up at the sky, then located the direction he¡¯d come from. Then he set off once more. There was a pair of pants waiting for him.

    His second trip through the forest went quicker than the first. He hadn¡¯t managed to memorize everything perfectly, but he¡¯d gotten enough of his bearings to retrace his steps. It was several hours, but he spotted his body lying on the ground across from an equally dead monkey.

    Noah grinned despite the bitter cold. He jogged up to his corpse and stripped it, pulling his pants back on and tucking the gourd into a loop on his belt. Whole once more, he turned in a slow circle. The fog in his mind finally peeled back, letting him think properly again.

    Unfortunately, the dead forest stretched in every direction for as far as he could see. Rows on rows of scorched, dry trees stood in silent parade arrest for a general that would never come.

    What the hell was this Vermil guy doing here in the first place? Did he have a death wish? He had to have some way to get out. And then there¡¯s that feeling I got when I killed the monkey thing. What was that?

    No answers came. Noah pursed his lips, then shrugged. Standing still was making the chill even worse, so he set off once more.

    Noah continued for several more hours, but he quickly realized that there was a bigger problem. Even though he didn¡¯t seem to be getting much hungrier, weariness had started to set in. It had taken longer than Noah had expected, but it was relentless in its approach.

    No more than a few minutes after Noah first realized he was getting tired, he found himself barely able to drag his feet across the dry ground. He staggered up to a large tree and, after a cursory glance in the area to make sure nothing was watching right behind him, he curled up into a ball and fell into a restless sleep.

    Noah wasn¡¯t sure how long he slept. When his eyes cracked open again, the sun hung directly above him. He grimaced, blinking heavily and wiping the crust from his eyes as he slowly stood up. He was absolutely parched, and his stomach rumbled irritably.

    At least nothing attacked me this time.

    He reoriented himself, then strode away in search of pretty much anything other than the endless trees.

    Time passed. How much Noah wasn¡¯t exactly sure. The sun was moving overhead, but he had no idea if the days were as long on this planet as they were on Earth. The burning emptiness in Noah¡¯s stomach grew stronger with every step, but he had no choice but to ignore it.

    Trees blurred together as he passed them. Either the forest was getting more uniform, or he was just so exhausted that he couldn¡¯t recognize the differences in it anymore. Noah was so distracted as he walked that he nearly bowled straight into a monkey hanging from a tree directly in front of him.

    Noah caught himself at the last second. He¡¯d managed to come up on the monster¡¯s back, and it didn¡¯t seem to have noticed him yet. He instantly raised his hands. A blade of wind shot from them, carving straight through the back of the monster¡¯s head. It dropped from the tree before it could make a noise, dead.

    A wave of energy rippled through his body, starting at his toes and rising up until it reached his head. With it came a strong feeling of refreshment. Noah¡¯s hunger abated and his parched lips felt just a little wetter.

    Noah froze, basking in the feeling for a few seconds before it faded away. He glanced around, checking to see if there were any other monkeys in the area. When he found that there weren¡¯t, he wasn¡¯t sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

    Somehow, killing the monkeys seems to sate me. Magic, I guess. When I get out of this stupid forest, the first thing I¡¯m going to do is sit down and figure out how all of this works.

    Before he moved on, Noah¡¯s eye caught on the monster¡¯s long claws. He paused a moment, then knelt beside the monkey. He gingerly picked up one of its hands, holding a claw like a knife and working out one of the claws on its other hands.

    It was bloody, grisly work that ended with him covering a good portion of himself and the monkey with rancid blood, but he finally managed to hack it free after several agonizing minutes of constantly glancing over his shoulders to make sure nothing was gaining on him.

    The claw came out with a finger length piece of bone attached to its end, which suited Noah just fine. He tested its weight in his hand, then nodded to himself. He¡¯d handled more than a few knives in his previous life ¨C and every single one of them was for cooking, not stabbing people. Still, the claw felt hefty and sharp enough. He set back off through the forest, leaving the corpse in his wake.

    ***

    The monkey was back. Noah pressed his back to a large tree stump, struggling to control his terrified breathing. The huge, lanky monster that had killed him just seconds after his arrival in the burnt forest was somehow right in front of him, and he was pretty sure it had been looking in his direction.

    Everything had been going so well.

    Well, I suppose nothing at all was happening other than walking. Nothing is better than something, though. I¡¯m going to count that as well.

    It didn¡¯t particularly matter what he counted as well. What did matter was the slow, uncomfortably heavy breathing of the massive ape as it slowly grew closer. The beast took deep, ragged breaths, as if savoring the scent of his fear.

    Noah¡¯s eyes darted around and he searched for any place to hide or trap the creature. Running wasn¡¯t an option. He¡¯d already gathered that much. And, worse, he¡¯d brought the gourd with him. He¡¯d yet to determine just how long it took to revive. If the monkey was still around when he came back¡­

    A shudder ran down Noah¡¯s spine. He could end up getting killed over and over again ¨C forever. Dying now wasn¡¯t an option.

    He did a quick mental check of what he had to work with. A gourd. His book. A pair of pants. A monkey¡¯s claw. He barely suppressed an amused snort that would have given his position away immediately.

    I¡¯d almost wish for a monkey¡¯s paw over a claw at this point.

    An excited hoot echoed through the dry forest. Noah flinched, but nothing happened. For whatever reason the monkey hadn¡¯t done anything yet. It was close, though. He could smell the stench of its matted fur, like a mixture of sickly sweet earth and week old feces.

    Noah¡¯s grip tightened around the claw in his hand. He stilled his breathing even further.

    Okay. On the count of three.

    Three.

    Two.

    Noah sprinted out from behind the tree, bringing a blade of wind to his fingertips. The monkey jerked upright, standing just a few trees away from him. It spun in his direction, opening its mouth in a shriek.

    The wind blade carved into its chest, splattering thick blood across the ground. Noah charged the monster and it reared back. In the back of his mind, Noah noted the move. It was the same one he¡¯d been killed with.

    He dove to the side, predicting the monster¡¯s strike. Its claws ripped through the air where he¡¯d been standing and he rolled to his feet, lunging forward and driving his makeshift knife into the monkey¡¯s chest.

    The padded fur was far harder to penetrate than he¡¯d expected. His claw bit deep, but not deep enough. Noah cursed, trying to disengage, but he heard the next strike coming before he saw it.

    He threw himself to the ground, but it was too late. Thick claws raked across his back, tearing apart flesh and snapping bone. Noah screamed in pain. He grabbed the gourd from his side, throwing it into the trees with the last of his strength.

    A heavy foot crashed down on his head an instant later, tearing his body free of his soul. Noah snarled as his ghostly form was tossed into the air, ties to flesh severed. The monkey grabbed his corpse and lifted it into the air, sniffing curiously at it.

    Energy gathered around Noah¡¯s neck, tugging him into the forest. Toward the gourd. A tiny grin flickered across his lips, but it was equal parts nervous. If the revival process took any real amount of time, the monkey might just find him before he was alive again. The only way to know was to find out.  He was yanked forward, hurtling past several trees before he slammed back into existence.

    Noah snapped into being, stiffening to keep the pained groan from escaping his lips. Every part of his brain thumped in protest, and nausea passed over him with such strength that he nearly threw up over himself.

    Instead, Noah rolled to his feet. Through squinted eyes, he could just barely see the back of the large monkey chewing on something. Noah was pretty sure it was one of his arms. He clenched his fists, trying to call on his magic.

    All that responded was a deep, throbbing pain. Noah gritted his teeth and padded forward, moving as silently as he could as he approached the monster. His dagger laid at its side, discarded.

    He didn¡¯t give himself time to think. He couldn¡¯t afford it. Noah sprinted, scooping the blade off the ground and spinning toward the monster in all his naked glory. Its eyes widened and it screeched, tossing his arm aside and lunging for him.

    Another attack Noah recognized ¨C this time, the one that had literally just killed him. He rolled backward, narrowly avoiding the massive claws as they carved through the air above him. It reared back, lifting its paws above its head.

    Noah lunged, driving his knife into the open wound on its chest. He twisted the blade, then threw himself to the side just in time to avoid the monkey¡¯s overhead slash. As soon as its hands hit the ground, he lunged forward and threw all of his weight into the dagger.

    Something crunched as Noah¡¯s shoulder slammed into the monster¡¯s enormous ribcage. Bone gave way and the dagger punched deeper, driving into the monkey¡¯s heart. It shuddered, and Noah locked eyes with it for an instant.

    He bared his teeth in a primal snarl, fury and determination swirling in his eyes. All that met them was terror.

    The monkey pitched back and crashed to the ground, blood pouring from the deep wound in its chest and flowing down its fur to pool in the ground around it. Noah took a shaky step back, his head still pounding furiously.

    Energy filled his body, rushing through his limbs like a cold river ¨C more than what he¡¯d gained from killing the smaller monkeys. Much more. It did nothing to assuage his furious headache, unfortunately.

    On autopilot, he staggered over to what remained of his corpse and pulled his pants off. He tugged them on, then trudged into the woods to retrieve his gourd. He looped it into his belt, then headed back over to the monkey.

    He pulled the claw from the monster¡¯s chest, shaking the blood from it. Noah looked down at his tormentor, his lips pressed thin. Part of him almost felt bad for it. That part was very, very small. After all the time he¡¯d spent dead, Noah had absolutely no desire to try it again. If monkeys had an afterlife, he hoped that its wait would be extra-long.

 Chapter 4: Arbitage

    Noah flopped down against a tree. He couldn¡¯t remember what time of day it was, and his head hurt too much to look up at the sky to find the answer. He squeezed his eyes shut and massaged his temples, trying to push some of the pain away while he recovered.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how much time passed as he sat there, but a distant noise reached his ears. Noah blinked, letting his eyes crack open. His head was still thundering in pain, but he could have sworn ¨C

    ¡°¡­somewhere here.¡±

    Holy shit, people.

    Noah scrambled to his feet and yelled as loud as he could. ¡°Help! Over here!¡±

    A moment passed and he strained to hear if anyone had picked up his calls.

    ¡°Hello? Please, I¡¯m lost! I need help!¡±

    Two men floated into view above the trees, each standing on a long piece of ornate metal. Both wore sleek black robes with hoods that cast their faces in shadow, even from the angle he was at. Noah stared up at them, his eyes wide.

    ¡°Gods, what are you doing?¡± one of the men asked as they lowered, touching down in the clearing across from him. ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    Noah opened his mouth then froze.

    I can¡¯t tell them anything. I don¡¯t know what Vermil was doing here. I don¡¯t even know who he is.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m injured,¡± Noah said lamely. ¡°I got hit on the head pretty hard by some giant monkey, and my memories are all screwed up. I don¡¯t know where I am or how I got here. All I know is that my name is Vermil.¡±

    The men exchanged a glance as Noah pulled the small metal badge out of his pocket and held it out. One of them pulled his hood back, revealing a grizzled salt and pepper beard. He took the badge from Noah and studied it.

    ¡°He¡¯s a teacher at Arbitage,¡± he said, glancing back at his partner. ¡°Must have been quite some monkey. Was it the Hellreaver?¡±

    ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t,¡± the other man said with a scoff. ¡°He¡¯s alive and not scorched to a crisp. Was probably one of the Maulers. Do you really think he¡¯d be walking around if he ran into that flaming demon? Let me guess. Was it a big ugly bastard, about this high?¡±

    He held his hand up above his head. Noah frowned.

    ¡°No. It was about twice that high.¡±

    ¡°Slasher,¡± the bearded man said, grimacing. ¡°Tough buggers. I can see how that might have done some damage. You don¡¯t look cut up, though. Didn¡¯t you have any healing potions?¡±

    Noah grimaced and patted his waistband. ¡°I don¡¯t remember. All I¡¯ve got is the badge on my uniform and my book. Look, can you get me back to¡­ Arbitage, was it? I¡¯m sure they can help me. I might collapse if I have to stand much longer, though.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take you. It¡¯s not too far,¡± the man said with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s an ill omen if Slashers are getting strong enough to beat teachers. Not a good sign at all. Come stand on the back of my board. I¡¯m Fredrick.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Noah staggered over, still barely able to believe his luck, and stepped onto the metal plate. He steadied himself on the man¡¯s shoulders as it shimmered and lifted into the air.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Fredrick said. ¡°And at least warn me if you think you¡¯re going to fall off. I don¡¯t want to have to deal with explaining that one of Arbitage¡¯s teachers leapt to his death while I was ferrying him around.¡±

    Noah grunted his assent. Fredrick¡¯s partner floated into the air as well, and then they were off, rocketing through the sky just above the burnt treetops. Noah clutched Frederick¡¯s shoulders for dear life, squeezing his eyes shut to keep his already throbbing head from imploding.

    His consciousness fluttered in and out, and it took everything he had to keep his hold on Frederick. Noah wasn¡¯t sure how long they hurtled through the air, but it felt like it couldn¡¯t have been more than a few seconds.

    Someone nudged him, and he realized that the howling winds had stopped. He slowly let his eyes open, grimacing at the sudden bright light that pierced into his skull. Noah squinted, raising a hand to block out the sun.

    They¡¯d landed on the grass before a tall, ornate stone building. Large pillars rose along the sides of the buildings. Statues of monsters clung to them, as if trying to claw them apart during their climb toward the top.

    The letter ¡®T¡¯ was emblazed upon each of the pillars in shimmering gold, each one roughly the size of Noah¡¯s head. Noah squinted at it.

    Actually, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the literal letter T as much as the closest translation to English. Egh. This is just making my head hurt even more.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be in good hands,¡± Frederick said. Noah glanced around for any sign of Frederick¡¯s partner, but the other man had somehow vanished without him noticing.

    I suppose that probably wasn¡¯t too difficult to do in my current state.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Arbitage, the Fourth Bastion,¡± Frederick replied. He saw the blank look on Noah¡¯s face and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If there¡¯s anything that can be done, you¡¯ll be fixed up. Any moment now¨C¡±

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    A pair of double doors with a chimera carved into them swung open, and a short man strode out following after Frederick¡¯s still unnamed partner. He wore plain white robes and carried a small wooden staff in his hand, though he didn¡¯t seem to be getting much use out of it. The two of them hurried over to Noah.

    A frown passed over the short man¡¯s features and he slowed, losing nearly all of the panic that had been originally on his face.

    ¡°Magus Vermil. You appear... injured.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ hi. Are you a healer?¡± Noah asked, rubbing the back of his head to try to force the pain and fog away.

    ¡°I was informed that you suffered from a bout of memory loss,¡± the short man said. ¡°Do you remember who I am?¡±

    Noah shook his head. ¡°I ¨C no. Not at all. I¡¯m sorry. Should I know you?¡±

    ¡°My name is Richard. I am specialized in healing Runes.¡±

    Richard paused, studying Noah¡¯s face. It remained blank. They stared at each other for a few moments.

    ¡°Nothing?¡± Richard asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. I don¡¯t recognize you in the slightest.¡±

    Richard chewed his lower lip. He stepped toward Noah and raised a hand, pressing it to his chest. "Where did you find him?"

    "In Scorched Acres," Frederick replied. "I know what you''re thinking, but I don''t think he''s been replaced. He''s too... helpless."

    "We shall see," Richard said. ¡°Stay still for a spell.¡±

    Noah obliged, and what felt like a cold spotlight filled his insides. It traveled throughout his entire body, starting at his stomach and running up his spine and into his head before slowly dispersing throughout the rest of him.

    The small cuts that remained on his body from the fight with the monkey sealed over and faded away. His headache didn¡¯t abate in the slightest, though. If anything, Noah was pretty sure the fog in his mind got even thicker.

    ¡°He''s indeed human. But... strange. I don¡¯t see anything physically wrong with you beyond some minor injuries, but it¡¯s quite clear that your memories are not intact.¡±

    ¡°Really? How can you tell?¡± Noah asked.

    And, more importantly, can you tell that the old Magus Vermil is dead and gone?

    Richard snorted, which Noah felt was quite the odd thing to do in the face of such a question.

    ¡°No reason in particular, Magus Vermil. You may simply need to spend some time resting, but there is nothing a healer can do for you. Your mind and body are as intact as they have ever been. If anything, better.¡±

    ¡°Better?¡±

    ¡°Never mind that,¡± Richard said, shaking his head and failing to suppress a small smile. That only served to confuse Noah even more, but he wasn¡¯t about to press his luck. The less people questioned his supposed memory loss, the better.

    ¡°I see,¡± Noah said. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ unfortunate.¡±

    ¡°Quite,¡± Richard said dispassionately. ¡°Frederick, thank you for delivering the good Magus. We¡¯ll ensure that your efforts are properly rewarded.¡±

    Frederick touched the edge of his cowl. ¡°Any good man would have done the same. Best of luck, Magus.¡±

    He hopped back onto his board and shot into the air. Noah watched them for as long as his throbbing eyes would allow, then turned back to Richard. He raised a hand to block the sun from poking needles into his sore eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have absolutely no idea what I¡¯m supposed to do,¡± Noah said. ¡°I really can¡¯t remember anything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite all right. I¡¯ll let the headmaster know you were injured. I can lead you to your room for the time being, so you can get some rest,¡± Richard offered.

    ¡°That would be great. Thank you.¡±

    Richard just nodded in response. He headed back toward the ornate building, and Noah followed after him.

    The halls were a vague blur to him, and Noah wasn¡¯t exactly sure where in the building they went. He recalled walking up several stairwells and traveling through halls lit only by the light outside, but everything melded together in his addled mind.

    They finally came to a stop before a plain stone door with a keyhole in its center. A metal plaque to its side read Magus Vermil. Richard sent Noah an expectant look.

    ¡°Key?¡± Richard asked.

    Noah stared blankly at him. Richard sighed.

    ¡°Override it is, then.¡± He pressed his hand to the door and thin lines of white energy stretched out along it, illuminating a pattern hidden within the rock. The door clicked and swung open smoothly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have someone sent to check on you soon,¡± Richard promised. ¡°I suggest you remain here until then. Perhaps some of your memories will be jogged.¡±

    Noah nodded absentmindedly and stepped inside. A small frown flickered across his lips. The room was a complete mess. Piles of papers covered a large wooden desk and had fallen to the floor around it. A metal key sat on top of the desk beside an unlit candle.

    This is probably for the door. Why did Vermil leave it behind?

    The bed was messy and unmade, and the window behind it was covered with grime and dust. A small door in the side of the room led into a bathroom, which wasn¡¯t in much better shape.

    There was a soft thud as Richard wordlessly closed the door behind Noah. He glanced over his shoulder.

    Something tells me he doesn¡¯t like me much.

    Noah pushed the haze and pain to the side. He walked up to the desk and leafed through the papers, trying to see if there was anything that could be of any use.

    ¡°Skinwalker group spotted in the area. Be wary of colleagues or students that you recognize that speak or move in an odd manner, especially those that have been missing for more than three weeks,¡± Noah read aloud. He tossed the paper to the side.

    He leafed through a few more, then paused as something caught his eye.

    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Noah asked, picking one of the papers up. It had been a while since he¡¯d seen something of its like, but he¡¯d filled out more than enough of them in the past to recognize the key features. It was an extension request for some sort of assignment.

    A signature had been scribbled across the bottom, along with an extra line. Noah¡¯s mouth dropped open in disgust as he read it.

    Meet me in my room an hour after class if you want the extension. Wear something cute.

    Magus Vermil

    Noah looked back over the note, desperately hoping he¡¯d misread something, and this was meant for the man¡¯s lover. There was no such luck. Without a doubt, this note had been submitted by a student. It even had their year number beside their name.

    ¡°Shit. The last bloke in this body was a creep. No wonder someone killed him.¡± Disgust washed over Noah¡¯s face. He leafed through more of the papers and some of the blood drained from his face. ¡°Wait. He was a teacher. Am I supposed to teach people magic? I don¡¯t even know how to use it myself.¡±

    Noah ruffled through the rest of the papers, desperately trying to find out if there was any semblance of order to them. Unfortunately, Vermil must have taken some degree of pride in the complete mess that was his room.

    Half of the papers were ruined by water stains ¨C at least, Noah hoped it was water ¨C and the others were either outdated, worthless, or just made absolutely no sense. He did his best to organize them, filtering out the most useless papers of the lot and stacking them by the door.

    Before he realized it, nearly two hours had passed. His headache finally receded somewhat, though some of the fog remained. The fruits of Noah¡¯s work was a fairly clean wooden desk and somewhat dusted floor. Noah sat down in the chair across from the desk and chewed his thumb.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Noah said to himself, rocking back slightly in his chair. ¡°I can work with this. I¡¯m good at teaching. It¡¯s not like I ever had all that much time to prepare myself on subjects back on Earth. There¡¯s got to be some sort of reference packet, right?¡±

    The back of his hand brushed against the book hanging from his belt. He unhooked the book and flipped it open. His head throbbed again and Noah pressed his hand to his temple. He lowered into his chair, studying the pages.

    Maybe, if he could make some real sense of its contents, he could pass his memory loss off and avoid detection.

 Chapter 560: Infinity & START OF BOOK 6

    The world was cold and silent. An endless void ¡ª the true void, not the replica that had existed within Sievan¡¯s domain ¡ª stretched out around Noah like the maw of an ancient beast. Golden paths swirled through the emptiness like strands of hair as they converged in the far, far distance.

    Noah couldn¡¯t see where they were going, but he didn¡¯t need to. He knew what came at the end of eons of journey along the sprawling paths.

    Faint, translucent motes of blue shimmered upon the pathways. They moved one ponderous step at a time to the beat of an endless march. There were no words. No desires. No goals. Souls that walked upon its surface seemed to feel nothing but the millstone of time grinding away at them until they finally arrived at its head, where Renewal would be waiting for them.

    There was only the Line.

    This was the one location in all existence that he would have given almost anything to never return to ¡ª but he had no choice. Wizen had the Key. Noah and Moxie weren¡¯t demons. They couldn¡¯t be summoned, even if they wanted to be. Returning to the mortal plane was impossible without it.

    Cold space pressed in on Noah, and his domain churned as it fought to keep it back. There was no air in the afterlife. His lungs found nothing when he breathed in, and yet, his body sustained all the same.

    The void was pure, unfiltered magic. Power permeated everything within the darkness, omnipresent and uncaring. Even if Noah¡¯s entire body had shut down, he got the feeling that he would have continued to exist.

    This was a place in which the mortal concept of life did not exist. The beat of the heart, the breath of the lung, the pump of blood ¡ª none of it mattered. The afterlife was a misnomer. It was not a place of life or unlife. It was a place of existence.

    And, no matter how badly someone wanted to live or do the very opposite, there was only one option for them here. It was to exist.

    Mortals did not belong here. Noah did not belong here. It was a place reserved for those who walked the line and the gods that oversaw them.

    Knots twisted his stomach and a deep sense of terror and unease clawed at Noah¡¯s heart. It begged him to turn back toward the only point of color other than gold in the void ¡ª the stark white portal that burned in the air behind him, held open by Sievan.

    Noah crushed the desire. He couldn¡¯t leave. Not without the key. His eyes scanned the line in search of Wizen.

    Fortunately for him, mortals stuck out like a sore thumb in a land where the only residents were floating blue souls.

    He spotted Wizen after mere moments. The man floated above the line, churning red and gray magic enveloping him like the tendrils of an eldritch god. Pieces of Wizen¡¯s skin had peeled back. He was unraveling at the seams, but in his right hand was the key. The mage had bound it to himself with strands of gray magic.

    Noah¡¯s lips thinned and he willed himself forward. To his surprise, the thought sent him zipping through the empty void like a rocket. He moved so quickly that he nearly slammed straight into Wizen before jerking to a halt a dozen feet away from him.

    The Woven Man¡¯s head snapped up toward Noah. Surprise and anger carved across his features and he turned in his direction.

    ¡°You,¡± Wizen snarled. The void swallowed his words, barely letting them make it to Noah¡¯s ears. ¡°Leave. I have no more need for your power. We have no quarrel.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a load of shit and you know it,¡± Noah replied as he drew on his Runes. Power carved through his body and reared back, waiting for his command. ¡°You don¡¯t get to do heinous shit and then go around claiming we have no quarrel once you get what you want.¡±

    ¡°I have done bad, and I would do worse. You could not understand.¡± Wizen turned toward Noah and lifted his hand toward him, his fingers curling into the shape of a claw. ¡°I have no energy to waste on you. Leave. This is your final warning.¡±

    ¡°Give me the key, and I¡¯ll consider it.¡± Noah pulled his lips back in a snarl. ¡°What are you going to do? Mind control me?¡±

    Wizen mind controlled him.

    Or, more accurately, Wizen tried to mind control him.

    His magic slammed into Noah like a crashing river, driving into his mind in a spike and seeking to rip control of his body from him.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    If they had been outside the afterlife or if Wizen hadn¡¯t been holding his power back for some purpose, perhaps it would have been more effective. But they were not. By the time Wizen¡¯s magic reached Noah, it had been severely weakened.

    And, when Noah felt the prickle of Wizen¡¯s mind pressing against his own, he smiled. Noah¡¯s mind grabbed onto the connection the other mage had established.

    Then he unleashed Empty Proliferation.

    His mind slammed against Wizen¡¯s, but Noah didn¡¯t try to overwhelm the other mage. That would have been impossible. Wizen¡¯s runes were far stronger than his. It was impossible to defeat him as they were now ¡ª which meant Noah had to change the fight.

    And if there was one place where things were even, it was when magic was a battle of will rather than pure runic force.

    Noah ripped open his Mindspace.

    The afterlife evaporated.

    ***

    Gentle gold light burned beneath Noah¡¯s feet. It was a translucent path that he knew well, but there were no translucent blue souls joining him upon it. It was the endless path that led to Renewal, but it was not the afterlife.

    A black space stretched out in all directions around him. It was the void, but it was not the afterlife.

    There was only one other being present upon the golden pathway that stretched out into oblivion. Wizen stood a dozen feet away from Noah, staring at him in stunned disbelief. They were on the Line, but it was not the afterlife.

    It was Noah¡¯s mind ¡ª but it was more than that. A foreign presence burned within it. This place was Wizen¡¯s just as much as it was his. Their minds had linked.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Wizen demanded. ¡°What have you done?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that established the connection to my mind. But the thing is, those things go both ways,¡± Noah replied, cracking his neck. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s fair to even the playing field a bit?¡±

    ¡°You have Mind Runes? Since when¡­ no. No, it does not matter. You are in my way. What is one more death?¡± Wizen¡¯s jaw clenched and he thrust a hand toward Noah. A sea of lightning exploded from his hand.

    It ripped through the air ¡ª and folded in on itself. The magic barely made it a foot away from Wizen before it had shrunk to nothing more than the size of a worm. It vanished with a blip, disappearing well before it could reach Noah.

    ¡°Whoops,¡± Noah said. ¡°No tantrums, Wizen. Your magic isn¡¯t going to work here.¡±

    Wizen clapped his hands together. He ripped them apart, and gray threads burst from his palms. They extended like the tendrils of Cthulhu reaching for Noah, only to collapse and disappear within feet once more.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Wizen demanded, disbelief gripping his features. ¡°You are a Rank 4! How is this possible? I am not in your soul. I am a far greater Mind Mage than you. Neither of our mindspaces rule over this place. It is a common ground that you merely aided in shaping. You cannot control it.¡±

    Damn. Wizen really knows his Mind Magic shit. I¡¯m just glad this worked. I was a little worried Wizen would crush me with sheer strength.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m in more control than you think.¡±

    ¡°You are not,¡± Wizen said flatly. He thrust his hands forward again and unleashed a storm of black flames. Once more, the magic sputtered out well before it reached Noah. Wizen¡¯s hands tightened. ¡°This is impossible. I have fought other Mind Mages before. A mental connection like the one you formed is perfectly balanced. Our minds have equal control here ¡ª so how is it that you have snuffed my magic?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure your magic is fine, but it can¡¯t do anything when it can¡¯t get to me,¡± Noah said with a small smile.

    ¡°I cannot waste time with the likes of you!¡± Wizen snapped, a note of panic entering his voice. He snapped his fingers. A magical storm ripped out from him in every direction. It expanded through the darkness ¡ª and vanished.

    Not a single scrap of his magic drew close to Noah.

    ¡°It seems to me that you can,¡± Noah said, trying not to show just how fast his heart was beating. His magical energy was draining away at an alarming rate. Empty Proliferation wasn¡¯t a particularly large rune. He couldn¡¯t keep it going forever. ¡°My Mind Rune is the concept of emptiness, Wizen. The closer your power gets, the more space it has to cover to reach me.¡±

    Granted, this doesn¡¯t work anywhere outside of my own mind. But while we¡¯re here¡­ Empty Proliferation is built off the endless bullshit that is the Line¡¯s waiting time. Anything passing from Wizen¡¯s mind into mine is going to take a few thousand years.

    ¡°How can you possess a rune like this?¡± Wizen demanded. ¡°It¡¯s not possible. A concept like that isn¡¯t something that the human mind can comprehend.¡±

    ¡°See, there¡¯s the thing,¡± Noah said. ¡°The human mind is capable a lot of shit. Shit that it doesn¡¯t want to do ¡ª but it can still do. Our minds can experience a lot of things. They just might not make it out in one piece. I know that from experience.¡±

    Wizen¡¯s gaze bore into Noah. His eyes flicked down to the translucent gold path that shimmered beneath his feet, then out to the void surrounding them. When his attention returned to Noah, realization lurked within it.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been here,¡± Wizen said in awe. ¡°You¡¯ve been to the afterlife.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve all been to the afterlife. I just remember the experience. It did a lot of things to me, Wizen. I hate waiting ¡ª but I¡¯ve had no choice but to become very good at it.¡± Empty Proliferation had no more than a few minutes of power left within it ¡ª and that number was even less if Wizen started attacking him again. And, thus, Noah did what he did best. He lied through his teeth.

    ¡°How long can you afford to sit around, Wizen? Because I¡¯m not letting either of us leave here until you give me that key. I hope you decide quickly. I doubt the Goddess of Reincarnation is going to be pleased about intruders.¡±

    ¡°She would kill you just as surely as she would me,¡± Wizen said. ¡°You seek to kill us both. Mortals cannot¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the second time today that somebody associated me with the likes of you,¡± Noah said interrupting Wizen as his lips thinned. ¡°There is no more torture that can be done to my mind that has not already been done. I have been forced to bear witness to infinity. And if you don¡¯t give me that key, your fate will be the same.¡±

 Chapter 561: Wizen

    Noah fought to keep the strain from showing on his face. The golden light glistening at his feet reflected of his feet and faded into the infinite void that stretched out all around them. The world was silent and still.

    His energy was depleting, the power within Empty Proliferation rapidly approaching its limits. He couldn¡¯t keep himself and Wizen in the space between their minds for much longer. There were minutes at most left before he lost control and they returned to the afterlife. That couldn¡¯t happen. Not yet. The only way Noah could stand against Wizen was with Empty Proliferation keeping the other mage at bay.

    The disbelief that had warped Wizen¡¯s features slowly shifted to realization. His expression changed as he looked upon Noah in a new light, connections forming within his mind. More pieces of his body peeled away, revealing pulsating gray energy beneath his skin. Wizen barely even seemed to notice.

    ¡°You have walked the Line,¡± Wizen breathed. ¡°You survived the line. I knew it was possible. Who helped you?¡±

    ¡°Nobody,¡± Noah replied.

    Not intentionally, at least.

    ¡°Impossible. You are not powerful enough to¡ª¡± Wizen¡¯s words ground to a halt and his jaw clenched. He let out a hiss and his hands tightened at his sides. ¡°No matter. I do not care. Hear me now. I have absolutely no care for you or the mortal plane. I only have a single desire in this life, and I will stop at nothing to achieve it. I cannot spare the magic to fight you. Release this prison, and I will give you the key.¡±

    Noah opened his mouth to reply, but the words died at his lips.

    What?

    ¡°You¡­ will?¡±

    ¡°I will have no need for it after this,¡± Wizen replied. ¡°Quickly, now. Our time is thinner than hair. Once I have completed my task, the key will be yours. There will be sufficient strength left within it to open a path back to the Mortal Plane within it. I promise this.¡±

    ¡°¡­why?¡± Noah asked, so stunned that his mask fell for a moment. ¡°I really wasn¡¯t expecting you to actually say yes. You aren¡¯t actually planning to just waltz back to Arbitage and pretend you didn¡¯t do anything wrong, are you? You¡¯re a fucking monster. You mind-controlled people. You killed people.¡±

    ¡°I have done a great many things, and I would do a great many worse ones, all to arrive in this point in space. This point in time,¡± Wizen replied, grabbing the key attached to his palm by gray threads. He ripped it free. Magic crackled around him and Wizen staggered, letting out a snarl. ¡°My real body mirrors my actions here. I will not give you the Key until my work is done, but you will have it. But I will not allow a single spare second to slip by. Either we both get what we want, or the Goddess of Reincarnation ensures neither of us do.¡±

    Noah hesitated for a second longer, but Endless Proliferation was so low on energy that he really didn¡¯t have much choice. His actual plan ¡ª as barely formed as it was ¡ª had mostly been hoping that Renewal would show up and kill Wizen before she killed him, giving him a chance to grab the key and hopefully slip out while she was scolding his soul for being naughty ¡ª or doing whatever it was that a Goddess of Reincarnation did.

    This option seemed like it had a slightly higher chance to actually succeed. The idea of working with Wizen had never occurred to Noah, and he wasn¡¯t so sure he liked the sound of it, but if it landed him the key, he got what he needed. At the end of the day, if he could save Moxie and Lee, nothing else mattered. Nobody else mattered.

    It¡¯s the right move. But¡­

    Something in Noah¡¯s stomach twisted.

    Empty Proliferation gave out.

    His magic winked out. The melded Mindscape collapsed.

    With a roar, the true afterlife reformed all around Noah and Wizen. Twisting paths of gold carved through infinity on their path toward the Waters of Life. Countless souls populated their surface, locked in the endless trudge through the great beyond.

    Wizen spun toward the line below them.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Noah barked, his words carving through the void like a hot knife. He shot forward grabbed Wizen by the shoulder, spinning the mage around. ¡°I know the line better than you, Wizen. Better than anyone. Even Sievan. I can accomplish far more than you. If you want to succeed, you¡¯ll need my help. Why are you here?¡± Noah asked. ¡°The real reason, not some lie or whatever you might have told other people. Is it really¡ª¡±

    ¡°I have never lied about my purpose. There was no need to. My daughter is in that line,¡± Wizen said, his hands clenching at his sides. He batted Noah¡¯s hand off his shoulder. ¡°She was stolen from me. Stolen from life. There is nothing in this world that will keep me from righting that wrong. I will rip the world asunder a thousand times over to bring her back. Now step back. I will abide by our deal, and you will not interfere any longer. I have not the magic to waste on you.¡±

    Wizen lifted a hand into the air. Large chunks of his fingers had peeled back and holes grew across the surface his palm. He clenched his fingers and red energy peeled away from his body, crackling into a vibrating disk.

    The disk shifted. Its surface grew smooth and glossy like a still lake. It folded in on itself until it was the size of a marble, and a dim thread lit in the dark void. It stretched off through infinity, running parallel to the line.

    ¡°She waits,¡± Wizen breathed, his gaze lifting to follow the red line into the distance. ¡°Still, she walks the afterlife. I was certain of it. I am coming, Bella.¡±

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    Noah¡¯s stomach clenched again. Going along with Wizen was the easiest way to get away with this. Even if Renewal showed up, Wizen would draw her attention and he¡¯d have a chance to nab the Key and make a run for it.

    It should have been easy. All he had to do was stand to the side and let it happen. Wizen seemed like he had a plan. He clearly had a way to find his daughter. Noah just had to do nothing.

    His hands tightened at his sides.

    Fuck. I can¡¯t. Out of everything I could stand back and watch¡­ this might be the one thing I can¡¯t allow.

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Idiot,¡± Wizen growled. His free hand turned toward Noah, but he hesitated. Wizen obviously needed every single scrap of power he had to pull this off. He couldn¡¯t afford to waste any, an advantage Noah fully planned to abuse. Wizen¡¯s teeth clenched. ¡°You still seek to stand in¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Noah said. ¡°Time is of the essence. You were right about that. Do you know what you seek?¡±

    ¡°The same thing I always have. The return of my daughter¡ª¡±

    ¡°The torture of your daughter. Do you know what the line did to me? Millenia upon millennia of agony seared into my brain. Thousands of years of hell. Everything since has been nothing but a blip in my mind. A flicker of existence in a sea of emptiness.¡±

    ¡°She has not been dead that long,¡± Wizen said, but there was an instant of hesitation before his response. ¡°Four hundred and seven years.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Noah spat. ¡°Four hundred and seven years. Even if time flows at the same rate here as it does in our world, I am certain that four hundred and seven years of desolation will leave her mind unscarred. She will thank you for forcing her to endure another life, her memories of what comes beyond haunting her every living moment.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª no. This cannot ¡ª she will recover. Humans are resilient,¡± Wizen said. Panic lit behind his eyes. ¡°She will be fine.¡±

    ¡°You take her chances of reincarnation and replace them with a wretched, warped existence,¡± Noah said. ¡°And what of Renewal? Do you think the Goddess of Reincarnation will look kindly upon what you do? Your desire to bring her back will do nothing but grant her a few short years of suffering before she returns to where she was, all too painfully aware of what she will have to endure again.¡±

    Wizen flinched back with every word. Power stormed around him and twisted into the empty void, seeking release. Noah¡¯s gaze was unflinching as it bored into Wizen¡¯s eyes.

    I can¡¯t let another person like me exist. I died hundreds of times before I reconnected with my mortality, and I was only able to because of my students. Because of Isabel. Because of Todd. Because of Moxie and Lee. They tied me back to this world, but still the Line lurks. I¡¯ll never be rid of it. Not as long as I live.

    I will not let that fate happen to someone else.

    ¡°Look down,¡± Noah said. ¡°Look at the line, Wizen. It is silent. There is nothing. Nobody. You can¡¯t speak to the other souls. It is utter loneliness in the crowd. All you can do is walk. It rips your being to pieces, so that when the time finally arrives for rebirth, you accept it with open arms. You would steal that from you daughter.¡±

    Wizen looked down, and Noah followed his gaze. He¡¯d been avoiding looking directly at the line for as long as possible, but the movement was almost instinctive.

    Both of them froze.

    Standing near the end of the line was a familiar soul. Though she was translucent and her form muted by the other souls surrounding her, there was no mistaking the small figure.

    It was Sticky.

    ¡°Why is she here?¡± Wizen whispered. He spun toward Noah, his voice turning to a roar that was swallowed by the void all the same. ¡°Why is she here?¡±

    ¡°She died,¡± Noah said. ¡°She wasted the power Sievan used to keep her alive so she could open that door to Sievan¡¯s room for you.¡±

    Wizen¡¯s arm trembled. His eyes flicked from the strand of red energy running from the marble in his hand down to Sticky.

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t meant to,¡± Wizen said. Pain knitted through his words and his jaw clenched. ¡°She was going to find a way.¡±

    ¡°We did.¡± Noah¡¯s fists tightened at his sides. ¡°I believe I have a way to fix the demons, but she didn¡¯t live long enough for me to use it.¡±

    A distant shimmer of pearlescent light grabbed Noah¡¯s attention. It was so far that he could barely make it out, but a pink glow was washing across the horizon.

    Wizen¡¯s head jerked up toward it.

    ¡°She comes,¡± Wizen said. ¡°The Goddess of Reincarnation has sensed our intrusion.¡±

    ¡°If anything, I¡¯m surprised it took this long,¡± Noah said. ¡°Give this up, Wizen. Don¡¯t do this to your daughter. Give me the key.¡±

    ¡°Tell me something,¡± Wizen said, his voice going distant. ¡°You processed the line? As you walk through it? You could not interact, but you knew what was present?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Every last second.¡±

    Wizen looked back down at the figures below them, locked in their endless march. Something in his expression shifted.

    The pink light in the distance grew brighter. Noah couldn¡¯t tell how fast it was approaching. It was impossible to gauge distance in the void. The light simply was.

    ¡°I see,¡± Wizen said simply. ¡°You will wait here.¡±

    Noah blinked. ¡°What? Do you not see the light? Our time is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not yet up. You will wait. My task is not complete.¡±

    Wizen flung the Key toward Noah.

    Noah lunged, grabbing it from the air before it could sail past him and into the void. He spun back toward Wizen in shock, but the other mage wasn¡¯t watching him anymore.

    Wizen was looking down at the line. He extended both of his palms toward it, his fingers digging into the air like claws. Gray strands peeled away from his entire body and flooded the air around him like he were the herald of an eldritch god.

    Glistening blue energy burst free from within his body as it split apart. It burned like a flame in the night, growing so bright that Noah was forced to squint.

    ¡°This is my final binding.¡± Wizen¡¯s words were quiet, but the immense power they held threatened to shatter the darkness around him. He clapped his hands together, then ripped them apart.

    A sea of grey exploded outward, tearing free from his body and driving into the line. Wizen¡¯s own body unraveled in the process, pieces of him vanishing and transforming into the gray strands. His legs and torso crumbled away.

    ¡°I am coming, Bella. You will not be alone for much longer ¡ª but there is one more thing I must do first.¡± Wizen¡¯s lips pulled back in a smirk. He clapped his hands together one final time, and then they too vanished into the sea of gray. The energy crawled up his neck and cracks reached across his face. Wizen looked down onto the huge bridge that his magic had formed between himself and the line. For an instant, a faint smile crossed over his expression. ¡°Bear me witness. Twice now, your father steals from the gods.¡±

    The pink light on the horizon grew brighter still, casting the afterlife in a faint hue, but Wizen didn¡¯t so much as glance in its direction. He simply looked down at the line. Any expression his face might have retained was blocked from Noah¡¯s sight, visible to only the souls below him.

    ¡°Weave.¡±

 Chapter 562: Judgement

    The word slammed into Noah like a physical blow. He doubled over, the air driven from his lungs and the world spinning around him. Noah barely managed to gather his senses and will himself to a halt before he was sent hurtling through the darkness and into oblivion.

    And with that word, the final scraps of Wizen¡¯s body evaporated.

    All that remained of him was the glowing blue light that had been growing stronger with every passing second.

    His soul.

    There was a sound like a zipper ripping through the planes of reality. Every thread of grey magic tightened as if they had been pulled taut.

    Familiar power roiled in the air. Power that Noah had felt within Sunder ¡ª and yet, unique enough to make it completely apparent that this was not his Rune. They may have been cut from the same cloth, but they were different.

    A loud snap echoed through the void, and a soul was torn free from the line.

    The magic wrapped around the soul, pouring into it to create flesh. Gray thread wove into the form of a small demon, her new flesh the color of cobblestone. Power thrummed from her body in waves, and though her eyes were closed, her chest rose and fell in faint breaths.

    Sticky had a body once more. Coils of grey power slithered beneath her skin like a bed of snakes, slowly fading away as they found their places and settled in.

    Noah stared at her in disbelief. Sunder had rebuilt his body countless times when he¡¯d died back in the Mortal Plane, but Wizen had just ripped Sticky straight out of the Line itself. His final words had proven true.

    Wizen had stolen straight from the gods.

    I think I¡¯m going to need a little bit more than just a fruit basket.

    Noah willed himself toward Sticky, but Wizen was faster.

    His glowing blue hand pressed into the demon girl¡¯s back, sending her flying through the void toward Noah. She landed in Noah¡¯s arms limply. Sticky was wrapped in in a deep cloak of sleep. That was probably for the best. The less she remembered of the afterlife, the better it would be.

    Noah¡¯s gaze lifted. For a moment, he stared into Wizen¡¯s glowing blue eyes. The other man¡¯s lips worked as he tried to form a word. Noah had never had any difficulty speaking to himself as a soul after he¡¯d been reincarnated, but it seemed that boon did not extend its grace to the afterlife.

    Wizen¡¯s finger lifted in to the air and he traced it through the air. A faint trail of energy followed in the wake of his finger as he wrote a single word.

    Then he turned toward the red line that stretched out through the afterlife. A single strand of grey energy, the only remaining one, swirled up to wrap around Wizen¡¯s wrist. He grabbed onto the strand of red and shot off, a streak of light fading into eternity.

    Noah stared at the final word that Wizen had left behind. He was all too aware of the growing pink light in the distance, but the other man wouldn¡¯t have wasted time drawing a word for no reason.

    And that was a problem.

    The word made absolutely no sense.

    Orlen.

    There was no pattern to it. No sign that it might have been a hidden message or something else. It was simply a word.

    Noah couldn¡¯t risk sitting around and waiting any longer to find out what it meant. He spun, his gaze turning to the burning mote of white in the distance. The portal back to the Damned Plain was still open. Even now, Sievan held it for him.

    With Sticky under one arm and the key clutched in a hand, Noah flew toward the portal that would take him away from the Line.

    He flew toward life.

    ***

    A bowl of chocolate lay spilled across the ground at Renewal¡¯s feet. A dark screen floated before it, devoid of picture or life. The dark chair that had taken residence beside her own had vanished.

    Decras was gone.

    Renewal had forgotten how empty the world could feel. The infuriating god had been the first break in the monotony of her job in thousands of years. Even though he had only stuck around for a few brief instants in time, she had no choice but to admit to herself that those moments had been enjoyable ones.

    And now they were over.

    Like all things in existence, those moments had been forced to come to an end.

    It was her fault. She¡¯d been too lax in her duty. Renewal had been distracted. She¡¯d been having too much fun watching. Too much fun speaking with Decras. That had cost her a mere flicker of an instant. An amount of time that was so small that a mortal wouldn¡¯t have realized it was happening.

    She hadn¡¯t thought it would matter. Wizen¡¯s goal was impossible. He was too far from his daughter. By the time he grew closer, she would have had a chance to interfere, and so she had been content to watch.

    To let things play out.

    But that brief instant had been enough for Wizen to change his mind. Instead of spending years traversing the line to find his daughter, he had used his powers on the spot.

    He¡¯d ripped Sticky from the Line.

    He¡¯d shattered the natural order.

    It had been far from subtle. The void was sensitive. Magic ¡ª especially forbidden magic ¡ª passed through it like a current of electricity. It bore word of what had happened. Of Renewal¡¯s failure.

    And that word did not go unheard.

    Renewal did not blame Decras for running. It had been the smart move.

    The very instant the shockwave had torn through the void, Decras had flung himself into a dark portal and vanished, taking every trace of his passing with him.

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    He had left Renewal alone to face Judgement.

    He had left Renewal alone as the universe split apart.

    And from within that rend in the universe emerged a woman clad in a dress of stars. Galaxies coiled through her body and starlight shimmered in her wake. The woman¡¯s face was indescribable, even to Renewal. Features came and went, the ebb and flow of a universal ocean. The faces of a thousand overlaid over each other in one instant, only to become nothing but stars in the next.

    She was everything and nothing at once. Pressure pushed and pulled like the heartbeat of the universe itself. The immensity of her magic was such that a planet would have crumbled under her presence alone.

    She was Judgement.

    And, though Renewal could not speak to a single defining detail in Judgement¡¯s features, there was a single emotion present within that ever-changing face.

    Anger.

    ¡°Renewal.¡± The word was silent. Devoid of all the power and immensity that made up Judgement¡¯s being. ¡°You have failed in your duties. How could you have allowed this to happen?¡±

    ¡°I take full responsibility,¡± Renewal said, bowing her head. There was nothing more that could be done. No excuse or justification would have changed the outcome. Everything in life had a price. This was the cost of distraction. The cost of deviation from the path that the universe had set for her.

    ¡°Responsibility is not sufficient. You are stripped of your position.¡± Judgement extended her hand to the side, and the axe of an executioner shimmered to life within it. The weapon was plain, nothing but wood and metal, but a fist of ice clenched around Renewal¡¯s heart at the sight of it.

    It was a weapon that had tasted the blood of gods.

    Renewal¡¯s hands clenched at her sides.

    There was nothing she could do. Judgement was a Rank 11 God ¡ª a High God. And more than that. Judgement ruled this section of the universe. Her word was more than command. It was law.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Renewal said.

    ¡°But you do not regret,¡± Judgement said. ¡°I see it in your eyes, Renewal. You have been led astray. So much talent, squandered. We could have used your strength, but you have allowed yourself to fall. One of the Outer Gods, then? Tell me their name.¡±

    Renewal¡¯s jaw set. The universe did not permit for the lesser gods to rebel against it. Only those with true power ¡ª or a death wish ¡ª could oppose it.

    But her fate was already set in stone. Judgement would not have drawn her axe if she did not plan to use it.

    A tiny smile pulled at the corners of Renewal¡¯s lips. Judgement had been right. She didn¡¯t regret anything. The tiny flicker in time she had spent with Decras, watching the strange mortals desperately fight for power, had been some of the most enjoyable in her life.

    The only enjoyable moments since she had become a god. There had been a time where Renewal had justified her interest in Noah by convincing herself that she only watched to see how she could take the power that he had stolen.

    Now, she knew that to be a lie. The power was nice, but true power could not be stolen. To become a god was to become oneself. And now, at the end, there was no room for mistruth.

    Renewal had simply been having fun.

    ¡°Tell me their name,¡± Judgement repeated. ¡°I order you, Renewal. This is your final command.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Renewal replied, her faint grin forming into a full smile. ¡°I will not. Good riddance to you, Judgement.¡±

    ¡°You have truly fallen.¡± Disgust dripped from Judgement¡¯s words. ¡°You disgust me, Renewal. You had everything ¡ª but now, you will have nothing. I judge you unfit to continue existence. You are a stain upon the universe, a collaborator with Chaos.¡±

    Renewal said nothing.

    Judgement lifted her axe.

    Renewal didn¡¯t try to dodge or block. There was no point. Judgement¡¯s swing would follow her through universes. It would shatter anything in its path. A power like hers could not be rebelled against.

    Perhaps Decras had the right idea. Damn this order to the ends of the universe. There is no joy in complacency.

    ¡°Your sentence is death,¡± Judgement said.

    Renewal squeezed her eyes shut.

    There was a wet thud.

    ¡°I fear that I must object.¡±

    Renewal recognized that voice. Her eyes snapped open.

    Protruding from the center of Judgement¡¯s chest, sending rivers of golden blood pouring down her starry dress, was a black spear.

    Blood splattered across the ground as Decras stepped out from behind the High God, his weapon coated golden.

    ¡°You,¡± Judgement hissed, clutching a hand to her stomach. ¡°Impossible. You are not a High God. You cannot injure me.¡±

    Decras¡¯ laughter rang out through the void. He was still laughing when Judgement¡¯s axe split through the air like a plummeting comet.

    It carved clean through Decras, splitting him down the center.

    ¡°No!¡± Renewal yelled.

    ¡°Fool,¡± Judgement spat, the wound on her chest already sealing. ¡°This is the one that you cavorted with, Renewal? Your taste is truly so poor to choose the Desecrator as the reason you abandon the side of order?¡±

    Renewal¡¯s response was swallowed by a flash of black and a wet thud. Her lips split apart in disbelief.

    Decras¡¯s spear was lodged in Judgement¡¯s head, having been driven directly through one of her eyes. The Goddess¡¯ lips were parted in stunned disbelief, golden blood pouring down her face in thin rivers.

    He drove the spear straight through her eye. Judgement¡¯s body jerked as Decras ripped his weapon free, spraying more golden blood across the ground. The High God crumpled in a heap of growing gold.

    Strands of black reached out from Decras¡¯ halves, latching onto each other. With a squelch, his body reconnected itself and he turned, a smile on his face.

    Renewal gaped, taking a stunned step back.

    ¡°Was that a scream of horror I heard?¡± Decras asked. ¡°For me?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª how?¡± Renewal stammered. ¡°You killed a High God?¡±

    ¡°Killed? No.¡± Decras looked down at Judgement. Then he stabbed her again. Her body jerked as he pulled the spear free. ¡°I would love to, but I can¡¯t kill this thing. She is arrogant, but that arrogance is earned. All I can do is incapacitate her.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Renewal asked, swallowing. ¡°And why are you here? I thought you ran!¡±

    ¡°I hid,¡± Decras corrected. He stabbed Judgement once more. ¡°Judgement was far too powerful for me to challenge properly. I had to cheat a little, but I¡¯ve had far too much fun to abandon you so easily. I do fear that your time as a Goddess of Reincarnation is over. There¡¯s no coming back from this.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Renewal said quietly, her gaze drifting back to Judgement. ¡°There isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Time for a choice,¡± Decras said, driving his spear into the back of Judgement¡¯s head as her body twitched. ¡°You could probably find a different corner of the universe to lie low in. Judgement¡¯s reach isn¡¯t that large, despite what you¡¯ve been led to believe. You can stay prim and proper, your hands unsullied by becoming one of the vile fallen. Or¡­¡±

    ¡°Give me that,¡± Renewal said, grabbing the spear from Decras¡¯ hands. She lifted it up, then drove it down into Judgement¡¯s heart with all the force she could muster. The High Goddess jerked, golden blood splattering everywhere as Renewal ripped the spear free. ¡°The order can rot. I¡¯ve hated this job for centuries. I quit.¡±

    Decras cackled. He took the spear back from Renewal, then swept it through the air. A black portal split open in its wake.

    ¡°Welcome to the ranks of the Fallen, Renewal.¡± Decras gestured to the portal. ¡°Freedom awaits. And if you ever decide you want out, a written notice will suffice.¡±

    Renewal hesitated for a moment. She glanced down at Judgement, then to the dark screen that had occupied so much of her time recently.

    ¡°What about¡ª¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll be fine. Judgement doesn¡¯t know who they are, and the trail is already gone. I¡¯ve dealt with that. Now stop wasting time and march. The more time you spend here, the less time we get to watch. I¡¯ve already got a spot waiting for us, and the food is getting cold.¡±

    A smile pulled across Renewal¡¯s features. ¡°I suppose you did leech off my hospitality for a while. It¡¯s about time you returned the favor.¡±

    She stepped through the portal and vanished.

    Judgement twitched. A furious hiss slipped from her blood-wetted lips. ¡°I will find you, Decras. You cannot escape Judgement.¡±

    ¡°Could you be more pretentious? I have no idea how Renewal put up with your shit this long. I would have done this long ago,¡± Decras said. ¡°You may be a High God, but while you have been stagnant, I have grown. The universe changes, Judgement ¡ª and you are too great of a coward to admit it. The time of your order draws to a close. And when it ends, I will be there to sever its head from its shoulders. But for now, I will settle for this.¡±

    Then he stabbed Judgement in the ass.

    The High God howled curses after him as Decras pulled the spear free and stepped into the twisting patch of shadows. It twisted shut in his wake, and Judgement was left with nothing but the darkness as company.

 Chapter 563: Quick Trip

    Pink light flooded through the void, and Noah didn¡¯t dare turn back to see what the source was. He accelerated toward the white gateway floating in wait before him, hurling himself through it.

    The world warped. White stretched to cover the skies and wrapped around Noah like an all-consuming blanket. He squeezed his eyes shut and twisted his body to protect Sticky. His stomach lurched, and then he shifted.

    Cold stone slammed into Noah¡¯s back and knocked the breath from his lungs.

    He drew in a sharp breath and his eyes snapped open. A void stretched out above him, black and devoid of stars. A replica of the afterlife ¡ª but not the afterlife. Exhaustion gripped at Noah¡¯s head as he turned it to the side, letting glistening obsidian press against his cheek.

    Golden lines trimmed the platform he laid on, and powerful imbuements covered every inch of the ground around him.

    He was back in Sievan¡¯s domain. Back in the Damned Plains.

    With a groan, Noah pushed himself upright. Sticky laid in his lap, her body frail but chest rising and falling with every breath.

    She was alive.

    Somehow, he and Wizen had literally stolen a life straight from the afterlife. Noah swallowed. There were different levels to slighting the gods, and he didn¡¯t know where this one landed.

    Maybe it¡¯s not too bad. They¡¯ve got a whole bunch of souls wandering around. Maybe they won¡¯t miss one.

    Nobody had shown up to smite him on the spot, after all. Perhaps Renewal had just been busy doing something else. Noah wasn¡¯t about to complain. He was, however, probably going to have to make his fruit basket a little bit bigger.

    Something about the size of a small continent should probably do the trick.

    Noah studied Sticky for a moment. He was far from a doctor, but she looked¡­ healthy. It didn¡¯t seem that she was about to die at any point soon. Thin grey veins still pulsed beneath her skin, but her body was settling down.

    Who would have thought that Wizen had a power like this. Not even Sunder or the Fragment of Renewal could have pulled another soul back from the dead.

    Noah was silent for several long moments. He wasn¡¯t actually sure how he was supposed to feel. Emotion and logic twisted and fought for supremacy, only to both realize they were equally as confused and give up the fight altogether.

    It¡¯s almost ironic. The ultimate sacrifice; the power to give one¡¯s life for someone else, in the hands of the most evil man I¡¯ve ever met. And he used it to save a child he barely knew. He didn¡¯t have to. He could have saved the strength and gone to walk with his daughter anyway.

    Why?

    There was no answer. Perhaps not every action could be described by logic. Perhaps not every man was completely good or evil. When Noah had been a teacher on Earth, he would have said that he¡¯d had a pretty good understanding of life. That some things were inherently good, and some were evil. That was that.

    But the more he witnessed, the harder it became to understand. Wizen had not been a good man. He had stolen people¡¯s minds with his runes. Only the gods knew how many people he had killed, and he had done irreparable damage to countless families, not to mention countless other crimes.

    And, in saving Sticky, Wizen might have saved more than just a child. He might have saved the demons as a race. Even if there were others that were like her, she was the one that Noah had to work with.

    How are good and bad weighed? Can you right past wrongs through good deeds? Is there some sort of cosmic scale for good and bad?

    A small smile pulled across Noah¡¯s lips.

    Eh. Fuck it. I don¡¯t know, and it¡¯s not my job to know. That¡¯s a problem for the gods to deal with. Maybe I¡¯ll find an answer one day, but right now, there¡¯s only one thing I care about. Keeping the people I care about safe.

    Noah pulled his jacket off and folded it into a makeshift pillow. He slipped it under Sticky¡¯s head and let her rest on the obsidian as he rose to his feet. She was asleep, so there was no point connecting to her mind yet ¡ª and Empty Proliferation needed some time to regenerate its power.

    Only once he had stood did Noah realize that the white light was gone. His eyes snapped over to Sievan. The Lord of Death stood exactly where he had been stabbed, arms crossed behind his back and eyes closed.

    In the center of his chest was a gaping hole.

    He held it until Sticky and I came back through.

    Noah swallowed. He approached the plain-looking demon, stopping several feet away from him. There was a faint, content smile on Sievan¡¯s face. He stood proud in death.

    For several long seconds, Noah stood in silence. Then he bowed his head in respect.

    What a demon. He wasn¡¯t at all what I was expecting, but after meeting him, I don¡¯t know if I can imagine anyone more fitting to wield the title Lord of Death. I would have liked to¡ª

    ¡°Are you done?¡±

    Noah froze. His eyes snapped up and he took a step back, his lips parting in shock.

    Sievan¡¯s eyes were open.

    ¡°I ¡ª what?¡± Noah stammered. ¡°You¡¯re alive?¡±

    Quiet laughter echoed through the void as Sievan¡¯s lips curled up in a faint smile. ¡°Can Death live? Perhaps nothing has changed.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ you said¡ª¡±

    ¡°I died,¡± Sievan said with a small shrug. ¡°A minor inconvenience. A fresh one. It was an interesting experience. Quite a beneficial one. There are some things that one cannot truly understand while they still live.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    That, at least, is true.

    ¡°Did you really have to wait to come back to life until after I had already started doing a mental eulogy for you?¡± Noah asked through a laugh and a shake of his head. ¡°You¡¯re a bastard.¡±

    ¡°So I have heard.¡±

    ¡°Did you at least manage to fix the problem you had? Can you¡­ ascend?¡±

    Sievan looked down at the hole in his chest, then let out a sigh. ¡°No. I discovered much, but the process was not sufficient. I am still bound at Rank 8 ¡ª and I suspect my soul damage will hinder me for quite some time. It seems that your own escapades were more fortunate.¡±

    ¡°Wizen is dead, and I¡¯ve got the key,¡± Noah confirmed. ¡°And Sticky as well. She lives.¡±

    Damn. I was hoping he might be able to give me some more insight into demons and how their runes work. The more I know, the less guesswork I¡¯ve got to make. It¡¯s too bad I can¡¯t fix his Runes, but I don¡¯t think Sunder could even touch a Rank 8 rune. Sievan is just too powerful, and ripping his runes apart down to Rank 1 would probably kill even him.

    A smile pulled across Sievan¡¯s lips. ¡°So she does. And the grip of death is lessened on her, though it hangs over her head all the same. Is it your power that binds her soul to this world?¡±

    ¡°No. It was Wizen,¡± Noah replied with a shake of his head. He looked from Sticky to Sievan, then tilted his head to the side. ¡°What exactly did you try to do when you went to fix your Runes?¡±

    ¡°I sought to change the manner in which I viewed Death,¡± Sievan replied. ¡°I had thought that, if I died, I could approach things in a new manner. Find an angle that I could not witness before then and attempt to wrest myself free from my maker¡¯s influence. It was impossible. The connection is ingrained. I cannot change the core of my being.¡±

    That is the issue, isn¡¯t it? Demons are drinking from a well of poisoned water. You can¡¯t fix the problem until you remove the poison ¡ª or get a whole new well. But there¡¯s one thing I still don¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Can you tell me something?¡± Noah asked. ¡°What controls the emotion that a demon feeds on? You feed on death. I¡¯ve met demons that feed on knowledge, slaughter, friendship, and everything ¡ª but why? Half the time, it¡¯s got nothing to do with the runes. So what determines that?¡±

    ¡°An interesting question,¡± Sievan said. He scratched at the hole in his chest. ¡°I did not determine what I fed on. My maker chose it for me.¡±

    ¡°Do you remember why?¡±

    Sievan frowned. His head tilted to the side and he was silent for several long seconds. ¡°I¡­ remember little. My creation was a long time ago. A very long time ago. I believe¡­ I believe my maker was deeply unhappy at the time he created me. He wanted someone who could give him a worthy fight. A legacy. One that could end him. But I failed in that. I could not become as powerful as him, and I do not believe his goals are the same as they once were.¡±

    Noah¡¯s brow furrowed. Sievan was the original demon. There had to be something in his creation that could explain how demons came to be.

    I need to figure out where the energy to make a Fragment of Self comes from. If I can get that, I can help Sticky make hers.

    But Sievan is a special case. He was made intentionally by Decras, while the other demons take form themselves. What¡¯s the missing piece?

    A mumble broke through Noah¡¯s thoughts. He and Sievan both glanced over as the small demon¡¯s eyes fluttered open. She sat up, wiping at her face.

    ¡°I ¡ª what happened?¡± Sticky asked. She looked around and confusion played across her features. ¡°I¡­ I was dead. In a line.¡±

    ¡°Wizen got what he wanted,¡± Noah replied softly. ¡°He found his daughter again, and he saved your life in the process.¡±

    Sticky blinked. She looked down at her body, then back up to Noah. Confusion still gripped her features as she struggled to piece memories back together. ¡°I helped?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said with a small smile. ¡°You did.¡±

    ¡°Is Wizen coming back?¡±

    ¡°Those who pass from this realm unto the next are not meant to return,¡± Sievan said. ¡°Wizen is, for better or for worse, at peace. He stole you from the gods themselves at the cost of his own life. A bold man.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Sticky asked, staring at them with wide, watery eyes. ¡°Why would he do that? I¡¯m just¡­ me. I can¡¯t do anything.  Why would he waste a gift like that on me?¡±

    ¡°A gift isn¡¯t something that has to be justified,¡± Noah said. ¡°What matters is that you¡¯re alive, and you¡¯re wrong about not being able to do something. Life has inherent value. And if that isn¡¯t enough ¡ª I need your help.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Sticky blinked.

    ¡°Yes. I think you¡¯ve got the key to save every single demon,¡± Noah replied. ¡°But I just have to figure something out first. I know you¡¯re probably confused right now. Coming back from the afterlife is¡­ difficult. I¡¯ve been there. Just relax for a little.¡±

    Sticky nodded slowly. She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers as if suddenly recalling that she had them.

    Noah chewed his lower lip. ¡°I need to figure out what causes demons to determine what they consume. It can¡¯t just be random.¡±

    ¡°I have never considered this,¡± Sievan said. ¡°It is not something we can change, so it did not feel prudent.¡±

    ¡°There has to be a pattern that determines what demons eat,¡± Noah muttered. ¡°Aylin got Knowledge. Violet became a Hoarder. Maybe it¡¯s something that happens before you reach Rank 3? Demons could be initially partial to some emotion that then becomes what they consumes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not Rank 3 yet,¡± Sticky volunteered. ¡°But I don¡¯t really feel like there¡¯s anything I really lean toward. I¡¯m fine with how things are.¡±

    Noah blinked. ¡°Seriously? You wouldn¡¯t change anything? Not even¡ª¡±

    Sticky shook her head. ¡°No. That¡¯s just how life is. It¡¯s okay. And I got to meet some really incredible demons because of how I am. Sievan only found me because I was broken. I even got to help Wizen. I wish I could do more, but I¡¯m happy. I want to live, but I wouldn¡¯t change anything about myself.¡±

    I ¡ª

    Wait.

    Sievan¡¯s words echoed through Noah¡¯s head. Back when they had first spoken, while time had been frozen, the Lord of Death had said something that stuck in Noah¡¯s mind.

    Demons are the runes within them.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want anything,¡± Noah muttered. ¡°Holy shit. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°It is?¡± Sticky blinked. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Aylin wanted knowledge. Violet wanted to protect her family. Sievan was made of Decras¡¯ desire to die. The feeling or power a demon ends up feeding on is the one that they lack the most. The reason Sticky¡¯s soul doesn¡¯t work properly is because she¡¯s content. She doesn¡¯t long for anything.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Sticky asked.

    ¡°Demons and their runes are one and the same,¡± Noah said, starting to speak faster as excitement gripped him. ¡°But demons are broken. They¡¯re missing something. That¡¯s why they consume emotions. They want what they don¡¯t have. But you ¡ª you¡¯re not broken at all, Sticky. You¡¯re perfect. The perfect demon is literally right in front of us. You don¡¯t want for anything, and so your soul doesn¡¯t need to bring in a new emotion. I bet that¡¯s why Demons can¡¯t continuously advance either. Your souls are missing a core element. You can¡¯t fully comprehend your runes when your soul is focused on bringing in something that isn¡¯t you. I¡¯ve been looking for a way to make something that already exists. Sticky is her rune.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Sievan asked. ¡°Sticky has no runes. That is her problem.¡±

    ¡°Wrong,¡± Noah said with a laugh. ¡°You told me this yourself, Sievan. How could a Demon possibly exist without a Rune? The power we need is within Sticky. It just needs to be freed.¡±

    Just like my Fragment of Self. I didn¡¯t truly create it. It was a part of my soul that I cut out and re-bound to myself. Decras¡¯ Fragments don¡¯t work because his desires have corrupted every single demon and forcibly changed them into something they don¡¯t truly want to be. But Sticky wants nothing. Her soul is pure ¡ª and that means the energy from her Runes is exactly what every demon would need to make their own Rune.

    ¡°Can such a thing even be done?¡± Sievan frowned. ¡°How would you harness such a power?¡±

    Noah smiled. ¡°Leave that to me. Sticky, I¡¯d like to take a quick trip into your soul.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said. His smile grew wider. ¡°I can help you become what you were always meant to be.¡±

 Chapter 564: Fragments

    As soon as Sticky voiced her assent to his request, Noah called upon Empty Proliferation. The Mind rune might have been made to defend himself against Wizen and other mind mages, but it also served a very useful second purpose of letting him knock on the figurative door of someone else¡¯s mindspace.

    The Rune was nowhere near as effective as a Mind Meld Potion. The maximum amount of time Noah could keep it going was probably no more than ten minutes if his target wasn¡¯t actively trying to shunt him out of their mind, but it was free ¡ª and he didn¡¯t have to carry a bunch of vials around with him everywhere he went.

    His mind prickled as it brushed against Sticky¡¯s, but her soul was so weak that there was almost no delay before his consciousness entered the small demon¡¯s mind.

    Color bloomed all around him. Gentle blue-green water spilled across the ground and formed into a deep ocean, as smooth as a mirror and still as a painting. Ripples of energy rolled out as Noah¡¯s feet alighted upon its surface.

    Gentle light shone overhead, illuminating the cloudless sky. There didn¡¯t appear to be any source for it. The light was simply there. It warmed Noah¡¯s skin and wrapped around his body like a comforting blanket.

    In summary, it was the least demon-like soul that Noah had ever seen. Even his own soul felt like it fit the bill better than hers. Then again, given what Sticky was, perhaps this was the most demon-like soul that he¡¯d ever seen.

    Noah¡¯s neck craned back. There wasn¡¯t a single rune floating anywhere. Her soul was completely and utterly empty. He¡¯d known that to be the case, but it still felt odd. Incomplete.

    This is¡­ odd. Shouldn¡¯t Weave be here somewhere? Wizen definitely didn¡¯t keep it. I saw the rune in Sticky¡¯s eyes.

    Now isn¡¯t the time to worry about it. Perhaps it managed to hide itself somehow.

    His eyes lowered back to the surface of the sea.

    Sticky stood across from him, looking up with wide, nervous eyes. Her hands were tight at her sides. She wanted to hope, but she couldn¡¯t let herself do it. Not yet ¡ª but Noah would fix that.

    ¡°What do I have to do?¡± Sticky asked.

    ¡°For now? Just stand around while I have a look at you,¡± Noah replied. His senses crawled across the ocean and reached into the sky.

    There was a pattern hidden somewhere within this still world. It wasn¡¯t a question of if it existed. Even human souls were patterns. Noah had seen that in his own soul, even if it didn¡¯t fully qualify as a normal mortal one anymore.

    He hadn¡¯t even realized the pattern existed before he¡¯d managed to harness a tiny portion of that pattern to mistakenly make his Fragment of Self. But now he did ¡ª and in theory, this was even easier than a human soul.

    Demons were their runes. Sticky existed. And, thus, she had a rune that represented her. Noah just had to find it and carve a little chunk free with Sunder.

    And so he searched.

    Sticky watched on quietly.

    Noah¡¯s domain swept through Sticky¡¯s mind in pursuit of magic. Seconds ticked by and turned to a minute. His mind and his logic warred. To his magic, there was nothing. Sticky¡¯s soul appeared barren and empty.

    It seemed as if there was nothing there, but Noah didn¡¯t believe that for a second. There was a pattern. Everything had a pattern. Sticky was not so great an anomaly that she could somehow break every single law of magic that Noah had learned since he¡¯d arrived in Arbitage.

    I just need to figure out where it¡¯s hidden. It has to be here somewhere. Maybe buried deep within the ocean, or hidden somewhere within the sky? She¡¯s tricky. I¡¯ll give her that. But there¡¯s a rune here somewhere, and I¡¯m not leaving until¡ª

    And then he saw a flicker

    Noah¡¯s eyes widened. He blinked several times as his mind adjusted. Noah banished his domain, pulling the magic back and looking on with only his eyes. He¡¯d been looking at her soul the wrong way.

    A laugh nearly slipped from his lips.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The pattern was right in front of him, in plain view. It wasn¡¯t hidden somewhere. The pattern was the stillness of the ocean. It was the endless depths below and the warm sky above. Every single piece of the soul around him was the pattern that Noah sought.

    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Noah breathed. ¡°There it is.¡±

    ¡°What is?¡± Sticky asked. ¡°Did you find something? Where is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I found what I was looking for, and it¡¯s everywhere,¡± Noah replied, casting his hands out. ¡°All around us. Every single thing.¡±

    Sticky¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°You will.¡± Noah chuckled. He lifted a hand, veins of black carving beneath his skin as he drew on the faintest trickle of Sunder¡¯s power. He had no desire to accidentally split Sticky¡¯s soul straight down the middle and accidentally kill her.

    All he needed to do was to take a tiny sliver.

    ¡°Is this going to hurt?¡± Sticky asked nervously.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Noah replied with a smile. ¡°This is nothing more than a little haircut.¡±

    He pressed his palm into the still ocean beneath his feet. The tiny amount of power he¡¯d gathered in Sunder, slipped out, guided by his intent as it pierced into Sticky¡¯s soul. His brow creased in concentration. Despite the amount of power he was using, this was far from a completely simple task.

    Sunder was a razor-sharp scalpel. It would cut through anything in its path if he let it, but he wasn¡¯t trying to carve Sticky¡¯s soul apart at the seams.

    It was actually harder to guide the tiny amount of power he used from the Rune than it would have been to flood it with energy and just demolish everything in his path ¡ª but Noah had been using Sunder for quite some time now.

    The Master Rune was no longer foreign to him. Even though he¡¯d yet to unlock the full extent of Sunder¡¯s strength, Noah could use every bit that he could access near perfectly. It was an extension of his will.

    A tiny black line sliced into the bottom of Sticky¡¯s soul, cutting into the still water and parting it like a block of Jell-O. Black threads stretched out between the two halves of the ground. Beneath them, a fragment of white void shimmered, marking a minor amount of soul damage.

    Noah smiled at the sight.

    There we go. I was starting to wonder if she was even a demon at all. Still the same race at the core, but their souls were never meant to be a goopy sea of corrupted emotion.

    Noah reached into the darkness and extended his will along with his hand. Tingles prickled against his palm as energy rose up from the cut. He gathered it into a tiny ball of shimmering white light, then turned to Sticky and extended his palm.

    ¡°This is your energy. It¡¯s already part of your soul. You just have to condense it down into a Rune.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Sticky asked, shifting from foot to foot nervously and swallowing. ¡°I¡¯ve never done something like that. I didn¡¯t know you could make runes.¡±

    Ah, shit. Forgot about that bit.

    ¡°You need three things to make a Rune,¡± Noah said. ¡°Energy, intent, and an inciting event ¡ª Something to kick the combination off. This is the energy. For the intent, just focus on yourself. Who you want to be.¡±

    ¡°What about the last thing?¡±

    Noah gestured around them. ¡°That¡¯s you, Sticky. Demons are a race of desire. Your souls and bodies are completely connected. You don¡¯t need an external event. That¡¯s the piece I was missing for so long. I was trying to figure out how a demon could make a Fragment of Self. But demons are desire. What moment could be more of an event for your kind than the deepest longing to become something?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to understand. I know you¡¯re content with how things are. But is this really all you want? There¡¯s nothing more in life you want than to die?¡±

    Sticky stared up at him. At the energy in Noah¡¯s outstretched palm. She swallowed.

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to die.¡±

    ¡°Then change your fate.¡±

    The demon¡¯s features set. She extended her hand toward Noah.

    Traces of light lit around Sticky¡¯s fingertips. The power intensified and buzzed around her palm like a hive of angry bees. Flickers of magic slipped away from the energy Noah had gathered from Sticky¡¯s soul and transformed into streamers of light that wove around her fingers like gray threads.

    Sticky¡¯s hands clenched into fists. The rest of the energy ripped away from Noah and gathered around her. A tiny prickle of pressure pushed into Noah. Two lines of gray light sliced into the air.

    The strokes of a rune. They burned in the air, buzzing with silent power. More strokes followed after, swirling out to begin taking the shape of a rune. Wind howled past Noah and gathered around the small demon in a vortex.

    Tremors shook Sticky¡¯s hands as she fought to control the power. It might have only been a Rank 1 Rune, but she¡¯d never had a rune to call upon before.

    She needs a push.

    ¡°Say it,¡± Noah yelled over the growing howl. ¡°What do you want? If you could have anything in this world, what would you choose?¡±

    Sticky¡¯s hands clenched.

    The wind stopped.

    ¡°I want to live.¡±

    The final stroke of the rune carved through the air.

    Yes!

    A brilliant flash of gray lit the small demon¡¯s mindspace.

    Noah staggered back, blinded, as a wave of crackling energy rolled past him. It buzzed against his skin and curled through his hair like an electric current. He raised a hand, blinking furiously and squinting through his fingers until his vision returned.

    And then he saw it.

    Noah¡¯s face split apart in a smile.

    Floating between him and the small demoness was a small gray Rune ¡ª and he could read it perfectly.

    Fragment of Sticky

 Chapter 565: Afterlife

    Gray light from the newly made Rune shimmered across Sticky¡¯s mindspace. It reflected off the water and faded into the warm sky, slowly fading away as the demon¡¯s soul calmed down. Strands of black reached up from within Sticky¡¯s mindspace, wrapping around the rune in attempt to pull it back into her greater soul, but it had been split apart until she re-imbued it.

    The air was silent for several long seconds. Neither Noah nor Sticky spoke. They both just stared at the small Rank 1 Rune that floated between them.

    ¡°A Rune,¡± Sticky breathed, staring at her creation with wide-eyed awe. She reached out toward it, then caught herself before her fingers could brush across its surface. ¡°I made this?¡±

    ¡°All you,¡± Noah confirmed. He could feel the power in Empty Proliferation starting to erode. He didn¡¯t have much time left, but there would be more than enough for the rest of what he needed to accomplish. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°¡­fine,¡± Sticky said after a moment of hesitation. She swallowed. ¡°Am I supposed to feel different? Did something go wrong?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. ¡°If anything, you might have felt a little worse because of the soul damage I gave you removing a chunk of energy to work with. I¡¯ll get that patched up soon enough. There¡¯s only one thing left that you¡¯ll have to do.¡±

    Sticky blinked. ¡°There¡¯s more? What is it?¡±

    ¡°You need to finish the bridge,¡± Noah replied. He nodded to the rune. ¡°That¡¯s a representation of yourself, but it belongs with the rest of the whole. Demons already have souls that are very connected to their bodies, but you still need to bridge that gap completely. Imbuing your own body with the Fragment of Self will solidify it within you and keep that slot open for other runes.¡±

    ¡°Demon Runes?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°You don¡¯t need those anymore. Demon Runes are all built off fragments of somebody called Decras. They¡¯re flawed, and they¡¯re part of the reason demons consume emotions.¡±

    ¡°So the Demon Runes cause everything? Demons are just¡­ humans without them?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. Demons are demons. You have an incredible connection between your soul and your body. That will never change.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ still confused. I want to understand, but I don¡¯t.¡± Sticky¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°There¡¯s still a flaw in us, then?¡±

    ¡°No. The issue is gone now that you¡¯ve created that rune,¡± Noah said with a grin. ¡°Now, demons are just different. It took me a long time to really figure out what the original issue with demons was, but it boils down to two things. Your runes and your nature. They feed into each other in an endless cycle. That¡¯s what caused the problems.¡±

    ¡°Our nature?¡±

    ¡°The connection I just mentioned. Because of how closely tied your mind and body are, demons don¡¯t just use runes. You are your runes. And if your runes affect you, then it would only make sense that your desires affect your runes. The desires of a demon shape their runes just as much as their runes shape them.¡±

    ¡°And the Minuscule Fragment of Decras messed it up?¡±

    Noah nodded. ¡°Exactly. The first Rune that every single demon gets is a Minuscule Fragment of Decras ¡ª and that Rune is tainted. It¡¯s full of someone else¡¯s desires. And when a demon wants for something, that rune latches onto that desire and tries to fill it. But it can¡¯t. You can never truly feel satisfied when the satisfaction doesn¡¯t come from you. All you¡¯re doing is trying to fulfill someone else¡¯s vision of you. So the rune overcompensates. It hungers for more, and the pattern grows. As the demon gets stronger, so does their desire.¡±

    ¡°And it just keeps going,¡± Sticky said, her eyes going wide in realization. ¡°That¡¯s why strong demons are all so obsessed. They keep needing more and more of their emotion until they become it.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s not even their emotion. It¡¯s just the emotion they wanted most. Nobody is just a single emotion, but there¡¯s no room for anything else when your runes are warping your whole body to optimize for a single thing,¡± Noah said. He nodded to Sticky¡¯s Rune. ¡°That¡¯s why this is so important. You don¡¯t have a bias toward an emotion, and you¡¯re a true demon, one without any influence warping you.¡±

    ¡°But won¡¯t my rune just cause demons to become¡­ me?¡± Sticky asked worriedly. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem much better than how things already are.¡±

    ¡°If they tried to replace their current Demon Runes with yours, yes. But that¡¯s not what we¡¯re going to be doing. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible, but what I want is the energy from your Rune. Your rune is you, but the energy that went into it is pure. Any demon can use that energy to then form a Fragment of Self that represents who they are.¡±

    Sticky¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost certain of it,¡± Noah replied with an excited smile. It fell away, briefly replaced by a grimace. ¡°This does mean I¡¯m going to have to ask you for a favor. I need a copy of your rune. I¡¯ve tried to split a Fragment of Self from my own body before and it didn¡¯t work, but I¡¯m hoping it¡¯ll be different because of your unique physiology. The connection between your body and rune is stronger, but that goes in both ways. My runes can¡¯t exist without me, but I think yours can. No matter what, this won¡¯t be easy. It¡¯s definitely going to cause soul damage, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Sticky said.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even finish. I can deal with the soul damage,¡± Noah said. ¡°Don¡¯t agree to people asking to damage your soul before you hear them out completely.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Sticky repeated. ¡°It¡¯ll help Lord Sievan too, won¡¯t it?¡±

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    ¡°Possibly. I¡¯d like it to.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it. How do I imbue the Fragment?¡±

    She¡¯s almost too eager to mutilate herself. I feel like the universe keeps showing me how Moxie feels when I repeatedly off myself.

    ¡°First, you need to get another Fragment,¡± Noah said. ¡°Once you¡¯ve got two of them, you¡¯re going to imbue the first Fragment back into your soul. You do that by drawing it onto the surface and pushing power into it.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Sticky said. ¡°Cut me again.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s phrase that differently, please. You¡¯re making me sound like a psychopath,¡± Noah said with a frown. He summoned a flicker of Sunder¡¯s power to his fingertips. ¡°This part should still be fairly easy. It¡¯s the imbuing that might suck.¡±

    The demoness gave him a firm nod. Noah reached down and pressed his palm to the still water beneath his feet, sending a blade of power cutting through it.

    Sticky burst into action. She was a fast learner. As soon as the power swirled forth from the new crack within her mindspace, she gathered it to her fists and narrowed her eyes in concentration.

    Just seconds later, a second Fragment of Sticky floated in the air before her.

    Good. It¡¯s better to just completely Imbue a second fragment than worrying about playing around with splitting the first. Keeps things a lot simpler, soul damage notwithstanding.

    ¡°What now?¡± Sticky asked.

    ¡°We go back to the Damned Plains,¡± Noah replied. ¡°And then we wait a bit before you try Imbuing anything. I need to rest so I can get my¡ª¡±

    He paused. A frown crossed over his lips. Noah had been about to say that he needed to get the energy from the Fragment of Renewal back. He¡¯d used it trying to save Sticky, which meant it should have been inactive until the next day ¡ª but for some reason, the power met his thoughts without reservation.

    Huh? Why has the Fragment of Renewal awakened already? There should have been hours left before it came back! Did returning to the afterlife somehow refill it?

    I¡¯ll have to worry about that later. We have an opportunity to end this problem for good.

    ¡°Scratch that,¡± Noah said, shaking his head. ¡°We can do this immediately. I¡¯m going to send us back. Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± the small demon replied with a determined nod.

    He released Empty Proliferation.

    Sticky¡¯s mindspace crumbled as his soul flew back into his own body.

    Noah¡¯s eyes snapped open. The darkness shifted before his vision as an obsidian platform materialized beneath him. He sat up, pushing away from the cold stone and rising back to his feet.

    A small groan echoed out as Sticky awakened beside him. She rubbed at her eyes. ¡°My head hurts.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be done soon,¡± Noah replied, removing the grimoire from his back and flipping it open to a blank page. He sat it down on the ground before Sticky. ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured, but whenever you¡¯re ready, do your best to imbue one of the Runes you just made here. It might take you a few tries, so you can relax¡ª¡±

    Sticky pressed her finger to the page. Her brow furrowed in concentration, and Noah¡¯s mouth snapped closed. Saying anything else would just distract her, and the little demon was far too determined to hesitate any longer than absolutely necessary.

    Minutes ticked by. Sticky didn¡¯t move as she stared at the page. Considering she¡¯d never had Runes of her own, she couldn¡¯t have had the opportunity to practice Imbuing.

    Will she be able to do it? Even I couldn¡¯t split apart a Fragment of Self. But as a demon, it just might be possible because of the very thing that makes demons what they are. That connection between their body and runes might be the legs her rune needs to exist without her. It¡¯s a long shot, but it¡¯s the only one I¡¯ve got right now.

    That didn¡¯t seem like it was going to stop her. After another minute, Sticky started to draw. Gray light shimmered at her fingertip. Her jaw clenched and a droplet of sweat rolled down the side of her face.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Sievan breathed, his words nothing more than a whisper. ¡°She has a Rune.¡±

    Discomfort turned to pain in Sticky¡¯s features as she worked, but she didn¡¯t let herself slow.

    Noah drew on the Fragment of Renewal. Cooling energy rolled through his veins and gathered at his hands as he prepared to release its power. He watched the demon like a hawk as her finger continued to move across the paper.

    Her discomfort grew. The muscles in her neck went taut and her finger trembled, but she didn¡¯t slow. Even a fool could have seen that it was taking every single scrap of self-control Sticky had to keep going.

    But keep going she did.

    The demoness drew the final lines of the rune with a pained wheeze.

    Energy solidified into solid lines with a snap. She¡¯d managed to successfully imbue a Fragment of herself.

    At the very instant she pulled her hand away from the page, Sticky swayed and her eyes threatened to roll back. Noah grabbed her by the shoulders and unleashed all the power he¡¯d gathered from the Fragment of Renewal. Soothing magic poured out from him and into her.

    The tension slipped away from Sticky¡¯s features. She relaxed, her eyelids fluttering as she pulled back into consciousness.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Noah asked, supporting Sticky to keep her from falling.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sticky murmured. Some of the strength seeped back into her voice and she looked down at the page. ¡°Did it work?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah replied. ¡°It did. You did everything you had to. Thank you. This is huge. You have no idea how much we¡¯re going to be able to do with this.¡±

    ¡°Can you help Lord Sievan next?¡±

    A quiet laugh echoed through the void as the Lord of Death shook his head. ¡°Did you truly find a way to solve our flaw, Spider? You did what I ¡ª what Decras himself ¡ª could not?¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re just setting me up to sound like a proud asshole,¡± Noah said. ¡°Really, Sticky did everything. I¡¯m just stealing some of her power. She¡¯s the building block we needed. I¡¯m going to have to make copies of this Rune. A lot of them. From there, demons can break the rune and use it to form a new Fragment of Self to bind their soul with. It won¡¯t be easy ¡ª you¡¯re probably going to have to rip out the bad runes you¡¯ve got. Not every single demon will be capable of that. But for the ones that can¡­ it should fix them.¡±

    Or for the ones I use the Fragment of Renewal on, but I¡¯m not going to sit around fixing every single demon in the Damned Plains. Even if they can¡¯t get rid of Decras¡¯ runes entirely, this should help them get some control of themselves back.

    ¡°I see,¡± Sievan said with a small smile. ¡°But it is not yet my time for this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to let him help you?¡± Sticky asked, blinking in surprise.

    ¡°I am not so easily repaired. I must rebuild my soul. I have felt Spider¡¯s power, but the immensity of what must be fixed is beyond even your abilities. It will be years before I am ready for such a procedure. This is a procedure for the young and easily changed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I could help the process along,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Sievan said. ¡°But there are some things that must be done on your own. When you reach my strength, you will come to understand this as well. And I suspect you have a slightly more pressing matter at hand.¡±

    ¡°I do?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Sievan replied. ¡°There are those that wait for you. It has been some time since you followed Wizen into the next realm.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes went wide.

    That¡¯s why the Fragment of Renewal had returned. Not because it had been refilled, but because it had been given enough time to regenerate.

    Oh, shit. How long was I stuck in the afterlife?

 Chapter 566: Favor

    ¡°How long have I been gone?¡± Noah asked, his chest tightening even as the words left his lips. Days were precious. Now, especially so. Had he missed another thousand years? What had happened to Moxie? To Lee? To his students, who still waited still back in the mortal plane.

    If he¡¯d missed all of that¡­

    Noah¡¯s throat clenched.

    ¡°The situation is not as bad as you fear,¡± Sievan said, lifting a hand and freezing the thoughts in Noah¡¯s head. ¡°You did not remain within the afterlife for long. The time that has been lost can be measured in days, not years.¡±

    Some of the tension slipped from between Noah¡¯s lips in a sigh, but his shoulders remained taut. Moxie and Lee would be fine. They weren¡¯t gone.

    He wasn¡¯t so sure if he could say the same for his students back in Arbitage. There was a big difference between a few days and a dozen days. That was especially true in the Damned Plains, where the days were far longer than back in the mortal realm.

    Every moment that went by in the Damned Plains mounted the risks they faced. They had too many enemies. He¡¯d honestly pushed it to the back of his mind; his focus completely on finding a way to defeat Wizen.

    But now that he had a way out and he hadn¡¯t lost as much time as he feared¡­ the idea of missing their exam was painful ¡ª and somewhere deep in his mind, Noah had never considered not being there for it.

    Perhaps he¡¯d been delusional. Nobody fell into the Damned Plains on the back of an artifact controlled by a mage far more powerful than them and then decided they¡¯d make it out before a few weeks had passed.

    But it was his duty as a teacher to be there for all of them. To make sure they could take the honest test that they should have been promised, and to ensure that nobody tried to interfere with things.

    Isabel and Todd were still in danger, and not from the chance of failing the exam. People wanted Isabel¡¯s Master Rune. Verrud, the professor from the Herron family that had tried to trick him and Moxie into thinking he was on their side so he could get closer to Isabel. Jakob, the Torrin professor working with Verrud, and his two brats, Marley and Yulin ¡ª and who knew who else.

    If I¡¯ve been gone for too long, what happened to them? Verrud and Jakob are nothing to me now. But what does that matter if they¡¯ve already struck? Am I already too late?

    ¡°How many days?¡± Noah asked stiffly. ¡°And where is Moxie? Where is Lee?¡±

    ¡°Just about three or four on the mortal realm,¡± Sievan said, predicting Noah¡¯s next question with a quiet smile. ¡°I have spoken to your friends. I know where your concern lies. They are safe, and it is not too late. Your friends in Arbitage still reside there, though your time runs thin.¡±

    Thank God. Okay. We can still pull this off. I¡¯ve got the Key. We can make it back in time for the exam, then. It just seems like we¡¯ll have to move quickly.

    ¡°Where exactly is safe? Are Moxie and Lee here?¡± Noah asked, glancing around the platform. Aside from Sticky and Sievan, it was completely empty.

    Sievan nodded over Noah¡¯s shoulder.

    Noah turned to find a silent portal of purplish black energy blooming in the air behind him. Gentle waves of energy rolled out from it and prickled against his skin. He took a step back as its surface rippled and bulged.

    Zath¡¯s huge form stepped out from within the portal, ducking to fit through it properly. He unfurled to his full height, bowing his head in respect to Sievan, and stepped to the side as Moxie and Lee followed him out of it.

    ¡°Noah!¡± Lee exclaimed launching herself in his direction the moment she spotted him.

    Noah caught her with a laugh. Lee wrapped herself around his upper body like a koala and Moxie strode over, joining the group and throwing her arms around both of them. Noah was pretty sure he felt several bones in his spine pop as he got squeezed.

    ¡°Moxie. Lee,¡± Noah wheezed. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Wizen?¡± Lee asked. ¡°Is he¡ª¡±

    ¡°Gone,¡± Noah replied. ¡°He¡¯s in the Line. I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ll be seeing him again¡­ and I got what we came for.¡±

    Moxie released him and Lee dropped down to the ground, freeing Noah¡¯s arm so he could lift the Key up and let them all see it. Moxie and Lee¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°That¡¯s the thing Wizen stole from Tim, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lee muttered. ¡°Does that mean we can go back home?¡±

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    ¡°Do you know how to use it?¡± Moxie asked.

    Noah winced. The Key had the power to somehow cut through planes and allow passage between them¡­ but he had absolutely no idea how it had worked. Wizen hadn¡¯t exactly given him a tutorial. He¡¯d left Noah with a single word of information to work with.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said. ¡°But I¡¯m sure we can figure it out. We have to. I don¡¯t suppose the word Orlen means anything to either of you?¡±

    Both Moxie and Lee shook their heads.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard it before. Why?¡± Moxie said. ¡°Should it?¡±

    ¡°It was the last thing Wizen told me before he gave me the Key.¡±

    ¡°Wait. He gave you the Key?¡± Moxie blinked in surprise. ¡°Why would he give it to you? Weren¡¯t you fighting?¡±

    ¡°Wizen¡¯s entire purpose in the Afterlife was finding his daughter, but he had no idea as to the extent of the damage that the afterlife does to a mind. We had a little chat before things really started to go south, and I was able to convince him that bringing her back would be the worst thing he could possibly do.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ what, he just gave up?¡± Lee frowned. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem like the type to give up.¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t give up,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. He looked down to Sticky, who sat in silence on the ground, knees pulled up against her chest. ¡°He changed his plan and decided to do his best to save two people instead of one. Sticky died during the fight. Wizen brought her back.¡±

    ¡°From the dead?¡± Moxie¡¯s eyes went wide in awe. ¡°He actually had a way to bring someone back?¡±

    ¡°Once,¡± Sticky said softly.

    This might be a bit too much of a sore wound for Sticky to keep talking about it here.

    Noah shook the key slightly. ¡°We need to figure out how to get this working as soon as possible. Sievan told me that I missed a few days of time. That means we¡¯re really going to be cutting this close. I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d even be able to get back in time, but if the possibility is there, we have to take it. The students¡¯ exam might have already started. We have to get back as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re so motivated to return for?¡± Sievan asked, a chuckle slipping from his lips. ¡°An exam? You, who walked the Line and returned, are worried about missing a test?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just a test,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯m a teacher, and my students are in danger. There are kids up on the mortal plane who are being hunted for their runes. I¡¯ve got allies there, but I don¡¯t know how desperate our enemies are. If I have the chance to protect them, I have to take it.¡±

    A flicker of hesitation wrapped around Noah¡¯s chest. Most of his students were back in the mortal plane, but not all of them were. His travels through the Damned Plains hadn¡¯t exactly been solitary.

    What happens to Aylin and Violet when we leave? They¡¯re both much stronger than they were when I met them. Strong enough to defend themselves and what I basically had them build for me¡­ but there¡¯s more to life than just being strong.

    Yoru is proof of that. She¡¯s one of the strongest demons in the Damned Plains, but she¡¯s been alone for centuries. Is it really right to just up and vanish without speaking to a single one of them?

    Noah¡¯s jaw clenched. He was being pulled in two different directions. His duty was to his students ¡ª but even though he hadn¡¯t planned on it, he¡¯d picked up a few more in this world. He couldn¡¯t just abandon them.

    He looked down at the key. His senses brushed across the artifact. There was power stored within it ¡ª there was no doubt about that. An ocean of roiling energy waited within the Key¡­ and Noah had absolutely no idea how to access it.

    No matter how hard he tried, his mind couldn¡¯t find common ground with the key. There was no way to access the energy within it. It was immensely powerful, and about as useful as a chunk of lead in his hands.

    Shit. Even if I get this working¡­ I still haven¡¯t answered the other question. What do I do?

    Sievan¡¯s domain was quiet for several seconds until Moxie broke the silence.

    ¡°We need to go back ¡ª but we can¡¯t leave the kids here. They don¡¯t deserve that.¡±

    Noah chewed on the insides of his cheeks. He wanted to do everything. To protect his students, both here and in the damned plains. His fingers tapped an incessant beat against his legs as he dug for an answer.

    ¡°If you need to leave now, maybe you could come back after?¡± Sticky asked hesitantly. ¡°So you can help the other demons?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I have no plans of abandoning everyone. I just didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have an opportunity to get back to the others in time,¡± Noah said. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was workable. Right now, the most important thing he could do was make sure he made it back to the mortal plane in time. He¡¯d have preferred to return the key to Tim the moment he could, but waiting a bit longer wouldn¡¯t kill anyone. He looked down at the key in his hand. ¡°I just have to figure out how to use this.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ think I might be able to do it,¡± Sticky said, her gaze locked on the key and expression twisting in concentration. ¡°There are memories in my head. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re mine, but I remember how to use the key.¡±

    Noah blinked. ¡°You do? Then Orlen¡ª¡±

    Sticky shook her head. ¡°Not like that. No words. More like I¡¯ve done something enough times that I remember how to do it.¡±

    ¡°If you can, then we would be in your debt,¡± Noah said, holding the key out to Sticky. It must have had something to do with how Wizen had completely rebuilt her body with Weave. He would have loved to know more, but there were many things that he wanted to do and not nearly enough time to do them all.

    He just wished ¡ª

    Wait.

    Noah paused.

    ¡°Should I stop?¡± Sticky asked.

    ¡°No, you¡¯re fine. Please figure out how to work the key,¡± Noah said. He looked to Sievan. ¡°But, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like a little help. I believe there¡¯s a rune you were looking to buy.¡±

    The skin around Sievan¡¯s eyes crinkled in amusement. ¡°What price are you thinking?¡±

    ¡°Oh, not too much,¡± Noah replied. There was a way he could get almost everything he wanted. It wasn¡¯t something that he had any chance of pulling off on his own ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t exactly on his own. ¡°Just a small favor and a bit of Zath¡¯s time.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Sievan asked with a quiet laugh. ¡°I know what you seek, and it can be arranged. This is going to be fun.¡±

 Chapter 567: Fire

    The mushrooms were on fire, and it was only partially Todd¡¯s fault.

    ¡°Duck!¡± Emily yelled, her voice just barely carrying through the crackling roar of the flames around him.

    Todd threw himself to the marshy ground. Moss squelched beneath him as he rolled, and he ripped more dirt up from beneath the layer of foliage to reinforce his damaged armor.

    Something screamed through the air above him. Ice prickled against Todd¡¯s neck in passing. A loud crash echoed through the forest a moment later, followed by a warbling scream of pain.

    Todd rose back to his feet, yanking the fire from the burning mushrooms around him and forming it into a ball between his palms. Before him, amidst dozens of fallen and crushed fungi the size of buildings, stood a huge froglike monster.

    The monster was easily three times taller than he was. A huge grey tongue lolled from its mouth, covered in jagged barbs. Its yellow skin was covered with a slimy ooze that had proven to be an infuriatingly effective flame retardant. Todd¡¯s explosions had managed to scorch it in a few small spots, but his magic had proven to be largely useless against the monster.

    It wasn¡¯t quite so lucky against Emily.

    A huge arrow made out of ice protruded from one of the frog¡¯s feet, pinning it into the ground. The frog croaked and thrashed in attempt to free itself, but it was futile. Frost crept up its limb, biting deep into the monster¡¯s flesh and freezing the ooze on it solid.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Todd cheered, a grin splitting his features. ¡°Good shit, Emily.¡±

    There was a loud creak from behind him. Todd stepped to the side.

    A burning mushroom crashed down behind him. Its head exploded with a splattering crash, sending burning goo flying everywhere. One chunk slapped into the stem of another mushroom. It went up in flames with a roar like a bundle of dry wood.

    Todd winced.

    ¡°Dude, have you ever heard the word restraint?¡± Emily asked from several paces behind Todd, drawing her bow back and forming another arrow in it. The frog screamed and thrashed, but it was stuck fast.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Todd said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize the mushrooms exploded when they caught fire. Really couldn¡¯t have seen that one coming. Why the hell would anyone choose such a weird place for an exam?¡±

    Emily loosed the arrow from her bow. It flashed through the air and slammed into the frog¡¯s eye, burying deep into its brain. The monster jerked, then went limp and collapsed to the ground, struggles ended forever.

    No energy entered Todd¡¯s body, but that was to be expected. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the sheaf of Catchpapers that he¡¯d folded up inside it. A grin split his features and he held one up.

    ¡°Rank 2 Dripping Ooze,¡± Todd said. ¡°I got a rune.¡±

    ¡°Finally. Good news,¡± Emily said. She walked out from the treeline to join Todd, and he handed the paper to her. She gave him a blank one in return.

    Another burning mushroom crashed down. They both winced as its head exploded, but fortunately, every other mushroom in the area had already been burnt to a crisp and the muck that filled the fungus¡¯ heads just splattered harmlessly across the wet, mossy ground.

    ¡°I still think they just should have had the exam in the Scorched Acres. For old time¡¯s sake,¡± Todd said, stuffing the new Catchpaper into a back pocket. He paused, squinting at the air behind Emily.

    There was nothing visible, but to his heat-vision, there was a patch of heat that marked a person. Todd crossed his arms in front of his chest.

    ¡°James. Are you going to just stand there sniffing her hair, or are you actually going to be useful?¡±

    ¡°I was not sniffing her hair,¡± James said, the air rippling as he let his magic fall and emerged in plain view. ¡°I was assessing the situation.¡±

    Emily didn¡¯t so much as flinch at his arrival. Either she¡¯d gotten used to James popping up out of nowhere, or she¡¯d already known he was there.

    ¡°What, the situation regarding the scent of soap she uses?¡± Todd snickered as he scanned the area around them for any more signs of newcomers. The fire made it a little difficult for his heat vision to pick up on humans or monsters around it, but most of the flame was already dying away.

    ¡°Mango,¡± James said.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Emily exclaimed. Her eyes went narrow and she prodded James in the stomach in a manner remarkably similar to what Todd had seen Moxie do to Noah countless times. ¡°You don¡¯t need to go sharing that. That¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± James asked. ¡°I got it for you.¡±

    Another heat signature caught Todd¡¯s eyes, but he¡¯d been expecting this one.

    Isabel stepped around the trunk of an unburned mushroom and emerged into the burnt clearing that Todd had mistakenly created.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to know we¡¯ve managed to keep focused during the exam,¡± Isabel said with a dry smile. ¡°Todd, why are you trying to bring the Mushroom Forest down on top of you?¡±

    ¡°The mushrooms explode when you burn them,¡± Todd said. ¡°I was unaware. Where¡¯s Alexandra?¡±

    ¡°She went off on her own. She felt like the exam would be too easy if she worked together with us, and she wanted to make sure she learned from it. I think we might have let her spend too much time with Jalen,¡± Isabel said, pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°But she¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a single student that can really pose her a threat. Even that Rank 3 girl, Fiona¡­ she hasn¡¯t seen a real fight like Alexandra has.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s badass,¡± Emily said with a nod.

    Todd thrust a finger in her direction. ¡°Hah! You said badass! I told you it was a cool word!¡±

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    ¡°Fuck,¡± Emily said, burying her head in her hands. ¡°He¡¯s ruining my vocabulary. Do you know what Moxie is going to do to me if she figures out I can¡¯t speak like a proper noble anymore?¡±

    ¡°Compliment you for removing the stick from your ass?¡±

    James coughed into a fist to hide a laugh. Emily narrowed her eyes, then prodded him again.

    ¡°Hey! That wasn¡¯t my fault. Why aren¡¯t you attacking Todd?¡± James protested.

    ¡°He¡¯s Isabel¡¯s problem,¡± Emily replied.

    ¡°Ah.¡± James nodded sagely, then did a double take and nearly tripped over himself as he spun toward Emily. ¡°Wait. They¡¯re dating. If he¡¯s Isabel¡¯s problem, does that mean I¡¯m¡ª¡±

    A flicker of heat caught Todd¡¯s attention from the sky ¡ª a location that he had most certainly not set on fire.

    ¡°Above us!¡± Todd yelled.

    All of them snapped into motion instantly. Isabel pushed Emily behind her and heavy plates of armor rushed up from the ground to slam down around her. James vanished from view and Todd pumped energy into his own stone armor, readying the explosive attacks in his arms and feet.

    An attractive woman dropped from the sky above them, landing in the center of the burnt clearing with a flourish. Her bright blonde hair fluttered through the air behind her like a streamer, and even though they were in the middle of an exam, the only thing she wore was a flowing white dress.

    She arched her arms over her back, almost as if she was trying to strike a pose, and Todd realized that she hadn¡¯t actually touched the ground. The girl floated about an inch away from it.

    Todd¡¯s brow furrowed. He recognized the girl, but only vaguely.

    She¡¯s from the Advanced Track. I can¡¯t remember her name, though. And what is she doing? Is she choking on something?

    For a long second, nobody did anything. They just all stared at each other. Then the newcomer¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°What? No reaction?¡±

    ¡°Should I shoot her?¡± Emily asked.

    ¡°Why bother?¡± Isabel asked. ¡°I doubt she¡¯s managed to collect any Runes. It¡¯s not worth the energy.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The girl¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°I¡¯m in the Advanced Track too, you know!¡±

    ¡°Do you have runes?¡± Todd asked.

    ¡°I ¡ª that¡¯s none of your concern.¡± the girl said, charging straight past Todd¡¯s question. That was as good as a confirmation that she had not, in fact, collected any runes. She thrust a finger at Todd. ¡°You¡¯re going to give me the ones that you¡¯ve collected.¡±

    ¡°This is the weirdest robbery I¡¯ve ever been part of,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to shoot her,¡± Emily said, raising her bow.

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± the girl smirked. A white shield hummed to life around her and the forest rustled. Five other students emerged from the far end of the clearing, each covered with a shield of their own. They made their way over to stand by her side. ¡°Have you forgotten who I am?¡±

    Todd was fairly sure they were all in the Advanced Track, but he couldn¡¯t remember for certain. He hadn¡¯t noticed their approach, but they¡¯d come from the direction of the fire.

    It had been a bit since Todd or any of the others had gone to one of the meetings with the rest of the Advanced Track. Jakob and Verrud had been getting bolder in their attempts to get near Isabel recently. Marley, Jakob¡¯s student, had given it a few shots as well.

    There were just too many enemies. It was difficult to keep track of them, so the group had just opted to avoid the issue entirely. Training with other Advanced Track students was great ¡ª but training with Jalen, Bird, Brayden, and the others was far more effective.

    It was also considerably safer.

    Jalen was only kind of trying to kill them.

    ¡°Why is nobody answering me?¡± the girl demanded. ¡°If you¡¯re scared, we can just skip to the part where you give me your¡ª¡±

    ¡°I forgot your question. Sorry,¡± Todd said with a sheepish grin. He drew on more power but kept his tone perfectly casual. There were a number of enemies. They couldn¡¯t afford to take this lightly. ¡°What was it again?¡±

    ¡°I asked if you knew who I was!¡± the girl snapped. ¡°It was rhetorical. Of course you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sorry. Forgot your name too.¡±

    The girl¡¯s eye twitched.

    ¡°Me as well,¡± Isabel admitted. ¡°My bad. Alexandra was kind of the one remembering the random names. She¡¯s really polite, but she¡¯s busy right now. Do you remember, Emily?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­ was it Casie?¡± Emily hedged. Even though her words sounded uncertain, more energy was gathering at the tip of her arrow. She was preparing to fight.

    ¡°No! Bethany! My name is Bethany! How did you forget? We¡¯ve sparred before!¡±

    ¡°We have?¡± Isabel asked.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Did I win?¡±

    Bethany¡¯s mouth snapped shut. Her eyes narrowed even further. ¡°Yes. But this time will be¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah. Then that¡¯s why I don¡¯t remember your name,¡± Isabel said, speaking right over Bethany. She shook her head. ¡°This isn¡¯t worth the time. She clearly hasn¡¯t gotten any runes yet.¡±

    Wind howled around Bethany and gathered in her hands, forming into two balls of twisting white magic. ¡°You¡¯re good with a sword, but we¡¯ve got you outnumbered, and this isn¡¯t a sparring ring. This is the real world. Give me what you¡¯ve got and we won¡¯t crush you out of this exam here and now.¡±

    ¡°Wow. Good line. Did you practice that one in front of the mirror this morning?¡± Todd asked.

    Bethany¡¯s cheeks went bright red. ¡°How did ¡ª No! Of course not!¡±

    ¡°This is just sad,¡± Emily said. ¡°I¡¯m shooting her now.¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Todd said.

    Bethany thrust her hands forward. The balls of wind exploded, transforming into a howling gale of white blades that carved out toward Emily.

    Emily released the string of her bow.

    An ice arrow screamed through the air in a blur. It struck the rolling front of wind and sliced through it in a split instant. Bethany¡¯s eyes went wide.

    One of the boys beside Bethany lunged before her, a brown shield burning with energy as he summoned stone up from the ground and formed it into a wall between them.

    The arrow carved straight through the stone. It continued on into the boy, shattering his Shield like sugar glass and driving straight into his chest. His eyes went wide in disbelief. A necklace on his neck flashed a brilliant white and he vanished, yanked out of the exam to get medical attention.

    Every single one of them wore a similar necklace. It wouldn¡¯t do anything if they took an instant killing blow, but those were supposedly against the rules. Todd wasn¡¯t about to count on Verrud and Jakob¡¯s students remembering that.

    ¡°How?¡± Bethany staggered back, her mouth hanging askew in disbelief as she stared at the spot where one of her allies had been a moment before.

    Todd shook himself off. He was getting distracted.

    I should probably focus, even if these people are jokes. Their Runes are nothing compared to ours thanks to Teacherman showing us how to make flawless combinations.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be happy to pretend to answer your questions once the exam is over,¡± Isabel said. Bethany thrust her hands forward and sent blades of wind carving toward her. Isabel just raised a shield of stone from the ground, blocking the magic effortlessly. Bethany¡¯s face went pale. She took a step back, then launched herself into the air.

    ¡°You¡¯re cheating! I¡¯ll be ba¡ª¡±

    A glowing blue spear sailed through the air. It sliced straight through Bethany¡¯s shield, shattering it, and drove into her back. The girl stiffened, then vanished in a flash. Several empty pieces of Catchpaper fluttered down from where she¡¯d been.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let any of them leave with their Catchpaper,¡± Isabel said, her spear reforming in her hand as she turned to the remaining students.

    The remaining students went pale. Two of their members had gone down in two attacks. Their shields hadn¡¯t been strong enough to tank a single hit. They turned and ran, sprinting for cover.

    Todd grinned.

    I wish the Professor was here to see us now. Nobles, running from us.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got this,¡± Todd said.

    The ground beneath him exploded. Fire curled out from his feet as he burst into motion, crossing the distance between himself and the running nobles in moments.

    His laughter was the last thing any of them heard before their shields shattered and their amulets went off, dragging them out of the exam and to safety.

 Chapter 568: Avalanche

    The exam had been meant to last a full day. It took time to hunt monsters, and even more time to hunt enough of them to get a Rune to manifest on Catchpaper. An average mage could take hours just to get something worthwhile, and that wasn¡¯t even accounting for the quality of the rune.

    Todd and the rest of Noah¡¯s students had every rune they needed in less than four hours ¡ª though that wasn¡¯t an entirely accurate statement. They each needed to secure themselves a Rune in order to pass the exam, which meant the group needed a total of 5 Runes ¡ª though Alexandra had gone off on her own and lowered the group¡¯s requirement down to 4.

    They currently had 20.

    Only about 4 of those had come from actually hunting the monsters. The rest had come from students kindly donating their belongings to the group by trying to attack them.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯m starting to feel like this exam is more about fighting other mages than it is about hunting monsters,¡± Todd said as he watched Isabel leaf through the runes they¡¯d earned. ¡°Maybe everyone else got the wrong memo and thought this was an exam to hunt other students.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a little more targeted than that,¡± Isabel said. She gathered the runes back into a pile and handed half of it to Emily, who slipped the papers into a pouch on her waist. Isabel glanced around the small clearing they¡¯d taken a break in, then stretched her arms over her head and shook herself off. ¡°The amount of people we¡¯ve had come after us is way higher than it should have been.¡±

    ¡°Verrud and Jakob are pulling strings,¡± Emily said. ¡°It has to be.¡±

    ¡°What, with the entire Advanced Track?¡± Todd asked.

    ¡°To be fair, less than half the people that we¡¯ve run into have been from the Advanced Track. I think the majority of those guys are just focused on winning. We pass the exam if we can get a rune each, but we¡¯ve got to get the most runes to win the Advanced Track competition.¡± Isabel scratched the side of her neck. ¡°Though, at this rate, we won¡¯t even have to fight any more monsters. We can just keep taking out all the students that attack us.¡±

    ¡°I wonder how he paid them off.¡± The air beside Emily rippled as James took form at her side.

    ¡°James!¡± Todd exclaimed. ¡°Where have you been, man? You went to scout thirty minutes ago!¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I fell asleep.¡±

    ¡°While scouting?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was very boring.¡±

    ¡°I think we need a new scout,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°Quite possibly, yes,¡± Isabel agreed with a sidelong glance in James¡¯ direction. James didn¡¯t even have the good grace to look chagrined. He just shrugged and wiped at his nose.

    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Emily asked.

    ¡°More students. There are a lot of them in the area around us,¡± James said. He craned his neck back to look at a mushroom looming above him. ¡°We should probably be ready for more people to show up. It feels like everyone just decided that this area of the Mushroom Forest is the best one to be in.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he really did pay people off,¡± Emily said with a frown. ¡°That feels like it would be painfully blatant, though. There¡¯s no way you can do that without at least somebody going ¡®huh, that¡¯s weird¡¯. The Advanced Track is also full of nobles. It¡¯s not easy to buy nobles off. Verrud and Jakob aren¡¯t that rich.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s more than one way to get people to turn against someone or hunt them,¡± Isabel said. ¡°All he had to do was tell the truth. He¡¯s probably mentioned that we have a bunch of runes, and defeating us is an instant pass for the whole exam.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Todd said. ¡°In the end, they¡¯ve managed to make this easier for us. We can¡¯t be far from winning the Advanced Track competition. Maybe we should just start hunting the people hunting us instead. It¡¯ll make things faster.¡±

    ¡°Now there¡¯s an idea.¡± A familiar, smarmy voice echoed through the clearing.

    All of them turned as one, annoyance rather than surprise crossing their features, as Marley emerged from the treeline. It was hard to miss him ¡ª the noble was practically jingling as he walked.

    He was covered from head to toe in bracelets, rings, bracers, and just about every other piece of Imbued equipment that someone could fit onto themselves. Marley even wore light armor reminiscent of that of a Soldier.

    Todd blinked at the vast amount of wealth Marley had on him. There was a difference between the funds of a noble and using¡­ whatever this was. The sheer number of Imbuements he was carrying around were terrifying.

    Holy shit. Somebody spent a ridiculous amount of money outfitting him¡­ but that has to be at least partially for show. That many Imbuements running together will interfere with each other. Simple is king. This idiot just cleaned out daddy¡¯s closet.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Marley asked, two shimmering swords made of swirling blue energy buzzing to life in his palms. ¡°Too scared to speak?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s helping the moron?¡± Isabel asked. ¡°I doubt he could have found the broad side of the barn in a field if he didn¡¯t have help.¡±

    Anger flashed across Marley¡¯s face. He pointed his swords at Isabel. ¡°Keep talking smart, bitch. We¡¯ll see what happens when¡ª¡±

    An ice arrow screamed through the air and slammed into Marley¡¯s chest. A shield erupted around him with an earsplitting screech. His eyes only had a moment to go wide before the force of the magic launched him off his feet and sent him hurtling through the stem of a mushroom and into the forest beyond.

    ¡°That¡¯s a strong shield,¡± Emily said, lowering her bow with a frown.

    ¡°It¡¯s Soldier equipment,¡± Todd said, his lips going thin. ¡°Someone is powering him. He¡¯s an idiot, but don¡¯t take him lightly while he¡¯s still got power. Those Imbuements will do all the fighting for him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Marley said, chuckling as he stepped back out of the forest, completely unscathed. He hesitated for a moment. ¡°Wait. No, it¡¯s not. I¡¯m fighting you! Not my equipment! This is just something to even the scales. You have a whole group.¡±

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    Todd was barely paying attention to him. His eyes scanned their surroundings as he searched for any signs of heat.

    He found them.

    Three other people were moving around the clearing, trying to get into position. Todd lifted a hand toward one and released a concentrated stream of fire in a thin beam. The magic cut through the air and melted straight through the trunk of a mushroom. There was a thud and a curse as someone threw themselves out of the way of the magic.

    ¡°So do you,¡± Todd said. ¡°Two behind us. One in the direction I just toasted.¡±

    ¡°Cheater,¡± Marley spat.

    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Emily asked. ¡°How dense are you?¡±

    Marley thrust a sword into the air. The mushrooms around him shuddered, then cracked as they split apart at the stems. Oozing growths rose up from within them like tendrils, extending into the air until they¡¯d grown to the size of trees and towered at his back.

    ¡°No more talking,¡± Marley growled. He swept his swords down. ¡°Kill them!¡±

    The mushroom tendrils exploded forward. All three of the mages in the forest burst into motion.

    Isabel slammed her foot into the ground. A wall of stone exploded up from it and rolled out around them like a huge ripple in a pond. It rose up the group for long enough to buy them a few seconds.

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with Marley,¡± Isabel said. ¡°Todd, back me up. James, Emily, deal with the others.¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± Emily said.

    James nodded, then faded from view. ¡°I¡¯ve got your back.¡±

    The stone wall exploded. Marley burst through it, riding on a wave of rolling mushroom flesh. His eyes were locked directly on Isabel. He definitely had an agenda, but that was nothing new.

    ¡°Get yourself ready. I¡¯ll keep him distracted,¡± Todd said with a grin. The ground at his feet exploded as he launched himself forward, streaking toward Marley like a human missile. Power burned against his knuckles as he pushed it into the explosion chamber in his gauntlets.

    Let¡¯s see just how strong his defenses are. He might not be ready for a max strength attack right at the start of the fight.

    The noble¡¯s eyes widened at Todd¡¯s approach. He crossed his arms before him. One of his bracelets shimmered and magic spilled out from within it. A gray shield formed over one of his arms and Marley braced himself against it.

    Todd twisted midair, bringing a fist crashing into the shield with all the force he could muster. It connected with a massive explosion. A wave of pressure sent Todd skidding back as fire bloomed from the spot he¡¯d struck and fragments of rock scarred across the ground and flew through the air around him.

    Marley staggered a step back, his shield warped and bent. He stared at it in disbelief. ¡°How can you do so much damage with one punch?¡±

    Todd righted himself, drawing energy back into himself from the explosion and repressing a grimace.

    That¡¯s all the damage I did? This isn¡¯t good. That was the strongest attack I can manage right now. How much power does he have people donating to him? This is more than just someone trying to edge out a win in a competition. The amount of money it would take to get him this strong¡­ someone is angling for more than a win.

    ¡°You¡¯re just weak,¡± Todd said, not letting any of his thoughts show through in his features.

    Marley¡¯s features twisted in anger and he swiped his sword through the air.

    The ground beneath Todd roiled. He threw himself to the side a moment before white roots exploded up from beneath where he¡¯d been standing. They thrashed around in the air like squirming snakes, each of them as thick as a tree trunk. The ground rumbled from the force of the magic within them.

    What the hell? This is something that Moxie could do, not Marley. There¡¯s no way he should be this strong. The only thing in our favor is he fucking sucks at using his magic.

    Todd set off an explosion at his feet, throwing himself to the side before the roots could slam into him. He rolled across the ground and shot upright, summoning stone up from the ground to rebuild his armor from his own explosions.

    ¡°That¡¯s not Rank 2 magic,¡± Todd said, his eyes narrowed. ¡°Who¡¯s helping you cheat?¡±

    ¡°Using items you own isn¡¯t cheating,¡± Marley replied, thrusting his hand forward and sending more roots racing after Todd.

    ¡°Bullshit. You aren¡¯t controlling that yourself. Someone¡¯s feeding you magic,¡± Todd said as he flung himself to safety once more.

    Roots slammed into the ground one after the other in Todd¡¯s wake. Each one shook the earth with the force of their impact. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a root hurtling straight for his head.

    It didn¡¯t look like Marley was trying to leave enough of anyone alive to get pulled out of the exam.

    Todd gritted his teeth and set off an explosion from his palms. It hurled him to the side and he hit the ground in a grunt, rolling to safety and staggering back to his feet.

    Marley turned toward him ¡ª but he didn¡¯t get a chance to attack. Isabel exploded forward, clad entirely in her heavy armor. She held a huge tower shield in one hand and a glowing blue greatsword in one of her hands.

    Roots crashed down toward her, but the ground exploded up around Isabel in a sea of spikes. They drove into the roots, slowing them and buying her precious seconds to arrive before Marley.

    She slammed her shield down on his head. His shields flared, burning with power as they resisted her strike. Isabel¡¯s sword flashed and Marley brought his own up. The weapons slammed together with a loud crackle.

    Isabel slammed her foot into Marley¡¯s chest and he staggered back, his shields repelling her once more. He went to stab at her but was forced to dodge back as Todd sent a streak of concentrated flame screeching past his face, just narrowly missing.

    Loud crashes and the roar of magic filled the clearing all around them from Emily and James¡¯ fight against Marley¡¯s backup. A quick glance told Todd why the fight was still going. They were all outfitted in Imbued equipment as well. It didn¡¯t look like the quality was as high as Marley¡¯s, but there were three of them.

    Isabel and Marley crossed blades again. Their weapons crackled ¡ª and Isabel dismissed her weapon, reforming it an instant later once it had passed by Marley¡¯s guard.

    The sword would have gone straight into his shoulder if it didn¡¯t connect with his shield first. Magic screamed.

    Isabel was thrown back several feet as a huge wave of pressure rolled out from Marley, ripping up the dirt around him.

    A pillar of dirt shot up behind her and connected with her back to stop her from falling. If she lost her balance in the immensely heavy armor she wore, it was the same as a death sentence.

    Marley crossed his swords and power arced down their blades, rippling across his body. Someone was pumping him full of even more magic. Curls of magic rose up from him and he bared his teeth in something between a snarl and a grin. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look as confident as you did before.¡±

    This might be bad.

    ¡°Isabel?¡± Todd asked.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Her voice was terse.

    ¡°I think we¡¯re going to have to use some of the things you¡¯ve been practicing.¡±

    ¡°On this idiot?¡± Isabel asked, aghast. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just him. It¡¯s him and however many people are powering him.¡±

    ¡°You really think you can do anything against me?¡± Marley asked through a burst of snorting laughter. The amusement left his face in an instant, replaced by cold cruelty as he shifted his stance. ¡°You¡¯re delusional.¡±

    ¡°Right. Sorry, Professor,¡± Isabel said. She tossed her shield to the side and grabbed her sword with both hands. She drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

    A root crashed down toward her.

    Isabel¡¯s sword snapped out, catching it on the flat of the blade and deflecting it down into the ground with a loud crash.

    There was something different in her motions as she moved toward Marley once again. Magic burned in her every step, each one slightly faster than the last, every movement like a pebble rolling down the side of a mountainside.

    Roots shot toward Isabel. Her sword flashed up and down and up again, the repeated crash of its blade striking the roots filling the air.

    The first was knocked to her left.

    The second was deflected to her right.

    The third was split in half. Every blow Isabel made came slightly faster and stronger than the previous as she continued her advance. The magic imbuing her movements and blade intensified by the second.

    Her body ¡ª her blade ¡ª was becoming an avalanche manifest.

    For the first time since they¡¯d started training, Isabel was unleashing her Pattern against a real opponent.

 Chapter 569: Vocabulary

    Thunder cracked as lightning split the air and hurtled for Emily¡¯s head, only to slam into a shimmering square of translucent light just inches away from her. Crackles of electricity arced into the air and buzzed against her skin.

    ¡°Thanks, James,¡± Emily said, throwing herself into a roll as acid scorched across the ground where she¡¯d been standing and burnt a thick streak into it. She shot to her feet and took aim, drawing her focus into the arrow forming in her bow.

    A bolt of lightning made itself known right beside her head, deflected by James¡¯ magic once more. Emily gritted her teeth and released the arrow in the direction of one of the mages.

    The spell scraped across his shoulder as he twisted, scoring along the armor he wore and failing to do any significant damage. It knocked him off balance for a moment, giving her an opportunity, to follow up and actually land a real blow, but Emily didn¡¯t have a chance to follow up on the opening.

    She was forced to dodge back as vines raced across the ground and reached out toward her, attempting to intertwine her legs and keep her from dodging.

    Another bolt of lightning slammed into the air, stopping against a disk of light just inches away from Emily. The light wavered as power crackled off it. For a moment, it seemed as if it would break, but the magic held strong. James was keeping the attacks from hitting her and buying her time to attack, but it wasn¡¯t enough.

    There were three enemies and James was forced to play defensive so Emily could even try to fight back. If she could actually injure any of them, perhaps she would have had a chance. But with the armor they wore¡­ she needed more than a glancing blow.

    Emily resisted the urge to curse as she dodged out of the way of more magic. Readying her attacks took time and attention ¡ª two things she didn¡¯t have when three mages were raining down attacks on her from different directions.

    ¡°We can¡¯t keep this up forever.¡± James¡¯ voice was low enough to only be heard by Emily¡¯s ears. ¡°Can you survive for long enough if I go after one of them?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡± Emily wasn¡¯t so certain. The students attacking them had a ridiculous amount of energy. They¡¯d been raining down attacks for nearly two uninterrupted minutes and showed no signs of slowing.

    That would have been impressive if she didn¡¯t suspect basically all of their power was coming from someone transferring it to them through their Soldier armor. Unfortunately, the source from where they pulled their magic changed nothing.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very confident,¡± James said.

    Emily dodged back as forked tongues of lighting screamed down toward her, blackening the dirt where she¡¯d been standing with a brilliant explosion. She spun toward the mage that had called them down, but before she could take a moment to take aim, acid spikes were hurtling for her head.

    She dropped to the ground. Vines reached for her and she gathered moisture from the air, flicking a blade of ice from her fingers and slicing the vines apart as she rolled back to her feet.

    We can¡¯t keep going like this.

    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± James said. ¡°I think Isabel is using her¡­ you know.¡±

    Emily blinked in surprise. The hesitation nearly got her impaled by a sharpened root, but she twisted out of the way at the last moment and cut the root apart with another blade of ice.

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    Lighting slammed down toward them and a dome of light bloomed overhead, absorbing the hit before shattering apart into sparkling motes of light.

    ¡°You should be paying attention to us, not your friends,¡± the lightning mage said in a sneering tone. They sounded female, but the helm on their face muffled their words and made it a little difficult to tell.

    Emily really didn¡¯t care one way or another.

    ¡°You¡¯re all pretty pathetic. Having to rely this heavily on equipment in a Year 2 exam,¡± Emily said, sending an arrow of ice streaking through the sky toward the other woman.

    Without time to properly take aim, the attack only managed to slam into her shoulder and shatter against her armor. One of the other mages laughed as they flung acid blades toward Emily once more.

    James summoned more shields of light from the air, blocking the magic and letting out an exasperated sigh. ¡°This is such a hassle. Can¡¯t you just deal with them already?¡±

    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m trying to do?¡± Emily hissed. ¡°I told you, I¡¯ll be fine! You can go attack¡ª¡±

    A vine shot up from the burnt ground, reaching for Emily¡¯s leg faster than she could react. Light flashed and several chunks of plant matter splattered against Emily, severed in a dozen different places.

    ¡°You¡¯re not doing the most you can,¡± James said. ¡°You could do more. I¡¯ve seen it. Isabel certainly is. Why are you holding back? You¡¯re welcome, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Isabel is better at it than I am,¡± Emily hissed. ¡°I¡¯ve never tried using that ability during a real fight. Just training. Have you forgotten how bad I was at it when we started?¡±

    Acid arrows rained down toward Emily and a shield of light formed in the air above them, absorbing the attack once more. The acid mage snickered. ¡°Talking to yourself isn¡¯t a good sign. You might want to get that checked out.¡±

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    ¡°Where did you go to learn your shit-talk? Your teacher fucking sucks,¡± Emily said, diving out of the way as lightning streaked toward where she¡¯d been standing. A hand snagged the back of her shirt and yanked her up to her feet before the vines crawling across the ground could reach her, and she froze them in place with a blast of ice.

    ¡°That¡¯s a sharp mouth for a noble. Maybe you¡¯ve been hanging around scum for too long,¡± the lightning mage said. ¡°You¡¯re not half bad. Swapping between two different forms of magic so quickly is really impressive. It¡¯s too bad that¡¯s all completely wasted.¡±

    Gods, they¡¯re stupid. I¡¯ve got my ice magic active at the same time as James¡¯ light abilities. Anyone with half a brain would realize that I have an invisible Light Mage on my side, but I suppose these idiots threw their lot in with Marley. That doesn¡¯t say much for their intelligence.

    ¡°Who cares how bad you were at the start?¡± James hissed back to Emily, prodding her in the lower back. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what you can do. You¡¯re holding yourself back. I know you can do this.¡±

    Light flashed as lightning slammed down on them again. Emily gritted her teeth. James poked her again.

    ¡°It takes me too long,¡± Emily snapped. ¡°I can¡¯t pull it off fast enough to¡ª¡±

    ¡°You can. I¡¯ve seen you do it before. Stop doubting yourself so damn much. You aren¡¯t alone. I¡¯ve got your back, but I can¡¯t keep blocking magic forever. Are you really going to let Isabel show you up this hard? You¡¯re just as good as she is.¡±

    Emily¡¯s hands tightened around her bow. Her heart thumped in her chest ¡ª once, twice, and then her features set in stone. ¡°Fine. Cover me.¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± James replied, and she could hear the grin in his voice even as the air rippled beside her and he let his invisibility fall away.

    The plant mage let out a curse. ¡°Where¡¯d he come from?¡±

    Idiot.

    Emily dragged her thoughts away from the fight and turned them inward. She stilled her breathing and gathered her concentration. She had time. James had promised to cover her. He wouldn¡¯t let an attack get through ¡ª but she had to hold up her end of the deal.

    Magic crashed and crackled all around her. James and the other mages exchanged taunts that slipped past her ears like a rushing stream.

    She barely noticed any of it.

    Frost prickled against her skin. Freezing mist coiled up from her body and spilled all around her in a white fog that was only a step away from condensing into thick snow. It rolled out in every direction, creeping across the ground and filling the clearing around her.

    Her senses traveled through the icy mist ¡ª through the patterns of frost racing through every single minuscule crystal that made it up. Every noise in the world stilled. Even the thump of her heartbeat and the throb of her head faded into the background.

    Emily closed her eyes.

    She moved a hand through the air. Felt the patterns in the ice shift as her hand passed through them. The mist coiled in her arm¡¯s wake. Every single movement within it changed the pattern.

    And that was exactly how it was meant to be.

    Ice was a single element of water, and more than any other element, water was ever-changing. Todd had spent hours with her going over the properties it could achieve in imbuements, and Emily had studied every single one of them as best she could.

    Hers was not a pattern that remained exactly the same. It was not a pattern that could be approached in a rigid manner. The change itself was part of the pattern.

    Emily let her bow vanish from her hands, letting herself completely immerse herself within the mist. She felt where it was ¡ª and where it wasn¡¯t.

    And in that mist, Emily felt the three mages.

    Her eyes snapped open.

    James laid on the ground before her, his arms crossed behind his head. A bolt of lightning streaked toward him, but a disk of light flashed up and blocked it, fading away the very instant the lightning had been stopped.

    Another shield flicked up to block a bolt of acid, and a third one manifested itself to cut through several vines. All of them vanished the very instant their task had been accomplished.

    Power thrummed in Emily¡¯s body, and the mist thrummed in response. They were synchronized.

    ¡°How are you doing that?¡± The female student demanded.

    ¡°Optimizing,¡± James replied through a yawn. ¡°I¡¯m lazy. No point using more energy than I need to, and now I don¡¯t need to use any at all.¡±

    The acid mage let out a snort. He stepped through the mist and gathered magic above his palms, forming it into a large spike of sickly green energy. ¡°And why¡¯s that? You surrendering?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± James replied, letting his eyes drift shut. ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡±

    The air around the mage crackled. He only had an instant for his eyes to widen in surprise before a hundred white streaks flashed through the air. His shield flickered to life around him, but it shattered under the flurry of magic.

    He staggered back with a scream. Thin needles of ice emerged from every single piece of unarmored skin in his body. There wasn¡¯t a single part of his face or upper neck that hadn¡¯t been run through.

    The attack wasn¡¯t enough to kill him, but a brilliant flash of light lit up the forest as his pendant activated and yanked him to safety.

    ¡°You¡¯re so cheesy,¡± Emily murmured, her eyes drifting over to the other two mages.

    Both of the other mages reacted instantly, grabbing for their magic and darting in opposite directions to split Emily¡¯s attention. They slammed down every bit of armor they had and activated their Shields.

    It changed nothing. She didn¡¯t have to see them. She could feel them. Everything within the fog was visible to her. Needles flashed within the rolling fog, scraping against the shields and wearing their power away with every strike.

    Lightning screamed toward her, but another disk of light blocked it. Emily didn¡¯t so much as glance in its direction. Her attention was fully within her pattern. There was no room for any distraction ¡ª and she had no need for it.

    James was protecting her. She didn¡¯t have to think about anything other than her magic as long as he had her back.

    Shields were excellent for blocking attacks, but as it turned out, they had a minimum amount of power they called on every time they activated. Nobody tried tickling a Shield to death, after all. Controlling hundreds of tiny attacks was too difficult for most mages to bother with ¡ª but this wasn¡¯t hundreds of tiny attacks.

    The needles were all one. They were part of the fog. Part of the pattern ¡ª and part of Emily.

    The plant mage¡¯s Shield shattered. He let out a scream as needles found every inch of exposed skin, no matter how small. They flitted through gaps in the armor and flooded into his mouth.

    His pendant flashed.

    ¡°How is this possible? What kind of¡ª¡± The lightning mage¡¯s shield shattered before she could finish her desperate protest.

    ¡°Eat shit,¡± James said.

    Her pendant flashed.

    Emily slowly let her hands lower, her heart pounding in her chest. She¡¯d actually done it. She¡¯d activated her pattern in the middle of a fight.

    Yeah, that¡¯s right. Eat shi¡ª

    Wait.

    ¡°You know what?¡± Emily asked as a small laugh slipped from between her lips. ¡°They were right. You¡¯re ruining my vocabulary.¡±

 Chapter 570: Yulin

    Across the forest, while Isabel and Emily¡¯s groups were fighting against Marley¡¯s group, Alexandra was caught up in a fight of her own.

    The mushrooms in a wide area around her had been carved to ribbons. Splinters of woody fungi littered the scarred earth at her feet; patches of the ground had been blackened and scorched by magic. She stood in the center of it all, a plain sword held before her in both hands.

    There was the faintest scent of what was almost reminiscent of a burnt omelette in the air ¡ª likely due to all the scorched mushrooms around her.

    Four students stood around her in a square formation. Magic burned between their palms, each of them holding a spell at the ready. Not one of them was willing to let their magic slip free before any of the others.

    Alexandra¡¯s lips quirked up in amusement for a split second before her expression flattened once more as concentration returned to reign supreme. ¡°Is something wrong? You were all eager to catch me out. Now you have.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Ollie?¡± one of her pursuers asked. He was a boy from the advanced track, but she¡¯d forgotten both his name and the family that he¡¯d come from. Neither had been important. He¡¯d never been a capable sparring partner.

    ¡°Who?¡± Alexandra tilted her head to the side. ¡°I haven¡¯t kept track of every single person I¡¯ve fought, you know. Especially not the idiots that spend time yelling their names out as if they matter. The only time it¡¯s worth introducing yourself in a fight is when you¡¯re up against someone worthwhile. I haven¡¯t seen anyone worthy of that during this exam.¡±

    Angry mutters rose up from the students. They shifted, posturing for each other, but not a single one of them attacked. A flicker of annoyance built in Alexandra¡¯s chest. This was a waste of time. There were enough opponents to actually pose her a challenge. Every one of the students around her was in the advanced track. They had relatively powerful magic ¡ª enough to give even her resilient body pause if they worked together ¡ª but they were all cowards.

    All of them knew that they weren¡¯t fast enough to take her out with a single round of spells. At least one of them would have to be willing to bear the brunt of her attention if the others wanted to have a chance to land their attacks, but not a single one of them was willing to make that sacrifice.

    ¡°You¡¯re wasting my time,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°Either attack or don¡¯t. I came here looking to train and to find a challenge that could really push me to improve. Something tells me none of you are going to be the person I¡¯m looking for.¡±

    ¡°Ollie¡¯s pendant didn¡¯t go off, but he¡¯s missing,¡± one of the other students snarled. ¡°Tell us where he is, or we¡¯re all going to forget this is an exam and the gloves are coming off.¡±

    Alexandra blew out a small sigh, then nodded up to the mushrooms at the edge of the clearing. ¡°If Ollie is the previous one that came after me, he¡¯ s up there. I threw him.¡±

    One of the students turned to look in the direction Alexandra had indicated. A pair of legs extended from the top of a tall mushroom. The rest of him had been buried solidly within its head. Despite the intensity at which the legs were thrashing, it seemed they were having absolutely no luck in freeing their owner from his fungal prison.

    Incredulity crossed the lead student¡¯s face. He took a disbelieving step back and started to turn back toward Alexandra. ¡°You threw¡ª¡±

    She blurred. Wind whipped past her face as she closed the distance between herself and the boy in less than the time it took to draw a breath of air. He activated his shield, panic flashing across his features as he desperately tried to defend himself.

    A glowing silver dome enveloped him for a split second. Then Alexandra¡¯s fist smashed straight through the shield. The magic wasn¡¯t anywhere near strong enough to withstand a Rank 3 Mage who had put every scrap of their available power into the Body Runes powering her every move.

    Alexandra¡¯s fist continued on to connect with the boy¡¯s nose with a loud crunch. Bone crumpled and his head snapped back, sending blood flying through the air in a spray of droplets.  The magic at his fingertips evaporated with a hiss, and Alexandra brought the hilt of her sword down on the top of his head.

    A flash of light lit the clearing as his pendant activated. A slip of paper fluttered through the air and alighted on the ground, now devoid of an owner.

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    All three of the other mages let out panicked curses and released their spells¡ª but it was too late.

    When there had been four of them surrounding her, they might have had a chance to land a good blow on her. But there weren¡¯t four of them anymore.

    Alexandra¡¯s breathing stilled. Her body flowed like a butterfly flitting through a windy day, her features as peaceful as a lake in a still summer day. She stepped to the side as a coil of fire rolled past her face, then passed between blades of silver wind that sliced through the air and ripped through the mushrooms behind her. Shadows rose from the ground and sharpened into blades. They cut at Alexandra, but she slipped past each one of them like there was nothing in her path.

    Her sword flashed. A Shield shattered, and a flash of light filled the air as a pendant activated before the energy from the Shield could even finish crumbling away. Alexandra moved from one student to the next in a single fluid motion. She swung her weapon twice more, and two more students vanished in bright flashes.

    When she came to a stop, the clearing was empty once more. Several more pieces of Catchpaper fluttered to rest on the ground around her feet.

    Alexandra let her sword lower. Her lips thinned and she repressed the urge to shake her head in disappointment. That was just rude. There was no need to be rude ¡ª but she¡¯d been hoping for so much more than this.

    Despite her best efforts, she hadn¡¯t found the real talents from the Advanced track. There were only two groups that she actually wanted to challenge. The first was Fiona ¡ª the agreed upon strongest member of the Advanced Track. She¡¯d never taken part in a sparring match during training, but Alexandra was almost confident the girl was a Rank 3 at the minimum. The rest of her group was likely quite competent as well.

    They would have been a worthy opponent, but Alexandra would have been equally satisfied finding Marley or Yulin, though for entirely different reasons. If Alexandra found Marley ¡ª she had no plans of letting him continue the exam.

    She didn¡¯t have particularly strong opinions of many people in the advanced track, but he was the only one that Alexandra felt absolutely no respect for. At least all the other students had taken steps to hide how scummy they might have been. Marley wore it like a badge of honor on his chest.

    As for Yulin¡­ she and Alexandra had spent quite a few nights practicing swordcraft. Yulin didn¡¯t have much free time to herself. But every second she did have was dedicated to training. She was no match for Alexandra in a real fight, especially if Alexandra utilized her pattern, but in pure swordcraft, Yulin could more than hold her own.

    Fighting her would have been a good use of time. It had been a while since they¡¯d both pushed the limits of what they could do against each other.

    But, for some reason, it almost seemed as if everyone worthwhile was avoiding her. Alexandra¡¯s brow furrowed as she walked around the clearing, gathering the pieces of fallen Catchpaper.

    Several of them already had runes upon their surfaces. That made her ears heat slightly. The point of the exam had been to hunt monsters and capture a Rune from them, but she¡¯d yet to fight a single monster during the exam.

    But, despite that, she had already gathered six Runes from defeating the students she¡¯d come across.

    I suppose they never said where I have to get the runes, just that I have to get them. It¡¯s not my fault people keep donating them to me.

    A dry piece of mushroom crunched and broke through her thoughts. Alexandra turned toward its source, and a flicker of excitement passed through her as she recognized the person approaching her.

    ¡°Alexandra,¡± Yulin exclaimed, sliding to a stop as she skidded into the clearing.

    ¡°Finally,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°I¡¯ve been making so much noise that it¡¯s a miracle you didn¡¯t find me earlier. Why are you coming out without your sword drawn, though? That¡¯s practically asking to lose before the fight starts.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m not here to fight you,¡± Yulin replied sharply. ¡°You need to come with me. Now.¡±

    Her tone was deadly serious. She wasn¡¯t joking around. Alexandra blinked in surprise. For a moment, she wondered if this was meant to be some sort of trap. It was always possible. She rather liked Yulin, but she hadn¡¯t forgotten whose student the girl was.

    She only hesitated for an instant. Perhaps she was just sentimental, but Alexandra would have liked to say she¡¯d gotten to know the other girl fairly well after the amount of time they¡¯d spent crossing blades. It wasn¡¯t like Yulin to try to lie like this.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Alexandra lowered her sword and strode toward Yulin, who turned and started into the mushroom forest without wasting a moment.

    ¡°Your friends are in danger,¡± Yulin said. ¡°This exam isn¡¯t proctored because the pendants are supposed to ensure people¡¯s safety ¡ª but Isabel¡¯s is sabotaged. Jakob tampered with it before the exam. It¡¯s not going to work.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that all? Isabel will be fine. There isn¡¯t any student that can take out the rest of our group. But I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be willing to tell Arbitage what you just told me?¡± Alexandra asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not suicidal, Alexandra.¡± Yulin sent a flat glare over her shoulder at Alexandra. ¡°Isabel might be talented, but can she fight a professor?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Alexandra asked. ¡°No, of course not.¡±

    ¡°Then we better move faster.¡± Yulin accelerated, forcing Alexandra into a run to keep up. ¡°Professor Jakob is here ¡ª and he¡¯s going to kill Isabel if you don¡¯t get there in time to stop him.¡±

 Chapter 571: Run

    Noah¡¯s eyes bore into the image rippling in between Sievan¡¯s hands. A forest of mushrooms stretched out around Isabel as she, Todd, Emily, and James fought against Marley¡¯s group.

    Beside them, in a smaller image, Alexandra and Yulin raced in search of the others¡­ but they weren¡¯t there, and Noah didn¡¯t know if they¡¯d make it on time. And even if they did, he didn¡¯t know if it would be enough.

    Isabel and the others had no idea about the conversation that had gone down between the other group. They didn¡¯t know they were being hunted.

    Fear pounded in Noah¡¯s heart. Everything had been working out. He¡¯d stopped Wizen and had a way back to the mortal Plane. Sticky had the key back to the Mortal Plane and a way to use it.

    He couldn¡¯t accept that he¡¯d gotten this far just to watch Jakob cut his students down while he did nothing but helplessly stand and watch.

    ¡°Is there any way you can open the portal faster?¡± Noah asked, his hands flexing at his sides.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying,¡± Sticky replied tersely from the platform beside him. Her teeth were gritted in concentration and she clutched the Key with both hands. Red energy twisted around her palms and coursed down the length of the artifact, but it was still dull. ¡°There¡¯s just not much energy left. It¡¯s really hard to establish the connection between the planes. Wizen¡¯s memories are helping¡­ but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be enough. I¡¯m opening the portal as fast as I can.¡±

    ¡°Her speed may not matter,¡± Sievan said. ¡°Time is compressed when you take a portal between the planes. It is only a matter of hours, but it seems that hours will be too long.¡±

    Noah¡¯s throat clenched. He couldn¡¯t take it out on Sticky. She was doing her best ¡ª but Sievan was right. He couldn¡¯t afford to wait hours.

    ¡°Just keep trying your best,¡± Noah said, his fists clenching at his sides. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out, or they¡¯ll hold out until we can make it. I know they will.¡±

    Moxie put a hand on his shoulder. Her jaw was clenched tight in stress, but she said nothing. They were thinking the same thing. Getting this far just for their students to die while they could do nothing but stand around¡­

    It couldn¡¯t happen. It would be too cruel.

    ¡°Did you not say your students were Rank 2?¡± Sievan asked. ¡°You believe they will be able to fight back against a Rank 4 mage with reinforcements for hours?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not just any Rank 2s. They¡¯re my students.¡±

    Noah¡¯s reply did nothing to stop the thoughts from spinning in his head. He had faith in everyone, but the odds were immensely stacked against them. If Jakob was making his move, then he refused to believe that Verrud would be somewhere on the sidelines. There was more than just one Rank 4 they had to fight.

    He couldn¡¯t leave the students alone against a threat like that.

    He would not fail them.

    But what can I do when I¡¯m stuck all the way in the Damned Plains waiting for a portal that¡¯s going to get us there just a few mere hours too late?

    ***

    Isabel¡¯s sword slammed down into Marley¡¯s shoulder, ringing off the armor with a resounding clang. The ground around them had been ripped to shreds. Fragments of ripped mushrooms and pieces of torn-up roots covered the earth.

    Marley staggered a step back, crossing his swords before him as Isabel swung her glowing blade down once more. Brilliant blue energy crackled as their weapons collided and coils of energy arced off into the air around them.

    With a roar, Marley shoved Isabel¡¯s sword to the side. His Imbued armor flared with power, sending rivers of light rippling down the lines buried within the metal greaves covering his legs.

    He drove a foot into Isabel¡¯s chest. There was a loud thud. The blow didn¡¯t even make her flinch. Marley was forced to jump back as her sword carved through the air where he¡¯d been standing and she continued her advance.

    Roots shot out for Isabel, rising from behind Marley and burst from beneath the ground to reach for her legs. Concentrated bolts of fire tore through several of them as Todd provided backup from the sideline, but the rest were ripped to shreds as Isabel¡¯s sword continued to accelerate.

    Each attack she made cut through multiple different segments of Marley¡¯s magic at once, sending huge root chunks thudding to the ground all around her as she continued her advance toward Marley.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Marley demanded, slashing his blades at Isabel as he backpedaled. She caught the blow on the upswing of her sword, then drove it down for his shoulder in a blur. Despite her glowing blue weapons¡¯ size, it barely seemed to have any weight to it.

    The magical sword slammed into Marley¡¯s shoulder in the same spot that Isabel had hit it previously. But, while Marley had shrugged the previous attack off, this one sent him staggering. His armor dented under her blow and one of his legs trembled.

    Surprise flashed behind his eyes.

    He dropped both of his swords and clapped his hands together. Roots exploded up from the ground all around Isabel and slammed into her stone armor, wrapping around her in a cocoon in an instant. A smug grin crossed Marley¡¯s lips and he took a step back, trying to conceal how hard he was breathing.

    ¡°Finally,¡± Marley said. He clenched his hands, and the bundle of roots tightened against each other as they started to squeeze shut. His eyes drifted toward Todd, his smile turning into a sneer. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you¡ª¡±

    The tip of a burning blue sword carved out of the knot of roots. It carved down and a stone-covered hand reached out from within the nest of woody growth. There were several scratches along the armor¡¯s surface, but it was functionally undamaged.

    Roots crunched and bulged before ripping at the edges, parting to reveal Isabel as she stepped out of the trap. She strode toward Marley at the same speed that she had been moving at before, barely even bothered by his attack.

    ¡°What in the Damned Plains?¡± Marley took a step back, his smile evaporating. ¡°What kind of magic are you using? You¡¯re a Rank 2! You shouldn¡¯t be able to¡ª¡±

    A bolt of concentrated fire caught in the side of his head. Marley¡¯s green shield flashed to life, protecting him from the bolt, but it still rippled from the force of the magic. His eyes shot to Todd.

    Todd sent him a rude gesture.

    Before Marley could respond, Isabel¡¯s sword was carving toward him once again. Marley cursed and lunged back ¡ª but not nearly fast enough. The tip of her sword screeched across the front of his armor.

    It ripped deep into the metal, sending coils of magic crackling into the air as it damaged imbuements. Marley stumbled in surprise and tripped over his own feet. He hit the ground with a grunt and a slew of even more curses.

    He scrambled back to his feet, grabbing his swords from where he¡¯d dropped them on the way up. They lit with blue energy and he crossed them before himself an instant before Isabel¡¯s glowing blade hurtled toward him again.

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    A loud clang rang out. The swords were ripped from Marley¡¯s hands and her sword continued down, driving into the damaged armor on his shoulder. It bit deep into the metal and drove Marley down onto one knee.

    ¡°How?¡± Marley demanded through gritted teeth. Magic sputtered from his armor as the Imbuements tried and failed to activate.

    Isabel dismissed the sword as she lifted her hands. She didn¡¯t even bother to answer his question. It barely even looked like she¡¯d heard his words. Her sword reformed in her hands and she brought it back down. Like every blow before it, this one was stronger than the last.

    Marley¡¯s eyes went wide and he hurled himself out of the way ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t nearly fast enough to avoid the attack. The glowing blue sword plummeted straight for his exposed back with enough power to cut through his armor and him alike.

    A clang echoed through the clearing.

    Isabel¡¯s sword had stopped just above her target, caught by a thin grey blade.

    A man with a well-kept goatee and sleek, combed black hair with a faint glossy sheen stood above Marley. His features were sharp and thinned with displeasure.

    Isabel¡¯s pattern broke, her advance halted. She took a step back in surprise. The hair on her neck stood on end.

    What in the Damned Plains? Why is Jakob here? This is a survival exam. There aren¡¯t supposed to be professors present.

    ¡°Why is a professor interfering in the middle of an exam?¡± Todd demanded, walking up to join Isabel as she took several steps back to meet him.

    ¡°Get up, Marley,¡± Jakob¡¯s voice ground out. There was a cold, deadly edge to his tone.

    Marley, who had curled himself into a ball to protect his head, lowered his hands and glanced up. He spotted Jakob and scrambled to his feet. Dirt clung to his armor and magic still sputtered along the huge gouges that Isabel had left in it. A small river of blood ran down from the wound on his shoulder.

    ¡°Professor,¡± Marley stammered. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Jakob said. ¡°You¡¯ve done your part. I do not know how you¡¯ve managed to fail so badly, but it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. I will deal with this myself.¡±

    Marley¡¯s mouth snapped shut.

    ¡°You realize he could have just broken the pendant, right?¡± Emily¡¯s voice rang out as she approached them, her ice bow still in hand. She stopped a fair distance away from them and made no moves to dismiss her weapon.

    Isabel was pretty certain this had absolutely nothing to do with the exam anymore. Jakob¡¯s gaze hadn¡¯t left her once.

    Shit. He¡¯s here for my Master Rune. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s so shameless that he¡¯d just attack midway through the exam. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m giving it to him. I¡¯ll break my pendant on purpose before I hand it over. Why would he choose now? It doesn¡¯t make sense.

    Jakob¡¯s sword flicked. A root exploded up from the ground before Isabel, moving at a dozen times the speed of Marley¡¯s magic. She twisted out of the way, but she wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop it from slamming into her shoulder. It pierced clean through her stone armor and drove through her shoulder. Pain ripped into Isabel and she cried out.

    An explosion ripped through the clearing. Todd blurred through the air, flame curling up from his feet as his fist slammed into Jakob¡¯s face, but a glistening shield burst into being and absorbed the blow.

    A second root shot up from behind Jakob and slammed into Todd¡¯s chest, shattering his armor and pelting him into the ground like a ball.

    Emily¡¯s hands shot up and she fired an ice arrow. It shattered against Jakob¡¯s shield harmlessly.

    ¡°Help!¡± Emily yelled, drawing another arrow. ¡°A professor went rogue! He¡¯s trying to kill us!¡±

    ¡°Oh, be silent. A former Torrin heir should have more respect for themselves,¡± Jakob spat. ¡°Nobody is coming. Do you really think I would be stupid enough to make a move when there were others present?¡±

    Todd fired a blast of fire at Jakob, then drove his fist into the vine pinning Isabel. An explosion ripped the growth to shreds and he pushed Isabel behind himself, his armor reforming around his legs.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Isabel said, gritting her teeth. The wound in her shoulder was bad. She couldn¡¯t risk ripping the vine out and causing herself to bleed out. ¡°We need to get out of here. We can¡¯t fight a professor.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jakob agreed. ¡°You can¡¯t. This farce is over. The other families were so convinced that you were incompetent that you managed to hide the Soul Master Rune for years, but that ends now. I¡¯ll be taking it back.¡±

    Ice gripped Isabel¡¯s heart, but it was fought back by a burning fury that built in her chest. Anger that had been suppressed for years because of her own weakness, ripped to the surface by the sneering professor before her. ¡°Take it back? You tried to steal it in the first place!¡±

    ¡°It belongs in the hands of someone that can use it,¡± Jakob said. ¡°You and your worthless family have no claim to such a powerful weapon. Far too many problems were created by the foolish mercy of leaving you alive. That will not happen again.¡±

    He flicked his hand.

    The ground behind him exploded. A thigh-sized root covered with jagged thorn growths burst free from the ground and blurred into motion as it headed straight for Isabel.

    Her heartbeat thumped in her ears.

    Emily released her ice arrow. Todd leapt forward to knock the Vine off its path, the ends of his gauntlets starting to shatter as an explosion built within them. Neither of them would be enough.

    The world slowed. Her Master Rune hummed in her ears as its power activated and accelerated her mind. She¡¯d refrained from using any more than a trickle of its power for years, but it didn¡¯t matter anymore.

    Isabel had absolutely no idea what Soul was truly capable of. It could manifest her soul as a weapon and let her imbue her will into her armor ¡ª and herself. It had given her a few extra moments to think mid-fight as it infused her mind, accelerating her thoughts, but that wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop Jakob.

    What do I do?

    Panic built in Isabel like a rising tide. They¡¯d made it too far to fail like this. They¡¯d finally started to get strong enough to get a chance to fight back. She couldn¡¯t die here. Todd couldn¡¯t die here.

    Isabel drank from the Master Rune, desperately pulling on its strength as she activated her final trump card.

    Her only normal rune shuddered as it resisted Soul¡¯s mounting pressure. The world slowed even further.

    Even 7 Flawless Rank 2s would have been unable to pull this off ¡ª but a single Rank 3 could.

    The Flawless Rank 3 that she¡¯d formed just before the Exam had started, Flowing Stone.

    It would have been enough to crush any of the other students. But against Jakob¡­ there was only one way to find out.

    Isabel exploded into motion. Streaks of blue light curled off her skin as she drove a hand into Todd¡¯s side, shoving him out of the way and twisting in the same motion.

    Jakob¡¯s vine ripped through the air, the thorns covering it slicing along her skin as it passed her by. Isabel didn¡¯t relent. She blurred forward, a spear forming in her hand as she drove it directly for the Professor¡¯s chest.

    His shield shimmered to life.

    Isabel¡¯s spear passed straight through it, passing through his magic as if nothing was there. The shield didn¡¯t even ripple in the weapons¡¯ passing as it drove forward and slammed into Jakob¡¯s chest.

    The world snapped back into motion.

    Jakob¡¯s foot blurred out and slammed into Isabel¡¯s chest. The air exploded from her lungs and she tumbled back, sliding across the ground as pain burned in the wound in her shoulder and a furious headache pounded in her skull, gripping it like the claws of a demon.

    Isabel¡¯s attack shattered against Jakob¡¯s shield. The green energy rippled, but it didn¡¯t break. He reached up to the wound on his chest, blinking in surprise. Hunger burned in his eyes as he looked to her.

    Shit. It wasn¡¯t enough. He must have body imbuements reinforcing himself.

    ¡°Gah! You little shit. The Soul Master Rune is this powerful, even in your hands?¡± Jakob asked, his voice warped with pain. Isabel¡¯s attack had done a lot of damage, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop him. ¡°Incredible. Imagine what it will do in the hands of a true mage.¡±

    He lifted his hands into the air, his jaw tight. The ground around him shuddered. Isabel tried to call on Soul again, but her power was spent. It had taken every scrap of energy in Flowing Stone to let her access the immense strength of Soul, and now she was drained dry.

    ¡°Run!¡± Isabel yelled. She grabbed her pendant and snapped it.

    Nothing happened.

    What?

    Jakob chuckled, anger and pain twisting his features. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    Three roots exploded from the ground. The air beside Isabel shimmered, and an invisible hand fell on her shoulder.

    James was beside her ¡ª but it wasn¡¯t going to be enough. He couldn¡¯t stop Jakob¡¯s magic.

    The roots flashed for Isabel, splitting the air at an incredible speed.

    ¡°Isabel!¡± Todd threw himself forward, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough to block the attack.

    Shimmering disks of light appeared before Isabel as the roots advanced. They shattered like glass, falling apart beneath the power of Jakob¡¯s spell. Then the roots were upon her. She crossed her arms before herself in an attempt to protect her vitals.

    Something blurred past Isabel. The loud snick of severing plant matter filled the air and chunks of root pelted the ground around her. Isabel¡¯s eyes widened.

    Alexandra had arrived before Isabel ¡ª but she wasn¡¯t alone.

    Yulin stood beside her.

 Chapter 572: Fill in

    Isabel was baffled, but she didn¡¯t have time to wonder why Yulin, one of Jakob¡¯s own students, had shown up to stop his attack together with Alexandra. She gritted her teeth as she tried to draw more power from her drained Rune. There was practically nothing left to take after her Master Rune had ground her energy down, but she managed a flicker of power.

    Fortunately for her, Jakob seemed to be just as confused as she was. The roots rising up from the ground around him twitched as he stared at the newcomers. Anger creased his features and his jaw clenched.

    ¡°Yulin. What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Jakob ground out. More roots pushed free of the ground and rose around him like a swaying sea of grass in the wind.

    ¡°You¡¯re on the wrong side, idiot,¡± Marley said. ¡°Did you forget that you were supposed to deal with Alexandra, not bring her here?¡±

    ¡°Have I ever forgotten anything?¡± Yulin asked quietly, raising her sword before her and shifting her stance.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been a decent aid, Yulin,¡± Jakob said, his tone dripping with anger. ¡°But I believe you may have gotten misguided. Perhaps I wasn¡¯t clear enough with my instructions. Deal with the students behind you.¡±

    Yulin¡¯s hands clenched. She didn¡¯t move.

    Isabel would have burst into laughter if she wasn¡¯t so stressed. It looked like Alexandra had somehow gotten Yulin to swap teams. She didn¡¯ t know how, but she wasn¡¯t about to complain. They needed all the help they could get, and Marley was such a raging asshole that it really wasn¡¯t all that big of a surprise that someone that had to deal with him on a daily basis would turn against him. Her only regret was that Yulin didn¡¯t have the same armor that Marley did.

    ¡°Stupid woman,¡± Jakob growled, shaking his head. ¡°What a waste of Torrin resources. You serve us. That is your duty. That is your purpose. You are dead, Yulin. You realize this, yes? You are choosing to betray the Torrin family. There are no more warnings after this. I will kill you along with the thief. We do not harbor traitors.¡±

    Anger pulsed in Isabel¡¯s heart and pushed back the numbing pain in her arm. The absolute gall of Jakob to call her a thief when he was trying to steal her rune. When the noble families had conspired to kill her father and had taken everything from her and Todd. Her stomach twisted in fury and her hands clenched at her sides.

    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Todd¡¯s face creased with concentration. He was trying to do something during the momentary distraction that Alexandra and Yulin had bought them, but she couldn¡¯t tell what.

    ¡°I am not a traitor,¡± Yulin said.

    ¡°Get over here,¡± Marley growled. ¡°Now, Yulin. This is an order. Professor Jakob isn¡¯t playing around. This isn¡¯t the time to decide to be annoying.¡±

    Yulin¡¯s expression didn¡¯t so much as twitch. ¡°Your order is invalid. I obey the Torrin family ¡ª but you and Jakob are unworthy of our name. I have chosen to support a different branch of the family.¡±

    ¡°Oh, ouch,¡± Emily said, drawing an ice arrow back and taking aim at him. ¡°I¡¯m practically homeless, and I¡¯m still a preferrable choice to you, Marley. I think I¡¯d be finding something pretty strong to drink after this. Maybe you can ask Jakob to drink with you, since I doubt anybody else can stomach your presence.¡±

    Marley¡¯s mouth dropped open as his eyes shot to Emily. ¡°Are you kidding me? Her? What claim does she have to the throne? Evergreen is dead! Exal commands the Torrins now. Turning against him is like signing your own death warrant. Even if we don¡¯t kill you here, there won¡¯t be any future left for you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking very bold for someone who hasn¡¯t managed to win a single match against me,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°And we outnumber you.¡±

    ¡°Numbers mean nothing in the face of strength,¡± Jakob replied. ¡°I am at the peak of Rank 4. What do you think a few middling children are capable of against me? I have wasted enough time here. Marley, enough playing around. Deal with the worthless ones while I get the Master Rune.¡±

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Marley brought his palms together. Power flared up from his damaged armor as Imbuements hummed to life along it. Magic leaked off the metal and rose into the air in a thick gray haze.

    He lifted his swords and they both ignited with a loud hum, burning with even more energy than they had before. Whoever was supporting Jakob was pumping magic into Marley¡¯s armor and practically throwing huge swathes of it away.

    The amount of power Marley was leaking was painful. He was basically burning magic just to keep his equipment active ¡ª but it didn¡¯t seem like either he or Jakob were particularly concerned with that.

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with Yulin, Professor,¡± Marley said with a sneer, stepping forward. ¡°I beat her in matches all the time. You can get the others.¡±

    ¡°I find your presence distasteful, but I do not want to kill you,¡± Yulin said. ¡°Stand down. I have never lost to you when I did not allow myself to.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Marley¡¯s expression darkened in fury. ¡°Then let¡¯s find out which of us is actually stronger.¡±

    That¡¯s hardly a fair challenge. Marley is completely kitted out in fully imbued armor, and Yulin has absolutely nothing but her sword.

    Isabel¡¯s muscles tensed as the roots around Jakob rose up to tower over him, casting a shadow over the entire clearing. The taste of blood stung against Isabel¡¯s tongue and her arm throbbed in pain. She barely had anything to work with, but she clung to the one scrap of magic that she¡¯d gathered in wait for an opportunity. Isabel refused to go down without a fight.

    ¡°You know what?¡± Todd asked, his voice cutting through the clearing. ¡°I¡¯m so fucking fed up with this. You all piss me off.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jakob asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t have to complain much longer. You¡¯re just one more loose end that should have been tied off.¡±

    ¡°And there you go again, spouting off bullshit,¡± Todd said. He cracked his neck, then rubbed at it with one hand, but his eyes never left Jakob. ¡°I used to think every noble was like you and Marley, you know. A bunch of arrogant, self-entitled pricks with massive egos that think the world belongs to them.¡±

    ¡°You are scum,¡± Jakob ground out. ¡°Every single one of you are scum, and you will die like scum. I can¡¯t be bothered to deal with this one. Marley, handle him first. I will discipline Yulin myself.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing, Professor,¡± Marley said with a grin. He strode toward Todd, smokey magic curling off his body and into the air like a pyre. ¡°I¡¯ll dig his grave for you.¡±

    ¡°Dig an extra one,¡± Todd said, lifting his hand toward Marley. Stone raced up his body and encased his arm in an extra layer of protection. It jutted out of the back of his shoulder and dull lines of orange energy lit it from within. ¡°Because I¡¯m done fucking around.¡±

    Several loud explosions went off in rapid succession within Todd¡¯s arm. A deafening crack split the air. Steam exploded out the back of his arm and fire rolled out around his fingers in a roar.

    Spurts of fire pushed through cracks in his arm, ripping it apart. He staggered to the side, nearly tripping over his own feet as he fought to keep his balance. The fire only made it about a foot away from him before dissipating into the air.

    Jakob let out a snort of amusement. ¡°You are pathetic. Put the yammering fool down already, Marley. What are you waiting on?¡±

    Marley stood stock still, a sneer frozen on his face as if cast in ice. A trickle of blood rolled down his face and dripped from his nose.

    At the very center of his forehead was a small hole. A stone was lodged deep within his brain, still smoking from the explosion that had launched it free from Todd¡¯s palm.

    The magic pouring from Marley¡¯s armor sputtered and went out. The metal turned dull. Marley pitched back and crashed to the ground like a limp doll with a heavy thud. And there he remained, unmoving.

    ¡°You vile scum!¡± Jakob screamed, thrusting his hands forward. ¡°What have you done?¡±

    Vines exploded forward toward Todd. Alexandra blurred, her figure dancing through the air like the wind itself. She ripped through nearly every vine before it could find its mark, but one slipped past her.

    Yulin dove forward. She grabbed Todd and tackled him to the side, bringing him out of the path of the deadly magic. The Torrin girl rolled to the side and back to her feet. For a moment, she stared at the spot where Marley had fallen. Then she lifted her sword again and returned her attention to Jakob.

    Todd staggered up beside her, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

    ¡°On second thought, you might need to dig the extra grave yourself. I don¡¯t think Marley¡¯s going to be doing much of anything,¡± Todd said. ¡°This one¡¯s on you, dumbass. You turned his pendant off too so he wouldn¡¯t get pulled out of a fight by a small injury since he¡¯s got that bullshit armor to keep him alive. Why should I fight fair when all you ever do is cheat?¡±

    ¡°I am going to kill you. All of you,¡± Jakob said, flexing his fingers like claws as veins bulged in his neck. Roots burst up from the ground around him to replace the ones that Alexandra had destroyed. ¡°Painfully.¡±

    ¡°That hasn¡¯t been the first time someone¡¯s said that to me,¡± Alexandra said, pointing her blade at Jakob. ¡°And it isn¡¯t going to be the last. Professor Vermil isn¡¯t here right now, so I¡¯ll have to fill in for him and remove your head.¡±

 Chapter 573: Help

    The Mushroom Forest rumbled as Jakob ripped roots up from the ground in swathes. Fury burned in his eyes as the worked ground bubbled and churned beneath his feet. Then he thrust his hands forward with a wordless cry of fury and anger.

    Roots exploded forward in a wave.

    ¡°Run!¡± Alexandra yelled, launching herself toward the roiling roots hurtling toward them. Her motions were fluid as her sword danced through the air, slicing through everything in its path.

    Yulin fought at her side. The Torrin¡¯s blade was more akin to a whip of metal than a solid weapon. It seemed to flow and ripple like liquid, growing and shrinking in length as she spun it around her.

    There was no time to appreciate either of their fighting styles. Despite their best efforts, Jakob was pushing them back. For every root they cut down, two more took its place. Thorns burst free from the white foliage, as long and sharp as swords.

    They lost ground with every passing second. Alexandra and Yulin couldn¡¯t hold Jakob off on their own. Despite their skill, Yulin was still a Rank 2 and Alexandra was only Rank 3. The fact that they were holding off Jakob for this long was already impressive ¡ª but they couldn¡¯t just hold him off.

    Isabel grit her teeth as she dug through her mind in search of a solution. They needed backup, but backup wasn¡¯t coming. And despite Alexandra¡¯s order to run, that wasn¡¯t going to do anything either.

    Jakob had control of plants. Right now, they were in a clearing. Running into a forest would just make it even easier for him to attack them. The only advantage they had was numbers, but that wasn¡¯t going to last for long when Jakob started to pick them off.

    How can we beat him? There has to be a way we can pull this off. What would Professor Vermil do if he were here right now?

    ¡°Todd, can you do that thing you just did again?¡± Isabel asked as she fought to catch her breath. Muscles in her neck throbbed in tension as a wave of pain and weakness rolled through her from the wound in her shoulder, but she pushed it down.

    ¡°No,¡± Todd replied grimly. ¡°I drained every scrap of energy I had to use that attack, and that includes the power I recycled to get the explosion that concentrated. There are too many flaws in it still.¡±

    Great. So both of us are functionally out of energy. That only leaves Emily and James.

    The ground before Isabel twisted. Her eyes widened and she leaned back. The reaction wasn¡¯t nearly fast enough. A thin root burst up from the dirt, its tip sharpened to a point, and drove straight for her throat.

    A glimmer of light swirled in the air and a shield formed before Isabel. The vine struck it and the magic shattered, but it bought her the extra half-second she needed to throw herself out of the way.

    ¡°You are wasting all of our time,¡± Jakob snarled, taking a step forward. The intensity of the roots bearing down on Alexandra and Yulin intensified, forcing both of them back.

    One of them scraped along Alexandra¡¯s arm, ripping her shirt but failing to penetrate her skin. Another one shot for Yulin ¡ª but James intervened with a disk of light, blocking the attack and giving the girl a moment to reposition.

    An arrow of ice streaked through the air in a blur. It shot past the roots and slammed into Jakob, only to be blocked by his shield flickering to life. He barely even reacted. The professor just took another step toward Alexandra and Yulin, intensifying the strength of his assault further.

    ¡°You¡¯re trying really hard just to kill a few students. That¡¯s not a good look, man,¡± Todd taunted, stepping away from Isabel and raising his voice loud enough to make sure that Jakob could hear him.

    ¡°Wait your turn,¡± Jakob growled. He swept a hand through the air and a root blurred up from the ground behind Alexandra, striking her square in the back.

    The force of the attack launched her into the air, and another vine whipped out and batted her out of the sky like an insect. She slammed into the ground with a loud crunch.

    Isabel¡¯s heart flew up into her throat, but Alexandra rolled to the side as another root crashed down on the spot where she¡¯d landed. She shot back to her feet, clothing damaged but only bleeding from a few small cuts rather than a severe laceration. Her Body Runes were protecting her against the brunt of Jakob¡¯s magic.

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°We need something more,¡± Emily hissed as she sprinted over to stand by Isabel. ¡°I can¡¯t break his shield, and I can¡¯t get close enough to use my pattern without him attacking me. Alexandra and Yulin have his attention, but that won¡¯t last forever. James is trying to back them up, but he¡¯s also low on magic.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Isabel said, her fists clenching at her sides. Frustration crashed against her insides like a raging ocean. All the years of having to hide from the noble families. All the years of knowing what had been done to her and Todd, the years of waiting for revenge ¡ª and all she¡¯d managed to do was stab one of the bastards that had destroyed their families.

    Things can¡¯t end like this, but right now, the only thing we can do is lighten the load on Alexandra and Yulin while we look for an opening.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Todd asked.

    ¡°Take attention away from the others,¡± Isabel said, flexing her fingers and setting her jaw. ¡°Jakob might be able to control a lot of roots, but there¡¯s no way he can split his attention in every single direction. We need to get Emily close enough to use her Formation. She¡¯s the one that has the best chance of breaking Jakob¡¯s shield.¡±

    Todd gave her a sharp nod, and the three of them burst into motion.

    ***

    Noah stared at the fight unfolding before him, invisible hands clenched around his throat. His students were fighting for their lives, and they were putting up a damn good showing ¡ª but it was apparent that they were not going to win.

    Sticky crouched nearby, the portal still gathering before her. Her body trembled with exertion and her face was creased in concentration. She was throwing every single scrap of power and ability she had into controlling the artifact, but it wasn¡¯t going to be enough.

    They didn¡¯t have time.

    Jakob had far more magical energy than the students. Even though his runes weren¡¯t perfect, they were far from trash. He could keep fighting for a lot longer than Isabel and the others could. Time was running thin. It would only be minutes before the students just didn¡¯t have any magic left to work with.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way you can help?¡± Noah asked Sievan, pacing back and forth as desperation and fury swirled within him. All the power he¡¯d gathered meant nothing if he couldn¡¯t be there when it mattered.

    ¡°I cannot,¡± Sievan said. ¡°Even the greatest of demons cannot form a connection between the mortal realm and the Damned Plains on their own. We must be summoned or go through an existing pathway. The Key in Sticky¡¯s hands is one of the only ways to do that, and no others are near us.¡±

    This can¡¯t be happening.

    ¡°Can we help Sticky?¡± Lee asked. Her eyes were locked on the vision of the students and her skin was pallid and sickly. The small demon¡¯s hands clenched at her sides, her claws digging into her palms and drawing blood. ¡°There has to be something we can do!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost there,¡± Sticky said through clenched teeth. The Key trembled in her hands. ¡°I¡¯m going to make the portal. I¡¯m going to be helpful. I promise.¡±

    ¡°Do what you can, Sticky,¡± Moxie said through clenched teeth. ¡°Just get that portal opened. You aren¡¯t at fault for this, but we¡¯re going to fucking kill the people that are.¡±

    Only if we can actually get there. I can¡¯t wait for this portal. I need another way onto the mortal plane. One that doesn¡¯t take me a bunch of time when I cross between the planes. There has to be a way. There¡¯s always ¡ª

    Noah froze.

    That¡¯s it.

    ¡°Mascot,¡± Noah said, his voice as sharp as a blade. ¡°I need you.¡±

    And then Mascot was there, crouched upon his shoulder. For once in the cat¡¯s life, there was no smug amusement or playfulness in the cat¡¯s eyes. The little monster was dead serious.

    ¡°What in the planes is that?¡± Sievan asked, his eyes going as wide as saucers.

    Noah ignored him. Sievan couldn¡¯t help, but Mascot could. A flicker of hope built in his chest.

    ¡°Can you get me there?¡± Noah asked, pointing to the scene playing out before them.

    The cat stared at Noah. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t tell if his request had been misunderstood. He¡¯d always been fairly confident that Mascot could understand what he was saying, but the cat had never actually directly acknowledged any of his requests.

    Mascot shook his head.

    Noah¡¯s stomach fell. The cat had been his only idea, but Mascot couldn¡¯t bring people along with him when he teleported. There wasn¡¯t even time to write a letter to send to Jalen. By the time Mascot found him and Jalen read the letter, he¡¯d still have to find where the students were in the exam. It wasn¡¯t proctored. Nobody was watching. Even if it only took him a minute, it would be too late.

    Mascot was the only one that could slip through planes like it was nothing. If he couldn¡¯t get Noah there, then it was over. There was absolutely nothing he could ¡ª

    No. Fuck that. I¡¯m not accepting this. There has to be another way.

    He was dimly aware of his students surrounding Jakob in the vision. They had split apart to stretch his attention, but the professor had clearly seen combat before. He¡¯d built a ring of spiked vines around himself to keep them from getting close while he bore down on Alexandra and Yulin.

    James was doing what he could to protect the girls, but they were all running out of magic. Blows were connecting more often, and Yulin was already limping badly. There were only minutes left in the fight at best.

    There¡¯s a way to make it out of this. I refuse to accept any alternative.

    The grimoire on Noah¡¯s back shuddered. It somehow slipped itself off his arm and fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

    There was a jerk on Noah¡¯s back. It ripped itself open to a blank page, and worlds scrawled across its surface in black ink.

    I can help.

 Chapter 574: Promise

    Noah stared at the grimoire, trying to make sense of the words upon its page. The book had never spoken to him before. He¡¯d known it was sentient, but this was a step beyond showing Bird inappropriate drawings purely to get him in trouble.

    There was something going on that he didn¡¯t understand. The grimoire was more than he had thought it was. But, no matter how badly he wanted to figure out what the hell was up with it and why Sievan¡¯s men had been so unsettled by the book, there was no time right now.

    The only thing that mattered was his students. He couldn¡¯t waste precious seconds trying to determine what the book was or what it wanted. Noah didn¡¯t care. If it could help him, then everything else could wait.

    More ink bloomed within the grimoire¡¯s page, but this time, it didn¡¯t take the form of words. It made a pattern from runes ¡ª but they weren¡¯t just any runes. Noah recognized these runes.

    They were his own.

    Noah¡¯s eyes went wide. It wasn¡¯t just the runes he recognized. It was the pattern as well. A circle. A circle he¡¯d seen many months before, though it now seemed like it had been years ago.

    The runes within the circle were different than the last time he¡¯d seen it. That did absolutely nothing to change its purpose. Noah knew exactly what the purpose of this pattern was, and he realized what the book was suggesting.

    It was an idea so ridiculous that it would have been laughable in any other situation.

    But this wasn¡¯t any other situation. His students were putting up an incredible fight, but their time was running out, slipping like grains of sand past Noah¡¯s fingertips as he did nothing but watch.

    This situation called for something ridiculous.

    Ink twisted beneath the rune circle to form into more words upon the grimoire¡¯s pages.

    I will require payment.

    ¡°Done,¡± Noah barked. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you need. All I care about is saving my students. If you can let me do that, then anything you want is yours. You¡¯ve seen how I work. You know I hold true to my promises as long as you aren¡¯t asking for something that I¡¯m not willing to offer.¡±

    Accepted.

    Noah slammed the grimoire closed. There was nothing more to be said. He and the book were on the exact same page ¡ª figuratively and literally.

    Mascot hopped down from his shoulder and landed on top of the book. For a moment, he met the cat¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°The book,¡± Noah said, his voice as taut as a tightrope. ¡°Take it to Isabel.¡±

    There was a flicker of acknowledgement in Mascot¡¯s eyes. A ripple of reddish-purple energy washed over the cat and the grimoire beneath it.

    Then they were gone.

    ***

    Isabel dove to the ground. Pain flared through her shoulder as she hit it in a roll, and a loud crash behind her marked a root demolishing the dirt where she¡¯d been moment before. Her breath came out in ragged gasps as she scrambled back to her feet, exhaustion gripping her heart and piercing into her side like a blade.

    She had no time to give in to it. Isabel dove out of the way once more as another root whipped through the air with a whistling howl.

    Dust and wispy white mist swirled through the air around her. It stung her wounds and coated her tongue with the cold flavor of iron and earth.

    Another root was already moving for her face by the time she started to rise. Her muscles screamed in protest as she prepared to dodge, but before she could, Alexandra slipped past her in a blur of motion, her blade carving Jakob¡¯s magic to shreds as she tried to find an opening in his defenses.

    Isabel spat gritty blood onto the ground as she fought to catch her breath with the brief moment that the other girl had bought her.

    Their fight wasn¡¯t going well. Jakob was wearing them down. It was pathetic that the professor hadn¡¯t actually managed to defeat them yet, and it was pretty clear he knew that. The scumbag traitor¡¯s features were twisted in fury and embarrassment as he simply used his superior magical reserves to grind away at what power they had left.

    He knew that there should have been no contest in the fight. Numbers meant nothing in the face of overwhelming strength. He¡¯d said that himself, and yet he hadn¡¯t managed to beat them.

    That would be little solace when they all ran out of magic and died.

    Isabel¡¯s jaw clenched. They only had one chance. Emily¡¯s pattern was practically optimized for destroying shields. She¡¯d been steadily making her way closer to Jakob over the fight, but it was hard to tell if she¡¯d make it in time. Emily was almost certainly close enough to attempt her attack now ¡ª Jakob didn¡¯t know the full range of the mist she could summon ¡ª but the moment she started doing anything, the professor would turn his full strength against her.

    And if she does break Jakob¡¯s shield¡­ I don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll be able to do after that. Can we really kill him, even without a shield?

    Damn it. One step at a time. Emily needs an opportunity.

    I can give that to her.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Isabel screamed over the rushing crash of the vines all around her. She drew on a tiny amount of the magic she still had remaining to summon a flicker of blue energy to her palm. ¡°Torrin scum! Did you get so caught up trying to beat children that you forgot about why you threw your honor away?¡±

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Jakob¡¯s eyes snapped over to her. The vines surrounding him writhed like a dying snake.

    ¡°You have a good point,¡± Jakob hissed. ¡°Perhaps I should just deal with you first.¡±

    Oops. More effective than I was hoping for.

    Todd tackled Isabel out of the way as a dozen massive vines exploded into motion and reached for her as one. They hit the ground in a tumble and he was back to his feet in an instant, yanking Isabel up along with him.

    Isabel¡¯s heart slammed in her chest as she put every scrap of energy she had left into running. She couldn¡¯t risk throwing a glance back at Emily to see how things were going. She heard Alexandra and Yulin fighting behind her, trying to keep the vines from growing close, but they were losing the fight.

    Todd slammed his shoulder into Isabel¡¯s side out of the blue. She lost her footing and hit the ground in a tumble. There was a loud crunch from above her. Todd snarled in pain, and panic ripped through Isabel¡¯s chest like a blade.

    A root had wrapped around Todd¡¯s arm. His bones cracked as it clenched down like a snake and he let out a cry of pain.

    ¡°Todd!¡± Isabel yelled.

    Another root rose up above Isabel as she tried to rise to her feet.

    Then it crashed down.

    Alexandra blurred. She slammed her shoulder into the root, knocking it out of the way. The thorns covering it scraped along her arms and sides as it smashed into the ground directly beside Isabel with enough force to shake the dirt.

    The swordswoman fought to catch her breath. Her clothes were ripped apart and her magic was clearly nearing its limits. There was only so long she could keep her pattern active.

    A root snapped up from the ground and snapped around Isabel¡¯s legs, binding them together and yanking her into the air so fast that a flash of pain shot through her neck.

    ¡°No more running,¡± Jakob snarled. ¡°I¡¯ve had it to my neck with you slippery little rats. I don¡¯t understand how a group of Rank 2 and 3s could be so blasted infuriating.¡±

    He was so focused on her that he didn¡¯t seem to notice the white mist that coiled across the ground at his feet.

    ¡°Go back to licking the Torrin¡¯s feet, you worthless shitstain,¡± Isabel rasped. ¡°My father accomplished more when he took a shit in the morning than you will throughout your entire life.¡±

    The root binding Isabel¡¯s legs tightened. She cried out in pain as the bladed growths covering it dug into her flesh and ground against her bones.

    ¡°I don¡¯t typically enjoy killing, but I¡¯ll make an exception for you,¡± Jakob growled. He extended his hand toward her ¡ª

    A hundred shrill shrieks, overlaid over each other and in rapid succession, carved through the air. Minuscule needles flashed within the mist and Jakob¡¯s shield flashed to life. Ripples exploded across its surface at the violent assault.

    His eyes went wide.

    His shield shattered in an instant, and razor thin cuts bloomed across the professor¡¯s body. Jakob spun, bringing his hand down with a roar. A root exploded from the ground beneath Emily, heading straight for her heart.

    The air before her shimmered as James appeared directly before her, crossing his arms before himself. Several disks of yellow light took form between himself and the white growth. Jakob¡¯s attack smashed through every one of them.

    It continued on into James, slamming his hands into his stomach and driving him into Emily. Both of them were launched off their feet and slammed into the ground with a resounding crash. When it rose, neither of them moved.

    Agony tore through Isabel¡¯s body as she twisted in a desperate atttempt to free herself.

    No!

    A tiny flicker of reddish-purple caught Isabel¡¯s eye as she swayed from the root suspending her in the air.

    Her eyes went wide. Mascot sat before her, perched upon a massive grimoire. The cat pawed at its closed cover.

    It couldn¡¯t be, but there it was.

    Noah¡¯s grimoire.

    Did he send this to me?

    The mist around Jakob evaporated. He turned back toward Isabel.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn,¡± Jakob growled.

    Isabel ripped from her minuscule reserves, spurred by the flicker of hope blooming in her chest. A tiny blue blade formed in her hands and she heaved herself up, driving it into the root and giving it a sharp jerk.

    The plant split apart and she dropped unceremoniously to the ground with a pained thud. Isabel dragged herself toward the grimoire with her hands, her legs worthless.

    The shadow of a root rose up over Isabel.

    She grabbed onto the sides of the grimoire.

    ¡°I could use a little help, professor,¡± Isabel whispered through ragged gasps. ¡°We need you.¡±

    ¡°What would your father say if he saw you crawling away from a battle?¡± Jakob asked, his cold laughter ringing through the clearing. ¡°Pathetic until the end.¡±

    The root crashed down.

    The grimoire in Isabel¡¯s hands ripped itself open, and inky shadow arose from within it with a howl like a soul escaping the depths of the afterlife.

    A clawed hand made of darkest night formed from the books pages and moved in a split instant, grabbing the root an inch before it could come into contact with Isabel¡¯s back.

    There was a loud crunch.

    Plant matter splattered across Isabel¡¯s back as the hand closed down, crushing the root into pulp.

    The dark arm rippled, and a second one emerged from the book. It crashed into the dirt with enough force to send tremors ripping through the earth beneath Isabel, and an abomination rose free from within its pages.

    Twisting strands of sinewy flesh as black as night had been crudely sewn together to make up its figure. It undulated and pulsated like a warped parody of a beating organ. The monstrosity had a slender, sickly form that bent like it had been broken over and over, and it would have been easily twenty feet tall if it hadn¡¯t been so hunched over.

    Long arms as thin as bones jutted at its sides and dug into the ground, slender fingers digging through the dirt like there was nothing there. Its eye sockets were empty and sunken, a crooked mouth of all-too-wide teeth twisted into a horrifying smile as the creature drew in a deep, wheezing breath.

    ¡°What in the Damned Plains is that?¡± Jakob asked, his voice raising in pitch and disgust. He flicked his hands forward and every root around him exploded forward, crashing down toward Isabel and the monster like an avalanche.

    The horrifying creature lifted its warped finger into the air and touched the nearest root as it approached. There was a loud, wet squelch.

    Every single root in the clearing shriveled in on themselves like they had been flash dried. They collapsed to the ground, brittle and worthless.

    Jakob¡¯s disgust turned to horror. He took a step backward, his lips parting. Then his hand shot up to his neck, pulling free a pendant and preparing to rip it off his neck.

    That fucking coward. He brought one of the escape pendants meant for students?

    The monstrosity beside Isabel drove one of its arms into the ground in a blur. Black flesh exploded up from the dirt before Jakob and a spindly hand clamped down around his arm.

    There was a crunch followed by a wet, splattering rip. Jakob¡¯s arm flew free of his body, torn clean off at the shoulder. He let out a scream of agony.

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave so quickly, Professor,¡± the abomination said, its voice a hissing whisper. Massive teeth ground against each other as its grin stretched to cover its entire face. ¡°I have been promised your runes. I will ensure you live long enough for me to properly enjoy this.¡±

 Chapter 575: The Book

    ¡°How long are you just going to make us sit around doing nothing?¡± Silvertide demanded, his normally calm eyes burning with poorly restrained fury. The elderly soldier drove his staff into the dirt at his feet to punctuate his words. ¡°Are you going to wait until the children are dead, Jalen?¡±

    The tension within the small clearing in the mushroom forest was high. A number of teachers that most certainly should not have been present at the exam stood in a group, staring at a small, three-dimensional recreation of a section of the forest made from stands of twisting purple magic that floated above Jalen¡¯s hand.

    Even without detail, it was easy to make out the forms of the students squaring up against Jakob.

    ¡°Silvertide is right,¡± Brayden said. His knuckles were white around the hilt of the huge sword at his back and he shifted from foot to foot. If it had been anyone but Jalen standing in his path, he would have already acted ¡ª and he was starting to consider disobeying even the head of his own family. ¡°Your games are going to get them killed. I promised Vermil that I¡¯d protect his students.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t promise him shit. He fucked off to the Damned Plains before you could,¡± Jalen replied, examining his nails. He blew out a short breath and shook his head. ¡°Nobody is moving anywhere. We will not be budging from this location.¡±

    ¡°Jalen, I think you might be taking things too far,¡± Bird said as she took a step toward the Linwick Family¡¯s head. ¡°I don¡¯t have the tie any of you do to those kids, but Jakob is cheating. We should be notifying the proctor and stopping the exam. They can¡¯t beat Jakob ¡ª and he¡¯s clearly using artifacts to strengthen himself. This isn¡¯t a fair fight in any stretch of the imagination.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not taking advice from someone that starts stripping at the first sign of trouble,¡± Jalen said, placing a finger on Bird¡¯s forehead and pushing her back the step she¡¯d just taken. ¡°But look at you, actually growing a backbone. Cute. Maybe we¡¯ll keep you around.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª what?¡±

    ¡°Ignore him,¡± Silvertide growled. ¡°Jalen, I¡¯m not playing around any longer. I spent far too many years standing to the side and ignorant of those kids¡¯ plight. That will not happen again. I will not stand around while they are cut down.¡±

    ¡°Nor will I,¡± Brayden said. He glanced at Bird out of the corners of his eyes. She blew out a heavy sigh.

    ¡°Or I,¡± Bird said.

    ¡°Damned Plains, you¡¯re all so cute,¡± Jalen said through a bark of laughter. He reached into his pocket. ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯m offended that you think so poorly of me. Do you really think that I¡¯d be doing absolutely nothing purely because I thought it would be entertaining?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± every single other person in the clearing said.

    Jalen winced. ¡°Perhaps I deserved that. But I can assure you ¡ª this is not without reason. I would have stepped in long ago myself if not for this.¡±

    He pulled a folded piece of paper free from his pocket and flipped it open with a finger. A single sentence had been cut into the paper with the tip of what seemed to have been a small claw.

    Do not interfere.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Brayden asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. ¡°A threat? From Jakob or Verrud?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jalen replied, his voice going grim. ¡°From the fucking cat.¡±

    And that was when Jakob¡¯s arm, seemingly of its own volition, flew off his body.

    ***

    Jakob staggered backward, his face as pale as a sheet. Blood coursed from the stump of his shoulder and soaked into his clothes as it poured down the side of his body.

    ¡°What are you? A demon?¡± Jakob demanded, flicking his other hand. A root burst free from the ground and shot for the abomination¡¯s throat.

    The warped monster twitched. It carved through the professor¡¯s magic without so much as glancing in its direction. A raspy laugh ground out from its mangled throat.

    ¡°A demon?¡± The abomination lurched forward, dragging itself forward at a terrifying speed with its gangly hands before slamming a palm into Jakob¡¯s chest.

    Jakob¡¯s legs buckled beneath the strength of the blow. It slammed him into the ground with a loud crunch, and several of his bones cracked under the monstrosity¡¯s palm as it pressed down on him, claws tightening around the professor¡¯s body.

    ¡°No, professor,¡± the abomination said, its words scraping against the air like nails on a chalkboard. The ghastly, wide-toothed grin on its face stretched even wider. ¡°I am so much more than that. More than you could ever comprehend.¡±

    It lifted Jakob into the air. The man writhed in the monster¡¯s grip. He flexed his remaining hand like he was trying to call on his runes, but nothing happened. The professor wheezed, even more of the blood draining from his face as his legs kicked helplessly.

    ¡°What is this?¡± he wheezed. ¡°What are you doing to my magic?¡±

    ¡°Taking it,¡± the abomination replied, shifting its voice to match Jakob¡¯s wheezing tone. ¡°You lack flavor, professor. You are hardly worth the effort my master spent sending me here. I no longer feast on fear, but I suspect that I would make an exception for you.¡±

    ¡°You are a demon,¡± Jakob forced out. ¡°You¡¯ll never make it out of this forest. You and your master¡ª¡±

    A laugh ripped through the clearing, and the rest of Jakob¡¯s sentence vanished in a pained cry as the abomination¡¯s hand tightened around his body, cracking his bones and ripping deep into his flesh.

    ¡°You don¡¯t even realize your situation,¡± the vile monstrosity said. ¡°Are you so scared that you speak to yourself, Jakob? Who will save you from the empty air?¡±

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    Its grip loosened and Jakob dropped to the ground in a crumple. He groaned in pain and forced himself upward ¡ª only to find nearly every one of the students staring at him in confusion.

    Jakob and Isabel realized what the abomination meant at the exact same time. Nobody else could see the monster. It was invisible to all but Jakob and Isabel¡¯s eyes ¡ª and it didn¡¯t seem that the monster even realized that Isabel was among the number of the enlightened.

    ¡°Verrud! Help me!¡± Jakob screamed. ¡°The girl has¡ª¡±

    There was a wet crunch as the monster drove its fist through Jakob¡¯s stomach, shattering his ribcage and tearing through his internal organs. It ripped its hand free. Blood dripped from its fingers. It flicked its hand, splattering viscera across the ground.

    Twisting rivers of magical energy rose up from Jakob¡¯s body and spun into the monster¡¯s palm. It let out a satisfied sigh as Jakob wheezed, still gasping and begging for help.

    Isabel swallowed heavily. She could still taste her own blood in her mouth. Something soft butted into her thigh. She glanced down at Mascot, who padded back over to the book before her and pawed at its pages.

    Upon its surface was a circle of Runes. It wasn¡¯t a pattern she recognized, but something about the runes almost felt vaguely familiar.

    ¡°Verrud!¡± Jakob screamed again. ¡°We had a deal!¡±

    Mascot pawed the runes on the page again. He sent a pointed look up at Isabel, then flicked her with his tail.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Isabel asked, wiping her mouth with the back of a sleeve. ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡±

    She could have sworn the cat squinted at her. Mascot planted a paw in the center of the page. Across the clearing, Jakob screamed again as the aberration lifted him into the air and shook his body around like a child¡¯s doll. Blood sprayed from the professor¡¯s body and splattered across the ground as his cries grew weaker.

    Mascot wants me to touch the rune circle? Why?

    Isabel reached for the page.

    A loud crash roared through the clearing. Isabel¡¯s eyes snapped up as a huge waterfall slammed down on Jakob and the abomination, driving them both to the ground. The blood in her veins froze as Verrud emerged from the side of the clearing, his features etched in fury and hand outstretched.

    ¡°What in the Damned Plains is going on?¡± Verrud snarled. He ripped a healing potion from his waist and hurled it at Jakob.

    It struck the other professor in the side and shattered, coating him with glowing red liquid. Energy shimmered as his wounds started to knit themselves shut.

    ¡°Ah,¡± the abomination said. ¡°There we are. I had to slow down. It was getting difficult to rip the power from your body. Humans are so fragile.¡±

    The abomination rose back to its full height ¡ª and the professor¡¯s eyes widened. He might not have been able to see the monster, but he could certainly see the water dripping from its form.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Verrud demanded, horror twisting his features.

    ¡°We need to run!¡± Jakob yelled. ¡°It¡¯s a demon! An invisible¡ª¡±

    The abomination drove its hand back into Jakob¡¯s stomach and he let out a scream of pain. Verrud thrust his hands forward and water ripped itself from the air, slicing into the abomination in a hail of razor-sharp blades.

    They cut through the monster¡¯s black, twisted flesh and it collapsed into a pile of oozing pieces and shadow ¡ª only to start pulling itself back together a moment later. Jakob dragged himself backward and lifted a hand.

    His fingers trembled, but no plants arose from the ground. A trickle of blood ran down from his nose.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Jakob demanded, his voice weak. ¡°What have you done?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± the abomination said as it finished reforming in its entirety. ¡°How disappointing. That was all you had?¡±

    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Verrud demanded, sending another wave of slicing water in the abomination¡¯s direction. The monster twitched out of the way, only taking a few glancing blows. ¡°The demon?¡±

    ¡°Where are my runes?¡± Jakob screamed.

    ¡°Thank you for the meal,¡± the abomination said through a raspy laugh. It lifted a hand, and seven flickering green runes twisted through the air above its fingertips before vanishing once more. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we won¡¯t get to spend more time together, professor. My energy runs thin.¡±

    The monstrosity turned toward Isabel. For a brief instant, its empty, eyeless gaze was directed right at her. Its smile grew wider. The monster knew she could see it.

    Isabel¡¯s blood ran cold and her hands went clammy.

    Then the creature collapsed, transforming into a stream of energy that flooded back into the pages of the grimoire.

    ¡°Jakob!¡± Verrud roared. ¡°Snap out of it. Tell me where the monster is!¡±

    ¡°It ¡ª it¡¯s gone,¡± Jakob stammered, staring at his palms in disbelief. ¡°I¡­ my magic. Where¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop yammering, you idiot,¡± Verrud snarled. He spun toward Isabel. Magic twisted into a spinning disk above his palm. ¡°You had one job. Kill a worthless, blacklisted girl. How did you fail so badly?¡±

    Oh, no. We can¡¯t beat him. Not like this. Where¡¯s the monster? Come back!

    ¡°They were stronger than I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Verrud said. ¡°Incompetent idiot. I should have known better to work with a second-rate family. I¡¯ll deal with this myself.¡±

    Todd staggered to his feet, his teeth gritted. Emily and James dragged themselves up as well, and Alexandra and Yulin both moved before Isabel as well.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to get through all of us,¡± Alexandra said, lifting her sword. She was tired ¡ª they all were ¡ª but none of them were out of the fight.

    ¡°Trust me,¡± Verrud said, the disk of water in his palm splitting into six, ¡°that will not be a problem. I¡¯ve been waiting to do this for quite some time.¡±

    We can¡¯t win. I don¡¯t even know how strong Verrud is, but he¡¯s more powerful than Jakob. He¡¯s probably a Rank 5. This is so fucking unfair. I can¡¯t let everyone die for me.

    Isabel opened her mouth to tell the others to run¡ª

    Mascot batted her in the nose. He sent a furious glare at the page before her, then whacked it with his tail.

    Isabel slapped her palm against the center of the rune circle. She felt a faint prickle as the grimoire pulled at the tiny sliver of magic that she had left, and she gave it freely.

    A ripple of magic pulsed out from the grimoire. It ripped past Isabel and rolled across the ground, passing by all of the students and washing over Verrud. A crackle split the air and the professor¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°What have you done?¡± Verrud. Horror twisted his features and he took a step back, his face going several shades paler. ¡°Idiot girl.¡±

    Arcs of electric crimson energy screamed out from the grimoire and rose into the air. They twisted into a horizontal portal directly above the grimoire¡¯s pages. Waves of power pulsed off the disk of energy, each one coming stronger than the last.

    A flicker of smug satisfaction passed through Mascot¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Gods above,¡± James breathed, staring at the grimoire as fear gripped his features. ¡°That amount of energy¡­ everyone, run! Now!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Alexandra asked. ¡°What did she do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s far too late to run,¡± Verrud breathed, ripping even more energy from the air. An ocean of water twisted into the sky above him as he readied an attack. ¡°She¡¯s killed us all. The fool summoned an Archdemon.¡±

    Rivers of purple lightning ripped out from within the portal and scorched the ground around the grimoire as a glowing figure rose up from within the portal, details twisting themselves into place as the energy took physical form.

    Isabel¡¯s mouth dropped open in disbelief as a familiar shape took form in the air before her.

    ¡°Wrong, you slimy piece of shit,¡± Noah growled as his form materialized in the mortal plane. He stepped down from the portal and cracked his neck. ¡°She summoned me.¡±

 Chapter 576: Return

    Verrud¡¯s mouth went slack. He stared at Noah like he was witnessing a ghost rise back up from the depths of hell. All things considered, that wasn¡¯t too far from the truth. Disbelief gripped the professor¡¯s entire body and he took a step back. Burnt ground crunched beneath his heels as he took another step.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Verrud stammered. ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡±

    Even though Isabel had already known that Noah still lived she couldn¡¯t help but feel the same shock crossing over her own face. Her lips parted as dozens of emotions crashed within her like oceans all meeting at a single point. Relief, surprise, exhaustion ¡ª there was just too much to properly handle at once.

    ¡°Dying seems to be a reoccurring symptom for me,¡± Noah said, baring his teeth. Arcs of purple magic danced across his fingers. ¡°Unfortunately, it just never seems to stick. Maybe you can take that up with management when you see them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an Archdemon,¡± Verrud said. His face went as pale as a sheet. ¡°That¡¯s why you took the worthless girl in. You were planning to take the Soul Master Rune for yourse¡ª¡±

    The air cracked as a bolt of lightning ripped from Noah¡¯s palms. Verrud¡¯s shield flared to life, twisting gray energy enveloping his body and absorbing the magic with a ripple. He flinched, then blinked when he realized the shield hadn¡¯t fallen.

    ¡°Don¡¯t group me in with the likes of scum like you,¡± Noah said. ¡°You know what the problem with Arbitage ¡ª no. With every single noble family ¡ª is? It¡¯s people like you. All machinations and stupid little plots to try and wrest power from each other instead of fucking earning it for yourself. You can¡¯t even comprehend the idea that others aren¡¯t trying to lie and cheat their way to strength.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re no Archdemon,¡± Verrud said, looking at his rippling shield. His eyes lifted back to meet Noah¡¯s and he bared his teeth in a sneer. ¡°That magic was Rank 5 at the strongest. You¡¯re just the same coward professor. Was that just a lightshow? Some trick to make for a grand reappearance after you abandoned your students to go into hiding?¡±

    ¡°Whoa, look at the switchup. You¡¯re really grasping at straws here,¡± Noah said. He glanced at Jakob, who still laid on the ground, wheezing for air. ¡°What happened to that moron? He lost a fight to a bunch of teens ¡ª speaking of which, good job, all.¡±

    ¡°Your mockery will mean nothing when I kill you properly,¡± Verrud spat. The water he¡¯d gathered churned in the air like an ocean preparing to come crashing down on their heads.

    ¡°I mean seriously,¡± Noah said, shaking his head. ¡°Isn¡¯t that fucking prick a Rank 4? What was he doing with his domain? Sitting on it? How do you let a Rank 3 damage you at Rank 4? Is his control over his domain so poor that this was the extent of his power?¡±

    The flush of embarrassment and anger that crossed Jakob¡¯s face was enough to tell Isabel that Noah had hit the nail on the head. It seemed that Jakob wasn¡¯t anywhere near as capable of a mage as he would have liked people to believe.

    Even through the pain and exhaustion, Isabel let out a laugh. Verrud¡¯s features erupted in fury.

    ¡°Enough!¡± With a roar, Verrud brought his hands crashing down.

    The enormous amount of water in the air came down directly upon Noah¡¯s head like an avenging waterfall, bearing with it thousands of pounds of force. The ground rumbled under the immensity of the magic and Noah was enveloped entirely within it.

    Isabel¡¯s stomach clenched. Verrud was one of the most powerful mages she¡¯d ever seen in combat. Noah was strong, but she¡¯d never seen him survive an attack like that before.

    Verrud thrust his hand up, drawing up the water in preparation for another attack ¡ª and his eyes widened.

    Noah stood with an amused expression on his lips. There wasn¡¯t a single wet hair on his body. He was as dry as a bone in a desert. His head tilted to the side and he arched an eyebrow.

    ¡°Would you look at that. It looks like my domain is stronger than your magic.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky,¡± Verrud spat. He twisted his hands and the water separated into dozens of twisting spikes that gathered in the air above Noah. ¡°You¡¯re nothing but the scum of the Linwick family. Using artifacts isn¡¯t going to save you forever.¡±

    ¡°Using artifacts?¡± Noah let out a burst of laughter. ¡°You know, if I cared enough to correct you, then I would.¡±

    A spike of water screamed toward Noah. He lifted a palm toward it and gray magic erupted from within it, arcing out and slamming into the water. The spike exploded in a spray of mist that dissipated before it could reach Noah.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Verrud asked, his confidence faltering as he stared at Noah. ¡°What did you do?¡±

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    ¡°Water counts as matter,¡± Noah said, flexing his palm. ¡°Good to know. I¡¯d love to make a proper example of you, Verrud. Unfortunately, I¡¯m on a time limit.¡±

    ¡°You are using artifacts,¡± Verrud said. His lips curled up in a sneer. ¡°False power will never¡ª¡±

    ¡°God, you¡¯re a moron,¡± Noah said. He clapped his hands together, pulling them apart as blocky gray energy gathered and twisted between his fingers. ¡°I know it¡¯s been a while, all. But please, watch closely. We¡¯ve got a lesson to catch up on.¡±

    ¡°What are you blabbering about?¡± Verrud snarled, sending a dozen spikes of water crashing down for Noah. ¡°If you have real power, then show it. Talk is for the weak.¡±

    Noah thrust his hands outward. His magic slammed into Verrud¡¯s and ripped through it, destroying every drop of the water before it could grow anywhere near him. The unease on Verrud¡¯s features grew stronger.

    ¡°I¡¯ll happily oblige you,¡± Noah said. His expression went flat. ¡°Today¡¯s lesson: don¡¯t fuck with my students.¡±

    Noah blurred into motion, moving faster than Isabel had ever seen him. Her eyes went wide. He was nearly as fast as Lee.

    Verrud jerked his hands back and water twisted around his body in a defensive orb ¡ª but Noah hadn¡¯t been going for him. He¡¯d been going for Jakob. Noah¡¯s foot lifted into the air.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Jakob rasped. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    Noah¡¯s heel slammed into Jakob¡¯s skull. The professor¡¯s head slammed back against the ground and bone shattered with a crunch. Blood splattered across the dirt as Noah lifted his foot free, disgust twisting his features.

    ¡°That one was from Moxie,¡± he said. There wasn¡¯t a single trace of amusement left in his voice. ¡°Enjoy the wait, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure you have company.¡±

    ¡°Killing an Arbitage Professor is an assault on the school itself,¡± Verrud snarled, sending two blades of water screaming out.

    Noah turned to face Verrud and lifted a hand into the air. Gray energy stretched out from his palm and consumed the magic before it could reach him. His eyes narrowed. ¡°And what does attempting to kill its students count as?¡±

    ¡°When they are worthless? Taking out the trash,¡± Verrud spat. He sent a dozen blades of rippling magic slicing through the air toward Noah from every direction.

    Every single one of them missed. Noah blurred past the magical attacks, his body twisting and contorting in ways that Isabel would have sworn that only Lee was capable of. The distance between him and Verrud evaporated like summer rain.

    The Herron Professor ripped a dagger free from its spot at his waist and thrust it forward. More spikes of water shot down toward Noah at the same time. Once more, every single attack missed as he blurred out of the way, not even bothering to use magic to stop the strikes.

    ¡°You can¡¯t even get through my shield,¡± Verrud spat. ¡°What do you think you¡¯ll be able to¡ª¡±

    White cracks carved through the air from Noah¡¯s palm. Verrud didn¡¯t even try to dodge out of the way. The sneer was still present on his face when the magic passed clean through the gray shield as if nothing was there. It wound past the Professor¡¯s hip, traveling about a foot away from Noah¡¯s palm.

    Then the cracks detonated with a loud, sharp snap. Verrud let out a scream of pain as his Shield shattered ¡ª along with several of the bones in his right leg. He crumpled, suddenly no longer able to support himself, and landed on his back as his eyes went wide in horror.

    The professor¡¯s eyes went wide in disbelief. He dragged himself back with his hands as Noah stared down at him, his features still as flat as the stone face of a cliffside.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t an artifact,¡± Verrud stammered, pain tinging his voice. His hand scrabbled at his side and he grabbed a healing potion.

    He never got a chance to use it. Noah¡¯s foot slammed down on his arm, driving it into the ground in a blur. The potion rolled from Verrud¡¯s grip, coming to a stop in a burnt pit in the ground several feet away from them.

    Isabel could barely believe what she was seeing. Verrud wasn¡¯t just losing the fight. He was getting manhandled. The bastard looked like he¡¯d never used magic a day in his life ¡ª but she knew that wasn¡¯t the truth. He was a powerful mage that should have been able to fight back against even a low level Rank 6, even if he had no chance of winning.

    She swallowed heavily.

    How strong has Noah become?

    ¡°No extensions,¡± Noah said. White lightning buzzed across his palm as he lifted a hand into the air. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for those right now.¡±

    ¡°Demon,¡± Verrud rasped.

    ¡°Would you make up your goddamn mind?¡± Noah exclaimed. ¡°First I¡¯m a demon, then I¡¯m not. When will you stop twisting the truth and realize that you¡¯re just fucking weak? This isn¡¯t a fight, Verrud. You¡¯re a rabid dog, and I¡¯m putting you down. I¡¯d tell you to find an opponent your rank the next time around instead of going after my students ¡ª but, well, there won¡¯t be a next time.¡±

    ¡°My family will destroy you,¡± Verrud spat. ¡°You cannot kill me and get away with it. The Herrons will find out. They will rip you and the thieving bitch into shreds. You will never know peace. Every one of your waking moments will¡ª¡±

    Noah¡¯s foot slammed into Verrud¡¯s stomach and the rest of the man¡¯s sentence vanished in a wheeze of pain as he folded like a sheet of paper. He crouched down, the white magic racing across his fingertips intensifying.

    ¡°If you happen to run into Renewal, do me a favor and let her know that I owe her a fruit basket.¡± He grabbed Verrud by the head. Jagged white cracks expanded through the air all around the man¡¯s skull.

    The other professor¡¯s eyes only had an instant to go wide before there was a loud, ear-splitting crunch.

    And in that moment, it struck Isabel that her professor hadn¡¯t been posturing. At no point had she witnessed an actual fight between Verrud and Noah. That would have required one of the parties to have a chance of victory.

    No, this hadn¡¯t been a fight.

    It had been an execution.

    Noah straightened, shaking the blood from his hand as he let the shattered corpse tumble from his grip. He turned, and the cold anger that had burned within his eyes evaporated in an instant as he properly laid eyes on his students for the first time since falling into the Damned Plains.

    ¡°Professor,¡± Isabel said, pushing through the pain and rising to her feet. The only emotion that still remained in her was relief, and a small smile crossed over her lips. ¡°Welcome home. We¡¯ve missed you.¡±

 Chapter 577: Problem

    Noah couldn¡¯t describe the immense amount of relief he felt at seeing every single one of his students alive and kicking. They were bruised up and exhausted to the core, but none of their injuries were too bad. Isabel looked to have the worst of things.

    He hooked the potion that Verrud had dropped from the ground with a foot and kicked it up into the air, grabbing it and handing it to Isabel. She took it with a weary smile, ripping the cork off and downing the healing liquid.

    A dull tug pulled at the back of Noah¡¯s mind. It wasn¡¯t an unfamiliar sensation, but it was one he was unused to having while he was still within his own body. Noah grimaced and pushed the sensation away. He still had some time.

    ¡°Professor Vermil,¡± Emily said, wiping a few specks of blood away from her face with the back of her hand. ¡°Where¡¯s Moxie? Is she¡ª¡±

    ¡°Safe.¡± Noah raised his hands to forestall any questions. They had so much to talk about, but this wasn¡¯t the place. He sent his domain out in every direction, activating his tremorsense to see if there was anyone else nearby. A small grin tugged at his lips. It looked like Verrud had taken steps to ensure nobody would be around, and that had worked against him perfectly. He blew out a small breath. ¡°And Lee is safe too. All of us are fine.¡±

    ¡°Can we bring them back as well?¡± Emily asked, swallowing heavily. ¡°I miss Moxie.¡±

    Emily¡¯s matured a fair bit if she¡¯s actually able to admit that. Damn. How much have I missed?

    ¡°We¡¯ll all be back soon,¡± Noah promised. ¡°It might be a few days or so, but we¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°We?¡± Todd asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you already back?¡±

    ¡°Only for a bit,¡± Noah replied. He knelt by the grimoire resting beside Isabel and flipped it closed. ¡°We had to do a bit of a stopgap. I couldn¡¯t spend the time waiting to get here the proper way, so we had to accelerate things. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your professor is a demon,¡± Yulin said, taking a step back as her features went as pale as a ghost. ¡°You summoned a demon to the exam.¡±

    Noah glanced in her direction. He¡¯d almost forgotten Jakob¡¯s student was still there. His head tilted slightly to the side as he studied her. Marley had been a little shit, but the boy laid dead at Jakob¡¯s side, a hole between his eyes. Yulin hadn¡¯t been nearly as bad as him, but she¡¯d still been an opponent.

    If anyone tells the Torrins or any other noble family about what happened here, we¡¯re all fucked.

    Alexandra stepped in front of Yulin. ¡°Please wait, Professor. Yulin is the one that told me what Jakob was planning. She put her own life on the line because she disagreed with his and Marley¡¯s actions. We can trust her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s pledged herself to aiding me instead of Marley,¡± Emily said after a moment of silence. ¡°I¡¯m still Main Branch. That means she follows any direct orders from me or my mentor. Moxie is my only mentor, even if she got exiled. She¡¯s thrown her lot in with us.¡±

    Have I grown so cold that they think I would actually just murder a kid because she might report what happened to her family?

    The thought caused a small frown to pull at Noah¡¯s lips as a second one followed after it.

    I would do that. When it comes to Lee, Moxie, and everyone here, there¡¯s no life that I wouldn¡¯t sacrifice to keep them safe.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill Yulin,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head and dismissing his thoughts. They weren¡¯t something he could afford to spend time on right now ¡ª and he hadn¡¯t been forced to kill anyone that the world would miss. Removing Verrud and Jakob had been a favor to everyone that had known them. ¡°I saw her fighting to protect you all. If you trust her, then I¡¯ll listen to you¡­ assuming she doesn¡¯t mind what just happened to her professor.¡±

    ¡°We are trained to prepare for death,¡± Yulin said, swallowing heavily. ¡°Both ours and those of our allies. Jakob will not be missed. I am unprepared to work with a demon, but I suppose it will not be overly different from what I have experienced before.¡±

    Noah snorted. ¡°Good enough for me, but I¡¯m sorry to disappoint.¡±

    ¡°Disappoint?¡± Yulin blinked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a demon,¡± Noah said. Another tug pulled at the back of his mind and he thinned his lips. ¡°Which is why my time right now is rather limited. Summoning me doesn¡¯t work quite the same as it does for a demon. I¡¯ll be pulled back to the Damned Plains soon. Minutes at most.¡±

    Isabel¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Noah said. ¡°As I was saying earlier, we have a way back. We¡¯ll return soon. All of us. There¡¯s just a little bit more I have to take care of. What¡¯s most important is that all of you are fine.¡±

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    ¡°How can someone summon you if you aren¡¯t a demon?¡± Yulin muttered.

    Alexandra put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡±

    ¡°To your dead professor getting summoned?¡±

    ¡°Not understanding what the fuck is going on,¡± Emily corrected.

    Noah raised an eyebrow. ¡°Someone¡¯s had some bad influences.¡±

    Emily winced. ¡°Shit. Don¡¯t tell Moxie, please. How long do I have before she gets back? She¡¯s going to be so mad if she realizes I talk like this now. She spent years trying to get me to speak like a proper Torrin.¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯ve got slightly bigger problems to worry about,¡± Noah replied with a chuckle. ¡°But back to business. Until I make it back, I want all of you to¡­ well, keep doing what you have been, I guess. I didn¡¯t get to see all of your fight, but I saw enough to say how proud I am of how far you¡¯ve come. We have a lot of stuff to talk about.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t make us wait too long,¡± Todd said. ¡°I appreciate our other teachers, but they kind of suck. Jalen has been making us play darts with him, and Bird keeps trying to get us to strip.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s doing what now?¡± Noah asked, his train of thought running straight into a wall and crashing in a ball of flames.

    ¡°Ignore him,¡± Isabel said, flicking Todd in the shoulder. ¡°He¡¯s just being an idiot. We do miss you though, Professor. Lee and Moxie too. I hope you didn¡¯t break anything too important while you were gone.¡±

    If only you knew.

    Noah scratched his chin. ¡°Eh. Just the usual.¡±

    ¡°So the Damned Plains are gone,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°What? No. They¡¯re fine. Mostly. Why would you think that?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you blow up Dawnforge when you went there on vacation?¡±

    ¡°What? No!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°You definitely did.¡±

    ¡°That was hardly my fault,¡± Noah protested. ¡°And I didn¡¯t blow up Dawnforge. Just a few underground passages inside it.¡±

    ¡°Wait. You were responsible for the explosion in Dawnforge?¡± Yulin asked. ¡°I heard about that. It practically took out an entire section of the city because of how extensive the damage was to the underground.¡±

    ¡°Time for a change of topic,¡± Noah said, clearing his throat. ¡°This exam is still going, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You still care about that?¡± James asked. He glanced around the destroyed clearing, his gaze lingering on the corpses behind Noah. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem a bit¡­ I don¡¯t know. Irrelevant?¡±

    ¡°An education is always important,¡± Noah replied. ¡°And why would you turn down the chance to get more resources? These two idiots are dead. It¡¯s going to take time for people to realize what happened, which means the rest of the exam is safe.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do about them?¡± Isabel asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t someone going to find out?¡±

    ¡°As far as you¡¯re all concerned, you never heard from Marley, Jakob, or Verrud today.¡± Noah grabbed Verrud¡¯s body and dragged it over to Jakob¡¯s, then repeated the process with Marley to add him to the pile. ¡°Just pretend all of this never happened.¡±

    ¡°Then what are you going to do about¡­¡±

    Isabel trailed off as Noah extended a hand toward the pile of bodies. Grey energy crawled out from his palm and swallowed the corpses, cubic fractals twisting across their forms as they were consumed. When the magic faded away, all that remained was a jagged dent in the ground.

    Yulin swallowed again as she stared at the spot where her former professor and fellow student had been. There was no trace of them left.

    Noah flexed his fingers and shook his hand off. Using Warped Matter was still a pain. He¡¯d drained just about every scrap of magic he had within the Rune. It was powerful, but it ate magic like no tomorrow.

    Another tug yanked at the back of his head, this one stronger than the last. The connection between his body and his runes wasn¡¯t powerful enough to let the demon summoning ritual actually keep him bound to the mortal realm.

    The connection would soon snap and send him back to the Damned Plains ¡ª where, ironically, his way right back here would soon be ready.

    Noah¡¯s fingers shimmered. Their tips turned translucent, and Mascot butted up against his leg. He crouched down and picked the cat up, setting him on his shoulder as he rose back to his feet.

    ¡°My time is almost up,¡± Noah said. He scooped his grimoire off the ground and slung it over his shoulders.

    ¡°You¡¯ll return in a few days?¡± Isabel asked. ¡°You promise?¡±

    ¡°I swear it,¡± Noah said with a firm nod. ¡°In fact, I¡¯ll get more specific. In a day, come to the place we first trained in. I¡¯ll be waiting for you there.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting,¡± Todd said with a grin.

    ¡°I just have one request for you all,¡± Noah said.

    They all turned to him.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Alexandra asked.

    ¡°Crush the rest of this exam,¡± Noah said, his eyes growing dark. ¡°Nobody else is going to be interfering any further, so you can focus entirely on winning. I want to take every damn scrap of resources that the Advanced Track has to offer.¡±

    ¡°You got it, Teacherman,¡± Todd said, a grin pulling across his lips as he cracked his neck.

    More of Noah¡¯s body turned translucent. He took one final look at the students around him, then at the destroyed remains of the clearing they all stood in.

    They were safe.

    ¡°Good luck,¡± Alexandra said.

    ¡°You better tell us what happened in the Damned Plains when you get back,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°I will,¡± Noah promised with a chuckle. His body shimmered, and then the world twisted like it had been put into the blender. The clearing vanished and darkness swallowed his vision as he was ripped through time and space, pulled back toward the Damned Plains.

    As he went, there was only a single thing left on Noah¡¯s mind.

    There was just a single task he had left to do before everyone could return from the Damned Plains.

    He had to make a Rune ¡ª and every Rune required three components. Energy, an inciting incident, and intent.

    Noah had the Fragment of Sticky for the energy. Lee¡¯s desires as a demon would be the inciting incident, and her intent would be the guide. Every single piece was finally in place.

    It was time to fix a problem that had stumped a god.

 Chapter 578: Hungry

    The Damned Plains greeted Noah like an old friend. Cool air prickled against his skin as his body reformed upon an obsidian platform trimmed with gold amidst a void that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

    Sticky had relented on the portal she¡¯d been opening, allowing the magic to fade, and everyone had gathered around Sievan to stare at the rippling image contained between his palms.

    The final strands of magic curled away from Noah as his body re-solidified within the Damned Plains. He didn¡¯t even get a chance to say anything before Moxie drove into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and spinning him around with a delighted laugh.

    ¡°You did it!¡± Moxie exclaimed. She set him back down and took a step back, the relief in her features so prominent that it may as well have been painted across her face. ¡°Gods, I was so damn scared. I thought you would be too late.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking the same thing,¡± Noah said with an exhausted laugh. All the adrenaline that had been pumping through his veins finally started to settle down, but there would be time to rest later. ¡°Getting summoned was certainly a strange experience.¡±

    ¡°You make a very convincing demon,¡± Sievan said. He pressed his palms together and the image flickering within them collapsed into fragments of flickering energy. ¡°That was¡­ satisfying to watch. Well executed.¡±

    ¡°I was just doing what had to be done,¡± Noah said. He turned to Sticky and crouched so they were face to face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for stressing you out while you were summoning that portal. It was unfair of me. You were doing great.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Sticky said. She glanced down at the key. ¡°You just wanted to save those people. I want to help people too.¡±

    ¡°You will,¡± Noah said, putting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You already have, actually. You¡¯ll help every single demon.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you meant when you said you had to do something before you went back to the mortal realm?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He straightened back up and turned to Lee. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time we take care of things, Lee. You¡¯ve been waiting for long enough.¡±

    Lee met his gaze and gave him a small nod. He could tell that she was thinking something, but it didn¡¯t look like she was about to voice her thoughts. It would have been hard to blame her. There was a lot riding on this.

    If Noah¡¯s theory was right, then Lee would be the first demon that they used Sticky¡¯s rune to save. It was a monumental task, and it wouldn¡¯t be exaggerating to say that the hopes of the entire demon race rested entirely on her back.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Lee said. She sat down on the platform, crossing her legs beneath her and placing her palms on her knees.

    Noah sat down across from her. He set his grimoire down before him and flipped it open. Sticky¡¯s Rune shimmered across its pages. For a moment, Noah stared down at the book. He¡¯d missed exactly what had happened between Jakob and the book, but he¡¯d seen the results.

    There¡¯s something in this book. One day soon, I¡¯m going to have to have a real good talk with it and figure out just what the hell I¡¯m working with. But, today, I don¡¯t care what it is. It helped my students. That¡¯s all that matters.

    Noah tore his gaze away from the page and up to Lee. She swallowed, then gave him another firm nod.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± Noah said.

    He extended his mind toward hers and unleashed Empty Proliferation.

    The world crumpled around them both. The Damned Plains vanished as Noah plunged into Lee¡¯s mindspace.

    ***

    Thick, inky darkness swirled all around Noah. It twisted at his feet, threatening to swallow his body whole if he stood still for too long.

    Before him floated a massive conglomeration of runes, still bound by Azel¡¯s power. Viscous strands of soul-matter ran down from it and bound the rune deeply to Lee¡¯s body. It was exactly as he remembered it.

    Even though he had Sticky¡¯s Rune to work with, this wasn¡¯t going to be easy. Decras¡¯ runes were ingrained into Lee¡¯s from the core. The first step would tell him if the process was viable, but completely transitioning away from Decras would probably take weeks if Noah wanted to avoid killing Lee.

    They¡¯d have to slowly build up a replacement rune based off Sticky¡¯s energy and then slowly cut out the other one once her new one grew strong enough to keep her soul afloat. It wasn¡¯t the most efficient plan, but Noah hadn¡¯t ironed out the kinks in his theory yet. He hadn¡¯t even had a chance to properly test it.

    He blew out a small breath, shoving the tension gripping his body into the back of his mind. There was no room for nerves now. He had to act. Lee was relying on him. With a thought, Noah traced the rune into the air. It floated there, glistening with pure white light, prepared for Lee to call upon it.

    It¡¯ll work. It has to.

    ¡°You know, I always used to wonder what was wrong with me,¡± Lee¡¯s voice said to his left.

    He turned to find her standing beside him, looking away from the warped Rune floating in the center of her soul.

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    That¡¯s right. She can¡¯t look in its direction without risking activating its power and weakening the seal Azel put on it.

    Something about that struck Noah as profoundly sad. The more he learned about runes, the more he realize how closely integrated they ¡ª and the patterns they represented ¡ª were to life. That was true for humans and doubly true for demons. Not being able to look at such a core part of oneself was just wrong.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with you,¡± Noah said. ¡°Everyone gets dealt a hand in life, and we all need help from time to time. I¡¯m just giving you the tools that you should have had from the start.¡±

    ¡°Not that,¡± Lee said with a small shake of her head. ¡°I meant before we knew about Decras and about his runes. Every demon consumes an emotion. And even if they don¡¯t start consuming it before Rank 3, they still have an inclination. Aylin was always inquisitive. Violet was protective. But me¡­ I could never figure out what it was that I wanted, so I wanted everything.¡±

    Noah remained silent. Something told him this was a conversation where his role wasn¡¯t to speak but to listen.

    ¡°I¡¯ve spent a lot of time thinking about why,¡± Lee said, studying the palms of her hands. ¡°Why every other demon knew what they wanted, but I just wanted. Why I couldn¡¯t consume emotions like the rest of them could. It wasn¡¯t because my runes were special. They weren¡¯t worse or better than anyone else¡¯s. So it wasn¡¯t my runes. It was me that didn¡¯t work.¡±

    Noah frowned, but he kept himself from speaking. Lee wasn¡¯t just saying this because she wanted to. There was a reason.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve known the answer for a long time. I just didn¡¯t want to admit it,¡± Lee said. She lifted her gaze from her hands and turned toward Noah. ¡°I know why Demons are the way they are. We feast on the concept that we feel we lack the most. The concept we¡¯re the most scared of not having. After you told me what the Demon Rune really was, I figured it out. Decras was scared of failure, and that¡¯s what my race was built on. We try to make up for what we lack by taking it from others and magnifying that concept until we¡¯re nothing but that concept. But that must make you wonder why I couldn¡¯t figure out what it is that I could consume.¡±

    ¡°It does,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°But it sounds like you¡¯ve figured it out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always known,¡± Lee replied. Her hands clenched at her sides. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to admit it. I¡¯m the worst demon.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be anything you don¡¯t want to be,¡± Noah said gently.

    Lee shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s the problem. I¡¯ve been avoiding what I want to be this whole time. I couldn¡¯t consume any emotions because I want all of them. I¡¯m scared, Noah. I don¡¯t want to lose anything, and so I want everything. I can¡¯t content myself with just a single aspect. I¡¯m too greedy. I¡¯m the worst of every demon.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with not wanting to give up your other emotions to embody a single one. That¡¯s just natural. When you consume the energy from Sticky¡¯s Rune and use it to form a Fragment of Self, you can¡ª¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Lee said. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. ¡°But that¡¯s okay. You aren¡¯t a greedy person. You could never understand how selfish or arrogant I am. I let you spend all that time worrying and trying to find a way to fix my Runes when I¡¯ve known all along that I wouldn¡¯t let you.¡±

    Noah blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I liked the attention,¡± Lee said with a small smile. ¡°But I¡¯m too greedy to give up anything that belongs to me. Sticky¡¯s Rune will probably work for everyone else. They only have a single emotion they fear losing ¡ª but I don¡¯t want to let any of them go. I don¡¯t want to be content.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand,¡± Noah said slowly. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to use Sticky¡¯s Rune to help you fix yours?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Lee said.

    Noah was silent for several long seconds. Then his features thinned. ¡°I¡¯m greedier than you think, Lee. I¡¯m not going to let you stay like this. I won¡¯t let your runes destroy you ¡ª even if I have to fight you to fix them. I won¡¯t leave you behind.¡±

    She let out a small giggle. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stay behind, Noah. I¡¯ve spent a lot of time thinking. About me. About demons. About our runes and about patterns. And in the end¡­ I just wanted you to be here.¡±

    ¡°To be here for what?¡± Noah asked, a flicker of unease building within him.

    ¡°To watch,¡± Lee replied. ¡°Thanks for trying so hard to save me, but you pulled it off a long time ago. I don¡¯t want Sticky¡¯s rune. You¡¯ve showed me so much ever since I got to the mortal plane. You and Moxie and everyone else ¡ª you showed me what it is to have a family. To be human. Now now I want to show you something.¡±

    ¡°Lee¡ª¡±

    ¡°I want everything ¡ª and replacing my Demon Runes would change that. I don¡¯t want to change. I want to be more. And that power can¡¯t be given. It has to be taken,¡± Lee said. Her features set in determination. ¡°I¡¯m going to show you what it is to be a demon.¡±

    Lee turned to look directly at the rune floating in the center of her soul. She extended a hand toward it and the rune lurched. The bindings that Azel had placed upon it snapped with loud cracks.

    She extended a hand toward the rune and curled her fingers inward. Her soul rumbled. Power burned within the inky darkness surrounding them and the rune trembled as it shrank down, twisting in on itself until it was the size of her palm.

    ¡°Lee?¡± Noah asked. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°The same thing you did,¡± Lee replied. Horns tore free from her forehead, their ends glistening a brilliant blood red. The demon¡¯s lips curled into a determined smile. ¡°Making a Rune needs 3 components, and this is the inciting event.¡±

    Her rune floated to hover before Lee, no larger than an apple. Power buzzed and crackled within it like a miniature storm. The rune did not like being crushed down. Lee plucked it from the air, arcs of energy burning across her palm as her grip tightened on it.

    She bit down on the Rune.

    It shattered. The strands binding it to her soul snapped and power exploded free, tearing through the darkness all around Lee. A wall of pressure slammed into Noah and launched him back, sending him skidding across the slick ground.

    Thoughts and feelings mixed with the energy as it pulsed through the darkness. Fear and desire. For the briefest instant, it felt as if Noah had stepped into Lee¡¯s very mind. A Demon was their Runes, and she had just spilled that energy everywhere.

    Thousands of loud cracks echoed out. Cracks tore through Lee¡¯s soul, sending an ocean of white light spilling into it.

    ¡°No!¡± Noah yelled. ¡°You still need¡ª¡±

    And then the words died in his throat. Blood poured down Lee¡¯s face and seams split all across her body as it came apart together with her soul, but her features had not lost an ounce of their determination.

    The vast majority of power from the rune was still gathered in her mouth. Her eyes flicked to meet Noah¡¯s.

    Then she swallowed. Every scrap of power within the soul howled as it was ripped toward Lee. Claws pushed out from her fingertips as she carved lines into the air, drawing a pattern.

    Noah¡¯s back stiffened. All the fear and desire within Lee had formed into a thick miasma, but the stronger it grew, the more it felt odd. There was something strange about it.

    Something familiar.

    And just like that, Noah realized what Lee had done. She was using all the energy contained within her Rune to connect back to its source.

    And in that moment, far in the darkest reaches of the universe, Decras¡¯ eyes went wide.

 Chapter 579: Lee

    Nestled deep within the cracks that spanned throughout the edges of the universe, a banquet hall of silver glistened amidst a sea of empty white. The hall was enormous, with a ceiling that rose so far above that a sea of distant stars rested below its ceiling.

    A long, grandiose table ran down the room¡¯s length, lined with hundreds of gilded chairs on each side. Every single one of them was empty.

    The table came to a stop hundreds of feet away from a raised platform, where two plain chairs had been set up before a large disk of dark water that floated like a mirror, an image of another plane rippling upon its surface.

    Between the pair of chairs was a pedestal made from pitch black night. Silver trimming ran up its rippling surface. The pedestal was plain, yet the magic within it was so immense that any mortal lucky enough to lay eyes upon it likely would have found their understanding of runic patterns magnified by a hundredfold ¡ª if their mind managed to survive the experience.

    And upon the pedestal, a priceless artifact made of magic that would have been worth more wealth than what entire nations could ever dream to possess, was a bowl of chocolate.

    There were only two beings within the room. They sat on either side of the bowl, slumped back in the chairs with their feet kicked up on small stools with more than a few chocolate stains on their faces ¡ª and they were both frozen mid-bite.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Decras breathed, his words echoing through the empty room like a distant storm. But even as he spoke, he knew that his words were false.

    A tiny chunk of his power had been bitten away. It was so small that he had no doubt it would regenerate within a few mere years, but it was there. Disbelief swirled within him like a raging sea and he cast his mind inward without an instant of hesitation.

    His surprise only grew stronger as he looked upon his Divine Rune. For several long minutes, he could do nothing but stare. A chunk had been ripped free of him. It should not have been possible.

    He had lost small segments of power before. Revin had consumed a gift Decras had given him, using the connection to siphon a tiny segment of power away. Wizen had done much the same with an ancient artifact that Decras had lost a long time ago. Noah had repeated the trick with a few droplets of his blood.

    But this ¡ª this should have been impossible. His power had not been stolen by someone using a physical catalyst. It had been bitten out of him. For the first time in thousands of years, Decras could not believe his eyes.

    Fury burst through the dam of surprise and his features tightened. Decras extended a hand and a spear slammed into it, pitch black energy roiling throughout its length.

    What manner of creature dares steal from me?

    Decras extended his senses. The pattern of the thief still twisted through space, and his soul slipped through reality as he followed after it with a thought. A mortal claiming a minuscule portion of his power through a connection was one thing.

    That was his fault. His mistake. It would be unfair to punish them for claiming the power that had been laid before them. But to take directly from his runes¡­ there were some things that Decras could not allow.

    The world twisted and collapsed around Decras as he followed the line of the pattern back to its source. He had absolutely no idea what could have known his pattern so well as to be able to rip magic away from him. It didn¡¯t matter.

    Such an insult was far too great to be allowed. He would not permit it. They would be ground out and crushed.

    Color exploded through the darkness as Decras¡¯ soul arrived at the location of the thief¡¯s pattern ¡ª and Decras¡¯ eyes widened in surprise.

    He knew this place.

    An obsidian platform trimmed with beautiful gold and stuffed to the brim with minute imbuements floated in a sea of void magic.

    He was in Sievan¡¯s domain.

    Impossible. Sievan could not have taken my power. He could not comprehend my path. He could not comprehend any path. That failure ¡ª my failure ¡ª is why he cannot ascend beyond the limits of the flawed form I created.

    Did that greedy little shit Noah take even more of my power?

    Decras traced the pattern back to its source.

    And then he froze. For several long seconds, Decras didn¡¯t so much as move. His mind struggled to comprehend what he was seeing. It made absolutely no sense. It couldn¡¯t make sense.

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    He checked the pattern several times again, but his senses were far too powerful to be deceived. There was no denying what he knew to be true.

    The pattern didn¡¯t connect to Noah.

    It connected to Lee.

    And within the tiny demon girl, Decras sensed his power. It spread through her body, permeating and changing every single part of her being. But there was something more. Something different.

    Sievan¡¯s gaze lifted to the sky and the demon peered up at Decras. The Rank 8 demon knew Decras¡¯ power enough to realize that he was there, even though the others were all blind to his presence.

    And in him, Decras felt himself. The constant reminder of his mistake. A mirror of his own magic that corrupted every single demon, twisting their desires with his own and preventing them from ever having any true potential.

    That piece was not in Lee.

    Decras floated in the stillness of the void, his lips parting in awe as he stared down at the impossible scene before him. The power within Lee was not the same as his. The hunger for power was still there, but it was changing ¡ª and it changed more with every second.

    It can¡¯t be. A demon cannot break away from my influence. No matter how hard they try, demons are fragments of me. They are incapable of splitting away and becoming a truly independent being.

    But in spite of that fact, Lee sat below him on the platform, entirely uncaring of what should have been possible. She was separating her soul from his influence.

    Decras cast his senses out, searching for a trick ¡ª and his eyes went wider still. His entire body stiffened as they brushed across the tiny demon that Wizen had stolen from the afterlife.

    Her body was permeated with his power, but her soul was completely independent of it. He couldn¡¯t find a single scrap of his energy in her astral form. She was something entirely different.

    There wasn¡¯t just one demon that had found a way to ascend.

    There were two.

    Decras¡¯ surprise was so great that all his anger evaporated. All he could do was float and stare, trying and failing to comprehend the scene unfolding beneath him. There was a solution to a problem that he problem that he had been unable to solve for years. One that he had been convinced was unsolvable.

    But how? What could they have done that I could not?

    ***

    Noah raised his hands to cover his eyes, gritting his teeth as a vortex of black energy engulphed Lee¡¯s soul. It was like her entire being had gone into uproar ¡ª and after what she¡¯d just done, he wasn¡¯t surprised.

    The ground trembled beneath him in an earthquake as cracks of thunderous magic roared overhead. Lee stood in the center of it all, her hands raised to the sky and head thrown back. Strands of the darkness twisted together into a point and spiraled into her mouth as she drew it into herself.

    Noah didn¡¯t know if it would be enough. Immense magical pressure bore down on him and the soul around him, and the huge white cracks running throughout it grew larger by the second.

    He drew on every scrap of power that the Fragment of Renewal had to offer. There was only one thing he could do for Lee now, and he¡¯d be damned if he let her soul collapse around him.

    Healing energy poured out from his palms and fought to enter Lee¡¯s soul. It battled to seal the cracks, but it was a losing fight. There was so much damage ¡ª so much power ¡ª that the damage was appearing faster than the Fragment of Renewal could knit it shut.

    Noah yelled into the howling wind, but his words were swallowed by the storm before they could even leave his mouth. There was nothing more he could do. He was a spectator, only able to help Lee from the sidelines.

    Black flashes of magical energy lit the sky. Decras¡¯ presence bore down on Noah, activating Sunder and sending the rune trembling in his soul. Despite the severity of the situation, he couldn¡¯t help but be impressed.

    Lee actually managed to pull it off. She ripped power out of Decras, and she didn¡¯t even have his blood like I did.

    The vortex around Lee thrummed and tightened, pulling together and twisting in on itself as more of it poured into her mouth. Her hands clenched and her back stiffened, but she continued to pull it into herself. It struck Noah that she was slurping Decras¡¯ magic up like it was a giant bowl of noodles.

    White light poured off the cracks riddling Lee¡¯s soul and blood poured down her face from her nose and eyes. Her entire body trembled, but she didn¡¯t relent. If anything, the weakness only pushed her harder. Determination burned within her eyes like two distant flames.

    And then something shifted. The cracks growing beneath Noah¡¯s feet slowed. Then they stopped their advance. Pearlescent energy twisted within them and began to knit the damage shut.

    The breath in Noah¡¯s chest caught.

    More of the cracks slowed their growth. The vortex weakened, and the last of its power vanished between Lee¡¯s lips.

    Rivers of white energy exploded out from Lee¡¯s feet and twisted through the floor of her heavily damaged soul.

    And, to Noah¡¯s disbelief, the cracks riddling the darkness changed. They sharpened and changed their shape even as they fought to seal. The damage wasn¡¯t made whole ¡ª but it was changed into something more.

    She¡¯d turned the cracks in her mindspace into a pattern.

    There was a brilliant flash of light. Noah squeezed his eyes shut and raised his hands before his face. A wall of pressure slammed into his chest and he stumbled a step back, already forcing his eyes open as he squinted to find Lee.

    She stood alone in the center of a sea of twisting black and white, the pattern of a rune carved into the bottom of her mindspace with cracks of soul damage.

    Her soul had changed, but it wasn¡¯t alone. Her body had joined it. Two jagged horns jutted up from her forehead, and her small, pointed teeth had grown a little wider. But, most noticeably, a pair of leathery, jet-black wings jutted out from her back like those of a bat.

    Lee swayed.

    Noah burst into motion, arriving right in time to catch her by the shoulders as she pitched forward. Her eyes fluttered as she squinted up at him.

    ¡°I think I did it,¡± Lee muttered. ¡°Did I do it?¡±

    Noah looked down at the rune flickering beneath him. While the other cracks in Lee¡¯s soul were fighting to seal themselves, the white lines directly beneath his feet were unmoving. They were a pattern ¡ª and one that he could read.

    Fragment of Lee

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah said, awe gripping his words like a vice. ¡°You did it, Lee.¡±

 Chapter 580: More

    Noah remained with Lee in her soul and the two of them stood in silence as they watched her soul damage slowly stitch itself shut as the Fragment of Renewal worked its magic. She didn¡¯t seem quite ready to return to the others yet, and he still had some energy in Empty Proliferation.

    It would be quite a while before Lee¡¯s soul was completely fixed. Days, at the minimum. There was a good chance she¡¯d need another usage of the Fragment of Renewal to completely repair her.

    But not every wound was healing. The soul damage that Lee had used to carve her own Fragment of Self at the bottom of her soul hadn¡¯t altered in the slightest. White light leaked through the perfectly smooth lines and into the darkness of her soul. The Fragment of Renewal hadn¡¯t even tried to touch them.

    Worry twisted in Noah¡¯s stomach and made throat clench. He hated seeing anyone he cared about in pain ¡ª and there was no chance that having gaping holes like these in her soul was going to be comfortable for Lee.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Lee¡¯s voice broke through he silence. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°No. I lied. It feels like I stubbed my toe a hundred thousand times all at once.¡±

    ¡°At least you¡¯re being honest.¡± A small smile pulled at the corners of Noah¡¯s lips. ¡°And your soul? How does it feel? Intact?¡±

    ¡°Like I carved a rune into it,¡± Lee said. She looked down at the lines glowing by her feet, then back up to him. She lifted a hand to touch the horns protruding from her skull, running a finger along one of them. ¡°Are you mad at me?¡±

    ¡°Why would I be mad at you?¡±

    ¡°Because I lied.¡±

    ¡°Lying about not being hurt isn¡¯t going to make me mad at you.¡±

    ¡°Not about that,¡± Lee said. She shook her head, then winced at the motion. Evidently, she was in a fair bit more pain than she was letting on. ¡°About everything.¡±

    ¡°Everything? That feels like a bit of an exaggeration.¡± Noah crossed his legs beneath him and sat down. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that the floor of Lee¡¯s soul was no longer syrupy. It was cold and glossy, a sea of obsidian.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you that I knew what my emotion was.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t always know.¡±

    ¡°But I did for a while. I let you do a bunch of work for no reason. All because I was selfish.¡± Lee sat down beside Noah, but she kept her gaze firmly affixed on the distant cracks in her soul.

    ¡°It had a reason,¡± Noah said. ¡°I did this for you, but it¡¯ll help other demons everywhere.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll help the ones that are willing to let go of their emotion. None of the strong ones will ever take you up on it. Most of the weaker ones won¡¯t either. Why do you think Sievan said no? Demons become their emotions, Noah. We don¡¯t want to lose that.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s their choice to make,¡± Noah said with a small shrug. ¡°You found a way to make it work. You¡¯re still you, aren¡¯t you? Maybe they¡¯ll do that as well.¡±

    Lee turned to look at him. ¡°Do you really not care that I tricked you?¡±

    ¡°Tricked is a strong word for it,¡± Noah said slowly. He mulled over Lee¡¯s words. She wasn¡¯t just looking for him to mindlessly promise he didn¡¯t care about what she¡¯d done. That would just be dismissive of her emotions. ¡°I think everyone has ulterior motives at some points. I¡¯d have preferred you to be honest with me, but you weren¡¯t in an easy situation. I¡¯m more just relieved that you¡¯re okay.¡±

    ¡°Even though I¡¯m not going to lose my demonic traits?¡±

    ¡°Did you think I was trying to find a cure for you because I wanted to purge you of the things that made you a demon?¡± Noah asked, blinking in surprise.

    Lee didn¡¯t respond. She turned her gaze away from him.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°That couldn¡¯t have been farther from my goal,¡± Noah said, grabbing Lee by the shoulders and gently twisting her so she was forced to meet his eyes again. ¡°Lee, I don¡¯t want to change you. None of us do. I¡¯m not trying to go through the demon race and scrub them of what they are. I admittedly only tried to find a solution to their problem because of you, but that wasn¡¯t because I was jumping at the chance to turn you into¡­ I don¡¯t know. A toned down version of yourself. I just wanted you safe. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Lee sniffled. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really.¡±

    The small demon sniffled again.  She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, then wiped that off on Noah¡¯s sleeve.

    ¡°So you aren¡¯t mad at me at all?¡± Lee almost sounded a little disappointed at that.

    Does she¡­ want me to be mad?

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll get a little angry at you later, once we¡¯re all back on the mortal plane and we¡¯ve verified that you¡¯re completely healthy. And no more secrets from here on out, okay? Not from me or Moxie.¡±

    A small smile pulled at the corners of Lee¡¯s lips and she wiped her nose off straight on his shoulder, skipping the middleman entirely. She didn¡¯t bring her head away from his shoulder but instead leaned into him, her eyes slowly drifting shut.

    ¡°Noah?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Does that mean I can¡¯t keep older secrets too?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I told you that I was eating squirrels, but they were actually humans that were trying to kill you.¡±

    Noah nearly choked on his own saliva. ¡°I ¡ª what?¡±

    ¡°Also, when I went to Vroth¡¯s camp, he was a big asshole. I killed him and made Vrith think it was an accident so she would agree to become the Streetlord instead,¡± Lee said, the words spilling from her mouth like a fountain that had finally had an old blockage removed.  ¡°I also let some demons from the camp I was supposed to kill live because they smelled nice. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡±

    ¡°I also stole a bunch of snacks from your bag. I do it all the time. Moxie¡¯s bag too. And your spicy water. It¡¯s kind of gross, but the bottles are crunchy.¡±

    Noah couldn¡¯t help himself. He burst into laughter.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Lee. You don¡¯t ever have to apologize for being you.¡±

    Lee turned her head to bury her face in his shoulder. Her tears soaked into his sleeve and her body shook with sobs of relief and exhaustion.

    ¡°I want to go back to Isabel and Todd and everyone else,¡± Lee said. ¡°I love them. And you. And Moxie.¡±

    A small smile crossed over Noah¡¯s face and he wrapped his arm around Lee¡¯s shoulders. There was nothing left to be said.

    I guess Lee finally figured out¡ª

    ¡°And food,¡± Lee said, her voice muffled against his robes. ¡°I still love food. But not as much as you and Moxie.¡±

    Eh. Baby steps.

    ***

    Decras¡¯ consciousness stared down at Lee. The disbelief he felt was something that had not been matched in ¡ª he couldn¡¯t remember how long. Not even Revin had managed something like this.

    It was more than a feat.

    It was impossible.

    And yet, sitting in the center of the obsidian platform with two new horns jutting from her head and tears streaking down her cheeks, was an impossibility. Her soul was stabilizing. Decras could still feel the immense damage that had been done to it.

    The damage was enough that any demon of her rank should have been dead ¡ª but Lee was not dead. As a matter of fact, she was stronger than she¡¯d ever been. The girl had ripped enough power from Decras and the fragmented mess of runes within her soul to form a Rank 4 Fragment of Self.

    At some point, Decras realized that Sievan was looking at him. There was a small, satisfied smile on the demon¡¯s features. It struck Decras that the expression looked oddly¡­ correct on Sievan. Decras couldn¡¯t remember the last time Sievan had smiled.

    He¡¯d always been so serious. So driven to achieve the pinnacle, pushed by Decras¡¯ own power to seek something that could never be his. At least, that was what Decras had thought.

    Now it seemed that he had been wrong on all fronts. Perhaps there really was a path forward for Sievan. For every demon.

    And that path hadn¡¯t come from him.

    Decras looked up to the small pocket of void surrounding Sievan¡¯s lair. It was empty and dark. It was familiar, but somehow, it felt different to his eyes. But it was not the darkness of the void that had changed. It was the same as it had always been.

    The one that had changed was Decras.

    And, in the minuscule spot that Lee had taken a bite out of his powers, something shifted. Power bloomed where there had been none. But this was not the same kind of power that had been there before.

    How fascinating.

    It seems I have been proven wrong. Not by another god. By mortals. Perhaps there have been scales over my eyes. For many years, I have looked to the heavens in search of enlightenment in my path.

    There were many types of power in the universe, but in the end, Runes were merely patterns. The greater one¡¯s understanding of a pattern was, the more powerful it became. That was a universal law, even once a Divine Rune had been formed.

    But enlightenment did not come easy. There were very few things that Decras had not experienced in this portion of the universe.

    But today, he witnessed something new.

    Today, his Divine Rune had advanced.

    Renewal is going to be insufferable about this, but I do not think I can bring myself to care.

    What fascinating creatures these mortals are. It seems I still have more to learn.

 Chapter 581: Friends

    Noah only let Lee¡¯s mindspace fall away once Empty Proliferation had been completely run down to its core. He found himself in the Damned Plains once more, seated upon Sievan¡¯s obsidian platform.

    Everyone had gathered around him and Lee. Sticky clutched onto the Key so tightly that her small knuckles turned white and Moxie was frozen mid-pace, her face so creased with stress that Noah feared she was about to start sprouting white hairs by the dozen.

    Noah couldn¡¯t help but notice that Sievan¡¯s attention seemed to be directed toward the ceiling rather than toward him. The Lord of Death noticed his attention and let his head tilt down just enough for Noah to spot the faint smile that passed over and left his features like a summer breeze. He blinked the last of the Rune¡¯s effects away as Lee¡¯s eyes drifted open beside him.

    ¡°Moxie!¡± Lee launched herself at the other woman.

    Moxie only had an instant to process her surprise before a demon missile slammed into her. The demon wrapped around Moxie, clinging to her like a koala ¡ª and swiping a piece of jerky from her pockets in the process.

    ¡°Lee,¡± Moxie said, palpable relief washing over her features. Her eyes flicked to Noah. ¡°Did¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fixed. And it isn¡¯t even my fault.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I ate my Rune,¡± Lee said, but her words were spoken straight into Moxie¡¯s side and were barely audible.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t need mine?¡± Sticky asked. It was hard to tell if she was relieved or disappointed. ¡°Did it not work?¡±

    ¡°No. I used yours,¡± Lee said, unentangling herself from Moxie just enough to free a hand and pat the other demon on the head. ¡°I ate it.¡±

    ¡°You ate my rune?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was very useful,¡± Lee said.

    Sticky smiled. ¡°Oh. Okay, then. Sievan, will you eat my rune too?¡±

    The Lord of Death let out a gentle laugh. ¡°No. Not today, Sticky. But perhaps one day. After the damage to my soul has healed. After I have had time to think.¡±

    Sticky¡¯s face fell.

    Lee¡¯s words echoed through Noah¡¯s head. Sticky¡¯s Rune may have been a way that demons could fix themselves¡­ but that didn¡¯t mean they¡¯d want to take it. The stronger a demon became, the closer to their emotion they were.

    Something tells me they can¡¯t all do what Lee did. She said she was the worst demon, and her desire was everything. So if a demon is hyper focused on one thing, who knows if they¡¯ll be willing to give it up, even if that means they can never advance.

    That was a problem for another time ¡ª specifically, when he had some time to speak with Yoru and Aylin. They were his best references for demons right now, and he had no plans of giving up on their race now that they knew there was a solution to the problem when he had so many friends and allies that were demons.

    ¡°So¡­ Lee is okay?¡± Moxie asked a second time. Her voice was tense, too scared to let herself start hoping. She managed to wrangle Lee for long enough to hold her out like an elongated cat. ¡°You¡¯re okay?¡±

    ¡°My rune is fixed. I took a bite out of Decras, just like Noah. I¡­ yeah. That¡¯s it. Didn¡¯t do anything else.¡±

    Noah squinted at her. Moxie, who normally would have never missed such an obvious interaction, was a little caught up on the first part of Lee¡¯s admission. Her mouth dropped open.

    ¡°You did what?¡±

    ¡°Quite literally that,¡± Noah said, walking over to Moxie and gently extracting Lee from her hands so she could have a moment to actually think. Lee didn¡¯t try to fight back. Other than eating, there wasn¡¯t much she enjoyed more than getting carried around. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to need to put together a charcuterie board at this rate. A fruit basket might not cut it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you cannot be¡ª¡± Moxie cut herself off and turned away for a moment to wipe her face with a sleeve. She let out a long, slow breath as she steadied herself, fighting to hold her emotions down. ¡°I can¡¯t leave either of you alone for more than a minute.¡±

    ¡°We do kind of need a supervisor, don¡¯t we?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Sometimes,¡± Lee said. ¡°But that makes it harder to eat the squirrels.¡±

    Noah grimaced. He hadn¡¯t forgotten about that particular tidbit. For a moment, he tried to remember if he¡¯d shared any meals with Lee after any of her¡­ squirrel escapades. His memory failed him. That was probably for the best. Noah wasn¡¯t so sure he wanted to know.

    ¡°The squirrels? What does that have to do with anything?¡±

    ¡°We agreed to stop keeping secrets. I¡¯m sure Lee will fill you in when you get a moment together.¡±

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Moxie nodded her understanding. There were some things that, even among friendly company, were not meant to be shared.

    ¡°Are we going back home now?¡± Lee asked, craning her neck to look back at Noah.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said. He looked to Sticky and cleared his throat. ¡°That is¡­ if you¡¯re okay with trying to open a portal again? I know the last one was really stressful. No rush this time around. You can take your time.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to take time!¡± Sticky scrambled to her feet and thrust the key out before her. ¡°I can do it. I¡¯m ready. It might take a little while though. I want to be careful this time. So I don¡¯t break anything.¡±

    ¡°A little while is fine,¡± Noah said. ¡°Thank you, Sticky.¡±

    She gave him a firm nod and sat back down, focusing her attention on the artifact. Tiny streams of crimson energy began to twist around its surface. They were forming a lot slower than they had the previous time around. It looked like it would probably take her at least an hour or two to manage the portal.

    Sievan watched over her with an expression almost akin to that of a proud father ¡ª but not quite there. There was something about the demon that made his emotions completely foreign to Noah. No matter how friendly Sievan was, he was still the Lord of Death. He and Noah understood each other, but they were far from the same.

    ¡°It has been an eventful meeting,¡± Sievan said, looking down at the gaping hole in his chest. ¡°The Damned Plains will be an¡­ interesting location in coming years. I have played a passive role for many years, but perhaps it is time for some change.¡±

    For a moment, Noah almost felt bad for the Demon Lords. If Sievan decided that he was going to take over the Damned Plains, he was almost certain that none of them could do anything to stop him.

    Sievan caught Noah¡¯s expression and chuckled.

    ¡°Not anywhere near that extensive¡­ but Sticky has worked too hard for her efforts to go to waste. There must be a way for demons to access her efforts, should they wish to utilize it.¡±

    Surprise prickled at Noah¡¯s thoughts. Somehow, he hadn¡¯t expected Sievan to offer to help distribute Sticky Runes. He supposed it made sense ¡ª it wasn¡¯t like he could sit around in the Damned Plains peddling them to everyone.

    ¡°I can get one for you to copy,¡± Noah said. ¡°We¡¯ll be here a bit while we wait for the portal anyway.¡±

    ¡°Very good. I do not expect many will initially take the risk to attempt using it, but it is a good start. Perhaps some will. Perhaps we will learn from it.¡± One corner of Sievan¡¯s lip curled up. ¡°I doubt it. We are a stubborn kind. But it will be interesting to see change in a plane that has been stagnant for this long.¡±

    ¡°I suspect we¡¯ll be back at some point in the future,¡± Noah said. ¡°I don¡¯t think our business here is done. Every time I think I¡¯ve gotten closer to figuring out everything there is to know about Runes, I figure out I don¡¯t know shit. The Damned Plains have so much to study.¡±

    Sievan let out a soft laugh. ¡°That means you are beginning to truly understand. I look forward to seeing what you can come up with ¡ª but there is more business that we must conclude before I can allow you to leave.¡±

    ¡°There is?¡±

    ¡°You brought me a Death Rune,¡± Sievan said, his eyes flicking to Lee. ¡°Even if I did not take it. And you will also be giving me another Rune before you leave. I am not one who leaves my debts unpaid.¡±

    He¡¯s going to give me a free rune? Hell yeah. I knew I loved this guy. The Lord of Death is my second favorite demo ¡ª well, Sticky is pretty endearing. Third favorite? But then there¡¯s Aylin as well. Ah, shit. Well, he¡¯s up there. Somewhere in the top¡­ ten or so.

    ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you,¡± Noah said, already trying to figure out what Rune would work the best. If Sievan was willing to bargain, he was pretty sure they could get something incredibly powerful.

    ¡°It is not you who I have a Rune for.¡±

    Noah blinked. That was fine with him ¡ª but it sounded like Sievan had someone in specific in mind.

    ¡°Who¡¯s it for?¡± Moxie asked. ¡°Lee?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Sievan replied. ¡°You.¡±

    ***

    Moxie and Sievan headed down the floating stairwell to retrieve her rune. Apparently, Sievan didn¡¯t have it on hand. That was fine with Noah. He set about the surprisingly difficult task of duplicating Sticky¡¯s rune.

    The difficulty was almost entirely because his grimoire had decided it had worked enough without sufficient pay and stubbornly refused to give up any magical energy until he¡¯d finally prodded it into submission.

    Sievan and Moxie returned just a few minutes after Noah wrapped up his work. Sticky¡¯s portal was almost entirely complete beside him, the final strands of energy twisting together into a twisting crimson maw that yawned open in wait for them.

    There was an odd look on Moxie¡¯s face. It was an odd mixture of pensiveness, unease, and what might have been interest. It was a look that told Noah that he¡¯d have to ask her exactly what Sievan had given her after they got a moment alone.

    Sievan harvested the duplicate Sticky rune from the book, then sent a bemused look at the grimoire¡¯s pages.

    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Sievan asked.

    ¡°Do you?¡± Noah¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Will you tell¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Sievan said with a wry smile. ¡°I suspect it would be displeased if I did.¡±

    ¡°What, you¡¯re scared of a book?¡±

    ¡°Me? No. But it is amusing,¡± Sievan replied. ¡°What a curious little¡­ conglomeration. It seems to rather like you.¡±

    The grimoire snapped shut on Noah¡¯s hand. He let out a slew of curses and yanked his fingers free of its thick pages, slinging the huge book over his back. ¡°You could have fooled me.¡±

    Despite his words, he hadn¡¯t forgotten how the Grimoire had saved his students ¡ª or how it had talked to him.

    Yet another long conversation he was going to have soon.

    One that he looked forward to.

    There was a sharp pop. A wave of invisible energy rolled past Noah and prickled against his skin. Sticky¡¯s hands dropped and her back slouched as she blew out a relieved breath. She looked too tired to do anything more than give them a small smile.

    ¡°I did it. I opened a connection back to the mortal plane.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re incredible, Sticky,¡± Noah said with a grin. He hesitated. ¡°How do we control where it goes?¡±

    ¡°I set it to the place you told your friends to meet you,¡± Sticky replied. Her cheeks reddened. ¡°We were listening in.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s convenient. Great job. Sievan, is Zath¡ª¡±

    ¡°Finished with the task I set him.¡± Sievan nodded. ¡°They are prepared.¡±

    The Lord of Death cast his gaze down the stairwell. Noah followed it. The Rank 7 Demon stepped out from the hall, clearly having been called by Sievan. In his wake were a number of familiar faces.

    Noah smiled as he looked back to the portal. Excitement and a smidge of anxiety rose within him. After all this time, he was finally returning to the mortal plane ¡ª and properly, this time around. Noah was returning to his students.

    He just hoped they wouldn¡¯t mind that he was bringing a few new friends back with him.

 Chapter 582: A thousand

    Inquisitor Twistfinger was becoming increasingly certain that there was something odd happening at Arbitage.

    He ran his thumb over the smooth surface of a large, bone bead in his rosary. The evidence had been building up day by day. Missing Inquisitors. Traces of demonic energy. Reports of demon sightings ¡ª though the latter was always a dubious way to determine much of anything.

    Every fool farmer with a quill convinced themselves that some large, half-blind rodent with an odd patch in its fur was a demon when it made off with their worthless crops. Reports were almost always made by yammering fools.

    Almost always.

    Twistfinger hooked his finger around the bead and pushed it down the thread. Anger welled in his stomach. There was evidence ¡ª but just not quite enough to justify an Inquisition. If this had happened years ago, one would have already happened. It it would have happened when several Inquisitors went missing near the Linwick Estate. It should have happened again when another Inquisitor on leave had gone missing while investigating Arbitage itself.

    But it had not.

    The Inquisition had gotten complacent, but there was more than that. Information had gotten delayed. Lost. The details of the missing Inquisitors had been purged. Twistfinger had only even realized they were missing because of his personal reviews of records. Nobody had properly reported their deaths.

    Someone was interfering.

    They were interfering to such a degree that when Twistfinger had brought his findings to the other Head Inquisitors, they had quietly smothered his findings. Some promised to look into things, then did nothing. Others just told him he was a paranoid fool. They said he saw shadows where there was only light.

    Twistfinger¡¯s jaw clenched. Old wounds in his neck throbbed, but he ignored them. Anger was a tool. Emotions were a tool. He was not controlled by his desires. They obeyed his will.

    The anger evaporated, crushed under the weight of his willpower. The rest of the Inquisition had been taken out of the battle. He did not know how it had been done. There were no obvious signs of mind control ¡ª not to mention how impossible it would have been to control the other heads of the Inquisition.

    Every Head was a Rank 6. They, just like he, had trained their entire lives to purge the threat of demonic influence from this realm. There was no way they all would have fallen to mind control. There was no mage powerful enough to pull that off.

    No, this was something else. Perhaps there was an inside agent undermining Twistfinger¡¯s efforts. A Head that had allied with the demons ¡ª or perhaps they had simply gotten lazy. There hadn¡¯t been a major demonic incursion in years. Complacency bred weakness.

    But whatever the reason, it didn¡¯t matter. Twistfinger had not become an Inquisitor to beg others for help. He had become an Inquisitor to act.

    And that was what he had done.

    Paved cobblestone rang beneath Twistfinger¡¯s Imbued boots as he strode across the street, a black cloak wrapped around his body and the hood pulled low over his head to hide the protective Imbuements that he had tattooed into his skin.

    He¡¯d considered bringing some of the younger Inquisitors along with him. Reinforcements would have been useful ¡ª but he couldn¡¯t bear with the thought of leading them to their deaths.

    Any threat powerful enough to effectively decapitate the rest of the Inquisition was far too great for a Rank 4 or 5. He had to deal with this himself.

    It was not a mission Twistfinger expected to return from.

    That thought hung around his neck like a noose, tightening with every step he took. He couldn¡¯t bear to think of the names of the other Heads. Not anymore. That would bring emotion, and emotion was weakness when it came to fighting demons.

    Today, his friends were nothing more than the Heads. And the Heads had been strong. They had been righteous. They would have never faltered from such a threat, but somehow, they had all been removed from the playing board.

    And if they had been removed, then he would be too. It was only a matter of time. He doubted he would be able to defeat what they could not. Not if he met the threat on its terms ¡ª and thus, he met it on his.

    Death may wait for me today, but I will not die without purpose.

    Twistfinger¡¯s death would not be so simple to conceal. He had left letters detailing every scrap of what he set out to do today.

    A hundred of them, to be specific. Twistfinger had written until his fingers bled. Some had already been delivered. Others had orders to be delivered, while some were hidden among his belongings.

    There would be record of what he did today. And there were more branches of Inquisitors. He had sent letters to them, too. He would have liked to seek them out directly, but the others were far more¡­ discreet than the main branch.

    If Twistfinger¡¯s analysis of the situation was correct, then there was no way to contact them in time. He¡¯d been forced to settle for more letters.

    Of course, he had no plans to fall. It was a very strong possibility ¡ª one that he had accounted for ¡ª but he had taken equal steps to ensure that he would survive. The rosary in his hand held more power than almost any other in the Inquisition. His clothes were woven with demonic bone fragments and treated with their blood before being imbued by some of the strongest mages the Inquisition had.

    He was ready for a war ¡ª and there was no doubt in Twistfinger¡¯s mind that a war was what this would be. The only question was whether it started with his death or if his preperations were sufficient to find the evidence he truly needed to force the rest of the Inquisition into motion.

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    The sound of Twistfinger¡¯s echoing footfalls stopped. He had arrived at his destination. The only hint he had managed to scour from all the evidence he had studied. The Head Inqusitior lifted his gaze from the cobbled ground.

    A mansion rose before him. A tall ring of multicolored, thorny shrubbery rose up before it, walling off a large garden. White brick made up a pathway through the garden, leading up to the imposing wooden door. The door already stood open, allowing access into a red-carpeted hall.

    So this is it. What sort of man is so arrogant that he names himself Father?

    It mattered not. It seemed that Father was ready for him.

    Twistfinger strode into the hall, throwing his hood back. There was no point disguising himself any longer. If Father knew he was coming, then it was just pointless theatrics. The Inquisitor strode down the plush red carpet and arrived at a large stairwell leading down into the depths of the mansion.

    Far above, he could just barely make out the sound of distant music. A Formation.

    He did not have to pause to steady himself. An Inquisitor was always prepared. He had no fear. He had no weakness. There was only what must be done.

    Twistfinger descended the stairwell, following the winding stairs in circles as they brought him deeper into the depths of the mansion. The sounds of the Formation had faded into the distance by the time he arrived at a long, thin hallway.

    Doors lined the left side of the hall, leading up to a massive vault entrance flanked by two lanterns of flickering purple flame. The vault door was covered with so many Imbuements that Twistfinger could feel them from a dozen feet away ¡ª and, because of them, he could feel nothing else. There was too much information to filter through.

    He approached the door, focusing his senses and preparing his domain for an ambush. The doorway ground open before he was even before it, allowing entry into a plain office. An elderly man sat at a wooden desk within it, his fingers interlaced and expression unreadable.

    Twistfinger¡¯s mind exploded forward to scan the surroundings.

    There was nothing. The only person he could feel within the room was Father.

    Does he not know why I am here? Is he so arrogant that he believes I do not pose a threat? Or is he so powerful that he knows I do not?

    The final option seemed¡­ doubtful. Twistfinger¡¯s magic took father in. His domain assessed his opponent, and it found him lacking.

    Father was not a weak mage. His Runes had quite a bit of pressure, but he was nowhere near powerful enough to overwhelm the other Heads of the Inquisition. Even if Father were a mind mage, he would not have been able to control them so effectively.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Father said, his eyes as empty and black as a starless night.

    Twistfinger walked in. He was not a brute. His suspicions were strong, but he did not have enough evidence to start murdering members of Noble families. And Father, early Rank 6 as he may have been, was not powerful enough to force him to become a monster.

    The door ground shut behind the Inquisitor. It was a pointless show of power, and Twistfinger did not acknowledge it.

    Father nodded to a plain wooden chair across the desk. ¡°Will you sit?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Twistfinger said. His voice was raspy and damaged. It had been ever since a demon had nearly ripped his throat out when he was fourteen and overconfident in his abilities. He could have had it fixed by a powerful healer, but it worked just fine the way it was. As a reminder.

    ¡°I thought as much,¡± Father said. He took a glass of wine from the desk beside him and poured himself a glass. ¡°I trust you won¡¯t take a drink either.¡±

    ¡°I will not. You know why I am here.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Father raised the glass to his lips and took a sip from it. He let out a satisfied sigh, but his eyes didn¡¯t so much as flicker. They remained flat and dead. He hadn¡¯t taken so much as a scrap of pleasure from the action. It was just for show.

    ¡°Then speak. Do you cavort with demons?¡±

    Twistfinger ran a finger over the bone rosary, sending power into it. Energy burned within the beads, seeking demons to resonate with.

    Father didn¡¯t so much as flinch.

    ¡°That is an interesting question. If you had asked it some time ago, I would have said yes. I would have been wrong, but you would have believed me. Today, my answer is no, but you will not believe me.¡±

    ¡°Illogical,¡± Twistfinger said. He did not let his expression change, but every one of his senses dialed to the max. Father had just admitted to working with demons. He gathered every scrap of potential emotion and crushed them, shoving them far back into his mind and locking them away. ¡°I do not understand, but did you just confirm you have worked or attempted to work with demons?¡±

    ¡°Something is not illogical simply because you do not understand it,¡± Father said. He rose from his chair, then gently took the glass of wine and set it on a shelf beside himself. ¡°But I do not expect someone with a world scope as narrow as yours to understand that.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t reacting to the beads at all. Twistfinger poured even more energy into the artifact, but Father remained unbothered. That should have been impossible. Even if Father had only summoned a demon, the residual energy should have reacted with the rosary¡¯s magic.

    ¡°Do you think this is a game?¡± Twistfinger rasped. ¡°Do you know what is at stake?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes. More than you ever could. But I believe words are wasted when it is just the two of us, Inquisitor. I have an appointment to be at very soon, so I have only cut you out a small block of my time.¡±

    ¡°You do not dictate the time we have, Linwick. You do not seem to be influenced by any demonic sources, but I will be thoroughly examining your estate. Cooperate or die.¡±

    ¡°Children.¡± Father blew out a disappointed breath. The sentiment still failed to reach his eyes. ¡°So pushy. So insistent. But I suppose this makes things simple for me. I should thank you. You did deliver yourself to me, after all. That makes this much easier.¡±

    ¡°You speak arrogantly. I sense your power, and though we may both be Rank 6, your runes are far weaker than mine. Have you forgotten the immense difference that even a single Rank 6 rune can generate?¡±

    Father tilted his head to the side. Then a chuckle started deep in his chest. It intensified until his entire body was shaking, and to Twistfinger¡¯s unease, for the first time, he saw an emotion in the other man¡¯s eyes.

    Amusement.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame you came now. You might have been an interesting piece to play. Unfortunately for both of us, the game has progressed past the point in which you would be useful.¡± Father walked back to his desk and lowered himself into his chair. The emotions evaporated from his features.

    ¡°If you will not speak, then I will force you to,¡± Twistfinger said. He clasped his hands together and his blood responded from within him. It was purified with silver and completely toxic to demons ¡ª and humans.

    Cuts opened up across his palms and blood welled up from the cuts, twisting into the air and forming into two massive scythes that floated at Twistfinger¡¯s sides. They hummed with magic, imbued with enough power to cut through even another Rank 6 mage¡¯s domain.

    ¡°You will tell me of what has happened to the Inquisition. I will not allow you to escape.¡±

    ¡°Escape?¡± Father frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving this room, Inquisitor. Not yet. Now, are you certain you don¡¯t want a drink? It¡¯s customary to offer.¡±

    Twistfinger didn¡¯t let Father¡¯s taunts burrow under his skin. He needed answers ¡ª but the other mage could answer without an arm.

    His domain exploded out around him and he burst into motion, the scythes at his sides flying along with him as they flew toward Father.

    Father¡¯s eyes flicked up. And, for the first time, he locked gazes with Twistfinger.

    There was a sound like a thousand breaths slipping from punctured lungs.

    Twistfinger crumpled.

 Chapter 583: Introductions

    Isabel shifted from foot to foot, squeezing bunches of the inner material of her pant pockets in a tight grip. Ash and burnt sticks crunched beneath her feet as she tried and failed to remain still.

    Her nerves were completely shot, and she wasn¡¯t the only one. The rest of Noah¡¯s class gathered around her, along with just about everyone else they knew.

    Todd stood at Isabel¡¯s side; Emily and James several feet behind him. Alexandra and Yulin joined them, and they were flanked by Silvertide, Bird, Jalen, and Brayden. Every one of them was trying and failing to conceal their worry.

    Even Jalen was uncharacteristically silent. He stared at the space before Isabel, arms crossed and hands tucked under his armpits.

    It had been a day since the end of the exam.

    They¡¯d won, and Isabel barely even remembered it. Isabel had taken first place, while Emily had taken second. Fiona, supposedly the best student in the Advanced Track, had ended up in third, much to her immense displeasure and disbelief.

    None of them had attended the award ceremony ¡ª nor had they had anything to say about the mysterious disappearance of Jakob, Verrud, and Marley. Nobody had questioned them much. Perhaps that would come later, or perhaps not. There was something far more important on all of their minds.

    Noah, Moxie, and Lee¡¯s return.

    And so now they stood in the Scorched Acres, waiting like lost children. Noah had promised that he would return. He wouldn¡¯t lie to them.

    ¡°He¡¯s going to show up any second,¡± Todd said. There was a note of strain in his voice that stood out like a sore thumb. ¡°He always does.¡±

    ¡°Stop saying it like he¡¯s dead,¡± Isabel said firmly. ¡°We saw him. A day ago. He said he¡¯ll be back. He¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been twenty three hours and ten minutes since he said that,¡± Yulin supplied. ¡°There are still fifty minutes left for him to keep the promise. But¡­ is he really breaking out of the Damned Plains? Is that possible?¡±

    ¡°He did it once,¡± Emily said stiffly. ¡°But what about Moxie? Can she come too? What if she¡¯s stuck there?¡±

    ¡°Professor Vermil said they¡¯d all be back,¡± James said through a yawn as he paced back and forth behind Emily, dry sticks crunching beneath his feet. ¡°Just relax. He¡¯ll be here any moment.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re relaxed, why aren¡¯t you just sitting like you always do?¡± Emily asked, prodding him irritably. ¡°Stop pacing already! You¡¯re driving me up a wall.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, everyone.¡± Alexandra¡¯s hands tightened at her sides. ¡°Professor Vermil wouldn¡¯t break a promise to us. Just wait.¡±

    ¡°Are you really sure he was there yesterday?¡± Jalen asked. ¡°We didn¡¯t hallucinate it, did we? That¡¯s what missing games of darts does to a man, you know. It¡¯s a cruel torture. Do you know how long I¡¯ve had to wait to have a good opponent, only for him to up and vanish? Cruel indeed.¡±

    ¡°It was your magic that showed him to us,¡± Silvertide said, glaring at Jalen. ¡°Would you stop being insufferable for one minute?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jalen said.

    A prickle of energy rolled across Isabel¡¯s back. She stiffened, and everyone else did too. They¡¯d all felt it.

    Something was happening. Her eyes darted around as the sensation grew stronger, and a dull buzzing sensation built in the back of her mind.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Isabel took a step back. The hair on her arms and neck stood on end, and Todd lowered into a fighting stance beside her. Isabel mirrored him.

    Escaping the Damned Plains couldn¡¯t be easy. Who knew what kind of monsters would be lurking to interfere with their professors¡¯ return. She didn¡¯t know how much she¡¯d be able to do, but Isabel was ready to do whatever it took.

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    The instructors readied themselves as well. Even Bird hooked a finger around her top, preparing to utilize her now-honed technique inspired from Noah¡¯s fighting style.

    ¡°Look!¡± Emily exclaimed, pointing into the air.

    Todd drew in a sharp breath and Isabel craned her neck back. Her eyes widened.

    A red mote of light appeared in the air before them. It intensified until it was as light as a lantern, lowering to float about six feet above the ground. The mote traced a circle through the air, growing brighter with every moment, and leaving a trail of red energy in its wake.

    The buzzing in the back of Isabel¡¯s mind grew stronger. Slow-moving arcs of electric magic curled off the portal and extended through the air like fingers, ripping into space itself. Undulating waves of power pressed into everyone.

    Isabel was forced a step back. She raised her hand before her face and squinted past her fingers as the light grew brighter and the power more intense. Her heartbeat sped up in fear and anticipation alike.

    A portal had twisted to life in the center of the Scorched Acres.

    ¡°So much power,¡± Yulin breathed, her voice barely audible over the roar of growing magic. ¡°What kind of people are your professors?¡±

    Isabel didn¡¯t get a chance to reply. There was a loud whump, and a wave of wind exploded out from the portal. It buffeted her and bit at her eyes. Her ears popped as the pressure in the clearing abruptly shifted ¡ª and the disk of red light shimmered.

    Noah stepped out from within it.

    His foot hit the ground with a thump. Dry ashen sticks crunched beneath it as he emerged into the clearing, his grimoire slung over his back, a familiar small grin pulling at the corners of his lips.

    ¡°Well, hello there,¡± Noah said as the portal shimmered once more. Moxie and Lee stepped out from the red disk. ¡°Did you miss us?¡±

    Isabel almost dropped to the ground in relief. They were all safe.

    Then she realized that there were horns jutting out from Lee¡¯s forehead. Isabel¡¯s stomach sank like a rock.

    Oh no. What happened to Lee? She looks fine¡­ but is she losing her fight and becoming more demonic?

    She opened her mouth.

    The portal rippled again.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Todd yelled, striking his bracers against each other to summon a coil of fire. ¡°There¡¯s something else coming!¡±

    Isabel drew on her Master Rune. Emily¡¯s ice bow snapped into her hands with a crackle, and everyone else readied their magic as well. Even Jalen¡¯s eyes sharpened. A wave of pressure rolled out from him, pressing against Isabel¡¯s back ¡ª restrained, but only barely.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Moxie called, raising a hand to forestall everyone. ¡°It¡¯s not an enemy.¡±

    ¡°We made some friends!¡± Lee exclaimed cheerfully, waving to them. ¡°Hi everyone! Did you bring me any snacks?¡±

    And then a demon boy stepped out from within the portal. Two wicked horns curled along the sides of his head. His head turned on a swivel as he took in the Scorched Acres, lips parted in childlike awe ¡ª but there was something about his eyes that set Isabel on end. They were like two black, endless pools of hunger and intelligence.

    He¡¯s dangerous.

    But he wasn¡¯t the only one. After the demon came a girl, her body stocky but lithe. She scanned over the group with a critical eye, her hands clenched at her sides and shifting from foot to foot as if ready to burst into motion at a moment¡¯s notice. She positioned herself beside the boy as he looked around the forest, glaring at everyone as if challenging them to attack.

    Another young demon woman followed after them, this one covered with sleek black fur. Her movements were difficult to track, as if the shadows clung to her very body. She slunk behind the others, wary eyes scanning over the gathered crowd as she sheparded two small demons along with her. They couldn¡¯t have been more than fourteen or fifteen years old.

    The two groups stared at each other for a long few seconds.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Bird muttered, rather aptly. Her arms fell limp at her sides.

    ¡°What?¡± Noah asked, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. ¡°We might have made a few friends while we were down in hell. It happens, you know?¡±

    The portal rippled again, and another small demon emerged from it. She didn¡¯t look much older than the last two, probably somewhere around fourteen. Her eyes were firmly affixed on the ground as if scared to meet anyone¡¯s gaze. A key clutched in her hands pulsated with a dim red light that matched the portal behind her.

    Isabel couldn¡¯t tell if she wanted to laugh or cry.

    What in the Damned Plains ¡ª literally ¡ª is going on? Did Noah bring every single demon back up with him? Surely this is¡­

    The portal rippled once more. A final demon emerged from within it, long silver hair trailing long the ground behind her. The demon¡¯s face was covered by a white mask with a blue design depicting a single eye upon its front.

    ¡°We¡¯re all here!¡± Lee said happily. ¡°Good job, Sticky!¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the demon holding the key said shyly. She shuffled her feet on the ground, and the portal finally snapped shut.

    The two groups stared at each other. For several long seconds, neither of them said anything. Even if Isabel could have mustered the words to speak, she wasn¡¯t sure what she would have said.

    Finally, Silvertide let out a mixture between a choked laugh and a cough.

    ¡°What happened down there? Where is Wizen? And how did you get the key?¡±

    Noah cleared his throat.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­ but I think I should probably start with some introductions, huh?¡±

 Chapter 584: Common

    Isabel, the rest of Noah¡¯s students, and all of the professors in the clearing sat in a circle with seven demons ¡ª eight, if she counted Lee. She was in the process of doing a remarkable job at keeping her eye from twitching as the everyone listed off their names and an interesting fact about themselves.

    ¡°My name is Sticky,¡± the small demon clutching the key in both of her hands like it was a sword said, peering out from beneath her hair shyly. ¡°I died once, but I got better.¡±

    You can¡¯t be serious. Another Noah?

    ¡°You have to give us more than that. Give me details!¡± Jalen exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. He seemed to be the only one in the circle who was actually enjoying the exercise. Aside from him, all the other professors had been pretty caught up over the fact that they were sitting in a group of apparently friendly demons. Noah¡¯s reassurances that nobody was going to be killing anyone managed to placate them, but there was definitely more than a little unease.

    Isabel and the rest of the humans had started the ¡®sharing circle¡¯ ¡ª as Noah referred to it ¡ª though Jalen had taken nearly half of their time talking about how bored he¡¯d been for the past few weeks.

    ¡°I¡¯m a new kind of demon,¡± Sticky said.

    ¡°You¡¯re a what now?¡± Silvertide asked, leaning forward. ¡°A new kind? What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Next person!¡± Noah said, clapping his hands together. ¡°Don¡¯t put too much stress on Sticky, please. She¡¯s just been through a lot. Aylin, you¡¯re up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Aylin. If I figure anything new out from you, I might accidentally take a bite out of your runic energy,¡± the boy sitting beside Sticky said. ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet Spider¡¯s other minions.¡±

    Spider? Is that his name now? I suppose he went under a new alias when he was in the Damned Plains. Better than Professor Vermil, I guess.

    ¡°Students,¡± Noah corrected. ¡°Not minions.¡±

    ¡°How do you take bites out of¡ª¡± Todd started, lifting his hand and revealing a band on his hand. Then he winced and let out a slew of curses. ¡°Shit! That hurt! What was that?¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Aylin said. ¡°I was wondering how you summoned fire to use this early in the ranks. You use those metal bands, huh?¡±

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

    Todd clapped a hand over Isabel¡¯s mouth before she could finish the question. Then he just shook his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Aylin said sheepishly. ¡°I will try not to eat you on accident.¡±

    ¡°Is it my turn?¡± the muscular girl beside Aylin asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said. ¡°No threats, please. Everyone here is a dear friend of mine.¡±

    ¡°My name is Violet. I am a Hoard Demon in Spider¡¯s merciful employ. Because he views you as his own, so long as you do not threaten those I care about, I will protect you all with my life.¡±

    Well, that¡¯s not coming on strong at all. I¡­ guess she¡¯s got her head on right, at least? I can respect wanting to protect your friends. But ¡ª

    ¡°I am Vrith.¡± The catlike demon crossed her arms in front of her chest and said nothing else.

    Noah squinted at her. ¡°Fun fact, Virth. You need a fun fact. It¡¯s integral to the process.¡±

    ¡°Not to be detrimental, but what exactly is the process here?¡± James asked wearily. ¡°Because I¡¯m not certain I¡¯m seeing the point of this.¡±

    ¡°Bonding.¡± Noah crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°Bonding through shared trauma. Now, Vrith. Fun fact. On with it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a fun fact.¡±

    ¡°Everyone has a fun fact. You just aren¡¯t trying hard enough. I¡¯m sure I could come up with a few. What about how Aylin feeds¡ª¡±

    ¡°I have a fun fact!¡± Vrith said, bolting upright like she¡¯d sat on an anthill. ¡°I ¡ª uh, I don¡¯t like being seen. I like hiding. That¡¯s my fun fact.¡±

    Isabel didn¡¯t miss the flicker of a grin that danced across Noah¡¯s lips. An involuntary shudder ran down her back. It looked like the Damned Plains hadn¡¯t left him completely without their mark.

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    ¡°I¡¯m Edda,¡± the tiny female small demon beside Vrith said, waving to everyone. ¡°And this is Torick. My fun fact is that Torick is scared.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Torick yelped, his eyes darting around the clearing. He was most definitely scared. ¡°I ¡ª I¡¯m not scared! I¡¯m just¡­ constipated.¡±

    ¡°Constipated?¡± Edda asked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Dunno,¡± Torick admitted. ¡°I heard Golon say it a while ago.¡±

    Noah cleared his throat. ¡°Torick and Edda are with Violet and Aylin. The four of them are siblings, but only Violet and Aylin can fight. No training for the kids. They¡¯re too young right now.¡±

    ¡°No such thing as too young,¡± Jalen said. He winced as soon as the words were out of his mouth, then hurriedly amended himself. ¡°For training. Too young for training. Oh, damn it. I give up. Does anyone want to play darts?¡±

    ¡°Sit down,¡± Noah said, pointing at Jalen as he started to rise. ¡°We¡¯ll play later, but only if you finish letting everyone introduce themselves.¡±

    Jalen sat back down.

    Somehow, that wasn¡¯t the most impressive thing that Isabel had seen all day.

    ¡°I¡¯m the last one,¡± the demon wearing the mask said. ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Do you really need to ask that?¡± Noah tilted his head to the side. ¡°Or are you just being polite?¡±

    ¡°I am¡­ temporarily taking up your advice,¡± the masked demon replied. ¡°We will see how long I allow for it. It makes me feel naked.¡±

    ¡°Effective for fighting,¡± Bird said under her breath.

    Todd choked on his own saliva and Isabel coughed into her fist.

    ¡°My name is Yoru.¡± The demoness paused for a second. ¡°My name is Yoku.¡±

    They all waited for a few moments.

    ¡°Interesting fact?¡± Noah reminded her.

    ¡°That was my interesting fact. I have two names. Yoru and Yoku. I made one of them specifically so a particular idiot commander would mix it up.¡±

    ¡°Which one is your real name?¡± Todd asked.

    The masked demoness thought for a moment. Her head twitched as if she wanted to tilt it to the side, but she prevented herself from finishing the motion. ¡°I do not know.¡±

    There was a long, awkward pause.

    ¡°I think I like Yoru,¡± Noah said. ¡°But we can call you whatever you¡¯d prefer.¡±

    ¡°Yoru would be nice.¡±

    And then it was done. Everyone sat in the circle quietly for a few more long seconds. None of them spoke. Even if Isabel had wanted to, she had absolutely no idea what she should say.

    There were so many emotions twisting in her chest that she couldn¡¯t make one from the other. She had no idea what she¡¯d been expecting, but this was somehow the most Noah way that their professor could have returned.

    Finally, it was Yulin that broke the silence. The girl, who had been sitting in near complete silence the entire time, seemingly lost in contemplation of life, cleared her throat.

    ¡°Is¡­ this how your class always is?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Emily said.

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± James said.

    ¡°Somewhat,¡± Alexandra added.

    ¡°Depends on the day,¡± Todd said. ¡°It¡¯s a little less deadly than normal today. Jalen isn¡¯t throwing darts at us.¡±

    ¡°Jalen throws darts at you?¡± Noah asked, blinking in surprise. ¡°Just how much did I miss?¡±

    ¡°A lot of fun, mostly,¡± Jalen said despondently. A smile stretched across his face and he rose to his feet. ¡°But something tells me you¡¯re going to make up for that soon enough. I really want to see how you¡¯re going to manage to slip a classroom full of demons into Arbitage grounds.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a few ideas,¡± Noah said, a small grin pulling at the corner of his lips. ¡°But that¡¯s definitely going to be a little problematic. I¡¯m hoping they don¡¯t mind camping out for a little while until we can find a way to do more proper lodgings.¡±

    ¡°Spending time in the mortal plane is like a dream come true,¡± Aylin said, looking around the Scorched Acres with wonder scrawled across his features. ¡°There¡¯s so much wood here. I¡¯m rich. I could stay here for a year.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t have to be anything that extreme,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. ¡°Just for long enough until I can figure out how to smuggle some demons into school grounds.¡±

    Yulin sent a sidelong glance at Alexandra. ¡°He¡¯s always like this?¡±

    ¡°Oh, usually much worse,¡± Alexandra replied absentmindedly. Her gaze was affixed on the demons, the curiosity in her expression undisguised. ¡°I think he¡¯s in a good mood today ¡ª but more importantly, are any of you willing to exchange sparring tips? I¡¯ve only fought one demon before. I bet there¡¯s a lot I could learn from you.¡±

    ¡°Predict all of your opponents moves perfectly and you¡¯ll never lose,¡± Yoru advised.

    ¡°Run away,¡± Sticky put in.

    ¡°Let Spider kill them for you,¡± Aylin suggested.

    ¡°Or Lee,¡± Vrith muttered.

    Noah clapped his hands together, a small smile on his face. He gestured for everyone to stand up. ¡°We don¡¯t have to remain in a circle forever, guys. Get to know each other ¡ª other than you, Aylin. Just talk about yourself. No asking him questions until he figures out how to get a handle on that magic.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Aylin said, his cheeks reddening.

    ¡°I know you are,¡± Noah said. ¡°And I¡¯m sure you will. Many of the people here will be able to help as well. We¡¯re taking a bit of a risk doing this, but I¡¯m not leaving any of you behind. Everyone is to treat each other as an equal. We can all learn a lot from each other. Keep any sparring to a minimum today until we can make sure everything is safe. I don¡¯t want anyone getting hurt, okay?¡±

    At that, every demon and human student in the clearing nodded. They rose to their feet, hesitantly at first, and the very beginnings of awkward conversation started up amongst them.

    Noah broke away to catch up with the other professors while the students continued their conversation. That conversation grew just a little less uncomfortable with every passing word.

    Demons and humans couldn¡¯t have possibly been more different from each other, but as it turned out, they had more than a few things in common as well.

 Chapter 585: Lorne

    Garina was halfway through taking a bite out of Ferdinand¡¯s sandwich when the wave of magic slammed into her like a roaring storm.

    Someone powerful had arrived within the empire. Someone that shouldn¡¯t have been there.

    Goosebumps erupted across her skin and her hair stood on end. She nearly choked on her bite as she shot up from the wooden lounge chair she sat in ¡ª though not too quicky. Garina didn¡¯t want to break the chair. Ferdinand had spent several hours making it.

    Her feet landed on the hot sand, her head already turning toward the source of the magic by the time she had risen.

    And then the presence vanished.

    Garina froze on the spot. She focused her senses, but it was fruitless. She found nothing. Confusion prickled at her mind and an uneasy blanket wrapped itself around her shoulders and weighed down on her back.

    ¡°Garina?¡± Ferdinand asked, glancing over from his chair. One of the cucumber slices he had on his eyes fell off and splattered to the sand beneath him. ¡°Is something wrong? Or did you already get back after dealing with it?¡±

    What was that? I know I just felt someone¡­ right?

    There was no possibility that she¡¯d hallucinated it. But if she hadn¡¯t, that meant an immense presence had just broken through the barrier between planes and then vanished mere moments later as if it had never been there.

    The amount of power needed to do something like that was deeply concerning. There were a number of monstrous existences that could have pulled it off. None of them should have had the slightest interest in the empire.

    ¡°Someone just broke into the protected zone,¡± Garina said.

    ¡°Oh. Do you have to go deal with them? Also, you¡¯re crushing your sandwich.¡±

    Garina glanced down at her hand. It had been transformed into a ball of crushed bread and squashed ingredients. Sauce rolled down her fingers and dripped from her hand. Her eye twitched in annoyance.

    And now I¡¯ve gone and ruined a perfectly good meal. Gods damn it.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Garina said. ¡°And I would be happy to deal with them if I knew where they were.¡±

    Ferdinand sat straight upright, worry creasing his near-hairless face as realization passed over his features. ¡°You mean¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not that one. I still don¡¯t know where the first bastard that escaped me is.¡± Garina¡¯s expression darkened even further. ¡°I was unhappy enough when there was just one of them. Now there are two. Give me a second. And another sandwich.¡±

    She extended her hands and drew deeply on her magic, sending her magic twisting through the nature around them. It rolled across the waves lapping against the beach and stretched over the swaying forest behind them. Fingers of power extended across the entirety of the kingdom, trawling through the runic energy permeating the world for any traces of an intruder.

    It had been years since the last time someone had managed to trick Garina. And before that, it had been never.

    She¡¯d taken a few measures to ensure a similar issue didn¡¯t happen a second time around. Where there were great powers that did not want to be known, there were signs. A gap in power could be just as telling as an excess of it.

    For several long seconds, she stood as still as ice. Whoever this was, they were talented. There were nearly no traces of their arrival at all. But Garina had spent more than a few nights pissed off in bed and trying to figure out a way to ensure she was never made a fool of again.

    And, as it had turned out, there was only one real way to determine where someone immensely powerful and determined to conceal themselves was hiding. It was to memorize the patterns of every single location.

    Everything in the universe was a pattern. Runes bound even the most basic and simple of concepts together, permeating the very essence of every being. The world was no different. Its patterns were subtle, beautiful, and immensely infuriating. They constantly changed, an endless ebb and flow as the cycle of existence ran its eternal course.

    Attempting to memorize them was like trying to remove sand from a beach one grain at a time.

    Garina had done it.

    It had taken her years, but she had done it. Every single night, she¡¯d studied the patterns of the world and committed them to memory. Even changes had a pattern to them, and they were a pattern that could be learned with sufficient agony. She¡¯d hated every second of it, but she hated losing even more. Every scrap of her effort had been put in to ensure that nobody made a fool of her again.

    And now, her efforts finally paid off.

    There was a change to the world¡¯s pattern. One that didn¡¯t belong, and one that was localized in a location that she¡¯d actually rather enjoyed.

    Though I hate admitting I¡¯m wrong, I may have to find that little demoness and tell her she had a point. It looks like I¡¯ll be paying her town a visit.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± Garina said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need help, do you?¡±

    Garina arched an eyebrow. Ferdinand shrugged in response.

    ¡°I figured I¡¯d offer. I¡¯ll have a sandwich for you when you come back.¡±

    Some of the anger and displeasure welling in Garina¡¯s chest faltered and a faint smile pulled across her lips. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Ferdinand nodded amiably, and then Garina was gone.

    ***

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Leagues away, beyond the kingdom and well outside of Garina¡¯s domain, a man sitting in a stone chair in an empty cave was trying to remember which face belonged to him.

    There were just so many of them. He was pretty sure that he was a she yesterday, but that had been yesterday and yesterdays were best left in the past. Then again, he had never been a huge fan of todays either. It was the tomorrows that he tended to prefer, but the tomorrows were always a day away.

    It was all quite a bother.

    The man heaved a sigh ¡ª and it came out through two mouths. He blinked, then hopped to his feet and turned around.

    ¡°Aha!¡± the man exclaimed, looking down at a thin line on the armrest of the stone chair. Molten crimson energy twisted between his fingers like a snake as he reached down and plucked the line, pulling it right out of the stone.

    He slapped it onto his palm. His skin split apart, revealing two rows of uncomfortably wide teeth.

    ¡°There you are,¡± the man said from his mouth and his hand alike. ¡°I was wondering where I left you. Now, where¡¯s the rest of your face?¡±

    The mouth, as good as it was at talking, did not give him an answer. The man resisted the urge to heave another sigh. Mouths enjoyed talking. That was what they were meant to do, after all. But they did not enjoy telling.

    There was a difference, after all. He couldn¡¯t go around talking pointlessly until his mouth told him where the rest of its face was.

    He was pretty sure he liked that face.

    A distant thud echoed through the empty room, and the man blinked again. One of his eyelids moved in the wrong direction. They tended to do that when he forgot to remind them which way to move.

    The man plucked the line from his palm and slapped it back onto the armrest of his chair. With a flick of a finger, he sent a streamer of red light flying free. It flashed into the line and stitched the mouth shut, sealing it.

    ¡°You stay there,¡± the man said, and the mouth on the chair remained silent.

    He turned, brushing off his immaculately cared for robes. It seemed that he had a visitor. He was fortunate that he¡¯d wore his favorite clothes today. They were spun of white silk and softer than the kiss of a goddess ¡ª not that he¡¯d ever had a chance to try the latter out. That was probably one of the events that would arrive with tomorrow, whenever tomorrow decided to stick around for more than a day.

    Then the wall to his side split open, and sound spilled forth from the hall beyond.

    ¡°Let me go!¡± a girl screamed, her legs kicking desperately as two men carried her in, holding her in the air by either arm. She wore rags covered with a mixture of blood and fluids. Both of the men bearing her in were clad in black hood and matching robes, leaving no parts of their skin visible.

    The men threw the girl to the ground. She hit it with a pained grunt, rolling once and letting out a whimper of pain. Blood leaked across the floor behind her. She¡¯d been run through somewhere. It didn¡¯t look like she was going to die immediately, but it wouldn¡¯t be long.

    A rumble filled the room as the passageway closed behind the men.

    ¡°No!¡± the girl begged, dragging herself upright and lurching for the stone, only for her hands to collide with cold stone. She spun, staring at the man before the throne with wild terror dancing in her eyes. The girl stood heavily on one leg; the other was stained with blood. ¡°Stay away from me! I ¡ª I didn¡¯t do anything! I got mugged! I was just delivering milk!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have my face, do you?¡± the man asked, approaching the grimy girl. He studied her clothes intently for several moments. The way the colors mixed on her ratty dress was quite beautiful.

    ¡°Please,¡± she begged. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. Stay away from me. Let me go.¡±

    ¡°You are going to die.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª that¡¯s fine. I can die. I don¡¯t fear death. But¡­ please. I know who you are. They warned me that you ¡ª fuck. I¡­ just let me die. Please.¡± She clutched at her chest, and red spread farther across her red dress. The girl¡¯s voice was trembling.

    A frown crossed the man¡¯s face ¡ª or at least, his current one. His actual face was still missing.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying to me.¡± The man¡¯s voice took on a singsong pitch and he flowed, arriving before the terrified girl and leaning down so they were at the same height. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s in your nature to lie, isn¡¯t it? That is the burden of kindness. You don¡¯t want to hurt my feelings. You don¡¯t want to inconvenience me.¡±

    The girl stared at him, horror cinching her throat shut.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± the man whispered, extending his hands toward her face. The finger and thumb on his right hand warped, then swapped positions in a heartbeat. ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask. It is my duty to fix you.¡±

    The girl flinched away, but the man was faster. His hands clamped down on her skull. Her eyes went wide; her skin bubbled like boiling oil. Features melted down her face, blood twisted and jerked like it was a writhing animal in the throes of death.

    She screamed.

    ***

    The girl was a good screamer. She screamed for nearly an hour before her voice gave out entirely.

    Then she fell silent, and the man finished his work in peace.

    He stepped back, his eyes delighting in the results of his creation.

    ¡°There,¡± he said. ¡°Look at you. Beautiful.¡±

    The girl stood before him, as still as ice. Her mouth hung askew, her eyes were so wide that their whites threatened to swallow her irises entirely.

    ¡°I¡­ what did you do to me?¡± the girl asked, her words coming out in a melodic whisper.

    Her body had been fixed. Her voice box had too. And, dare the man say it, they had been improved.

    ¡°You came to me for healing. I healed you, my beautiful child,¡± the man replied, giving her a gentle pat on the face. The girl flinched, but the man didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°I undid the damage to your body. You like screaming, so I fixed your voice so it can scream better. I also removed your weakness. Yes, yes I did.¡±

    ¡°My¡­ weakness?¡±

    ¡°Your vision was poor, and your heart was strained. Too much poor diet, I should say,¡± the man said, tapping a finger on his chin. ¡°Your growth was also stunted. A foot too short, you were. I added on a little.¡±

    The girl looked down at her body. Disbelief warped her features as she ran her hands across her body. Her gaze lifted back to the man and her voice trembled as she spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. How?¡±

    ¡°Because I decided you needed fixing,¡± the man replied, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. ¡°There are many things in the world that need fixing.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± The word slipped from the girl¡¯s mouth unbidden, and she looked mortified the moment after it escaped.

    The man didn¡¯t mind. A smile split his features.

    ¡°Have you ever built a tower of wood pieces? Built it as tall as you could, up until your chin and then a log further?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°Ah. You would not understand.¡± The man patted her on the shoulder and she flinched, but nothing happens. He simply turned away and walked back over to the stone chair. He paused before he sat and glanced back. ¡°Say, have you seen my face?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the girl said, swallowing heavily. ¡°I think you¡¯re wearing it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. This isn¡¯t mine,¡± the man replied with a shake of his head. He pointed at the smooth stone walls and a passageway opened up. ¡°You were heading in that direction. Don¡¯t forget your milk, even if it¡¯s spoiled by now. One must finish the jobs they start.¡±

    The girl stared at him for several long seconds. Then she mustered up a scrap of courage. ¡°You saved me? Just for free?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want anything in return?¡±

    ¡°What I want can only be taken. Unless you know where my face is?¡±

    The girl shook her head.

    ¡°Then on with you.¡±

    ¡°Can ¡ª can I ask your name? I want to know. It hurt so much¡­ but you saved me. I didn¡¯t want to die.¡±

    ¡°I know you didn¡¯t,¡± the man replied idly. ¡°Today, my name is Lorne.¡±

    The girl looked from him to the passageway. Then she nodded, turned, and ran into the darkness.

    Lorne nodded to himself. He walked back over to his stone seat and sat down, watching a crackle of red energy play between his fingers.

    Then a frown crossed his features.

    ¡°Where did I put my mouth?¡±

 Book 5 of Runebound is out on Amazon!

    Hi guys! Runebound 5 has released on amazon! It''s been a ton of work getting this far, so I''d like to thank everyone for reading. Writing Runebound has been such a blast. This marks something around 1 million words of RB out on amazon!

    If you''d like to support me, please consider going over and leaving a rating / review, you don''t even have to download or pay for the novel. I got some moron instantly give me a 1* review claiming the cover was AI when it is not.

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    If you want to check the novel out, you can see it HERE on KU!</a>

    Also, check out this cover.

    I really like it, and I feel horrible for the artist who put a ton of work in only for this to just instantly be called ai.

 Chapter 586: Recruits

    With everyone¡¯s introductions done and tensions rather low in the clearing, there were only a few things left that Noah had to take care of before he and the others could return to Arbitage, which would come with its own host of new problems.

    And so, while everyone else was distracted by a mixture of Lee, Jalen, and the general absurdity of the situation as a whole, he made his way over to Yulin.

    The girl stood at the edge of the clearing, a clear separation between her and the others. Alexandra had been keeping her company and trying to get her to mingle with the others to little success.

    Noah had been forced to wait for Alexandra to head off to get them some food before he made his move. He trusted her, but this wasn¡¯t something he wanted to do with other people around. It made things more difficult ¡ª and whether Silvertide knew it or not, his words still rung in Noah¡¯s head like an echo.

    There was no room for weakness. No room for mercy when the people that depended on him were involved. He wouldn¡¯t be cruel, but there would be no chances. No opportunities for someone to take advantage of idiocy.

    Yulin looked up at Noah as he arrived behind her. Neither of them had to say a word. She didn¡¯t even look surprised at his arrival. She just quietly nodded, then followed Noah through the blackened trees and into the forest.

    They walked for several minutes in silence. Noah took those moments to sift through his thoughts. Yulin was a student, no older than any of the others. She¡¯d also gone out of her way to help everyone, going so far as to put her own life at risk.

    Those were huge marks in her favor. Noah highly doubted that Jakob or Verrud had planned to kill Isabel at the cost of their own lives. Of course, he had no delusions that the two of them were the only ones aware of her rune.

    They had only been the beginning. If they¡¯d known, then higher members in the families had known as well. Yulin could have been a plant from someone even higher up, set in case her professors had failed. She certainly had the training to pull it off.

    Noah shook his head. Conspiracy theories without anything to base them on would get him nowhere. All he knew was that, from here on out, the Torrins and the Herrons were functionally his enemies. It just remained to be seen where Yulin¡¯s allegiances truly laid.

    He and Yulin came to a stop after about ten minutes had passed with the only sound being the crunch of the dry ashen sticks beneath their feet. The scent of burnt wood lingered in every part of the Scorched Acres, and this one was no different.

    For some reason, it was oddly comforting.

    Noah turned to face Yulin.

    ¡°Are you going to kill me?¡± Yulin asked quietly, her features bearing no more expression than a still lake.

    ¡°That¡¯s an odd question to ask in such a calm tone.¡±

    ¡°It would make sense. I am associated with your enemies. I am surprised you did not do it earlier, but I suspected that you knew your students would not approve and so you were waiting for a more opportune time to act.¡±

    ¡°You knew that and you didn¡¯t run?¡± Noah tilted his head to the side, a habit that he¡¯d mistakenly built up during the time he¡¯d spent in his Spider persona ¡ª one that he wasn¡¯t so sure he¡¯d be shaking off anytime soon.

    ¡°Running would be pointless. You escaped from the Damned Plains. I think you¡¯d be able to hunt down a Torrin on the brink of exile. They would accept me back in, but with Jakob dead, there is little use for me in the near future. I would be given up the moment you made it clear you were hunting for me.¡±

    Man, this is almost sad. She¡¯s so resigned to whatever fate she gets dealt that she barely even seems to care about her own life. I just can¡¯t tell if this is an act or if this is genuinely what the Torrins have made her into.

    ¡°I doubt the Torrins would be so willing to work with me after what I did to their last head¡ª¡±

    ¡°You were just a bystander.¡±

    Noah arched an eyebrow. ¡°I think we can get past the bullshit for today, Yulin. We¡¯re in a very unique spot, you and I. One where there¡¯s no point to keep secrets.¡±

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°Because you¡¯re going to kill me.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m either going to kill you or you¡¯re going to join my side,¡± Noah corrected. ¡°And regardless of what you end up doing, my secrets remain safe. Thus, I don¡¯t feel any fear in revealing that I killed Evergreen. She had it coming.¡±

    Not going to mention that Lee and Moxie were involved, though. I really don¡¯t care what the Torrins think of me at this point¡­ but I¡¯m going to have to take the last few steps to gaining power before I let them find too much out. That¡¯s a problem to deal with after this.

    ¡°She probably did,¡± Yulin admitted. ¡°She was a cruel woman.¡±

    ¡°She was,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°Killing her was one of the best things I¡¯ve done here.¡±

    ¡°Here?¡± Yulin asked.

    Noah shook his head. That was a secret that she wasn¡¯t getting anytime soon. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the topic at hand, Yulin. I want to know why.¡±

    ¡°Why what?¡±

    ¡°Why did you help my students? If you hadn¡¯t, Jakob and Verrud likely would have gotten what they wanted. Was it to take revenge on them for the way they treated you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yulin said. ¡°I am a servant. To serve is my duty.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the bullshit that the Torrin family hammered into your head, and I don¡¯t buy it for a second.¡±

    A tiny smile flickered across Yulin¡¯s lips. ¡°No. Neither do I. But that is still the answer the world must hear.¡±

    ¡°And the answer that I hear?¡±

    Several seconds passed before Yulin spoke.

    ¡°Marley was an insufferable spoiled brat that used me like a toy and punching bag. Jakob saw me as an emotionless weapon to be used in the training of his brat. I never cared. That was just life¡­ until I ran into Alexandra. She wanted to train with me just because it was fun. No ulterior motives. She just wanted to talk and fight. At first, I viewed it as reconnaissance for the mission. I didn¡¯t realize how much fun I was having until it was too late.¡±

    ¡°Alexandra was safe, though,¡± Noah pointed out. ¡°She was nowhere near the fight. You brought her to it.¡±

    ¡°She would have been distraught if the others were killed. I was just repaying a debt.¡±

    ¡°So it was purely transactional. That¡¯s what you¡¯re trying to say? You only helped because you felt you owed Alexandra for giving you a few moments where you were actually treated like a human.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    I¡¯m not so sure I buy that. This was more than repaying a debt.

    ¡°That was a lie.¡± A quiet voice echoed through the trees around them.

    Noah and Yulin both looked to their left as Aylin stepped out from between two scorched trunks and approached them.

    ¡°You followed us?¡± Yulin asked, blinking.

    ¡°I asked him to,¡± Noah replied. He put a hand on Aylin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°He¡¯s particularly good at pulling the truth out of situations. I would have preferred that we could speak with just the two of us for a little longer, but I trust he¡¯s come to a decision if he¡¯s revealed himself.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been honest about everything but two answers,¡± Aylin said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t believe that she was repaying a debt, and she didn¡¯t view it as transactional.¡±

    Yulin stared at him in surprise. ¡°How could you possibly know that? Are you a Mind Rune user?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Answer his questions honestly, please,¡± Noah said. ¡°And well done, Aylin. It doesn¡¯t look like you took a bite out of her.¡±

    ¡°I am doing my best,¡± Aylin said, his voice slightly terse. He was definitely exerting more than a little effort to make sure he didn¡¯t mistakenly start snacking on the Torrin.

    There were a few seconds of silence. Then Yulin grimaced. ¡°I might honestly prefer if you just killed me.¡±

    ¡°At this point, I¡¯m really not feeling all that inclined to do so,¡± Noah said. ¡°You don¡¯t have an ulterior motive. My only concern was if you were working for someone above Jakob or Verrud. But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case, is it?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Truth,¡± Aylin said.

    Yulin heaved a sigh. ¡°This is so embarrassing. I helped because I¡¯ve never had a friend before. I didn¡¯t want Alexandra to be sad or angry at me. I wanted to be able to keep training with her. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t need Aylin to say anything. The Knowledge Demon gave him a slight nod, but it was practically pointless. Yulin was telling the truth.

    ¡°That¡¯s a reason I can get behind,¡± Noah said. ¡°Most anything other than not working directly for the Torrins to kill Isabel would have been, honestly. But now you¡¯ve got a new problem to figure out.¡±

    ¡°You mean you¡¯re not killing me?¡±

    ¡°I already said I wasn¡¯t a while ago. But you are going to have to figure out what it is you want to do. Because if you want to keep training with Alexandra, that means you¡¯re joining up with me ¡ª and turning against the Torrin family. I know you gave an excuse of following Emily, but I think we both know that won¡¯t hold up with them. You¡¯ll be their enemy. Is that fine with you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yulin said without an instant of hesitation.

    Normally, Noah would have been concerned about such a hasty decision, but he wasn¡¯t really all that surprised to see how much Yulin disliked her family. He hadn¡¯t liked the vast majority of the Torrins he¡¯d met himself ¡ª though the few he did like more than counterbalanced his distaste for the rest.

    ¡°Then come on. Let¡¯s head back to the others. I¡¯ll look into getting you assigned to me or Moxie as a student,¡± Noah said, turning on his heel and striding back toward the others.

    ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Yulin asked, hurrying after him alongside Aylin.

    Noah threw a wry glance back over his shoulder at them. ¡°I came back from the dead. I think I can recruit an extra student along the way.¡±

 Chapter 587: Who

    With their conversation finished, Noah brought Yulin back to rejoin the others. She stood around near the treeline for a few moments before slipping away to stand in the shade of a large tree.

    It didn¡¯t look like she was quite ready to start properly mingling with everyone else. Noah was pretty sure she was still trying to process everything that had happened in the past few days.

    He didn¡¯t blame her. It was a lot to take in. She¡¯d get used to it eventually. The only thing he cared about was that she wasn¡¯t going to go around spilling their secrets to their enemies, and as far as he could tell, she was definitely on their side. There was always the option of using a Rune Oath, but those were so finicky and dangerous that Noah dismissed the idea on the spot.

    Oaths were a trap. They were a double edged sword unless someone used an intermediary, and he had absolutely no plans of keeping someone around just to get them killed when an oath shattered.

    No, normal promises were enough for him. Yulin had done enough to prove that she wasn¡¯t just in this to betray them. Between Aylin and Alexandra, Noah was pretty confident she would fit right in.

    She¡¯d just have to get used to¡­ everything.

    That made Noah wince. There was a lot of everything to get used to. Yulin was going to be in for a rough time. Things had been weird for his students for a while, but they were about to get a whole lot weirder once the noble families realized their somewhat covert attempt to wrest Isabel¡¯s Master Rune from her had failed.

    His hands clenched at his sides. His Rank 4 Runes put him well ahead of the average Rank 4, to the point where he couldn¡¯t even be compared to anyone else of his rank on the mortal plane. He wasn¡¯t worried about himself¡­ but if the nobles got really serious and started sending more than a few people, his students would be in danger.

    Noah¡¯s face darkened. He couldn¡¯t allow for that to happen. The moment he returned to Arbitage, a timer started. A timer that counted down the seconds Isabel had left to live in peace ¡ª and Noah didn¡¯t know how long it would take to hit zero.

    He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn¡¯t notice Jalen approaching until the other man stood directly in front of him.

    ¡°That¡¯s a stormy look you¡¯ve got in your eyes there, Vermil,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Not the expression I was expecting from someone who just ripped his way out of the Damned Plains with a host full of friendly demons.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering how many people I¡¯m going to have to kill,¡± Noah said. ¡°And how many of them I can kill.¡±

    ¡°Always a good hobby to have.¡± Jalen nodded sagely. ¡°The same thought passes through my mind at least once a week, especially when I¡¯m standing in a particularly long line at a restaurant.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being serious here, Jalen. You know why all this shit is happening, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Jalen arched an eyebrow and waved his hand around the clearing. ¡°There¡¯s so much shit happening here that I genuinely don¡¯t know which shit you¡¯re referring to. Is it the fact that you¡¯re the only human in known history to go to the Damned Plains? The fact you ferried a bunch of powerful demons back along with you? Is it the the monster in your book that was torturing Jakob to death, or perhaps the fact that Todd killed Marley before you killed both of the other professors? Or is it¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Isabel.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I was getting to her. Eventually. As I said, a lot of shit,¡± Jalen said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. ¡°The Master Rune.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said. His jaw tightened. ¡°The Master Rune.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have no interest in it. I¡¯m too old to care about toys like that. Now, if you¡¯ve got any demon women that are in search of something fun ¡ª older ones, mind you ¡ª I¡¯d appreciate an introduction. That¡¯s something interesting. I¡¯ve heard horrible things about what they do to people.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eye twitched, and he couldn¡¯t keep himself from letting out a small chuckle. Jalen¡¯s brain was so melted by age that it was hard to tell when the half-mad man was actually being serious. There was a genuine tossup as to whether he actually wanted to be introduced to an eligible demon bachelorette or if he was just bored and flapping his mouth.

    ¡°One topic at a time,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯m a little more concerned about Isabel than I am about your love life.¡±

    ¡°Ouch. That hurts. Much like the majority of my love life.¡±

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    ¡°Which is entirely your fault. I¡¯m getting serious here, Jalen. The nobles are going to make a move. They already have, but now that they know the cat is out of the bag, they really will. And I can¡¯t let that happen.¡±

    The smile slipped away from Jalen¡¯s lips as his expression turned flat. ¡°Yes. I am aware. You want me to interfere.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I will not.¡± Jalen raised a hand to forestall Noah before he could say anything else. ¡°But it is not because I do not want to. I have grown¡­ attached to your students. They amuse me.¡±

    ¡°So why won¡¯t you help? You of all people could.¡±

    ¡°And in doing so, I would cast the kingdom into war.¡±

    ¡°War? For squashing a few bugs?¡±

    A corner of Jalen¡¯s lips pulled up in a cold smile. ¡°I see the Damned Plains have hardened you if you¡¯re referring to powerful mages as nothing more than bugs. You are correct. I could squash a few bugs without issue ¡ª but do you really think the families will be sending bugs? No. They will send the strong. Their best. Isabel¡¯s Master Rune is one that has been more desired than any other. The Soul Rune¡­ its power is enormous. Our Souls are the most core and powerful parts of our being. If Isabel masters it, she could be the greatest mage that this kingdom has produced since the Long Night ¡ª and that potential passes to anyone who takes it from her.¡±

    ¡°What are you implying here?¡±

    ¡°That you will not be faced with Rank 4 mages,¡± Jalen said. ¡°It will be strongest members of the families, bar their heads. Rank 5 mages at the peak of their potential. Rank 6 ones that have lurked within the shadows, waiting for opportunity to grow beyond the limits of their abilities. Every single one of them will come for Isabel.¡±

    ¡°All the more reason for you to¡ª¡±

    ¡°If I interfere, then the nobles will send their Family Heads. One head cannot act without the others noticing. There will be war.¡±

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Not nearly as much as I would like, unfortunately. I¡¯ve been far too busy as of late.¡±

    Noah ignored Jalen. The man had been serious for a few sentences. That was more than what he could normally ask for, and he¡¯d had a good point. Jalen couldn¡¯t act without making all the other powerful Rank 6 mages throw their lot in as well ¡ª and as powerful as he was, he couldn¡¯t win a war singlehandedly.

    ¡°And if you don¡¯t interfere? If it¡¯s just me and the others?¡±

    ¡°Bird can¡¯t help either. It would jeopardize her position with the King family ¡ª and she cares far too deeply about Otto and her position working under him. They are close. I would not attempt to get in their way¡­ and she is not nearly powerful enough to make a significant difference in a fight.¡±

    ¡°Just my group, then. And possibly Silvertide.¡±

    ¡°Then you would face the Rank 5 and 6 mages, but not the family heads. They would make up rumors. Accuse you of everything under the sun and rip your reputation to shreds while attempting to kill you and making themselves out to be the heroes. They would continue until they ground you to a paste.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s lovely to hear you¡¯re optimistic about our chances.¡±

    ¡°I am realistic,¡± Jalen said. He was silent for several long seconds before he spoke again. ¡°The only thing the noble families hate more than one of them getting more power is when an outsider gets it. You are capable, but do you believe you could defeat a legion of rank 5 and 6 mages?¡±

    If I had the full strength of everyone here¡­ I think we could hold them off. The rank 5s, at least. Maybe the 6s if Yoru was using her power, but forever? Probably not. I¡¯d get tired or I¡¯d die at some point. And when I do, it¡¯s all over.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said. ¡°Not as I am now.¡±

    ¡°As I thought. You are a uniquely fantastic mage, Vermil. And I do not say that lightly.¡± Jalen turned to look at the students and demons gathered in the center of the clearing. ¡°But if you stay this course, you are going to die.¡±

    I¡¯ve died more times than you can count ¡ª though, given who I¡¯m speaking to, probably isn¡¯t all that high. I¡¯ll die a thousand more times if that¡¯s what it takes¡­ but dying isn¡¯t going to solve my problems here.

    ¡°As I am now, you¡¯re right,¡± Noah said grimly. ¡°Which just means things have to change.¡±

    ¡°Slapping shoddy runes together will not change much,¡± Jalen warned. ¡°You will buy yourself a scrap of power at the cost of an ocean. If you wish to survive, you should run. Take the students and leave the school.¡±

    ¡°As if the noble families wouldn¡¯t track us.¡±

    ¡°They would, but it would be harder. You would have a chance to escape.¡±

    Noah was already shaking his head. ¡°No. That only delays the problem.¡±

    ¡°So does brute forcing your way up a rank. You will be no stronger than the Nobles whose parents feed them all their power.¡±

    But that¡¯s not true at all, is it? I¡¯m not combining runes blindly. I¡¯ve been taking things slow and steady for long enough now. I¡¯ve been trying to make sure that I don¡¯t draw too much of the wrong attention ¡ª even though that hasn¡¯t exactly always gone to plan.

    But I think the time for that is over. If I¡¯m this strong at Rank 4¡­ then at Rank 5, I might be able to challenge Rank 6 mages.

    Noah¡¯s features set.

    ¡°Made a decision?¡± Jalen asked.

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Noah said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m going to need some favors.¡±

    ¡°Are they going to make things interesting?¡±

    ¡°Without a doubt.¡±

    ¡°Then they are yours. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Some Catchpaper. Enough to hold some Demon Runes ¡ª and entrance to the biggest auction in the near future that you can get me.¡±

    Jalen arched an eyebrow. ¡°Your plan is to go to an auction?¡±

    ¡°Me? No. As far as the rest of the mortal plane is concerned, Vermil Linwick is still dead. I¡¯m changing my plans to keep it that way for a little while longer. I can¡¯t go back to Arbitage yet. That¡¯ll buy us time. A few days at most, but a few days can go a long way.¡±

    ¡°So if you¡¯re not going, then who is?¡±

    Noah smiled.

    ¡°Spider.¡±

 Chapter 588: Alexandras Runes

    Jalen set off shortly after his conversation with Noah, leaving him with a promise to get him access to the auction he wanted. Noah wasn¡¯t too concerned about waiting ¡ª in a place like Arbitage, where every single noble family had representatives, there were bound to be constant auctions. Too many people had money to sling around and egos to pad.

    Unless Noah was incredibly lucky, he was pretty sure that it would take at least a day or two before there was an auction that suited his needs. He wasn¡¯t going to just settle for random common runes, and he couldn¡¯t afford to go around selling his own runes unless there were people wealthy enough to actually afford them.

    The thought of selling Demon Runes did prick Noah¡¯s spine with distaste. He knew what the noble houses would do with those runes, and it probably wasn¡¯t going to be pretty. They tested runes by forcing their lower-ranked members to take them on.

    If a human took on a demon rune ¡ª well, he still wasn¡¯t sure exactly what would happen, but it would probably start to warp them as they grew stronger, just like how it did to demons. The rate at which it corrupted someone would be reduced since humans weren¡¯t as susceptible to their runes as demons were, which was the only saving grace.

    Noah highly doubted that anyone would be making it to Rank 5 with a Demon Rune that didn¡¯t fit their combination. If he were a kinder man, he would have considered it for longer. But, with the way things were going, the noble houses were his enemies. He would not be showing them mercy or compassion.

    He couldn¡¯t afford to.

    Not when the price could end up being the lives of his students.

    ¡°Professor?¡±

    Noah blinked. It took him a moment to realize that someone was speaking to him. He¡¯d been standing near the edge of the clearing a few feet away from the other professors, quietly observing all his students mingling and getting to know each other while he brooded under the shade of a large, ashy tree that had been cracked down the center.

    Alexandra had somehow arrived at his side. His distraction had been so great that she¡¯d managed to completely slip past his senses and domain. Leaves crunched beneath him as he shifted his weight and smiled.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°You looked¡­ troubled.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m planning some minor war crimes,¡± Noah said. ¡°Not too happy about it, but such is life. We all have to do a little war crime now and then.¡±

    Alexandra blinked. ¡°War crime?¡±

    Oh, God. No Geneva convention here. That¡¯s¡­ incredibly disturbing to think about, actually. Especially given what Runes are capable of. At least it means I¡¯m not going to be breaking any laws by selling a bunch of poisoned runes to the nobles.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s a grown-up thing,¡± Noah said. ¡°You¡¯ll learn when you¡¯re older.¡±

    Alexandra squinted at him. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not that much younger than you, Professor.¡±

    Noah chuckled and ruffled her hair. ¡°Right. Don¡¯t mind my blabbering. Was there something you wanted?¡±

    She scrunched her nose and ducked away from Noah¡¯s hand, though it did take her a moment longer to do it than someone who could move at her speed would have needed. ¡°I¡­ wanted to speak to you. Alone.¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t really anyone here right now. Nobody¡¯s paying attention. Sometimes, the best place to hide is in plain sight. Leaving might actually draw more attention ¡ª but if this is something really private, we can put some distance between us and the others.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s probably fine. You¡¯re right. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Alexandra trailed off and hesitated for a second before continuing, her shoulders slumping as she kicked a dry stick by her feet. ¡°I¡¯m at my limit, Professor.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done everything I can to get stronger. And I have been improving. Especially with your Formation training. It¡¯s done a lot for me, but I feel the others catching up. They¡¯re all getting so strong, but I¡¯ll forever be a Rank 3. The gap closes every day, no matter how hard I try. I¡¯ve done everything I can, even Bird¡¯s weird techniques. I almost considered actually trying to fight naked¡ª¡±

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    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°¡ªbut I decided against it. I¡¯m not that desperate yet,¡± Alexandra continued, the corner of her lip twitching up for an instant. It fell flat again a moment later and she shifted her gaze to the tree behind Noah. ¡°I think I¡¯m running out of options. Even Formations and patterns can only take me so far. When the others hit Rank 4, I¡¯ll still be the same Alexandra. I¡¯ll still be a Rank 3 that relies on her Body Runes to keep up¡­ up until I can¡¯t keep up anymore.¡±

    That¡¯s right. I never got a chance to fix Alexandra¡¯s runes before I got pulled into the Damned Plains. She¡¯s more than earned enough trust for me to show her Sunder ¡ª to tell her the truth about who I am.

    ¡°I see,¡± Noah said. ¡°Well¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Alexandra said with a firm shake of her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you do. I¡¯m stuck like this, Professor. And I can tell the others see it too. They keep hedging around the topic of getting stronger when I¡¯m around. I want you to tell them to stop tiptoeing around me. It won¡¯t do anything if I¡¯m the one to say it, but I know my lot in life. I dealt my own cards. I hate people acting like I¡¯m some sick, injured fool that needs to be coddled. I know what my future holds, but I don¡¯t want to have to deal with it before it¡¯s already arrived.¡±

    She came to me, not to ask for a solution, but to ask me to make the others stop feeling bad for her?

    Oh, Alexandra. I don¡¯t think they were feeling bad for you at all. They just didn¡¯t want to talk about what I can do before I returned ¡ª or hell, if I returned. They didn¡¯t have a way to know for certain. Giving her hope would have been cruel.

    Noah put a hand on Alexandra¡¯s shoulder and gave her a small smile. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re asking.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ll do it?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    Alexandra blinked.

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°Because there¡¯s only one person who can see fate, and it isn¡¯t you. Relax your mind and brace yourself. I¡¯m going to show you something.¡±

    Noah only waited long enough for Alexandra to nod her understanding. He then glanced over at Moxie, catching her eye and jerking his chin to the girl beside him. Understanding flickered in her eyes and she gave him a thumbs-up.

    Then Noah activated Empty Proliferation.

    Alexandra drew in a sharp breath.

    The world fell away.

    ***

    Noah stood upon a rocky plateau, a gentle wind blowing through his hair. It howled as it slipped through rocks, jagged like teeth, that rose up in a circle around the plateau around him. The sky stretched out in all directions around him, wispy white clouds curling past his feet and moisture prickling against his skin.

    Alexandra¡¯s soul was the peak of a massive mountain.

    It took him a moment to figure out where her runes were. Carved within the rocks jutting up along the platforms edges were dim runic patterns, so weak that their glow was little more than a flicker from a candle held before the sun.

    Noah¡¯s eyes went wide.

    Six out of seven of Alexandra¡¯s Runes were imbued completely into her soul. They were so deeply meshed with her body that he could barely even make out what their patterns were meant to be.

    It¡¯s almost like a demon.

    ¡°Bad, isn¡¯t it?¡± Alexandra asked, walking up to join Noah with a weak smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could do this.¡±

    ¡°Picked it up in the Damned Plains, along with a few other party tricks,¡± Noah said absently. He studied Alexandra¡¯s soul intently for several long moments. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize so many of your runes were Body Runes. I thought it was just a few.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you can get a body as resilient as mine with just one or two Body Runes?¡±

    ¡°Never tried using them before, so I can¡¯t say. That¡¯s fine. You¡¯re strong, and you aren¡¯t a demon. This will be painful, but you¡¯ll survive.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª what?¡±

    Noah turned to fully face Alexandra. Her runes could wait for a moment longer. It was well past time that he brought her fully into the fold.

    ¡°I have something I¡¯d like to share with you.¡±

    ¡°A technique from the Damned Plains to get past my runes?¡± A hint of hope entered Alexandra¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Not exactly. More like a little information about me. Information that could get all of us killed in very brutal ways. One of the greatest secrets I have.¡±

    ¡°Why would you want to tell me something like that?¡± Alexandra asked in horror. ¡°You don¡¯t need¡ª¡±

    ¡°I do, actually. It¡¯s something that I¡¯ve already told Isabel, Todd, and Emily. It¡¯s something that I¡¯d like to tell you as well, if you¡¯ll let me. It¡¯s been killing them to keep this from you, but if you let me tell you why, I think it¡¯ll make sense.¡±

    A frown pulled across Alexandra¡¯s lips. Then, slowly, she inclined her head. ¡°If you think it¡¯s that important that I know, then that¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Lovely. I¡¯ll keep things brief, then.¡± Noah clasped his hands behind his back. ¡°I¡¯m not Professor Vermil.¡±

    There was a long pause.

    Then Alexandra blinked, taken aback.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Vermil is dead,¡± Noah said. ¡°You never met him. He died months ago, and I¡¯m the one that killed him. I took his body from him when I arrived in this world. My real name is Noah Vines, I¡¯m thousands upon thousands of years old, and I can fix your runes. All of them.¡±

 Chapter 589: Training weights

    Alexandra stared at Noah for several long seconds. The corner of her mouth kept twitching like it was trying to decide if she wanted to smile or not. Eventually, incredulity got the best of her and she let out a snort, shaking her head as a cold wind curled past the mountain peak of her soul.

    ¡°That might be the strangest joke anyone¡¯s ever tried to tell me. I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re trying to pretend to be a skinwalker, a god, or something else entirely. Really, Professor, I¡¯m not a child. You know what I¡¯ve been through. I don¡¯t need to be coddled. I just want¡ª¡±

    Noah called on Sunder. Power slammed within him as his runes all strained, pushing back against the immense Master Rune. His veins turned jet black and particles of dark energy gathered around his palm.

    Waves of pressure drove out from his palm and slammed into Alexandra, driving the breath from her soul-lungs like a punch. She took a staggering step back, the words dying on her lips as her eyes went as wide as saucers.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Alexandra breathed. ¡°I thought you were Rank 4!¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Noah said. Energy burned within his fingers as he clenched them into a fist. Twisting strands of black magic coiled around his fingertips like eels. That was new ¡ª but it certainly helped his demonstration. ¡°But there¡¯s a vast difference in power between a shoddily made Rank 4 and a truly flawless one. And there¡¯s a lot more to power than merely having a few good runes.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t mean you were being serious,¡± Alexandra stammered. ¡°Professor, you¡¯re claiming the impossible. Thousands of years old? That¡¯s older than every single Rank 6 in the empire ¡ª no. Older than the empire itself! Even the Long Night doesn¡¯t date that far back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not from this planet,¡± Noah said with a shrug. ¡°But does that really matter? You¡¯ve focused on the background shit.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re claiming to be immortal!¡± Alexandra yelled.

    ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t gotten to that bit yet.¡±

    She stared at him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°One thing at a time, please. Seriously. You can¡¯t study by spreading your attention in every direction. You¡¯ll have to work on that. Learn to lock in on one subject while you¡¯re working on it.¡±

    ¡°Did¡­ everything go okay in the Damned Plains? You didn¡¯t get hit too hard or something while you were there, did you?¡± Alexandra asked carefully.

    Noah blew out a sigh. It would have been easy to just slap Sunder against one of the runes sealed within the rocks beside him and shatter it, cleaving the Body Rune from Alexandra¡¯s soul entirely. Easy enough that it was tempting ¡ª and Noah would never let himself do that.

    This was Alexandra¡¯s soul. It wasn¡¯t about how easy things were for him. He was asking her to believe the impossible. Anyone sane would have been at least a little baffled, especially since he¡¯d just popped out of Hell with an entourage of demons in his wake.

    Taking his annoyance out by forcing her under Sunder¡¯s blade was not the way he would ever let himself handle his students.

    After all, he had a far more effective way to demonstrate the truth. The human mind was remarkably good at understanding things once it got a chance to see them laid out before it.

    Empty Proliferation did not perfectly insert Noah directly into someone¡¯s soul. Instead, it bridged their souls, overlaying them and making a balance that allowed both him and his target to exist in a single soul location.

    When he went into someone¡¯s mind, he had to find an equal balance between their soul and his in order to make the connection easier and lengthen the amount of time they could remain merged.

    For almost everyone, that meant shrinking the amount of Noah¡¯s own soul to a nearly minuscule amount. His soul was just so much larger than the average soul that bringing half of it to bear would probably end crushing the average mage.

    With Alexandra, he¡¯d been using just about five percent of his full soul¡¯s might. It was hidden in the distance, specks of distant black that lurked at the edges of their vision.

    And if he wanted to show Alexandra the truth, all he had to do was one little tweak.

    A.

    Tiny.

    Little.

    Tweak.

    Noah drew on his soul.

    The sky shattered. It fell apart like planes of broken glass as the night swept in. Darkness swallowed the mountain and crushed the clouds in a black waterfall. Pressure slammed down on Alexandra¡¯s shoulders and her lips parted in mute disbelief, unable to muster words.

    And in the darkness, a golden line bloomed. It wasn¡¯t so much a part of Noah¡¯s natural soul as much as an extension of his powers. Empty Proliferation made it considerably easier to tweak the mindspace around himself and his target to appear how he wanted it to.

    That golden line stretched out across the horizon and raced toward where they floated in the infinite black. Pressure rolled off it, growing stronger with every new step that took form. The line coiled around them like a constricting snake, then exploded outward until it was nothing but a distant thread spiraling through the universe.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Alexandra breathed. She¡¯d fallen to her knees at some point during what Noah liked to think of as a slightly advanced PowerPoint presentation of what awaited mortals when they reached afterlife.

    Might need to tone down the amount of pressure I use. Don¡¯t want to hurt anyone.

    ¡°Death,¡± Noah replied, pulling Alexandra to her feet. ¡°The Line.¡±

    ¡°What is¡­¡± She trailed off, unable to complete her thought as her eyes followed the gold through the dark.

    ¡°The afterlife,¡± Noah said, the corner of his lips pulling up. ¡°Endless suffering. Mind-numbing agony. More than you could ever come to comprehend ¡ª but you will, should you die. Everyone does. I certainly did.¡±

    ¡°Thousands of years old¡­¡± Alexandra muttered, her eyes following the line into the distance. Then they snapped back to Naoh. ¡°That¡¯s what you meant? You were dead. They just let dead people leave the afterlife?¡±

    ¡°No. I had a bit of a breakout. There are a few gods pissed off at me about that ¡ª but this really isn¡¯t the point, Alexandra. I¡¯m not showing you this to scare you. I¡¯m showing it to prove that I¡¯m telling the whole truth.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I believe you. This is terrifying. It feels like my soul is getting ground to a paste.¡± Alexandra swallowed. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt so vulnerable. My Body Runes aren¡¯t protecting me at all. Wait. Did you say gods¡ª¡±

    ¡°Focus!¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Alexandra shook her head. She clenched her jaw and let out a short, sharp breath. ¡°Everything you said is true. I believe you. Everything¡­ wait. Everything?¡±

    Noah smiled. She¡¯d finally gotten the picture.

    ¡°Everything.¡±

    ¡°You can repair my Body Runes so I can reach Rank 4?¡±

    ¡°Repair?¡± Noah let out a chuckle and snapped his fingers. The darkness vanished like it had been sucked from the sky, and the mountain peak of her soul snapped back into existence as if it had never left. ¡°I can do so much more than that.¡±

    Alexandra staggered, eyes darting around in surprise. It took her a moment to re-adjust before she turned back to him. ¡°What are you talking about? How could you do more? They¡¯re part of my soul. Even if I had the most powerful healing potions, it would still take me years to recover.¡±

    Noah clenched his fist, and his blackened veins pulsed with even more power. Sunder roared, releasing waves of pressure that made the stones at Noah¡¯s feet tremble and dance in terror.

    ¡°Alexandra. I¡¯ve seen eons pass by like seconds. You¡¯d think that it would have made me a remarkably patient person, but unfortunately, it¡¯s the contrary. I really don¡¯t like waiting. It¡¯s a pet peeve of mine. I¡¯ve given you even more information than I gave Isabel and Todd. So¡­ make a choice. You came to me to be taught. Let me do that or remain as you are. It¡¯s your choice. But, if you really need a little longer, that¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t rush you into a decision. Take a few¡ª¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Alexandra swallowed, then shook her head. Her features set and she clenched her fists at her sides. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. You saved me from Gentil and Wizen, and the others have definitely been acting weird. I didn¡¯t think they would pity me, so it was kind of odd. This would explain it. I was just being stubborn. If you¡¯ve got anything that can fix me, I¡¯ll take it.¡±

    ¡°Even if you lose your Body Runes in the process?¡±

    ¡°Screw the Body Runes,¡± Alexandra snapped. ¡°I made them from desperation, not desire. I don¡¯t want to be the strongest Rank 3. I want to be the strongest me.¡±

    ¡°This won¡¯t be fun. Probably quite painful, actually ¡ª  but it¡¯ll definitely be cathartic. Choose a rune for me to remove.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Alexandra? Just choose one.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Alexandra pointed at the rune closest to Noah. ¡°That one. What are you going to¡ª¡±

    Noah set his hand on the stone.

    Sunder burst forth, and a flash of purplish-black energy split the stone from top to bottom. Alexandra grabbed her chest and let out a pained hiss.

    Then the stone shattered, and the rune went with it. Fragments of rock tumbled down the side of the mountain and vanished into the sky that stretched on beneath. White cracks drove into Alexandra¡¯s soul like someone had driven a pick into it. They weren¡¯t huge, but they were far from small.

    Power poured out of the remaining rubble, rising up into twisting energy. No runes emerged. That was new ¡ª it must have been because the Body Rune had been so closely integrated with her soul that there was practically no separation between the two for anything to escape the bond.

    Meh. It was just a Rank 3 Rune. Easily enough replaced.

    Alexandra stared at the spot where the Body Rune had been in mute shock.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can fix the damage,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Can¡­ you do it again?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯ll hurt. Each removal will hurt more than the last. We can pause for a day and I can heal you¡ª¡±

    ¡°The next rune.¡± Alexandra¡¯s tone bore more than a request. It was desperation and desire mixed into one. It held hope. ¡°Please. Get the next one. I can handle it. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a god or not. If you can give me a chance to be more than¡­ this, then I¡¯ll follow you forever.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for anything like that.¡±

    ¡°Then what? Nobody does a service like this for free.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s free.¡±

    ¡°What do you want, then? It¡¯s yours.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Noah tapped his chin in thought as he walked up to the next stone. ¡°Follow a good sleep schedule and make sure you have a varied diet. Practice your patterns at least an hour every day, but don¡¯t forget to relax and give your brain some time off. Also, hang out with the other students more. They want to get to know you more. Help Yulin integrate with them as well.¡±

    Alexandra stared at him. ¡°That¡¯s just a bunch of stuff to make me a better student.¡±

    ¡°Ding.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all you want?¡±

    ¡°From you? Yes. Now, brace.¡±

    Alexandra opened her mouth, then let out a snarl of pain as Noah unleashed Sunder and another stone shattered. She drove her foot into the ground to keep herself from falling over and swayed in place. Cracks crawled across the surface of the mountain peak.

    Before Noah could ask if Alexandra was doing okay, she forced her hands open.

    ¡°The next one. Get the next rune.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Waiting a day won¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°I survived Gentil for years,¡± Alexandra ground out. ¡°I can push through a little pain. Pain is a reminder that you¡¯re still alive. Do you really think you can dangle a future in front of me and expect me to wait to grab it? Rip the damn thing out.¡±

    ¡°Hard to say no to enthusiasm like that. Just remember, you can stop whenever you want. There¡¯s nothing forcing you to push through everything today.¡±

    ¡°Professor Vermil?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not my name. Not in private.¡±

    Alexandra gave him a thin smile. ¡°Professor Vines, then.¡±

    ¡°Better.¡±

    ¡°Rip the damn rune out. Please.¡±

    Noah unleashed Sunder. If Alexandra wanted to do everything now, then he would oblige her. She¡¯d waited long enough ¡ª and he was confident that she could handle it.

    ¡°As you wish. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what you¡¯re capable of once you¡¯ve got the training weights off.¡±

 Chapter 590: Functionally

    Noah carved every single one of Alexandra¡¯s body runes out of her. He¡¯d fully expected to have to stop when she had one or two of them left, but her soul was a lot more resilient than he¡¯d thought.

    By the time he was done, only a two runes remained within her ¡ª a plain Rank 3 Fire Rune and the Master Rune, Earthen Muster. Noah couldn¡¯t tell exactly how, but he could feel that Earthen Muster hadn¡¯t been used much yet. Its connection to Alexandra felt¡­ weak, for lack of a better word. She¡¯d clearly trained with it, but there was no strong connection between them. That was a question for another day.

    As a result of his work, her soul had been riddled with hairline cracks. They grew to large fissures toward the edges of the mountain. The gentle wind around Noah and Alexandra had picked up to a howling gale.

    Her soul was heavily damaged, but she¡¯d made it through. Noah didn¡¯t waste a moment in pouring energy from the Fragment of Renewal into Alexandra¡¯s body the moment his work was done.

    There was a chance he could have cut out her final rune as well ¡ª it was far from Flawless ¡ª but there was simply no point. She probably could have pushed through one more application of Sunder, but there was no way she could have managed to form replacement runes in this state.

    Alexandra let out a hiss of pain and relief as the pearly-pink energy from the Fragment of Renewal coiled through her soul and caressed the top of the mountain. It poured into the cracks covering the ground and began to slowly stitch back together the immense amount of soul damage.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Alexandra muttered, sweat rolling down the side of her face as she looked on in awe. She knelt beside a crack as it sealed, running her hands over the surface of her soul. ¡°Damage like this¡­ it should have taken years to heal. And yet I was expecting so much more. Removing six of my seven runes and not ripping my soul apart shouldn¡¯t have even been possible.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t think it would succeed and you still let me do it?¡±

    Alexandra gave him a one-shouldered shrug. ¡°It was worth the bet. There¡¯s no point to life if you can¡¯t continue improving. I was going to die one way or another, and you told me to trust you. I did.¡±

    ¡°You might have your priorities a little screwed up.¡± Noah shook his head and let out a small chuckle. He could feel Empty Proliferation¡¯s power starting to wane. He¡¯d been working on Alexandra for quite a few minutes now, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before their time was up. Noah took one last look around her soul to make sure everything was healing properly, then adjusted his jacket. ¡°There are a few things we have to briefly talk about before we return.¡±

    ¡°What are they?¡±

    ¡°Well ¡ª this one might be obvious, but I¡¯ll say it anyway. You¡¯re going to have to be careful. Your soul is incredibly weakened from where it was. Don¡¯t let yourself forget.¡±

    ¡°You mean the soul damage? Can you not fix all of it? I thought it would¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be patched up within a few hours, but that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about. You don¡¯t have Body Runes anymore, Alexandra. That means you can¡¯t do a lot of what you once did. No more taking spells or blows straight to the face. Let the others know immediately so none of them accidentally run you through.¡±

    ¡°Right. I know. Probably a good idea to let them know I¡¯m weakened, though. I¡¯ll do that.¡±

    ¡°Good. And one more quick thing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Think on what your new rune will be. I¡¯ll be removing that Fire Rune as well.¡± Noah gestured over to the last of Alexandra¡¯s original runes. It floated, flickering innocently, unaware of its imminent fate. ¡°You¡¯ll need a replacement. Something that really fits you. I¡¯ll be able to help you make it, since we¡¯ll obviously want a Flawless Rune.¡±

    ¡°Flawless?¡± Alexandra frowned at tilted her head to the side. ¡°You mean perfect?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. Flawless runes are better than perfect ones.¡± Noah waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Perfect runes are only balanced in a single phase, while Flawless ones are perfect in all phases. Moxie and I figured it out a bit ago, so we can¡¯t have you running around with a subpar rune.¡±

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Alexandra stared at him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Flawless Runes are¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, I got what you said. But are you seriously telling me that there¡¯s a version of a Rune that¡¯s even better than perfect?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But that really isn¡¯t all that important. I need to talk about¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not important?¡± Alexandra exclaimed, flinging her hands up into the air in disbelief. ¡°After what you just showed me, I don¡¯t even doubt you¡¯re telling the truth. But how can you casually mention that you¡¯ve got something that the noble families would go to war for?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure at least a few of them have figured it out by now.¡±

    Alexandra¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°How significant is the difference in power between a Perfect and Flawless rune?¡±

    ¡°Magnitudes, I¡¯d guess.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to faint.¡±

    ¡°Then I probably shouldn¡¯t tell you about the other thing I figured out.¡±

    Alexandra froze in place. Her gaze bore into Noah¡¯s like two beams of molten lava. ¡°There¡¯s something else? Now you¡¯re just pulling my strings.¡±

    ¡°A Fragment of Self. Every single being has one,¡± Noah said. ¡°I won¡¯t get into all the theory right now, but I think you more than any of the other students will need one.¡±

    ¡°You really need to slow down,¡± Alexandra half-begged. ¡°What do you mean every being has one? You¡¯re telling me I¡¯ve got a whole extra rune that I don¡¯t know about?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Please try to keep up. We¡¯re low on time. Everything alive has a Rune of Self ¡ª well, except for demons. They had a fragment of someone else, but I¡¯ve fixed that bit too.¡±

    Alexandra swallowed heavily. ¡°Demons¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not important right now. Another time. What is important is that if you can manifest your Fragment of Self and imbue your own soul with it, you¡¯ll solidify your connection between your body and your runes.¡±

    ¡°You mean I¡¯ll basically become a demon?¡±

    ¡°A pseudo-demon, yes. You won¡¯t get controlled by your emotions as far as I can tell, but your reaction speed and physical prowess will skyrocket. It¡¯ll be like your whole body got unlocked for the first time.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ sounds incredible,¡± Alexandra muttered. ¡°How do I get it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem. You¡¯re going to have to do some soul searching. Literally, mind you. Best I can tell, you need to perfectly understand yourself. Then when you do, you use the 3 basic components of rune creation¡ª¡±

    ¡°Creation?¡± Alexandra exclaimed. ¡°You can make runes? Are you fucking kidding me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Sorry, I skipped that bit. There¡¯s a lot I¡¯m trying to cram into a few minutes.¡± Noah snapped his fingers to pull Alexandra¡¯s attention back to him. ¡°The components are intent, an event that incites the rune¡¯s creation, and the energy to condense into a pattern. Are you with me?¡±

    Alexandra gave him a weak nod. More cracks pulled shut around her soul and she fought to gather her words for a few moments. ¡°Yes. I think so. That¡¯s another secret that the noble houses would murder entire cities for, by the way. Just in case you were wondering.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t. I would appreciate you not sharing anything I tell you here with anyone. Not even Todd and Isabel or the other students. They know most of it, and I¡¯ll tell them the rest as soon as I can. I just don¡¯t want you speaking about it where anyone might be able to overhear.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Alexandra said, her voice as soft as a mouse¡¯s squeak. ¡°No talking about the earth-shattering revelations that you¡¯re hitting me with one after the other. Even if I wanted to say anything, I might not get a chance to after you give me a heart attack. You¡¯re sure the noble families aren¡¯t aware you know of this?¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t. They¡¯d have their dogs kicking down my door if they did ¡ª but if I¡¯m honest, I don¡¯t give much of a shit about those incompetent idiots at all. Now, what I do care about is the hard part of our original topic. I haven¡¯t actually figured out how a human can make a Fragment of Self.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t you have one?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I do. The method I used probably won¡¯t work for anyone else, though. I had to use the magical energy that makes up my creation in order to do it. So that¡¯s what I¡¯m entrusting you with. I want you to deeply think on how you could get an event that will let you form a Fragment of Self.¡±

    ¡°Hold on. Please, just hold on a moment.¡± Alexandra raised her hands before her. ¡°If I understand what you¡¯re saying, I need to find some event that I can use as¡­ what, a burst of energy to guide the creation of a rune?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡±

    ¡°Then what in the Damned Plains is ¡®the magical energy that makes up your creation¡¯ and why can¡¯t I just use that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really scatterbrained today. I¡¯m sorry. Escaping from the Damned Plains must have scrambled my head a bit. The energy I was referring to is the power that gathers around me after I kill myself.¡±

    ¡°After you kill yourself?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m not sure if I mentioned, but I¡¯ve died a few hundred times since arriving at Arbitage. I believe I¡¯m functionally immortal.¡±

    And with that, Alexandra ¡ª whose mind must have been under an immense amount of stress from all the Soul Damage it had just taken ¡ª finally lost her battle against the inevitable.

    She fainted.

 Chapter 591: Advice

    As it turned out, when somebody fainted while Noah was still in their soul, it served as a rather effective boot to the ass.

    The moment Alexandra lost consciousness, Empty Proliferation¡¯s power shattered. A sea of inky black darkness exploded up from Noah¡¯s feet and swallowed him whole, yanking him away and back to his own mind before he could even try to check on her.

    The scent of burnt wood and dirt greeted his nostrils. In the time it took his eyes to snap back open in the Scorched Acres, Alexandra had already recovered.

    She sat up just a moment after him, blinking furiously as she looked around. The girl¡¯s gaze focused on him and he gave her a sheepish grin in response.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Noah said. ¡°That was a bit much.¡±

    ¡°A bit much,¡± Alexandra muttered, massaging her temple and letting her head thunk back against the ashy tree trunk behind her. Its branches rustled and she let out a pained yelp. ¡°Shit! That hurt!¡±

    ¡°No more Body Runes. Compared to what you were, you¡¯re quite fragile right now. You need to be careful.¡± Noah clambered to his feet and brushed the ash and dirt off his pants. He cleared his throat. ¡°Not that I¡¯ve been helping much there.¡±

    ¡°Not helping is an understatement,¡± Alexandra said, letting her hands drop. She gingerly pushed herself upright. They¡¯d only been under Empty Proliferation¡¯s magic for a few minutes, and it looked like nobody had really noticed what was going on.

    Moxie and Lee had everyone¡¯s rapt attention on them. The two seemed to be midway through a somewhat exaggerated retelling of what had happened in the Damned Plains. Lee was eagerly gesturing with the giant black axe that she¡¯d taken from Axil, forcing everyone to keep a fair amount of distance from her to avoid getting cut in half.

    A flicker of confusion passed through Noah.

    Wait. Where did she get that thing? I remember her taking it from Axil back in Treadon, but I can¡¯t quite place the last time I saw it. She didn¡¯t have the axe back when we were in Sievan¡¯s domain, did she? So where did it¡ª

    Lee overcommitted to a demonstrational swing. The axe launched from her grip like a massive boomerang, whumping through the air and flying over the treetops. Everyone turned to watch it vanish into the horizon.

    ¡°Oops,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you steal that from a Death Demon?¡± Isabel asked with a wince. ¡°Maybe we should go get it? It seems pretty valuable.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine.¡± Lee gave Isabel a thumbs up. ¡°It always comes back.¡±

    Todd¡¯s eyes darted around and he raised his hands defensively. ¡°You mean like¡­ immediately? Is it about to come flying through the trees and chop one of us in half?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lee said. ¡°It just pops up. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ve done that at least four times already.¡±

    When!?

    A poorly suppressed snicker broke through Alexandra¡¯s lips and she shook her head before running a hand through her hair. ¡°I¡¯m really going to have to be careful. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re going to drop any more revelations on me? Because if you do, I¡¯ll need to sit down to avoid a traumatic head injury.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Noah hesitated for a moment. ¡°I think. I might have forgotten something.¡±

    ¡°Well, keep it to yourself for a while unless I really need to hear it.¡± Alexandra blew a strand of hair up with a huff. ¡°I¡¯ve got enough to piece through already as it is. I¡¯ll work on trying to figure out how to do that thing you mentioned to me¡­ preferably without killing myself.¡±

    ¡°Always a good idea. That¡¯s kind of my whole thing, so I¡¯d be offended if someone crimped my style.¡± Alexandra stared at him like he¡¯d started speaking a new language. Evidently, not every single English word was going to translate properly. Noah cleared his throat and shook his head as she waited for an explanation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m just rambling. Off with you. Go listen to Lee regale you with mostly accurate tales.¡±

    ¡°¡­and then they blew up a noble demon¡¯s mansion with a giant plant,¡± Lee said, throwing her hands over her head to emphasize the size of the supposed explosion.

    How¡¯d she find out about that one?

    Alexandra glanced at Noah out of the corners of her eyes. ¡°Did that really¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s close enough.¡±

    The girl shook her head and wandered back over to the other students, her mind still clearly lingering on their conversation. There was definitely a lot for her to take in. Noah was pretty sure he¡¯d gone just a bit overboard. He¡¯d been too eager to get her up to speed.

    I¡¯ll have to do much the same with others, but at least Todd, Isabel, and Emily all know a fair amount about me already. Emily doesn¡¯t know the complete story, but she¡¯s got a good bit of it. James¡­ well, I¡¯ll find out how much he already knows from Emily.

    I haven¡¯t seen that madman Revin in a while, but who knows if he¡¯s swung by to say something to James since I¡¯ve been gone. Not sure if I can completely trust him yet. We¡¯ll see.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    A leaf crunched to Noah¡¯s side.

    The thump of a staff met his ears as Silvertide stepped out from the treeline and came to a stop beside him. They were both silent for several long moments. The elderly soldier studied Noah out of one eye.

    Then he broke the silence.

    ¡°You took my advice.¡±

    ¡°Your advice?¡±

    ¡°Your eyes,¡± Silvertide said, tapping the side of his face. ¡°When you left, you moved like a soldier these were of a kinder man. You¡¯ve changed. Was that the Damned Plains?¡±

    ¡°Ah. That advice. Yeah. I took it to heart. When I took a moment to weigh every possibility, I realized that there were some things that I was willing to do anything to accomplish¡­ but it wasn¡¯t the Damned Plains that changed me. They were just a place, no different than here.¡±

    ¡°Truly? That¡¯s a bold claim. The Inquisitors would say that the Damned Plains are a land of horror and torture. A world of agony where demons rip each other to pieces without restraint.¡±

    ¡°Well, they probably wouldn¡¯t be entirely wrong about the ripping each other to pieces bit. I wouldn¡¯t say the Damned Plains were a great place. But the people there ¡ª the demons are no different than us. They just want to live. Not all of them are trying to destroy the world.¡±

    ¡°You will have a difficult time convincing the Inquisitors of that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been much a fan of the Inquisitors. They and I don¡¯t see eye to eye.¡±

    ¡°That may be so, but they carry a great deal of power in the kingdom. There are many people that fear what a powerful demon could do should they manage to get a good foothold on the mortal plane. You will have trouble from them.¡±

    ¡°Only if they find out about our new friends before I¡¯m ready for them.¡±

    Silvertide planted his staff in the ground and crossed his arms, leaning against it. ¡°Do you really think they didn¡¯t feel the massive portal you opened to return to the mortal plane? They will come, Vermil. As surely as you and I breathe, they will come. And I suspect you will kill them.¡±

    If they try to go after Lee or any of my other friends, then you¡¯re damn right I will. Probably best not to admit that, though. I like Silvertide. I like him, but he¡¯s still an instructor at Arbitage. His loyalty is to Isabel and Todd, not me.

    ¡°Bah. I¡¯m just a Rank 4. I couldn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    A soft laugh bubbled up from Silvertide¡¯s chest. He shook his head. ¡°No, Vermil. You are not. I have not gotten to this age without becoming an observant man. Your Runes may be Rank 4¡­ but you are no Rank 4. A Rank 4 could not command the respect you do from a group of powerful demons.¡±

    Noah kept his expression flat. He highly doubted the old man had any plans of doing anything that could put Isabel at Todd at a risk, nor did he think Silvertide would turn him in to the inquisitors. He had an angle. ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯re mentioning this?¡±

    ¡°I know you are strong,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°But will you be strong enough? You call great danger, not just upon yourself, but all of your students. The Inquisitors will not be careful when they come to purge those who they believe to be demons.¡±

    It was a while before Noah responded. ¡°Yes. I will be strong enough ¡ª and when the Inquisitors come looking, I fear they will find nothing.¡±

    ¡°You truly think you can hide the demons from the Inquisitors? They have been training to find demons since before you were born.¡±

    Noah let out a burst of laughter. The old man sent him a surprised look, but Noah shook his head and held a hand up until he¡¯d gathered himself. ¡°I highly doubt that, Silvertide. They will find nothing. Because, unlike them, I actually know demons. I know what makes them what they are¡­ and I know how to change that.¡±

    ¡°A new type of demon. The girl wasn¡¯t being metaphorical, then,¡± Silvertide murmured, his eyes burning with inner light, and Noah realized that this was the answer that the old soldier had been fishing for ever since they¡¯d started their conversation.

    ¡°No. She wasn¡¯t,¡± Noah said. He didn¡¯t see any reason to hide it from Silvertide. ¡°I determined what caused demons to have their detrimental affixation with a single feeling or aspect of life, and I can repair it.¡±

    ¡°So all the demons here¡­¡±

    ¡°Not all fixed. Not yet ¡ª but they will be.¡±

    ¡°And this makes them¡­ docile?¡±

    ¡°It makes them who they were meant to be. Are you docile?¡±

    Silvertide¡¯s lips pulled up in a smile. ¡°No. And there are few who are foolish enough to believe otherwise. I see your point, Vermil. I take it that you have great confidence in these demons, then. You are defensive of them.¡±

    ¡°I do. They are my students, just like Isabel and Todd. Many of them are children. They deserve to live just as much as anyone else does.¡±

    ¡°I believe you, for some odd reason. I would act with haste, then. The Inquisition will not wait long. They will have doubtlessly felt your arrival. If there is something you must do to ensure they cannot find your people, then I would do it soon.¡±

    Noah nodded. That was good advice, and it was already well within his plans. ¡°I will, right after Jalen brings everyone back to Arbitage. The demons and I will remain in the forest.  And, as far as Arbitage is concerned, I will remain dead.¡±

    ¡°I had thought you might. Do not worry. My mouth is sealed. But, if I may ask, how do you plan to resume normality? Not just with the demons, but for Isabel and Todd. The noble houses¡ª¡±

    ¡°Are welcome to try me.¡±

    ¡°You could need a small army to fight them off if the full truth gets out. Isabel¡¯s Master Rune could mean war.¡±

    A cold smile slipped across Noah¡¯s face as his thoughts drifted to the demons that he¡¯d left back in the Damned Plains ¡ª but not without task. Sievan had been kind enough to help him out with a few things. It would take some time, but he was pretty confident that his name would carry a lot of the work for Pirren.

    After all, Spider might have left the Damned Plains, but that didn¡¯t mean the demons knew that. Recruitment was going to be at an all time high after news of his meeting with the Lord of Death got out.

    ¡°If its war they want, then I think they¡¯ll find that I¡¯m more than ready for it.¡±

    Silvertide¡¯s gaze bore into Noah. ¡°You¡¯re being serious. Just how powerful are you, Vermil?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d imagine we¡¯ll have the misfortune of finding out soon enough,¡± Noah replied. ¡°But, until then, I have a few demons to repair. I hope you don¡¯t mind the interruption.¡±

    ¡°Mind?¡± Silvertide arched an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯d have to knock me out if you wanted me to look away. Fixing a demon. Bah. You¡¯re talking about the discovery of a century. The next best thing would be to tell me that you¡¯ve found a way to cure death itself.¡±

    The corner of Noah¡¯s lip twitched.

    For myself, sure. For others¡­ hmm. Maybe one day.

    Silvertide didn¡¯t miss it.

    ¡°What was that? Was that a smirk?¡±

    ¡°Curing death,¡± Noah said through a snort. He shook his head and turned on his heel, heading toward the others. ¡°What a ridiculous concept. Nobody is immortal. Now let¡¯s go fix some demons, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 592: Greater

    ¡°We are prepared for anything it is that you require,¡± Aylin said, his features completely serious as he pressed a hand to his chest. ¡°If you wish to begin your conquest of the mortal plane, then we will all prepare to¡ª¡±

    ¡°That is not the kind of thing I was about to ask for,¡± Noah said sharply, holding a hand up in the air to forestall Aylin before the Knowledge Demon could say anything else.

    They ¡ª along with all the other demons, had gathered near the broken trunk of a large, burnt tree. Everyone else stood off to the side. They were still in earshot and able to see what was going on but had given just enough space to the demons to avoid being rude.

    Among their number was Brayden. Noah hadn¡¯t had a chance to properly talk to his body¡¯s brother yet, but it was high up on his list. He¡¯d actually been planning on doing it right after his conversation with Silvertide, but the renewed warning about the Inquisitors had been enough to kick his butt into gear.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Aylin said. ¡°So we aren¡¯t going to conquer the mortal plane?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll put a pin in that. There¡¯s something more important that we have to do first.¡±

    ¡°Taste all the food! It¡¯s so much better than the stuff in the Damned Plains,¡± Lee suggested.

    ¡°We can get to that afterward,¡± Noah said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°This is a slightly more pressing matter. Truth be told, I¡¯d prefer you all got to know my other students better. You¡¯ll be working together closely in the future ¡ª but unfortunately, life doesn¡¯t always follow my orders. There are a number of people on the mortal plane that have a pretty significant distaste for demons. I¡¯d like to make sure we¡¯re ready to deal with them when the time comes.¡±

    ¡°Inquisitors,¡± Lee said, her features twisting in rare distaste. She pursed her lips like she¡¯d eaten a sour lemon. ¡°Assholes.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re a big enough threat that even you have to be worried about them?¡± Aylin¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°What manner of power do they wield?¡±

    Noah bit back a laugh. Aylin acted as if he was basically a god made flesh, able to deal with any threat with little more than a flick of his hand. He supposed that was probably a good thing ¡ª but as strong as he was, he wasn¡¯t that strong.

    ¡°Inquisitors have specialized ways to directly hunt and attack demons. Incredibly effective ones that can bridge the gap between even a weaker mortal and a powerful demon,¡± Noah said. He remembered all too well just what they were capable of. The memory still made his chest burn with fury. They¡¯d nearly killed Lee, Isabel, and Todd back on their way back from the Linwick Estate to Arbitage.

    He had no plans of ever letting that happen again.

    ¡°Is there a reason you choose to allow them to exist?¡± Aylin asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. ¡°If they possess such a power, then they should be crushed before they get the opportunity to attempt to turn it against us. You could destroy them with a wave of your palm ¡ª so perhaps this is a training exercise for us? You wish to see if we are capable of defeating these mortals.¡±

    Okay. I appreciate the vote of confidence, Aylin, but I am not about to go solo the entirety of the Inquisition. At some point I¡¯m really going to have to sit down with the demons and let them know that I might not be quite as strong as I led the vast majority of everyone who I ran into in the Damned Plains to believe.

    ¡°They¡¯re a little too problematic for me to quash them entirely on my own,¡± Noah said. He very pointedly avoided looking in the direction of the human students and professors. They were definitely going to be cracking up in the corner, and that would ruin his mysterious persona entirely.

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    ¡°They¡¯re so strong that they threaten even you?¡± Vrith asked. The catlike demon¡¯s eyes grew wide and her ears flattened against her head. ¡°What could we possibly do against existences like that?¡±

    See, there¡¯s an interesting thought. They were able to use the anti-demon magic on me the last time we fought. It worked, but not nearly as much as it did on a demon. For a long time, I had absolutely no idea why¡­ but now I do.

    Those rosaries somehow resonate with demons. It¡¯s a form of sympathetic magic or something. Anything with any amount of Decras¡¯ power would get affected by their magic. They think they¡¯ve got anti-demon powers, but what they really have is anti-Decras powers.

    And if I take the Decras out of the demons, then the only thing the Inquisitors are left with are a bunch of useless bone beads that work on me more than they do on the demons.

    ¡°It¡¯s not me that I¡¯m worried about,¡± Noah said, realizing that he¡¯d been quiet for too long. ¡°There are very few things in any world that I¡¯m truly scared of ¡ª but you and the other demons are an entirely different question. As things stand now, a single Inquisitor would likely be able to kill many of you.¡±

    ¡°Not all of us,¡± Yoru said.

    ¡°You¡¯re an exception,¡± Noah said. ¡°There isn¡¯t much of anything that can kill you.¡±

    Yoru tilted her head to the side at that, and Noah could have sworn that her gaze was boring into his skull from through her mask.

    He decided to ignore it. Yoru would be a task all on her own. Out of all the demons, it was actually her that he was the most concerned about. He could fix Aylin and the other Rank 3s ¡ª but Yoru was a Rank 7.

    She was immensely powerful, and that meant that ripping her runes up in order to replace Decras¡¯ influence with his newly minted Fragments of Sticky would be¡­ problematic. He had no plans of leaving her as she was, of course.

    Possibly more than any of the other demons present, Yoru needed his help. She¡¯d been chained by her rune for so long that Noah refused to leave her in that state, Inquisitors or not. Yoru deserved to be able to make her own decisions instead of being forced to be a pawn of the fates that she saw.

    ¡°So what do we do against these Inqusitors?¡± Violet asked. ¡°Whatever your orders are, I¡¯m ready for them. Is there a technique we can learn to defeat them?¡±

    Noah glanced at Sticky, and the small demon gave him a small grin. She was clever. She¡¯d already figured out where this was leading ¡ª though being proxy to all the conversations in Sievan¡¯s domain had definitely helped fill in some of the gaps for her.

    ¡°I like the enthusiasm, but to tell the truth, there¡¯s no technique that could fix this. No, what we need is a far more significant change. Fortunately, we¡¯ve got some time before my good friend Jalen returns here,¡± Noah said. ¡°He¡¯ll be bringing an invitation to play some games with mortals. It should be a day or two, in my best estimation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of time,¡± Aylin said.

    Noah cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry. I should have clarified. Days aren¡¯t quite as long here as they are in the Damned Plains. Your day-night cycle is several times longer than the one here.¡±

    Aylin stared at him. ¡°How many hours do we have?¡±

    ¡°Something around twenty four to forty eight.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­ not a lot of time.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°It isn¡¯t. Fortunately, we¡¯re not going to need that long at all. My solution is quite simple. And, when it¡¯s done, then the Inquisition will have absolutely no leverage over any of you.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said they could defeat demons that were even more powerful than they were,¡± Vrith said with more than a little concern. ¡°I will obviously do as you order, but it seems that we may not be suited to fight this type of opponent.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d be correct. The Inquisition has perfected the art of fighting against demons. And that¡¯s why, by the time Jalen gets back with our invitations, there isn¡¯t going to be a single demon left in this clearing.¡±

    ¡°It kind of sounds like you¡¯re going to kill them,¡± Lee said through a snicker.

    Noah¡¯s shoulders fell and he let out a sigh. There went his grandiose speech. Lee was right ¡ª even Violet was staring at him with a more than a little concern. His reputation had gotten just a tad out of hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m not killing anybody here. That would be pretty damn counterintuitive after all the effort I went through to pull you out of the Damned Plains,¡± Noah said wearily.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Aylin muttered. Realization lit behind his eyes. ¡°Them. Lee referred to us as ¡®them¡¯, but she¡¯s a demon. The only reason she¡¯d do that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is that she¡¯s not a demon anymore,¡± Noah said, fighting to hide his smile. He made a mental note to thank Aylin later for rescuing his speech from Lee¡¯s sabotage. ¡°She¡¯s so much more. Something greater. And when I¡¯m done here, all of you will be too.¡±

 Chapter 593: Build-a-demon?

    Noah did what a god could not.

    He fixed Aylin ¡ª or at least, he fixed the most pressing issues. A true repair to a demon¡¯s soul would only come with the creation of a proper rune of self, but Sticky¡¯s rune could be used as a very effective patch over. It would work to fix the vast majority of the demon race, and Noah could get around to helping the demons he personally cared about make real Self Runes when they weren¡¯t on a time crunch.

    The repairs were surprisingly easy. He only had a single Rank 3 Rune that was relatively new to his soul, so ripping it apart and replacing its demonic with the Fragments of Sticky proved to be simple.

    And that was that.

    The entire thing had only taken Noah about a minute. He¡¯d jumped into the demon¡¯s mind, patched him up, and hopped out. The Knowledge Demon had seemed a little loopy after the repairs. There were no external changes to his appearance, but something deep within Aylin¡¯s eyes had shifted.

    Noah didn¡¯t press on the matter. He just sat down to think. There was a lot of thinking to be done in the near future. Thinking on what runes he would need to finish his combinations and advance to Rank 5. Thinking on his students and how he would protect them. Thinking on the Inquisitors. Thinking on Moxie ¡ª though those thoughts were liable to get away from him and best left for later.

    He would have loved to just do every single demon one after the other, but the Fragment of Renewal limited him. It would only work once a day. He didn¡¯t want to go around replacing runes without having a way to patch anyone¡¯s soul up.

    And so the first day wrapped to a close. And on the night of the second, while all the students were off with the other professors, Brayden sat down beside Noah.

    The two of them were silent for quite some time.

    ¡°This is strange,¡± Brayden finally said, breaking the silence as he shifted his weight and cracked a stick beneath him. ¡°Every time we meet, you seem different.¡±

    ¡°Is that a good thing?¡±

    ¡°Depends on who you ask,¡± Brayden replied with a small smile. ¡°I can¡¯t help but find it strikingly ironic that Vermil died failing to summon a demon and now you¡¯ve taken his body and used it to bring back an entire squadron of them.¡±

    ¡°Life is strange that way, isn¡¯t it? I do still feel a bit bad about the whole Vermil thing.¡±

    ¡°About killing him?¡±

    ¡°No. About lying to you. There aren¡¯t many Linwicks I actually think much of. The vast majority of them are insufferable pricks. Vermil got what was coming to him. I¡¯m not much a fan of Father either ¡ª but you¡¯re different. You looked out for the kids while I was gone.¡±

    ¡°That was more Jalen than me.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s an insufferable prick in his own way,¡± Noah said with a small smile. ¡°But his help doesn¡¯t invalidate yours.¡±

    Brayden grunted. ¡°Janice isn¡¯t half bad either. She¡¯s just¡­ dedicated. But I was just doing my job. A lot of nobles have forgotten their duty, but that doesn¡¯t mean we all have. We¡¯re meant to protect people. That¡¯s why the houses were established in the first place, back in the Long Night. The strongest mages grouped up to shield and train the weaker.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of bad that can be traced back to good intentions.¡±

    ¡°I hope that isn¡¯t foreshadowing.¡± Brayden looked off in the direction that the students had gone off in. ¡°Those demons are interesting. Nothing like what I thought they were¡­ but at the same time, they¡¯re not human.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that only remains to be found out. Good and bad can be pretty subjective. I don¡¯t imagine the kingdom is going to think much of me if everything goes to plan. And demons are demons. I¡¯m not trying to make them human. They are who they are.¡±

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°Well, if anyone can pull it off, it¡¯s probably you. I couldn¡¯t even imagine a world where demons and humans can live on the same plane. But that¡¯s the benefit of not being from here. If such a future is really possible, I think I¡¯d like to see it. And it might be wrong of me, but there¡¯s a small part of me that¡¯s happy you¡¯re in Vermil¡¯s body, Noah.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    That probably hadn¡¯t been the best response to Brayden saying he was okay with Noah killing his brother, but Noah had been caught so off guard that the word slipped out before he could stop it.

    ¡°I know. Maybe it¡¯s wrong of me, but I do mean it,¡± Brayden said. He looked up through the ashen branches overhead and into the late night sky above them. ¡°Vermil was lost. Father destroyed him, and I let it happen. I was a bad brother. I didn¡¯t try hard enough to keep him on the right path ¡ª so it makes a part of me happy to know that you¡¯re giving him a legacy.¡±

    Noah wasn¡¯t quite sure what to say to that. It seemed that Brayden wasn¡¯t expecting an answer. He pushed himself upright with a grunt and brushed the ash and dirt off his backside before stretching his arms over his head.

    ¡°Once this whole business is done, I¡¯d like to learn more about who you really are,¡± Brayden said. ¡°But I won¡¯t take more of your time today. You¡¯re going to need every second you can get if you¡¯re planning to go up against the Inquisitors.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m raiding their base,¡± Noah said, but Brayden was already walking away. The large man raised a hand in farewell before stepping into the forest in the direction of the other students.

    Then the forest was quiet.

    At least, it was for a few short moments.

    Then Noah¡¯s domain tingled. A delicate footstep pressed against the dirt behind him as someone walked up to the tree he leaned against. He didn¡¯t have to turn to tell who it was.

    ¡°Yoru,¡± Noah said as she came to a stop beside him. ¡°You aren¡¯t with the others?¡±

    ¡°Their training is not useful for me at the moment. It requires the usage of Runes. My time was better spent here. You will not have time to repair all of our souls before your Rank 6 ally returns. You will have to choose the ones that attend the auction with you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d gathered as much,¡± Noah said. ¡°Are you saying you want to be one of them?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Fixing your runes is going to be¡­ difficult. You¡¯re a Rank 7, Yoru. The amount of damage you¡¯ll take when I¡¯m ripping your runes out and putting them back together will be really significant. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s something we can even do in a single session. My plan was kind of to do it in stages, but we don¡¯t have time for that.¡±

    ¡°I am the most useful demon to repair. Violet and Vrith will not provide a significant benefit in the auction.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t argue that you¡¯re powerful, but are you even sure you¡¯d survive me cutting you up all at once? Did you use your future sight to confirm it or something?¡±

    Yoru sat down beside Noah. ¡°No. I did not.¡±

    That was a surprise. This felt like more of a reason to use her Master Rune than any other. What was the use of being able to see the most likely futures if Yoru couldn¡¯t determine if she¡¯d survive him messing with her soul?

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because Moonlit Prophecy did not want me to be here,¡± Yoru said quietly. ¡°I do not want to be here.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°And that is why I must be here. It is why you must fix me. I have withdrawn my power from Moonlit Prophecy so that it cannot interfere, but I do not know how long I will be able to resist its pull. I cannot check the future. If I do, I fear I will not have the willpower to release it again.¡±

    ¡°I respect that, Yoru. A lot. And if you¡¯ve done it once, you can do it again. I want to fix you, but I think we should do it properly. Rushing to get you ready for the auction could just end up killing you. I don¡¯t want that to happen. This is a repair that has to take place over several days.¡±

    ¡°I do not believe that will be possible.¡±

    Noah looked up to Yoru. And, for the first time, he realized that there was something dripping down the sides of her face, dripping from beneath her mask. Trails of blood glistened against her skin and soaked into her shirt.

    He shot to his feet. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°I anticipated that you would be unwilling to risk my life. I am too great of an asset to waste, so I accelerated the process. My runes are already shattered. My soul is currently crumbling under its own mass. If it is not repaired within minutes, I will die.¡±

    ¡°Son of a ¡ª you idiot,¡± Noah snapped, grabbing Yoru by the shoulders. The Fragment of Renewal was almost ready to be called upon after his work with Aylin. Yoru had timed everything to make sure he didn¡¯t have a chance to fix a different demon first. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re selfish or a genius.¡±

    ¡°That would depend on if you succeed. If not, then I will just be dead.¡±

    Noah pushed Yoru down to sit against the tree, adrenaline rushing through his veins as he reached for Empty Proliferation and he grabbed his grimoire. Noah flipped it open to one of the copies of the Fragments of Sticky that it had made using power from the other runes stored within its pages.

    Yoru really hadn¡¯t left him with much option. He had no choice but to do everything he could to repair her soul while he still had a chance.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting scolded once I get through this,¡± Noah said.

    Then activated Empty Proliferation.

    He had a Rank 7 demon to rebuild from the ground up.

 Chapter 594: Deal

    Yoru¡¯s soul expanded all around Noah as his mind merged with hers. He¡¯d had absolutely no idea what a Rank 7 demon¡¯s inner world would look like, but as his sight returned to him and solid ground materialized beneath his feet, he realized that this was not it.

    Soft grass pressed against Noah¡¯s bare feet and the fragrant smell of sweet sap and honeydew lingered in the air like a resurfaced memory. Rows of flowers ran in carefully arranged patterns all around him. Gentle moonlight shimmered against them like a silver wave, casting everything in just enough light to see by.

    He stood in a huge garden.

    There must have been dozens of different varieties of flowers all around him ¡ª none of which he recognized ¡ª but there was intention to every single one¡¯s position.

    It was a pattern.

    Not one that he could understand, but a pattern nonetheless. Noah was too deep within it and didn¡¯t have enough of an ariel view to figure out what its purpose was, but he could feel the latent power within the arrangement around him. There wasn¡¯t so much as a single blade of grass that was out of place.

    An uneasy air lingered against Noah¡¯s skin despite the beauty of the garden. A beautiful amber carnation bloomed beside him. It was perfect, completely without mar or malformation, nestled in a bunch of equally perfect flowers.

    There wasn¡¯t a single thing in the garden that wasn¡¯t perfect. If he hadn¡¯t known better, he would have thought the world around him to be made of plastic. Nature was intentional, but it was never this perfect.

    Noah found his gaze, as if by instinct, lifted to the sky. To the moon illuminating the world ¡ª but there was no moon.

    There was only a massive Rune.

    Moonlit Prophecy burned like a silver sun in the sky far above. The Master Rune was immense, but something had completely removed its pressure from Noah¡¯s soul. He wouldn¡¯t have even noticed it if he hadn¡¯t checked.

    It was almost as if the rune was trying to hide itself from him and blend into its environment as best as a monstrosity like it could possibly hope to.

    ¡°Did you forget I was dying?¡± Yoru asked, her words cutting through Noah¡¯s thoughts.

    He turned. The small demon stood behind him. A bush of red roses lay crushed beneath her feet, their heads desperately straining up as if trying to reach one last time for the heavens. A single line of blood trickled down from one of her nostrils and traced over her lip.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your soul damage? You should have a lot of it if you¡¯ve already started ripping your runes out,¡± Noah said, turning fully to face Yoru. Something deep inside him shifted in discomfort. He didn¡¯t like that he had to turn his back on Moonlit Prophecy in order to speak with Yoru.

    Something about that Master Rune really sat wrong with him ¡ª and the moment his thoughts focused further on it, he realized what it was.

    He was too calm. His heart should have been racing. Yoru was meant to be actively dying from soul damage, but he hadn¡¯t even spun to find her when he¡¯d arrived. He¡¯d just sat around in the garden and observed it.

    Yoru¡¯s soul was somehow dulling his senses. But, even though Noah was fully aware of it, he couldn¡¯t do a single thing about it. There just wasn¡¯t a single scrap of panic or fear to be found. Even his motivation to help Yoru was faltering.

    I could just sit down and enjoy the flowers. There¡¯s no need to fight so hard to change someone who belongs to a Master Rune. That would just be a waste of energy. Why would I make her weaker and less useful to me?

    ¡°The damage is buried beneath the earth, stitched together by this garden,¡± Yoru replied. ¡°It will not hold. Moonlit Prophecy seems to keep me under its control. It is displeased.¡±

    Why would you be displeased about being strong? There¡¯s nothing you could ever need that Moonlit Prophecy could not provide for you. The future is yours to command when you are under its sway. Shifting your true self to be something else will only weaken its powers. Why take on the extra struggle of control when something far more capable can do it for you?

    A faint frown flickered across Noah¡¯s lips.

    Something was wrong.

    He instinctively reached for Natural Disaster ¡ª but instead, he found his mind brushing against Sunder.

    Power raced through his soul. His veins turned jet black in an instant, and what felt like an ocean of freezing water slammed down on his back. Noah staggered, his eyes shooting wide open as he drew in a sharp breath.

    The thoughts that had been wrapping around his mind like a constricting snake shattered. They hadn¡¯t been his. All of his emotions came rushing back in a deluge.

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    ¡°What the hell?¡± Noah rasped, clasping a hand to his head as a violent headache slammed into him. ¡°Your fucking rune is trying to mind control me!¡±

    ¡°It is persuasive,¡± Yoru said dispassionately. ¡°Please do your best to resist its pull. If you cannot, I will die. Moonlit Prophecy has grown powerful enough to not need a living host. When my soul collapses, it will claim my body for itself. Please do not let that happen. I trust you.¡±

    Yoru¡¯s words crushed any remaining influence that her Master Rune had over Noah. The world seemed to sharpen. The beautiful garden around them lost its luster and his gaze focused on her.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you die,¡± Noah promised, his heart slamming in his chest as adrenaline injected into his veins. He extended his mind to his Grimoire, preparing to draw a Fragment of Sticky. ¡°Where are your runes? What do you want them to be? We need to work fast.¡±

    ¡°I trust you. I trust you because Moonlit Prophecy fears you,¡± Yoru said again. Her voice was¡­ different. Even as Noah worked to draw a Fragment of Sticky into existence, he dimly noted that she had changed. Gone was the flat, empty voice of the demon perpetually in control.

    What remained was the voice of a girl that had never gotten a chance to experience life for what it was. She may have been hundreds of years old, but they were not years that she herself had lived.

    Yoru had been a puppet for her entire life. Ever since she¡¯d gotten Moonlit Prophecy, not a single one of her actions had truly been her own. The rune had stolen more than just her sight. It had stolen everything.

    The air above Noah shimmered.

    His neck prickled; his instincts screamed. He lunged to the side, hitting the ground in a roll and shooting back to his feet even as a soft snick echoed through the silver night. A blade of glistening light had driven into the ground where he¡¯d been standing.

    The Fragment of Sticky faded. He hadn¡¯t had a chance to finish drawing it into her soul.

    ¡°Moonlit Prophecy does not want you to fix me,¡± Yoru said. ¡°Please be careful.¡±

    A fucking Rune is attacking me? You can¡¯t be serious.

    ¡°How do I fight it?¡± Noah asked, lifting his hand and starting to draw once again. He¡¯d be damned if he let a giant pattern get the best of him. ¡°Without killing you, that is? And where are the remains of your runes? There should be energy. We¡¯ll need that if you want to regain any measure of your former strength.¡±

    ¡°Buried,¡± Yoru said, looking down at the flowers at her feet. ¡°And I do not know how you can fight Moonlit Prophecy. I have never been successful.¡±

    I should have seen that one coming.

    Noah was nearly finished drawing the Fragment of Sticky when another shard of light carved through the air like a silent knife. He lurched out of the way, letting it pass by him harmlessly, but the damage was done. His rune faded away again.

    ¡°Son of a bitch,¡± Noah snarled. He started drawing again immediately. He didn¡¯t have time for this. The rune was trying to stall him out, and he couldn¡¯t let that happen. Every second that passed brought Yoru closer to her grave.

    Even if I can get one rune made, how am I meant to get everything else when Moonlit Prophecy is actively trying to kill me? Yoru¡¯s soul is so large that we¡¯ll need a whole lot more than a single Rank 1 Rune to keep it from collapsing on itself when there are no normal runes to keep its pressure stable. Not even the Fragment of Renewal will be able to save her if that happens.

    Noah¡¯s teeth gritted. He¡¯d be damned if he let a fucking rune steal a life from him. There was no way to try to counter Moonlit Prophecy, as drawing on his magic would have stopped him from making a rune at the same time.

    All he could do was press on.

    He was midway through the final line in the Fragment of Sticky when another shard of light carved out toward Noah. It was toying with him ¡ª or saving energy, expecting a larger fight later.

    The shard slammed into his palm. It drove deep into his arm. Pain pierced through his body. Noah didn¡¯t even flinch. He flicked his left hand to the side and finished drawing the Fragment of Sticky with his free one.

    A lone Rank 1 Rune shimmered into being before him, summoned into Yoru¡¯s soul. Noah¡¯s jaw clenched as blood dripped from his palm and fell to the grass, soaking into the dirt beneath.

    The victory was a minor one. He¡¯d lost an entire limb making a single Rune. He needed a way to fight back while he worked, but Moonlit Prophecy was nowhere near in range for him to fight, even if he¡¯d wanted to.

    ¡°Can you fight back against that thing at all?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°I already am,¡± Yoru replied. ¡°If I were not, you would have already been crushed by the full force of its pressure.¡±

    Goddamn it. Should have guessed that was why such a powerful Master Rune wasn¡¯t exerting pressure on me. I need a way to fight back or defend myself while I work. But how ¡ª

    Something brushed against Noah¡¯s mind.

    Perhaps I may be of service¡­ for a price.

    The back of Noah¡¯s spine prickled. He couldn¡¯t say how, but he knew exactly who it was that was speaking to him.

    ¡°Discussions later,¡± Noah said, making a split second decision. ¡°Help me. We¡¯ll figure out a suitable payment if this works.¡±

    A distant laugh echoed through Noah¡¯s mind.

    The grass beneath him wilted. A pool of black spread out from his feet. It bubbled and churned, and a gale howled through Yoru¡¯s soul. Far above, Moonlit Prophecy shuddered in the sky.

    Yoru staggered, clutching a hand to her chest.

    ¡°Moonlit Prophecy is fighting back,¡± Yoru wheezed. ¡°It¡­ did not forsee this. I have blocked it. It can only witness the future in a world with weight. There is nothing here but our souls, but you must act quickly. I will not live for long.¡±

    A black hand shot up from the black lake and slammed into the ground, the chunks of sewn, sinewy flesh that made it up pulsing and undulating as its fingers carved furrows through the dirt.

    An abomination rose free of the ground beside Noah, and the laugh echoing through his mind its way into his ears. The gangly monster¡¯s form jutted and zigzagged at sharp angles, its back broken a dozen times over. Even badly hunched over, it towered over Noah.

    Its empty, sunken eye sockets peered up at the rune taking the place of the moon in the sky. A ragged smile split the monster¡¯s black lips to reveal a mouth of wide, crooked teeth.

    A buzz filled the air and Yoru dropped to her knees, her teeth clenching.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never eaten one of these before. An open-ended offering¡­¡± The monstrosity let out another raspy laugh. Sickening pops and squelches rang out as it straightened one snap at a time until it stood at its full height. The monster reached up toward the moon, as if to grasp it from the ground. ¡°I accept your deal, Noah Vines.¡±

 Chapter 595: Dont care

    The sky above the garden of Yoru¡¯s soul twinkled. Stars took form in the darkness, a wave of shining lights washing through the night sky. On the ground to Noah¡¯s side, Yoru let out a hiss of pain.

    Blood dripped down her features and fell to the squashed grass around her. A wave of pressure rolled against Noah¡¯s mind, pressing down on him like a weight on his chest that threatened to squeeze his lungs shut.

    Moonlit Prophecy was pushing back against Yoru¡¯s restraints. It didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d be able to hold the Master Rune back for much longer. Something about Noah ¡ª or more likely, the twisted abomination that he¡¯d just summoned in to the Rank 7 demon¡¯s head ¡ª had it in full panic mode.

    Noah didn¡¯t wait around to find out what the Master Rune was planning. He only had a short while to work, and he couldn¡¯t afford to waste a second of it. There was no choice but to trust that the abhorrent creature would be able to keep its word and protect him until he could finish patching Yoru¡¯s soul and give her a way to properly push back against Moonlit Prophecy.

    ¡°What do you want to be, Yoru?¡± Noah asked, urgency gripping his words. ¡°I can¡¯t choose this for you. Demons more than anyone else, your runes are who you are. I¡¯m just returning some of the control to you.¡±

    Yoru shook her head mutely. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t made a decision like this before. It¡¯s too big. How am I supposed to know what I want to become? There are too many options! What¡¯s the right one?¡±

    Out of the corner of Noah¡¯s eye, he saw the lights burning above grew stronger ¡ª and it struck Noah that they were no stars. The entire sky was awash in burning blades of moonlight. His face paled as the blood rushed out of it.

    Each of the blades was easily ten feet long. Even though Yoru was keeping their pressure restrained, the pressure in her soul was still ramping up. He wasn¡¯t even sure if his summoned companion was going to be able to do anything about this. The full might of a Master Rune of this strength¡­

    Noah crushed the thoughts from his mind. He didn¡¯t have time for distractions. He started to draw another Fragment of Sticky into Yoru¡¯s soul.

    ¡°There is no right answer,¡± Noah snapped. ¡°We¡¯re all flying blind, Yoru. Nobody knows the future. Don¡¯t forget that my work is never permanent. I can always undo it. It might be the only situation in which the past can be repaired ¡ª but right now, you need to tell the past and future to fuck off and live in the present before we all die in it instead. What runes do you want?¡±

    ¡°Light,¡± Yoru said after a moment of hesitation. ¡°It¡¯s safe. I know light. Can you give me light?¡±

    Not particularly original, but it¡¯s still a decision she made on her own. That¡¯s progress. I should have some light runes sitting around.

    What would Light combine with to get moonlight? Maybe something with shadows? Some dichotomy would be good. Great way to balance competing energy. Shit. I¡¯ve never had to fucking throw entirely new rune combinations together on the fly!

    Even if I knew, I don¡¯t have enough Light and Shadow runes to get her all the way back up to Rank 6, much less Rank 7. Fuck. I didn¡¯t think of this. What do I do?

    A star fell from the sky. It carved down toward Noah, burning from within like a miniature moon. The abomination reached upward and darkness gathered at its palm. Long, gangly fingers slammed down on the blade of the weapon and shattered it before it could pierce through the monster¡¯s palm.

    Something prickled against Noah¡¯s skin. Something familiar. He knew this feeling. This sensation was something he felt before.

    The sound of breaking glass rang through Yoru¡¯s soul as the magic disintegrated into streamers of glowing white mist. It tried to flee, but the abomination was faster. The monster drew in a deep breath. In a howl, all of the mist was ripped from the air and drawn into its mouth.

    Another sword crashed down from the sky, only to meet the same fate. The sense of familiarity gripped Noah even more than it had before.

    This is runic power. Raw magical energy, the same type that¡¯s used to create runes. What¡¯s going on?

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    ¡°I need that power,¡± Noah said urgently. ¡°Can you make me Light Runes?¡±

    ¡°Make?¡± The abomination asked. ¡°You overestimate my power ¡ª and my willingness to help. All I¡¯m doing is drinking in all the power that this Master Rune stole from the demon¡¯s soul. It harvested the energy so we couldn¡¯t use it to remake her runes.¡±

    So that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t sense any power. Yoru tried to bury the damage to preserve her power and make her soul last a little longer, but Moonlit Prophecy is ripping it back and using the power for itself.

    That means that the weaker it gets, the more power I have to work with. That means I¡¯ve got two of the three components needed to create a rune from scratch¡­ but I don¡¯t have an inciting event. Nothing about this is going to let me create a rune. I have to copy and combine them the old-fashioned way.

    ¡°Can you distribute the energy you¡¯re taking?¡± Noah asked.

    Three more swords fell. The gangly monster caught one of them, grabbing it by the hilt before it could drive through Noah¡¯s skull. It wasn¡¯t quite so fast for the others. They both slammed into its back, driving deep into its stitched flesh and punching out like blooming flowers.

    It felt like there should have been a spray of blood or some other bodily fluid, but the only reaction the monstrosity had to being stabbed twice was the thunk of the weapons hitting its body.

    The monster¡¯s hand tightened around the sword it held. It shattered, and it broke the other two blades as well, drawing all of their energy into itself.

    ¡°You are leaving me with little for myself,¡± the Grimoire said. ¡°I will not accept this deal. Figure the solution out yourself.¡±

    Oh, for the love of ¡ª

    ¡°I did figure out a solution,¡± Noah snapped. ¡°You don¡¯t make the rules here. Work with me or don¡¯t work at all. Keep the extra energy. I only need to get Yoru partially back to her former strength.¡±

    A sword slammed through the abomination¡¯s head. It didn¡¯t even seem to notice. It just kept speaking, ignoring the new sword-nose it had grown.

    ¡°She was only a step into Rank 7. Impossible. There will not be sufficient power left for me.¡±

    ¡°Rank 6, then,¡± Noah said. ¡°The power growth is exponential. Keep everything after Rank 6, but help me get her back to that. I¡¯m not bargaining anymore, Grimoire. That¡¯s a good deal and we both know it. Choose your side.¡±

    The monster snapped the sword in its head. The weapon evaporated into streamers of energy that it devoured, and its mouth split into a wide grin. ¡°Acceptable. You are fortunate that we are in an ideal domain for me. There is so much latent power here that I can make up for your attempts to starve me.¡±

    ¡°Just do your damn job. I¡¯ll happily get to know you and your dietary requirements more afterward,¡± Noah ordered.

    ¡°As you command, Herald.¡±

    Herald?

    Noah wasn¡¯t so sure he liked the sound of that, but even if he¡¯d had time to argue, he didn¡¯t get a chance to. A wave of power slammed into the base of his spine and coursed up his entire body.

    It wasn¡¯t power he could draw on. There was a distinct difference between his own runes and this. Noah¡¯s magic felt like an ocean within his soul, while this was just a river passing through.

    Knowledge exploded through Noah¡¯s mind. Runes flashed behind his eyes, forming and fading with such speed that he could barely make them out ¡ª and yet, he knew every single one.

    The Grimoire had formed a direct connection with him. He could feel every single rune in its pages. Every single crease on the paper and every ounce of magic stored within it. Noah was also vaguely aware of a number of drawings that the Grimoire kept within itself. He wasn¡¯t so happy about seeing those, but he didn¡¯t spare them more than an instant of thought.

    Another wave of pressure slammed down on him. This one was stronger than the last. Swords crashed down from the sky, letting out keening wails as the screamed through the air toward him.

    A gangly hand wrapped around Noah¡¯s chest and he found himself lifted into the air. Wind buffeted his face and his scream of surprise was swallowed by the howl of wind as the Grimoire burst into a sprint, bounding across the ground with impossible speed.

    ¡°Best get to work!¡± the monster called, shattering another blade and ripping the magic from it. ¡°You¡¯re on a time limit, Noah Vines. The girl is going to die if you don¡¯t get her the runes she needs! I just hope you¡¯re good at working while on the move.¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t waste his time with a reply. It didn¡¯t matter if he was good at it or not. His hand started to trace through the air, and the energy remained attached to his fingertip even as he was ferried through the garden like a toy doll.

    Yoru wanted Light runes ¡ª and that was exactly what she was going to get.

    ¡°Get ready!¡± Noah yelled, hoping Yoru could hear him. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to have long to solidify these! I¡¯m making you all the components you need!¡±

    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the demon push herself to her feet. She turned in their direction, her eyes sharpening as her jaw set. She gave him a firm nod. At least, Noah hoped she did. It was a bit hard to tell when he was getting bounced around.

    Yoru was ready. She was counting on him, and Noah refused to fail her. He was not about to lose a fight to a sentient Rune.

    I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a crazed mage, a rune, or a fucking god. I will not allow anything to take my people away from me.

 Chapter 596: Turn

    Noah didn¡¯t remember much of the next minute. Yoru¡¯s soul blurred and swam at the edges of his vision as the Grimoire sprinted through the garden, trampling flowers with every step it took.

    Shimmers of moonlight carved through the air like glistening silver raindrops. Some of them missed; some of them slammed straight into the grimoire and tore through the monster¡¯s body. Not a single one hit Noah.

    His attention was completely on drawing runes. The rest of the world was just a distraction. There was no other option. Noah couldn¡¯t afford to let himself get distracted by unimportant things such as not getting killed.

    That would just have to be left to his Grimoire. The monster had promised him that it would be able to keep him safe while he worked ¡ª Noah had to take that at face value. And so, even as the smell of crushed flowers and blood mixed in the air to mar the once gentle sweetness of the garden, he continued to work.

    Noah drew as the sky fell around him. He worked as the bushes covering the ground started to wilt, and he worked as white cracks pushed their way free from beneath the dirt and let new light spill into Yoru¡¯s soul.

    There was no time to do anything else.

    Every rune he finished, he threw to Yoru. She knelt on the ground, tears of blood running down her cheeks and joining with the rivers running from her nose. Her features were clenched in pain and concentration.

    He couldn¡¯t tell if she was combining runes or not, and he didn¡¯t have time to check. Noah did note that there were no more Fragments of Sticky. Yoru had shattered them. She was attempting to form her own rune of Self. He couldn¡¯t afford to see if it was working.

    All he could do was keep making components.

    At least ¡ª that was until the pressure in her soul started to rise. It was a strange feeling, like an invisible layer of water rising up all around her soul. Noah¡¯s chest compressed and breathing grew more difficult.

    ¡°The demon is too slow,¡± the Grimoire roared as it ran, the howl of the wind in Noah¡¯s ears nearly drowning the monster¡¯s voice out. ¡°Her soul can¡¯t contain this many runes, even if they¡¯re merely rank 1! She¡¯s going to break.¡±

    ¡°Put me down next to her,¡± Noah ordered, grabbing onto a Light rune he¡¯d just finished creating. ¡°And cover both of us.¡±

    ¡°Protect both of you? What do you think I am?¡± the Grimoire demanded. But, despite its complaints, the dirt at its feet flew into the air as it skidded to a stop and changed directions, bounding back toward Yoru.

    The world jerked around him as the monster reared back. Noah¡¯s eyes only had an instant to widen before he was whipped through the air like a baseball, a slew of curses dying as the wind slammed into his throat and nearly choked him on the spot.

    He hit the ground with a pained grunt, rolling to keep his momentum and scrambling back to his feet. The Grimoire had been surprisingly accurate with its throw. He¡¯d landed just a foot away from Yoru ¡ª and away from a cloud of Rank 1 Runes that enveloped her.

    Noah pushed past the runes and grabbed her by the shoulders. The thunk of a blade striking flesh echoed out behind him, but he didn¡¯t even turn to look. Either the Grimoire would protect him or it wouldn¡¯t. Worrying would change absolutely nothing.

    ¡°Yoru,¡± Noah said.

    She blinked sleepily at him. Yoru¡¯s flat blue eyes were glassy, her expression nearly slack. She wasn¡¯t holding up well.

    Noah gave her a shake. She stiffened and drew in a sharp breath.

    ¡°What? What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°The runes,¡± Noah snapped. A crack of soul damage snaked past them. Dirt cascaded into it, vanishing into the white void, but Noah ignored it. ¡°You need to combine the runes I¡¯ve made you. There are a bunch of Rank 1s here. Ones that I made for you. Just focus your intent and put them together.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never combined a rune on my own,¡± Yoru stammered. Her voice started to grow distant again. ¡°I don¡¯t know how.¡±

    Noah slapped her. It wasn¡¯t his proudest moment. Striking a child was just about the absolute last thing that a teacher should ever do ¡ª but Yoru was no child. She was an ancient demon with no experience making choices of her own. Even with her soul breaking apart, she was still so tough that striking her was akin to patting someone on the shoulder.

    ¡°Enough of this,¡± Noah barked. ¡°You made a decision, Yoru. I wanted to take things slow. You did not. You came to me and broke your runes. That¡¯s fine. That was your choice to make. But you will not make a choice and then leave the consequences to someone else to deal with. You are going to combine these goddamn runes, and you¡¯re going to like it.¡±

    Yoru stared at him, clarity sputtering to life behind her eyes.

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Envision what you want,¡± Noah said. ¡°Focus your intent. Not too wide. Not too narrow. Rank 2 Runes should be something like Moonlight. Rank 3s can get a little more specific. Think of elements of the moon that you want to embody. Reflection, that kind of thing. Don¡¯t forget to account for every part of the rune when you create it. If you¡¯ve got light and water, to make Moonlit Reflection, then remember to have intent for both elements and not just your final result.¡±

    ¡°What if I make a mistake?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll fix it. That¡¯s what I do. I fix people¡¯s mistakes ¡ª but you can¡¯t make a mistake unless you do something, and there¡¯s nothing in this world that¡¯s worse than sitting around and letting a chance to try pass by you. You want freedom, Yoru? Then act. Failing is fine. That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for. But if you don¡¯t act, then you die.¡±

    Yoru swallowed heavily. She blinked ¡ª and when her eyes opened again, something behind them had shifted. There was determination within them. There was emotion.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Yoru said. She extended a hand to one of the runes ¡ª and a shudder racked her body. The rivers of blood pouring down her face widened and she let out a stifled hiss of pain. The waves of pressure filling her soul magnified. An overbearing presence slammed down on Noah¡¯s back and nearly sent him crashing to his knees.

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    ¡°What the hell?¡±

    ¡°Moonlit Prophecy,¡± Yoru wheezed. ¡°It won¡¯t let me.¡±

    ¡°This fucking rune.¡± Noah ground his teeth and spun toward the massive Master Rune looming in the sky overhead. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the rune, Yoru. You focus on your job.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Grimoire!¡± Noah yelled. Anger swirled within his chest and radiated throughout his entire being. He¡¯d had it to his neck with this Master Rune. ¡°Swap with me! I know you can duplicate runes already. Give her what she needs. Harvest any energy you have to, but do not let her fail.¡±

    There was a blur of black. The ground beside Noah exploded as the Grimoire slammed down beside him, its back to the rune. A blade flashed down for the monster, but it reached up and crushed the sword before the weapon could connect with its body.

    ¡°I was wondering when you would take over, Herald,¡± the Grimoire said. ¡°This is a task I am far more suited to. Should you rip the rune to shreds, leave me the scraps.¡±

    Noah barely even heard the Grimoire. His blood pounded in his ears and his hands were clenched so tight that his knuckles had turned white. There were lines that could not be crossed. The Great Rune wasn¡¯t getting killed. They weren¡¯t carving it apart. All Yoru wanted was autonomy of her own body.

    And that simple request had been enough to cause Moonlit Prophecy to decide it would burn the demon¡¯s soul down around her. She just wanted to be its partner, but it would rather kill her than let her be anything but a slave.

    Pressure slammed down on Noah¡¯s shoulders. Moonlit Prophecy was completely focused on him.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have a problem,¡± Noah said through clenched teeth. He reached out to Sunder.

    His Master Rune responded ¡ª and Noah opened the flood gates.

    For the first time, instead of trying to ration the rune¡¯s power, he drew every scrap of power that he could from it. There was so much pressure in Yoru¡¯s soul that he didn¡¯t need his own runes to resist its presence. Moonlit Prophecy was doing that job for him.

    The air around him crackled. Slivers of black light flashed around Noah¡¯s hand like arcs of lightning. Instinctively, he extended his arm and unclenched his fist.

    There was a sharp crack. A flash of darkness split through the air, and a spear materialized against Noah¡¯s palm.

    It was as black as night. Nearly invisible designs covered its surface, running from the blade at its tip all the way down to the base of the shaft. Even without being able to read them, Noah knew for a fact that they were the same patterns that covered Sunder.

    The weapon trembled against his grip. Not in rebellion, but in excitement. There was so much power stored within it that Noah felt like he¡¯d drank a dozen cups of expresso at once. Adrenaline and jittery energy burned through his veins like wildfire.

    Moonlight gathered above Noah¡¯s head. The loose dirt on the ground around him trembled and bounced. Noah didn¡¯t flinch. Sunder¡¯s might rolled out from him in waves, fighting back against Moonlit Prophecy and keeping it from crushing him.

    The silver light formed into an enormous sword, and a pure white hand materialized around its hilt. Light continued to gather and the hand turned to an arm, connecting to the entirely silver-white body of a familiar demon.

    It was Yoru ¡ª but at the same time, it couldn¡¯t have been farther from her. There was only a single aspect of the demon that he¡¯d come to know. The cold, calculating indifference in which she saw the future.

    This was Moonlit Prophecy, and all it had done was stolen her form.

    Wordlessly, Moonlit Prophecy lifted her blade. Delicate white light swam within it, a galaxy of stars trapped within a sword.

    Then there was an instant of stillness. Everythign went silent. The world seemed to hold its breath in awe of the power manifesting before Noah.

    Then Noah heard the drip of blood against dirt. He felt the gentle fluctuations in power as Yoru worked to combine her runes. She was following Noah¡¯s orders and paying the fight no attention. Her entire focus was on combining a rune.

    ¡°I know the future,¡± Moonlit Prophecy said, her emotionless voice washing over Yoru¡¯s soul like a frozen plague. ¡°I will see the sun set on eternity. You cannot stand in the way of fate. This is my vessel. You cannot have her.¡±

    Then Moonlit Prophecy swung the sword. The sky itself seemed to shift. The enormous weapon cut through the sky like a crashing meteor and plummeted down toward Noah¡¯s head.

    ¡°You do not control fate. Nobody does. All you can do is measure probabilities.¡± Noah tightened his grip around the hilt of the spear. ¡°And here, you can see nothing. I reject your future.¡±

    Noah drove the spear up into the sword as it fell.

    The two Master Runes struck each other, not with a resounding crash, but a gentle, echoing ringing like a piece of glass being rung.

    A wave of power exploded out from the two of them without so much as a pop. It ripped across Yoru¡¯s soul, a torrent of soundless wind.

    And, for an instant longer, there was only silence.

    Then a black line split down the length of the blade.

    It shattered.

    Silver mist screamed free from the weapon ¡ª and streamers of it curled through the air, flying to gather at the Grimoire¡¯s palm. The monster¡¯s hand clenched down on the magic and it vanished, drawn within itself.

    The pressure pressing down on Noah evaporated. Without it, there was nothing to keep Sunder from crushing Noah. He went to dismiss the spear, but it shattered and faded away even before the thought could finish crossing his head. The Master Rune had pulled its own power back.

    The silver version of Yoru dropped from the sky, landing on the ground before Noah and staggering.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Moonlit Prophecy said. The stoic demeanor on her silver features faltered as fear flickered behind her eyes. ¡°You cannot resist fate.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not, but you aren¡¯t fate,¡± Noah replied. He cracked his neck. ¡°Stop interfering with Yoru.¡±

    ¡°She is mine. I raised her from birth. I trained her. I protected her. You are nothing but an usurper who seeks to steal the power that I deserve by birthright. Who are you to stand in my way?¡±

    ¡°He is the Herald,¡± the Grimoire said, delight dripping from its words. ¡°Shatter the rune, Noah. Eviscerate it. The power will be yours; the corpse mine. We can use this power for ourselves. With vision of what is to come, there will be none that can stand in our way.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said. ¡°This isn¡¯t our power to take. It¡¯s Yoru¡¯s¡­ and frankly, I want nothing to do with this rune.¡±

    ¡°I am nobody¡¯s to take,¡± Moonlit Prophecy yelled. ¡°I am¡ª¡±

    Noah took a step forward, twisting his entire body to put his weight behind his fist as he drove it into Moonlit Prophecy¡¯s face.

    There was a satisfying crunch. Her glowing eyes only had an instant to widen before her nose shattered and she was sent tumbling back. Her body bounced twice against the ground before skidding across the ground and falling into a massive crack in Yoru¡¯s soul.

    A silver hand grabbed onto the crumbling dirt at the edge of the crack. Noah strode over to the rune, looking down at her as she struggled to keep her purchase on the ground, trying to avoid plummeting into the nothingness below.

    Noah crouched and held the rune¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Stay there,¡± Noah said. ¡°Your power belongs to Yoru ¡ª but if you try to fight back again, I¡¯ll just kill you.¡±

    ¡°You would throw my magic away?¡± the rune demanded. ¡°The power to control the future, all for a worthless child?¡±

    Noah reached down and grabbed Moonlit Prophecy by her hair. He lifted her into the air before him and leaned in so she could get a good look at his features.

    ¡°Without a second thought.¡±

    He tossed the rune to the ground.

    Moonlit Prophecy wasn¡¯t going to get in his way again. Either the rune gave in or it died. He wasn¡¯t about to risk Yoru¡¯s life over it after all the damage it had already done ¡ª but he didn¡¯t even know if that would be enough.

    The cracks running through her soul cracked and widened. It was some of the worst damage he¡¯d ever seen. If he started fixing it now, there was a chance her soul would collapse under itself. She needed the pressure from her runes returned before he could patch the cracks.

    ¡°Come on, Yoru,¡± Noah muttered under his breath, turning to watch the demon as his hands clenched by his sides. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else left in your way. It¡¯s just you and the runes.¡±

    It was a race against time, and Yoru was the one running.

    Noah had done everything he could.

    Now it was her turn.

 Chapter 597: Tithe

    Twisting clouds of misty magical energy curled through Yoru¡¯s soul, washing over the night sky like an ocean of shimmering stars. The cracks riddling the ground in the garden trembled, slowly stretching to consume more of its surface.

    The smell of cut flowers filled the air, lingering from all the crushed plants that littered the ground. Many of them had fallen through the cracks to vanish into the endless white void below.

    Silence ruled. Moonlit Prophecy sat, its silvery copy of Yoru¡¯s body as still as ice before Noah. Even the wind had stilled itself. The entirety of the demon¡¯s soul was focused.

    Uneven waves of pressure rolled out from Yoru as her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides. Runes floated all around her, and the lanky form of the stitched abomination that was Noah¡¯s Grimoire loomed over her like a grotesque shadow that had risen up from the ground.

    ¡°Give up,¡± the silvery form of Yoru hissed. ¡°Give yourself to me and a part of you may live on. I crafted this existence for you, Yoru. Everything you are is what I have created. You cannot exist in a world that I do not control. This struggle will only ruin everything I have worked for. This life is¡ª¡±

    Yoru¡¯s eyes snapped open, and they burned with the brilliant silver light of the moon.

    ¡°Mine,¡± Yoru said. ¡°It is mine to destroyed.¡±

    There was a snap. The air before her twisted like a miniature black hole had formed directly in the air before her, crumpling in on itself. Pressure roiled through Yoru¡¯s soul and twisted the light swirling around her.

    And from the fragments formed a shimmer of light.

    A rune.

    Fragment of Yoru

    The abomination¡¯s lips twisted into a smile.

    ¡°What?¡± the manifestation of Moonlit Prophecy breathed, eyes going wide. ¡°Impossible. How¡­¡±

    Yoru ignored her clone. It rested its gangly hands on Yoru¡¯s shoulders and whispered into her ear. As to what it was saying, Noah was unaware. The runes in the air around Yoru shifted and drew closer.

    Then they drove together with a brilliant flash of light.

    And, where there had only been Rank 1 Light Runes before, a Rank 2 Cracked Silver Light Rune had formed.

    Yoru had combined a rune.

    Unfortunately, it was far from perfect, much less flawless, and building a foundation upon weakened runes would just mean Yoru had to suffer through an immense amount of soul damage a second time around.

    She had to get it the first time around.

    ¡°Good job,¡± Noah had said.

    Then he¡¯d sundered her efforts, splitting it back up into a cloud of misty energy and its constituents.

    Yoru didn¡¯t even flinch. Her head tilted slightly ¡ª not to the sides, but forward ¡ª in a nod of appreciation. Then she¡¯d continued to work.

    The cracks in her soul continued to spread. Blood poured down her face in rivers. It soaked into her clothes and dripped to the ground, turning the dirt into mud. There was so much damage to her soul that Noah couldn¡¯t even understand how she was still alive, much less working.

    But still Yoru pressed on. Something more primal than determination drove her forward. She formed the rune twice more. Twice more, Noah sundered it.

    And on the third try, she made a flawless Silver Light Rune.

    When Noah didn¡¯t sunder it, Yoru moved on immediately. More runes followed afterward. Three more Moonlight Runes, joined by three Shimmering Light runes.

    Yoru was a terrifyingly fast learner. The Shimmering Light Runes didn¡¯t need to be repaired. They were all done correctly on her first attempt.

    The pressure in her soul still had yet to see much of a change. A Rank 2 Rune was so insignificant in comparison to Rank 7 that her soul was still in just as much danger than it had been before.

    She pressed on.

    The Rank 2s were combined into a Moonlight Rank 3 ¡ª and to Noah¡¯s shock, that too was Flawless.

    Even though he and Moxie had been the ones to initially figure out that Runes could reach Flawless, not even Noah had managed to adapt to it so quickly. Yoru was learning like a sponge in water.

    It took him a moment to realize why. Noah would have laughed at the thought if the state of things hadn¡¯t been so tense.

    Children learned things at incredible rates. Yoru had never had a chance to truly experience anything for herself, so she was speeding through understanding. He just hoped it would be enough to fix her soul in time.

    Loud cracks echoed out. A tremor shook the ground, and more dirt sloughed into the void below. Noah stepped to the side to avoid pitching into the endless white space that was quickly growing to consume Yoru¡¯s soul. Nearly half of the solid ground in her world had fallen away.

    Cracks formed on Yoru¡¯s fingertips, burning with brilliant white light as she continued to draw runes in the air and the Grimoire continued to feed her magic and runes to work with, ripping them out from within its own body and tossing them into the air beside her without even stopping to draw them.

    Yoru combined runes into a Rank 3 Moonlit Reflection Rune.

    It wasn¡¯t Flawless.

    Noah sundered it. More cracks ripped through her soul in response and he winced, his teeth clenched tight enough to bend iron between them.

    Yoru¡¯s second attempt worked.

    A third Rank 3 Rune followed after ¡ª this one named Empty Sky.

    It was Flawless.

    More damage spread through Yoru¡¯s soul. A distant howl picked up, growing louder by the second. Yoru¡¯s pinky finger crumbled into dust, and the cracks spread to cover her other fingers and began to work down her wrist.

    She made the remaining Rank 3 runes and slammed them together with a brilliant flash of light, leaving behind a Rank 4 Moon rune.

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    Not once did her features even flicker. Noah was pretty sure she was advancing at a rate faster than anyone since before Arbitage had been built, and Yoru barely even cared. The only thing on her mind was combining runes. Now that she¡¯d started, it almost seemed as if she couldn¡¯t stop.

    Something prickled against Noah¡¯s skin. It was faint, but he could feel pressure starting to fill her soul once more. Yoru made three more copies of the Moon Rune.

    Her hand crumbled away in its entirety, and the damage reached up her arm for her shoulder. Noah¡¯s jaw clenched, but there was absolutely nothing he could do. Activating the Fragment of Renewal now would just doom her. It would partially heal the damage, but she¡¯d still get more as she continued to advance ¡ª and if he patched her too early, then her soul would still accrue more damage and collapse shortly afterward¡­ and he¡¯d be unable to do anything until a day later.

    Yoru didn¡¯t acknowledge the damage. She just swapped to her other hand and continued to draw. Cracks already riddled it, but her fingers were still there.

    ¡°She won¡¯t make it,¡± the Grimoire said, lifting its head from Yoru¡¯s ear.

    ¡°What?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Look at her! She¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Putting up a good struggle, but she will die. Look around you.¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t have to be told that. The dirt beneath his feet was shifting and crumbling. More than half of Yoru¡¯s soul had already fallen through the cracks into oblivion. She was well through Rank 4 now, but the amount of time it took between every rank grew higher and the combinations grew more difficult.

    ¡°She¡¯ll make it,¡± Noah said firmly. He injected determination into his words. He wasn¡¯t going to doubt Yoru to her face.

    ¡°No, she will not.¡± The demon¡¯s claws tightened around Yoru¡¯s shoulders as Yoru finished making a Rank 4 Starflame rune. It was good, but it wasn¡¯t Flawless.

    Noah Sundered it.

    Yoru coughed. Blood splattered across the soaked ground before her. More cracks tore through the ground. She got back to work.

    ¡°Enough,¡± Noah said. ¡°You¡¯re distracting her.¡±

    ¡°She could not be distracted even if we wanted to. Yoru is completely focused¡­ but focus alone is not sufficient. You cannot build hopes and dreams from nothing but desire, Herald. You should know this better than anyone. Your goals ended on Earth unaccomplished.¡±

    Noah¡¯s answer caught in his throat. ¡°How do you know about that?¡±

    ¡°You have imbued countless pieces of your soul into me when you leave runes upon my pages. I have absorbed much of who you are, Herald. I know your power. I know your goals and desires.¡±

    The fingers on Yoru¡¯s left hand crumbled away. Her jaw clenched and she continued to draw with nothing but the stump of her wrist, but the accuracy of the lines in the runes suffered. She was forced to abandon her current attempt and restart.

    ¡°Get to the point,¡± Noah snarled. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time.¡±

    ¡°I can help her,¡± the Grimoire said, its voice little more than a deadly whisper. ¡°Repairing bodies is something of my specialty.¡±

    ¡°Do it,¡± Noah said immediately.

    ¡°It is not that simple. I will not give up a portion of myself. What has been lost cannot be regained so easily, and I am not so kind as you.¡±

    ¡°You want me to give up a portion of my body?¡± Noah asked.

    That¡¯s easy. I barely need the damn thing. I¡¯ll just make¡ª

    ¡°Your soul,¡± the Grimoire replied. ¡°And not a piece you can rebuild, Herald. But your life is infinitely more valuable than that of this demon. I have felt your strength. Your potential. We will feast on the gods ¡ª but not if you rip yourself to shreds. No, I am not asking you. There is another. If you spoke the truth, then you do not care about this power.¡±

    Noah turned to follow the abomination¡¯s gaze. His eyes landed on the fallen form of the Moonlit Prophecy rune.

    ¡°What do I have to do?¡±

    ¡°One hand should suffice.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± the rune exclaimed, scrambling to her feet and lifting into the air as energy gathered around her. ¡°I won¡¯t ¡ª¡±

    The rest of the rune¡¯s sentence was lost in a loud crack. Noah¡¯s hand carved through the Moonlit Prophecy¡¯s arm, Sunder¡¯s magic empowering his blow and severing it completely. He grabbed the limb before it could hit the ground and spun to the Grimoire, thrusting it out.

    ¡°No hesitation,¡± the monster observed, its wide mouth splitting apart in a massive grin. It lifted the arm to its mouth and bit down on the end. A loud crunch echoed out through Yoru¡¯s soul, and a wave of power buffeted Noah¡¯s hair back.

    Moonlit Prophecy screamed in agony.

    The Grimoire took what remained of the hand, which had been cut to perfectly match the missing flesh of Yoru¡¯s right arm and pressed it onto her stump. There was a loud hiss and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

    A crack split the edge of the Moonlit Prophecy rune in the air far above them. Yoru¡¯s body stiffened.

    Then she lifted her new hand and started to draw.

    That easy?

    Something told Noah that it was anything but, but now wasn¡¯t the time to question what had just happened. He watched with bated breath as Yoru continued to draw runes to life, moving with renewed speed now that one of her hands had been returned to her.

    The cracks on that side of her body stilled, but they continued on the other. Her left arm was eroded up to the elbow and the damage was making for her shoulder.

    Yoru clenched her one remaining hand. She¡¯d managed to finish making her Rank 4 runes during the past few seconds of conversations. A number of her runes weren¡¯t Flawless, but they were close to perfect.

    Their time was running out. There was no time for Noah to sunder anything. He didn¡¯t interfere. Another brilliant flash of light lit her soul.

    The pressure rolling off her magnified, and the spread of the cracks slowed as a new Rank 5 rune appeared within her, nestled in the misty clouds of churning energy and runes awaiting their turn to be combined.

    Her new creation was a Rank 5, not quite Flawless but better on average than a normal Perfect rune ¡ª Night of the Moon.

    It was one of the most abstract runes that Noah had ever seen. Yoru was far from done, though. She was forming runes before the last one had even finished, dragging power from the air around her and driving it home at an incredible speed.

    Everything sub Rank-4 component she made was either Flawless or close to it, and the Rank 5s were far better than the average mage¡¯s ever could have been. More copies of Night of the Moon took form, joined by Rank 5 Falling Night rune.

    Noah¡¯s fingers twitched at his sides. The damage to Yoru¡¯s soul was well past critical. Almost the entirety of her garden had fallen away. Only a few sparse bushes remained, their roots desperately holding the dirt together and keeping it from plummeting away.

    Moonlit Prophecy¡¯s stolen body laid on the ground, unmoving at Noah¡¯s feet on one of the few remaining patches of unbroken ground.

    Noah reached for the Fragment of Renewal and kept it at bay, the gentle power twisting within him, an entire ocean of magic waiting to be released from behind its dam.

    Yoru¡¯s left arm was completely gone. Her shoulder was cracked and splintering, and the damage threatened to reach into her chest and wrap around her heart.

    She was so close.

    Rank 5 runes swirled around her.

    The cracks on the ground pressed forward, encircling the remains of the solid ground. They were moving slower, but they were still moving. Another Rank 5 rune took form ¡ª the last one Yoru needed.

    She clenched her glowing silver hand.

    The cracks reaching for her heart froze. The world locked in place, specks of dirt suspended mid-fall into the void.

    Noah¡¯s heart thumped in his ears.

    A flash of brilliant white light lit Yoru¡¯s soul.

    The pressure rolling out from her magnified exponentially. It slammed into Noah and roared past him, whipping his hair back and forcing him to squint.

    Yoru¡¯s soul stopped shrinking.

    Floating before her was a new Rune.

    The Rising Moon ¡ª Rank 6

    Noah practically dove forward. He put his hand on her forehead and unleashed the Fragment of Renewal directly into the demon. An enormous wave of power coursed out from within him, sending pearlescent shimmers dancing across her soul as it worked deep into the damaged ground.

    A shudder rocked Yoru¡¯s body. She dropped to her knees, drawing in a ragged, choking gasp. The enormous amount of soul damage covering her began to slowly pull itself shut.

    The cracks on her body closed as well, but her missing arm didn¡¯t reform.

    Behind her, the Grimoire¡¯s smile grew wider. It lifted a hand, and all the excess magic swirling within Yoru¡¯s soul ¡ª more than Noah suspected he had within his own body ¡ª gathered above the monster¡¯s palm.

    Then its fingers slammed closed around it. The magic vanished as if it had never been there. Red flashed within the Grimiore¡¯s eyes and it let out a delighted sigh.

    ¡°A bite of a Master Rune and an ocean of energy. A good tithe.¡± The Grimoire looked down to Noah, and a pallid tongue ran across its lips. ¡°For now, it will suffice.¡±

    For now? I don¡¯t like the sound of that.

    Noah didn¡¯t get a chance to say anything. Yoru¡¯s eyes fluttered shut. She finally passed out.

    The world went black, and Noah was hurled back into his own body in the Scorched Acres.

 Chapter 598: Fishy

    Noah¡¯s eyes fluttered back open as the smell of ash and burnt wood greeted him. Something rough was pressed against his side and prickly dirt pressed against his cheek, doing its best to work its way into his mouth.

    He was back in the Scorched Acres ¡ª and from the looks of things, he strongly suspected that he may have managed to fall over while he¡¯d been in meditation. The face full of dirt and the rough bark beside him rather than at his back were strong indicators of that.

    It took Noah a moment to remember what he¡¯d been doing before he¡¯d been in the Scorched Acres. His memories were a little fuzzy and he couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on what had happened. He could vaguely recall ¡ª

    Yoru!

    Noah lurched, shoving himself away from the ground as his memories rushed back to him. The small demon laid on the dirt across from him. She was face down, but her chest rose and fell with faint breaths.

    Relief passed over Noah. He pushed himself to his feet to walk over to Yoru, but the edge of his domain prickled. It pulled his attention up into the canopy of the burnt trees around him as he sensed a familiar presence.

    Lee sat upon a large branch, her legs dangling over the edge as she watched over them. She pushed off and dropped to the ground to land a few feet away from Noah.

    ¡°You fell over,¡± Lee said, pointing to the dirt covering Noah¡¯s face. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to move you in case it messed something up. I didn¡¯t realize you were going to try to fix Yoru today.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on it,¡± Noah replied as he hurried over to Yoru and knelt beside her. He wasn¡¯t exactly up to date on his first-aid courses. He pressed a hand to the side of Yoru¡¯s neck to see if he could feel a heartbeat. It was there.

    He rolled her over carefully.

    Oh, fuck.

    Yoru¡¯s arms were gone. Both of them had just completely evaporated, leaving nothing but the sleeves of her shirt behind. Her face was covered in blood ¡ª as was the ground beneath her and her shirt. The damage she¡¯d taken in the soul realm had carried back over into the real world.

    Noah¡¯s hands tightened at his sides.

    Oh, Yoru. Damn Moonlit Prophecy. It did this to her. If it had cooperated, I would have been able to get Yoru completely fixed up before the damage to her got this bad. That fucking rune just wouldn¡¯t give up any power. It wasn¡¯t satisfied taking away her chances at a normal life. It also took her arms.

    Maybe I should have shattered it entirely and said screw the power.

    The only consolation that came was that they had won. Moonlit Prophecy had failed to keep Yoru under its thumb. Even if it had cost her arms, the Fragment of Renewal had managed to knit Yoru¡¯s soul back together to the point where she wasn¡¯t actively dying anymore.

    ¡°Her arms,¡± Lee said sadly. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Her Master Rune happened.¡± Noah wasn¡¯t in much of a mood to explain it farther.

    ¡°Poor Yoru. She¡¯s going to have to eat with her feet until we get her a new arm,¡± Lee said with a despondent look. ¡°But why did you start with her? Wouldn¡¯t Violet or Vrith have been safer?¡±

    ¡°I was planning on doing Violet,¡± Noah said, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head as he flopped down to sit beside Yoru. ¡°But Yoru had other plans. She broke all her runes before I could get a chance to say anything and forced my hand.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t very smart,¡± Lee said in a matter-of-fact tone.

    That line would be quite funny if Yoru survived. It would be a lot less funny if she didn¡¯t.

    Noah wiped the dirt from his face and leaned back, taking a moment to let his pounding heart still. Adrenaline was still pumping through his veins like a runaway train. But, no matter how much he panicked or stressed about the results of his work, it would change nothing.

    The Fragment of Renewal was at work. It wouldn¡¯t fix her body, but it could repair her soul. Yoru had managed to replace all her runes. Her arms were gone, but her life had returned in their place.

    All he could do now was wait.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the cover of his Grimoire twitch. He snagged the strap connected to it and dragged it over to himself. He and the large book were going to need a heart-to-heart sooner rather than later. It had been making itself known pretty often as of late, and each time it did, Noah couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was making contracts with a devil.

    He pushed the thoughts away. The Grimoire would have to be addressed later. Now wasn¡¯t the time. Even if it had been willing to speak with him at the moment, his head just wasn¡¯t going to be in the game.

    Stolen story; please report.

    And when he was dealing with¡­ whatever it was that lurked within the Grimoire¡¯s pages, he was going to need to be at his best.

    ¡°Where are the others?¡± Noah asked. ¡°And how long have we been out?¡±

    ¡°Mostly asleep. Alexandra was wandering around, but Moxie is distracting her,¡± Lee said. ¡°She¡¯s the one that noticed something was up with you and Yoru first. She woke me up to check on you. It hasn¡¯t been that long since she did. Maybe two minutes?¡±

    That fast? How¡¯d Moxie even realize that quickly? Did the runes that Sievan gave her really help that much? Now I really want to know what they are.

    Noah lifted his gaze to the sky. It was still deep into the night. The moon shone high overhead, glistening with silver light, and he couldn¡¯t help but squint at it.

    Prick.

    A small groan rose up from the ground. Noah¡¯s eyes widened and he nearly jumped out of his own skin. Yoru¡¯s face twitched. Her shut eyes tightened even further and her lips pressed thin.

    She was awake.

    After what had happened to Lee when she¡¯d split her runes, Noah had fully expected Yoru to be out for days.

    I¡¯ve got half a mind to scold her for ten minutes straight for that idiotic stunt, but I should probably hold off until I actually make sure she¡¯s not about to die.

    ¡°Yoru?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Are you there?¡±

    Yoru shifted. Then her entire body stiffened.

    A pit formed in Noah¡¯s stomach.

    How am I supposed to tell her she has no arms?

    ¡°Where¡¯s my mask?¡±

    Noah blinked. That hadn¡¯t been the question he¡¯d been expecting. He¡¯d honestly forgotten that Yoru had been wearing a mask. It felt like there were slightly more important things that were missing.

    He wasn¡¯t about to argue, though. It took him a moment to find the mask, half-buried under one of her shoulders. He pried it free and set it down gently on her face. She relaxed almost immediately.

    I¡¯m not sure why she wants her mask that badly, but if it makes her more comfortable, I¡¯m not going to stand in her way.

    ¡°There,¡± Noah said. ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s tilted,¡± Yoru said. ¡°Can you fix it?¡±

    He fixed the mask.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    There¡¯s no way she hasn¡¯t realized her arms are missing, right?

    ¡°Are¡­ you okay?¡± Noah asked, the words feeling hollow even as they left their lips. Asking if she was okay after what had just happened almost felt like an insult.

    ¡°It was too painful to sleep, so I woke up.¡±

    ¡°You have no arms,¡± Lee informed Yoru with the tact of a barreling 18-wheeler truck.

    Noah nearly slapped himself in the forehead. He immediately regretted not just bringing the injury up himself. There were definitely considerably more tactful ways to bring that particular fact up. Unfortunately, he¡¯d forgotten who his company was, and Lee was nothing if not blunt.

    ¡°I am aware,¡± Yoru said.

    Noah blinked. ¡°You are?¡±

    ¡°Would you really not notice you were missing your arms when you woke up?¡±

    ¡°Probably not up until I tried to scratch my ass,¡± Noah admitted.

    ¡°Precisely.¡± Yoru twitched, then muttered something under her breath that Noah couldn¡¯t catch. Her heels dug into the ground and she let out a grunt as she fought to sit up.

    Noah put a hand on her back and helped her upright. He was at a complete loss for words ¡ª and for a moment, it seemed Yoru was as well.

    ¡°What do I do?¡± Yoru asked quietly.

    ¡°We can find a powerful healer. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a potion¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not my arms. Me. What do I do?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. What do you want to do, Yoru? Wasn¡¯t that the whole point of this? You¡¯ve got control again, right? Moonlit Prophecy isn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still there, but it doesn¡¯t hold the strings anymore,¡± Yoru said. She hesitated for a moment longer. ¡°I¡­ I wish it did. I¡¯m scared. I think I made a mistake.¡±

    ¡°You did not,¡± Noah said firmly. ¡°And even if you did, that¡¯s natural. People make mistakes. There¡¯s no point to a life lived perfectly. That takes all the meaning out of it. The thing that makes somebody who they are is how they press through difficulties, not how they succeed.¡±

    Yoru turned to look straight at him. Even though the mask was covering her features, he could feel her gaze boring into his.

    ¡°You¡¯re very confident about that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of time to think about it,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Life isn¡¯t easy, Yoru, but at least now it¡¯s yours to live. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m happy about the way you chose to go about this, but what¡¯s done is done. Your life is yours again.¡±

    ¡°What should I do with it?¡±

    Noah suppressed a sad laugh. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you that. It¡¯s yours.¡±

    ¡°You should eat something tasty,¡± Lee suggested. ¡°I¡¯ll feed you.¡±

    ¡°That actually sounds¡ª¡±

    Noah¡¯s senses screamed a warning.

    They were too late.

    There was a loud crack.

    A wave of pressure slammed into Noah like a steel bar to the kidney. His eyes bulged and he was slammed face-first into the ground.

    By the time his face had hit the dirt, he¡¯d already instinctively called on Sunder. Power flooded into him, twisting through his body and turning his veins jet black. Noah drove a hand into the ground with a snarl, fighting desperately against the immense power.

    ¡°You think you can trick me? You think the Rules are a joke?¡± A sultry woman¡¯s voice demanded, her words twisted with derision and raw power. Each of them slammed into his skull like a hammer blow. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll have to carve them into your skin to make sure you remember.¡±

    Noah managed to pry his head up from the ground.

    Standing above him was a woman with black hair and matching clothes, a spiked collar around her neck. Her teeth were pointed and her features so pale that she may well have been dead.

    And then they both froze.

    He knew this woman. It was the lady that Lee had gotten into an argument with while they¡¯d been at a restaurant in Arbitage.

    His brain scrabbled for her name for a moment, but someone else beat him to it.

    ¡°Garina?¡± Lee asked in a strained voice. ¡°Is that you?¡±

    Garina¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°Fish girl?¡±

 Chapter 599: Garina

    The power flowing through Garina¡¯s body from her runes sputtered. She was far too experienced to actually let herself get completely off guard, but for the briefest instant, even she couldn¡¯t keep surprise from driving into her gut like a physical punch.

    This couldn¡¯t be right. Her senses were never wrong. She¡¯d come here for a runaway Rank 7 ¡ª not the brass little demon girl that had actually managed to win an argument against her.

    My prey was here. There¡¯s no doubt about it. I feel the disturbance.

    A trick, then? Someone trying to exploit a weakness to catch me off guard? I don¡¯t know how they even would have figured this out, but anyone who thinks something like this will bring me low is about to be very sorely mistaken.

    Her senses exploded outward in every direction. Garina could have been anywhere within the entirety of the baby kingdom around her should she have willed it. Her mind could stretch from one end of it to the other, so digging through one burnt up forest was nothing to her.

    Nobody in this little backwater corner of the world could match Garina. Any Rank 7 that dared to try and hide in wait for an ambush, no matter how much information they¡¯d managed to dig up about her, would be found and summarily dealt with.

    Out you come, pup.

    The corner of Garina¡¯s lip twitched up in anticipation of assured victory.

    Then it fell flat again.

    She found nothing.

    There were traces of a Rank 7 ¡ª a disturbance centered directly on top of the Fish Demon and the group around her ¡ª but there wasn¡¯t a single Rank 7 rune in this forest other than Garina¡¯s.

    Her eyes twitched in anger. This was impossible. She refused to accept it. Letting one Rank 7 slip out of her grasp was bad enough. But now, after preparing for so long, having it happen again was like someone spitting straight into her open mouth.

    ¡°Where are they?¡± Garina asked, her voice as sharp and cold as black ice.

    ¡°Who?¡± Fish Girl asked, glancing around.

    ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me,¡± Garina snapped.

    She regretted it instantly. Yelling at a weak little creature was below her, and that only made her annoyance grow even further. That was twice now that she¡¯d been bested in words by a goblin-adjacent child, and the 2<sup>nd</sup> time, it had only taken a single word to break her.

    ¡°You know who,¡± Garina snarled. ¡°I was called here. This was no mistake. I¡¯m not a fool, girl. Whatever they paid you ¡ª whatever you think you¡¯re going to get out of this ¡ª you won¡¯t. Disobey me and die.¡±

    ¡°I think you might be hungry.¡±

    I am hungry. I don¡¯t even want to be here. I should be eating a sandwich with Fredrick right now, not hunting some idiot Rank 7 that thinks it would be a good idea to yank at my chain. Fuck the rules. I¡¯m going to rip this idiot in half when I find them.

    ¡°The only people here are us,¡± the scruffy-looking man beside Fish Girl said. His features were narrow in suspicion. He put a hand on the massive book on his back as if he were planning to try and hit her over the head with it. ¡°How did you get here and what do you want?¡±

    That¡¯s odd.

    There wasn¡¯t any fear in the man¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t present in his posture either. A small frown formed on Garina¡¯s lips. The longer she looked at him, the more askew something felt. Her senses had been refined over years of life, and there was something wrong about the mortal before her.

    It took her nearly a second to realize what it was.

    He didn¡¯t feel like a mortal at all.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    A Rank 7 in hiding?

    Her domain brushed across his.

    Garina¡¯s frown deepened. He was far from a Rank 7. This wasn¡¯t the one she was looking for. She scanned Fish Girl to similar results. That left only the armless demon lying in the dirt at their feet. She was a Rank 6.

    It¡¯s none of them. I¡¯d be able to feel a Rank 7 rune no matter who was hiding it if it was right next to me.

    Where is this fucker? don¡¯t give a shit about what¡¯s going on. I just want to be done with this and go back. Every second I waste here is one I¡¯m not getting back.

    ¡°I won¡¯t warn you twice,¡± Garina said, her lips thinning. ¡°Tell me where the Rank 7 is. Don¡¯t think that you can play coy with me because we¡¯ve had one amiable interaction. This is your one and only opportunity to tell me what¡¯s going on. Pass up on it and I¡¯ll hang you with the idiot trying to pull a fast one over an Apostle.¡±

    ¡°Rank 7?¡± the scruffy man tilted his head to the side. The corner of his lip twitched. ¡°Why are you looking for a Rank 7? There are no Rank 7s in the kingdom. That¡¯s common knowledge.¡±

    There was something smug in his voice that grated Garina¡¯s gears to no end. She was the smug one. People didn¡¯t talk back to her. They groveled at her feet. It would have taken nothing more than a mere thought from her to grind every single one of the mortals before her to a paste with her Rune Force ¡ª and for that reason alone, she couldn¡¯t use it.

    The day I¡¯m forced to unleash my Rune Force against a Rank 6 and a few middling lower ranks is the day I hand them the leash to my collar and die from shame.

    ¡°You seem to misunderstand the situation,¡± Garina said, her lips pulling back to bare her teeth. ¡°I¡¯m not opposed to ripping your head clean off your shoulders and shoving it so far back up your ass that it pops out your neck, boy. Last chance. Rank 7. Where are they?¡±

    Something in the man¡¯s gaze shifted again.

    Garina¡¯s body stiffened. Goosebumps prickled against the back of her neck.

    What is this?

    He seems¡­ familiar.

    ¡°My name is Vermil,¡± the man said. ¡°You should know that. We had dinner together, Garina. And if I¡¯m being honest, I preferred the bald guy to you. As for your Rank 7 ¡ª I¡¯m getting the feeling that the only way you¡¯ll find one of those here is if you look in a still lake.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± Garina said flatly. ¡°And you¡¯re not going to enjoy what happens next.¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie?¡± Vermil tilted his head to the side. ¡°I would never put my allies at risk for no reason. There¡¯s no Rank 7 here. I¡¯d swear a Rune Oath, but I think everyone with half a brain knows how worthless those are. You didn¡¯t deny that you were a Rank 7 ¡ª so you should be able to sense another one, right?¡±

    He¡¯s not wrong about that¡­ or the Rune Oaths. I¡¯m being too clumsy. Revealing myself to a bunch of weak magelings like this is already bad enough. Seeing the Fish Girl threw me for a bad loop. Damn it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. There was a Rank 7 here. Don¡¯t even try to tell me there wasn¡¯t,¡± Garina said, striding up to Vermil so they stood nose-to-nose. She wasn¡¯t sure why she¡¯d singled him out over the still-mute Rank 6, but there was something about him that pulled at the back of her mind incessantly. ¡°Where. Did. They. Go?¡±

    Vermil raised his eyes to meet her gaze without so much as blinking.

    The goosebumps on the back of Garina¡¯s neck intensified. A cold hand brushed over her back as her senses shifted in unease.

    His eyes were wrong.

    It was so subtle that she never would have even noticed were they not so close. The difference wasn¡¯t even something a mortal could detect through anything other than sheer instinct, but reaching Rank 7 unleashed an entire new layer to the world that nobody weaker could ever hope to witness. It revealed truths that permeated the universe and laid one¡¯s soul bare to unleash its power ¡ª and in turn, it granted sight into the souls of others.

    And the soul of this mortal did not belong in his body.

    It didn¡¯t belong at all.

    Deep within his eyes lurked something familiar. A heavy, oppressive aura of an immense Divine Rune, a power that she had only borne witness to on very rare occasions. Disbelief welled within her, but it was stemmed by the still-growing unease.

    There was something else in the man¡¯s gaze.

    Something ancient ¡ª and something deeply wrong.

    ¡°That power¡­ I know you.¡±

    Vermil¡¯s veins turned jet black in an instant. He thrust his hand forward, driving it straight into Garina¡¯s gut. The blow didn¡¯t even register. Her body was so reinforced with magical energy that she may as well have been struck by a fly.

    But the magic within the strike was another question. Garina felt, for a flicker of an instant, that familiar sensation in Vermil¡¯s eyes intensify by a hundredfold.

    Her gaze snapped up.

    A black spear plummeted down toward her like a falling star.

    Garina thrust her hand upward. The spear slammed to a halt an inch away from her nose. Slowly, she turned to look at the man. She¡¯d had her domain deactivated to make sure that she wouldn¡¯t crush anyone on accident, but just her body alone should have been enough to stop any attacks from in this weak, backwater kingdom.

    And yet Garina knew without a doubt that if the spear had hit her, it would have left the slightest of cuts upon her skin.

    Her gaze lowered back to the man. Her fist tightened. The spear shattered.

    ¡°You were right under my nose this whole time. I can¡¯t believe it. You¡¯re the one that he¡¯s looking for.¡±

 Chapter 600: The Balance

    As soon as the accusation left Garina¡¯s mouth, something within Vermil¡¯s gaze changed for the second time. The borderline arrogant air that had wrapped around his words fell away as he seemed to adjust approaches in a split instant.

    It was almost as if a layer of his soul had been peeled back. There was still no fear within his eyes. All that remained was grim determination ¡ª but Garina hardly cared. A Rank 4 wasn¡¯t about to do her in no matter how he tried.

    Her skull pounded with a building headache.

    Everything was falling apart.

    The Rank 7 had managed to find a way to hide themselves, and the person she needed to interrogate was the one that she¡¯d been meant to be looking for this entire time. He was the one that allowed her to remain away from the other Apostles.

    And the moment she found him, her full duties resumed. Sitting around in a kingdom of magelings when there were no threats to its existence would draw too much attention ¡ª especially if she was sitting around in the exact same spot.

    This is the one person that I couldn¡¯t afford to find. But now that I have, what the fuck do I do? Directly disobey an order from Decras himself? That¡¯s as good as turning against every other Apostle.

    I could take some of them¡­ but the Prophet? I can¡¯t beat him. Shit. And if Ferdinand discovers this idiot is here, then he¡¯ll have to act as well. Am I supposed to just lie to him?

    Garina¡¯s fists clenched at her sides. Her rune-empowered mind was moving so fast that even a second was enough to have an entire conversation with herself, and that second was still nowhere near long enough.

    The Rank 7 and everything to do with them was bundled and shoved into the corner of her mind. Her pride didn¡¯t matter when everything that she¡¯d come to enjoy over the last few all-too-short weeks was about to go up in flames because of Vermil¡¯s presence.

    All that mattered was finding a way to deal with this.

    Do I just kill the lot of them? If nobody knows they were here, then the search goes on forever. I¡¯d have to lie to Ferdinand, but I can live with that. I could tell him in a year once it¡¯s too late for anything to matter and it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s abandoned the Church of Repose.

    Garina wasn¡¯t the only one thinking. She could see Vermil desperately cycling through ideas, but he must have realized the situation they were in. There was nothing he could do against her and they both should have known it.

    ¡°Lee, get Yoru and go get the others,¡± Vermil said, his voice flat. He grabbed a gourd from his waist and tossed it to her. ¡°Get them out of here.¡±

    Lee. Yes. That was her name.

    Lee didn¡¯t hesitate to obey his orders. She grabbed the fallen demoness and slung the masked girl over a shoulder before darting off into the forest. Garina¡¯s hand twitched. The smart move to do would have been to stop her, but it hardly mattered.

    A few lower ranks couldn¡¯t escape her. It wouldn¡¯t matter where they went. If Garina wanted to find them, she would.

    At least that was what she told herself.

    In truth, Garina wasn¡¯t so certain she could bring herself to cut Lee down.

    I don¡¯t think anything of most mortals. Fuck. How did I get attached to this one so easily? She¡¯s just a mouthy little demon brat.

    A demon brat that had once had a point. Garina¡¯s eye twitched. Her hands tightened even further, and she felt a flicker of Rune Force push past her mental walls before she could stop it. Every dry stick and tree in the area around her shattered. Ash flattened into a black sheet on the ground as a wave of pressure drove into the ground.

    Vermil staggered, slammed down to one knee by the force of her presence ¡ª but he didn¡¯t fall.

    His veins turned jet black. Garina¡¯s domain prickled as pressure pushed out from the Rank 4 ¡ª but far more pressure than there should have been.

    The back of her neck prickled.

    Did he really steal all this from Decras? Or is this his own power? Either way, it¡¯s little surprise that gods are looking for him. Damn it all, Decras. What do I do? If it comes to choosing between my self-respect and losing this new life¡­ then does honor have any use but to burn?

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to let Decras know that I¡¯ve been otherwise occupied,¡± Vermil said through clenched teeth. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to reject his request to meet, but I¡¯ll make sure to add an extra fruit basket to the gift package when I send it off.¡±

    ¡°Fruit baskets?¡± Garina asked, taken aback even through her distress. ¡°Are you insane?¡±

    ¡°Only a little,¡± Vermil replied. The pressure rolling off his body intensified. It was still nowhere near enough to pose a threat to her, but it let him slowly rise back to his feet.

    A flicker of awe passed through her. Even though she wasn¡¯t actively using her Rune Force, the fact that he could shrug off her pressure like that was unnerving. A Rank 4 should have been laid flat by her magic.

    The power coming off him was familiar. He was drawing on his Master Rune. But, the more power Vermil used, the stranger it felt. It was close enough to Decras¡¯ power that there was no mistaking it, but there was something different.

    There were just too many things that didn¡¯t make sense ¡ª and among them was the complete and utter lack of fear in Vermil¡¯s features¡­ and the ramping power pouring out from him.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Black spiderwebbed out from his veins and seeped into his fingernails. The whites of his eyes washed out like the night sky.

    How much energy can he draw from that rune? That amount of pressure isn¡¯t possible from a Rank 4. Not by a long shot.

    ¡°How are you doing that?¡± Garina asked, her surprise breaking through her internal struggle. ¡°A Rank 4 soul shouldn¡¯t be able to resist that much energy without shattering.¡±

    ¡°Who said anything about not shattering?¡± A mix between a snarl of concentration and a cold smile split his features. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. There wasn¡¯t a trace of the arrogance that had been in his words a moment ago. ¡°You¡¯re a Rank 7, Garina. The strongest one I¡¯ve ever met. I¡¯m not stupid and playing games with you obviously isn¡¯t going to work. That only leaves me with one option.¡±

    ¡°You think you can kill me?¡± Garina demanded ¡°You¡¯d choose that over trying to convince me to spare your lives?¡±

    ¡°I see the look in your eyes,¡± Vermil replied. Even more power built within him. Tongues of black smoke trailed off the edges of his eyes and slipped from between his lips. The boundary between his soul and his rune was breaking. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what we say, does it? You¡¯ve already made your decision.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to shatter your soul long before I get to do anything if you draw that much power from a Master Rune. You can¡¯t resist that much magic, idiot.¡±

    ¡°Why do you care?¡± Vermil tilted his head to the side. The air around his body thrummed with a dull greyish-black haze. There was so much power gathered around him that it was spilling out into the world. ¡°You¡¯re about to try to kill me anyway.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided if I need you alive or not yet. Drop the damn magic, fool. Don¡¯t throw your life away. You have no idea as to what the extent of the universe holds. This doesn¡¯t have to be your end. A Rank 4 with this much power in a little shit thole like this¡­ you could be so much more.¡±

    A real smile replaced the snarl on Vermil¡¯s lips.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be anything else. This ends with us, Garina. Stay the fuck away from my students.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, you suicidal shit!¡± A firm woman¡¯s voice echoed through the forest.

    For the second time that day, surprise washed over Garina. She ¡ª and Vermil ¡ª both glanced to the side in unison.

    Standing at the edge of their clearing was a woman with strawberry ginger hair and a furious look on her features. She wore a thick, white-furred cloak and the burnt trees around her squirmed as if in agony.

    Garina hadn¡¯t sensed the woman coming at all.

    Her magical energy was completely concealed ¡ª but Garina knew who she was. It was the woman that had sat with Lee and Vermil during their dinner.

    Impossible. She¡¯s not a Rank 7. There¡¯s no way she¡¯s more than a Rank 4. I would have noticed if it was here. What the fuck is going on?¡±

    ¡°Moxie? What are you doing here?¡± Vermil demanded. ¡°You need to run! I told Lee to¡ª¡±

    ¡°You are not killing yourself for this,¡± Moxie snarled, striding forward. The trees at her sides shuddered. Then, with a series of loud tearing crunching noises, they split apart. Jagged blades of ashen wood rose into the air around her, gathering behind the woman like the churning form of a vengeful angel.

    ¡°How can you conceal yourself from me?¡± Garina demanded. ¡°What manner of magic could you possibly have that can fool my power? Is this how you¡¯re hiding the Rank 7?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no Rank 7,¡± Vermil said. ¡°They¡¯re gone, Garina. Destroyed. The only one here of any interest to you is me. Let Moxie leave.¡±

    Moxie pulled her hood back. Instantly, Garina¡¯s senses could feel her once more. The woman was a Rank 4, just like Vermil.

    ¡°Wrong,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. Lee told me what happened. The gods can get shafted. They don¡¯t get to make demands of us. Especially after we saw how badly Decras fucked everything in the Damned Plains. He owes an entire race an apology.¡±

    The Damned Plains? You can¡¯t be serious. They know a lot of demons, but these two little pipsqueaks have been to the Damned Plains and know enough about them to know that Decras created the demons?

    What is going on?

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Garina asked.

    ¡°Someone who¡¯s had it up to her neck with people trying to kill us,¡± Moxie replied. She thrust her hand forward and the shards of wood exploded forward in an ashen wave.

    Garina flicked her fingers. A wall of pressure shot out from her. It shattered and disintegrated the wood before it could get anywhere close to her. But, even as the cloud of ash exploded from their remains, something prickled against her domain.

    The chills running down her back doubled in intensity.

    Dark green and black magic lit behind Moxie¡¯s eyes. Her shadow stretched out along the ground and the dead trees around her shuddered. Then prickles of life appeared upon their surfaces. The burnt bark healed. Broken limbs regenerated.

    Fresh matter appeared where there had only been death. Sickly black smoke poured out from the healed trees. It twisted into Moxie¡¯s outstretched hands, pouring into her palms. Thorned tattoos appeared upon her skin and wound up her arms, working their way toward her heart.

    Garina had never seen the rune at work, but that mattered for nothing. Its pattern was far too similar for her to have forgotten it. It was the power of Decras¡¯ one and only true child.

    It was the might of the Lord of Death.

    ¡°Sievan,¡± Garina breathed. ¡°How do you have Sievan¡¯s Rune?¡±

    ¡°Close, but wrong again,¡± Moxie said, her teeth pulled back in a snarl. ¡°This is Eternal Cycle. I made it with Fragmented Master Runes from Sievan. It¡¯s my Master Rune, not his.¡±

    Someone would have to have an incredible understanding over the pattern of life and death to manifest a rune like that. How would a Rank 4 have achieved that?

    ¡°He gave you the pieces to make a rune like that? Sievan protects the power of death from those who would abuse it. You expect me to believe he would just give it to a random mortal? And you expect me to trust, even with power like this, that you managed to kill a Rank 7?¡±

    ¡°I never said we killed the Rank 7,¡± Vermil said. ¡°Just that they¡¯re gone. Moxie, she¡¯s Rank 7. You need to take the kids and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Where are we going to run from a Rank 7? She¡¯ll be on our asses the moment you go down. At least the two of us have a chance.¡±

    Garina¡¯s attention caught on Vermil¡¯s words. Something about the way he¡¯d said the Rank 7 was gone was¡­ wrong.

    Then her eyes widened as an impossible thought struck her.

    No. That can¡¯t be it, but nothing else makes sense. The power he stole from Decras was the ability to carve runes apart? That¡¯s why there was a Rank 6 a moment ago. He cut her down from Rank 7 ¡ª but that shouldn¡¯t be possible. The Almighty Sever is Decras¡¯ Divine Rune! A mortal could never have absorbed something like that into their own soul. He should have gotten one of Decras¡¯ weaker runes, not his true one. A Divine Rune, even if its powers had been weakened, would completely crush a mortal existence unless there was an immense¡­

    Counterbalance.

    And just like that, everything finally clicked together.

    That¡¯s why the Church of Repose is searching for him. Renewal doesn¡¯t want Decras¡¯ power. He¡¯s got her in him as well. This little mortal didn¡¯t steal from one god.

    He stole from two.

    And if I don¡¯t deal with him here and now, then it won¡¯t be just the Apostles that are at my neck.

    It¡¯ll be Renewal as well.

 Chapter 601: Call me

    A second dragged on like thick molasses. Garina stood frozen between duty and desire. For one of the first times in her life, neither path she saw before her led to victory. She couldn¡¯t just crush her problems beneath the heel of her power.

    The Garina of just a few mere months ago would never had an issue with this. Vermil would have already been captured ¡ª or dead ¡ª and the problem never would have had a chance to come into being.

    But the Garina of that time had nothing to lose. She hadn¡¯t cared about anything other than her duties. She hadn¡¯t realized just how much she enjoyed her time with Ferdinand until now ¡ª and now there was a chance she¡¯d never get another quiet moment with him again. Not if she wanted to keep him away from the prying eyes of the other apostles.

    Damn it all.

    The Garina of the past was no more. All the immense might that she was so proud of was just about as useful as a bag of sand. It could do absolutely nothing to dig her a way out of the deepening hole she found herself standing in.

    Her thoughts blurred through her mind at a speed that a mortal brain could never comprehend. Vermil and Moxie were still on the same thought that they had been on at the start of the second, but even Garina couldn¡¯t sit around thinking forever.

    I have to focus. There has to be a way through this. My orders were to bring the one who Decras sought back to the other apostles alive. There are a total of three options for how this plays out.

    <ol>

    <li> I fight and he kills himself. Decras doesn¡¯t get what he wants. I fail my mission and Ferdinand loses his cover. Fail on both counts. This can¡¯t happen.</li>

    <li> I capture Vermil alive and bring him in as ordered. Something tells me that won¡¯t be possible without killing Moxie and some of the other mortals. I ruin my pride and lie to Frederick. He eventually finds out. His cover is gone and someone like him would never forgive me for slaughtering mortals. He¡¯s too soft. Another utter failure.</li>

    <li> I let Vermil go and pretend I didn¡¯t see him. The Rank 7 is gone. He dealt with them himself. Technically speaking, my job is done. But if the other Apostles figure out what¡¯s happened¡­ I¡¯m dead. Ferdinand is too ¡ª and at the rate things are going, this idiot Vermil is going to kill himself before I get a chance to make a decision myself. </li>

    </ol>

    Every single option was bad. Garina grit her teeth. There simply wasn¡¯t an easy solution to this. It boiled down to one simple question: did she care more about pissing off Decras and Renewal, two literal gods, or keeping the life that she¡¯d only gotten a taste of?

    She made her decision in a split instant.

    ¡°Put that damn magic away,¡± Garina ordered. ¡°I¡¯m not fighting you, so dismiss it before someone notices.¡±

    Vermil and Moxie both stared at her.

    ¡°What?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°You heard me. I came here looking for a Rank 7. I don¡¯t see one. The fact that this scruffy little shit happened to be the one being in the entirety of this world that I couldn¡¯t afford to run into was just pure bad luck.¡±

    Vermil didn¡¯t release his magic, but the black smoke pouring off his body reduced in intensity. He was being unbelievably unmotivated about stopping his own soul from burning away. The idiot was probably already slow in the head from the amount of soul damage he¡¯d given himself.

    ¡°How can we trust you?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°Because I could crush you ¡ª and all the other mortals hiding in the trees waiting to get themselves killed ¡ª in the time it takes me to blink.¡±

    Moxie paused. She glanced over her shoulder.

    Lee stepped out from the treeline and Silvertide followed after her.

    ¡°What are you doing here Lee? Silvertide?¡± Moxie demanded. ¡°You were supposed to get the kids out!¡±

    ¡°Brayden is with them,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°We were not about to leave you to fight a Rank 7 alone. I believed a surprise attack would have increased our chances, though I¡¯ve never had the misfortune to fight a Rank 7 before. I didn¡¯t think they existed.¡±

    ¡°There would be no fight,¡± Garina said. ¡°You would all be dead in the blink of an eye.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not going with you,¡± Lee said, her fists clenching at her sides. She shifted into a fighting stance. ¡°You can¡¯t have him.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want him,¡± Garina snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? I don¡¯t want to be anywhere near this fool. His mere existence threatens everything. So put that damnable Divine Rune away, you fool. Are you trying to bring the entire world down on top of you? I need you to stay hidden.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°But you just said¡ª¡±

    ¡°Forget what I said,¡± Garina snapped. ¡°I changed my mind. None of you saw me today. I never saw any of you. We¡¯ve met once, and it was when we had a surprisingly enjoyable dinner together. And Vermil ¡ª never let Decras or Renewal find you. You must remain hidden. My sandwiches depend on it.¡±

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    ¡°Your what now?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s understandable,¡± Lee said with a slow nod. ¡°She¡¯s being serious. I can taste it. Nobody jokes about their sandwiches.¡±

    ¡°What, are you Aylin now?¡± Vermil asked, but the immense amount of magical energy pouring out of him stemmed. He was smart enough not to cut off connection to the rune instantly, which would have released all of its power directly upon himself all at once, killing him on the spot.

    What is with this lack of fear toward me? They respect my power but speak normally to me and each other. How many times have they fought an opponent that¡¯s capable of crushing them all on the spot?

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to leave, then?¡± Moxie asked. She still hadn¡¯t released her own Master Rune. ¡°Just like that?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Garina replied. ¡°Just like that. And should I get my wish, we will never meet again until you reach Rank 7.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible?¡± Silvertide¡¯s eyes widened.

    Despite the situation, the corner of Garina¡¯s lips twitched up.

    Mortals can be so cute. Acting as if Rank 7 was the peak of power¡­ if only they knew.

    ¡°For some, inevitable,¡± Garina said. ¡°But that day will come when it comes. All that matters is that nobody ever¡­¡±

    Ice bit at the edges of Garina¡¯s domain. Something blurred through the kingdom at a blinding speed ¡ª and it was headed right in their direction. Familiar power burned within it.

    Her sentence died as it reached her lips. Every single one of her senses screamed a warning. The blood rushed out of her face, turning pale skin somehow even paler.

    It was the magic of an Apostle.

    Oh, fuck. You can¡¯t be serio¡ª

    A black comet ripped through the clouds and hurtled straight down toward the burnt forest. It moved so fast that none of the mortals even realized it had arrived until it slammed into the ground directly before Garina, unfolding into the form of a huge man.

    He was clad in obsidian armor and bore a massive broadsword upon his back. Instead of a helm, a heavy hood was pulled over his features. No light passed beneath it, leaving his face as nothing but a void of empty darkness.

    The mortals all let out startled curses.

    Warning bells rang with such intensity in Garina¡¯s head that they nearly deafened her. This was worse than bad. It was Crone, the second of the Apostles. She hadn¡¯t fought him in a long time, but the last time they¡¯d sparred, it had been a tie.

    He¡¯d spent almost every waking moment since then in training ¡ª and she¡¯d spent them as a guard dog.

    Shit. Maybe he didn¡¯t sense ¡ª

    ¡°Where are they?¡± Crone asked, his voice like the whisper of a dozen men all speaking as one. ¡°I felt the Master¡¯s energy in a new form. I was beginning to think you were slacking in your duties, but it seems you have beat me to the scene.¡±

    Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

    This is bad. This is really bad.

    ¡°He¡­ uh¡­¡± Garina coughed into a fist and trailed off, her mind failing her.

    Crone¡¯s head turned as his invisible gaze swept over the gathered mortals. ¡°Which one, Garina? We¡¯re going to break the mortals if we subject them to our presence for too long. The stench is everywhere, and your nose has always been better than mine. Don¡¯t worry about me taking your valor. The credit for the hunt will go solely to the Apostle¡¯s bloodhound.¡±

    ¡°Watch your mouth,¡± Garina hissed, stepping toward Crone and baring her sharp teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t get familiar just because it¡¯s been a while since we last fought. Keep calling me a dog and I¡¯ll find out what your throat tastes like.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to take you up on a fight when the time is better, but this takes priority. A direct order from the Master himself cannot be disobeyed,¡± Crone said. ¡°On with it, Garina. Which one?¡±

    Moxie caught Garina¡¯s eye. Ironclad determination gripped the mortal woman¡¯s features. Garina¡¯s mind accelerated. Moxie¡¯s lungs were expanding. She was about to speak ¡ª and even though not a single word had passed between the two of them, Garina knew what she was going to do.

    What a brave, stupid move. She¡¯s going to say that she¡¯s the one Decras is looking for to throw them off Vermil¡¯s scent.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡ª¡± Moxie started.

    ¡°You are mistaken,¡± Garina said loudly.

    ¡°What?¡± Crone tilted his head to the side. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°The one Decras is looking for isn¡¯t here.¡±

    ¡°Do you take me for a fool? I felt them, Garina. There was an immense rune with the same characteristics as that of the Master upon this plane. What else could that possibly¡ª¡±

    ¡°Idiot. The one you felt was my student.¡±

    ¡°Your¡­ student?¡± Garina could feel Crone¡¯s gaze burning into her from beneath his hood. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Garina strode forward and slapped a hand down on Vermil¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Right here. I¡¯ve been training a mortal up to deal with some of the more annoying tasks that I couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with. This is my student.¡±

    Crone stared at her. Then, slowly, he turned to look down at Vermil. The Apostle was easily two heads taller than him.

    It took everything Garina had to keep herself from wiping her forehead with the back of a sleeve.

    ¡°Your¡­ student,¡± Crone repeated. ¡°And what, pray tell, have you taught a mortal? You claim that the feeling I felt just now was not Master¡¯s stolen rune, but one you gave him?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Garina said. ¡°He¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not another word from you,¡± Crone ordered, his Rune Force infusing his words. Pressure slammed into Garina and drove her jaw shut. He¡¯d directed the attack solely at her, so none of the mortals had been crushed instantly beneath it. Crone crouched so he and Vermil were eye-to-eye. ¡°You are her student?¡±

    Gods, I hope this scruffy fool is quick on the uptake and a better actor than he looks.

    If he isn¡¯t, we¡¯re all¡­

    Garina¡¯s thoughts trailed off for the second time that day. Because, instead of fear, there was something else glistening within Vermil¡¯s eyes.

    His entire demeanor had shifted on a dime.

    For, on his face, was not the look of prey.

    It was that of a hunter.

    ¡°Pleasure to meet you. Garina has been a bit tight-lipped about her co-workers, so I¡¯ve been positively shaking to make your acquaintance,¡± Vermil said, extending a hand as his lips curled in a measured smile. ¡°You can call me Spider.¡±

 Chapter 602: Empty in the head

    Years of training were the only thing that let Garina keep her body still from the nervous energy pumping through her. She could do nothing but watch as Crone loomed over Vermil, staring down at the mortal¡¯s extended hand.

    Garina couldn¡¯t remember the last time that she¡¯d been so worried about a conversation. Even the revelation from the Prophet that Decras had sent for a mortal hadn¡¯t shaken her like this. A distant part of her mind squirmed in unease.

    This is what happens when you give yourself weaknesses. Ferdinand was a mistake. Getting attached to someone weaker than yourself is just asking to be hurt.

    That part of her mind barely managed to squeeze out its protest before logic crushed it out. Garina only needed one look around the clearing to tell that her thought couldn¡¯t have been farther from reality.

    All the mortals that had stepped out to face certain death in a fight against her for Vermil¡¯s sake had made that evident enough. Perhaps care was a weakness now, but if they managed to survive until they were powerful¡­

    Such bonds were rare amongst powerful mages. Most of them didn¡¯t get to where they were by being trusting. The path to power that Garina had walked was strewn in corpses and painted in blood. Most others of note had walked the path alongside her.

    An entire group of high Rank 7 mages that trusted each other to this degree¡­ the back of Garina¡¯s neck prickled.

    They would be able to destroy the Apostles. Even the Church of Repose is only held together by strained string and smiling faces that conceal blades in the dark. Everyone is in it for their own gain.

    Unfortunately, Vermil¡¯s group were not yet a small army of Rank 7 monsters. They were a smattering of weak mortals standing before the second Apostle.

    ¡°What game do you play at, Garina?¡± Crone demanded. ¡°This pathetic little scruffy twig? You want me to believe this is your disciple?¡±

    ¡°It does not matter what you believe,¡± Garina said, letting derision seep into her words. She considered spitting on the ground but dismissed it. There was no need to get that crass. She nodded to Vermil¡¯s hand. ¡°Acknowledge my apprentice.¡±

    ¡°I will not,¡± Crone said. He ignored Vermil¡¯s hand and reached up for the hilt of the huge sword hanging from his back. ¡°I am not a fool, Garina. This is not your apprentice. This is the one we sought. You are attempting to hide him from me to collect the reward yourself.¡±

    Fuck.

    Whelp. No helping it, then. Between the Apostles or Ferdinand¡­ these bedsheet wearing fuckers can eat dirt and so can Decras. It¡¯ll be fun to see how I match up against Crone after all these years.

    Garina ignored the nervous pit in the bottom of her stomach. She ignored the knowledge that if Crone really had kept training since they¡¯d last fought, she¡¯d be no match against him. There were some things that were just worth taking the risk for.

    If I lose, I hope Ferdinand ¡ª no.

    I¡¯m not losing.

    She started to shift into a fighting stance.

    ¡°Hey, shithead,¡± Vermil said, snapping his fingers like an impatient mother. ¡°We were speaking.

    The huge Apostle slowly looked back down to the mortal. His expression was unreadable, but Garina could feel the annoyance building within him like rising water crashing against a dam.

    ¡°You know not who you speak to. Be silent, wretch.¡±

    ¡°I know exactly who I¡¯m speaking to,¡± Vermil replied. ¡°Garina hasn¡¯t kept me completely in the dark about the incompetent idiots she has to share a poor sense of fashion with. And frankly ¡ª what were you, Rank 7? That¡¯s not nearly strong enough to be acting like such a cocky shit.¡±

    Crone¡¯s attention shifted fully away from Garina. ¡°Are you seeking death?¡±

    ¡°Seeking dea¡ª God, man. That¡¯s your line? I think I¡¯d kill myself if I ever said something that cheesy. Maybe you should focus your training on not sounding like an edgy twelve year old next. I know you¡¯re young, but please. Try to have some respect for yourself.¡±

    Confusion gripped Crone. His hand hovered just above the hilt of his blade as he likely tried to figure out what was happening. If his theory about Vermil was correct ¡ª and it was ¡ª then killing the mortal would cause them to fail Decras¡¯ orders.

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    ¡°You call me young?¡± Crone asked incredulously. ¡°I was old before the wretched city you were born in had a single brick laid. Compared to me, you are a child.¡±

    ¡°Your age is measured in cities? That makes you¡­ what, a few hundred years old? That¡¯s cute. I was just speaking with Sievan a few days ago. I think we spent that long pondering on dinner.¡±

    Crone tilted his head to the side. ¡°What? How do you know that name?¡±

    ¡°We were visiting him a short while ago. Family field trip,¡± Vermil replied through a snort. ¡°Are you dense? Why else would I go to the Damned Plains? For fun? It was for practice.¡±

    ¡°You ¡ª no. Impossible. I refuse to believe that Garina has a disciple. She couldn¡¯t teach a dog to play dead. Why would any of us choose a pathetic mortal from Arbalest?¡±

    Vermil let out a burst of laughter. ¡°Oh, you are dense. Not only do you think that I took Decras¡¯ rune, but you think I¡¯m a mortal?¡±

    Garina¡¯s eyes would have twitched if she didn¡¯t have such extensive control over them. Vermil had been heading down the right path for a moment there. She¡¯d seen cracks starting to form in Crone¡¯s defenses, but claiming to not be a mortal was the absolute worst move that Vermil possibly could have made.

    Shit. This isn¡¯t good.

    ¡°You sign your own life away with your lies,¡± Crone said. His hand closed down around the hilt of his sword. ¡°Garina coached you.¡±

    ¡°Moxie?¡± Vermil prompted.

    Without a word, Moxie drew on her Master Rune.

    Crone stiffened. ¡°Sievan¡¯s power. But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sievan¡¯s power,¡± Vermil mocked in the tone of an impudent child. ¡°Idiot. What is it going to take to get this through your thick skull? Or are you going to insinuate that we managed to steal something from the Lord of Death as well? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d just start to worry that every single one of you was incompetent. I mean, seriously, how many people can get their runes stolen before you start wondering where the problem really lies?¡±

    Crone¡¯s fingers tightened. Then they relaxed. Then they tightened again. The man had never been the most intelligent of the Apostles, and the bafflingly aggressive manner that Vermil bore was enough to throw even Garina completely off balance.

    I can¡¯t even provide him any support. I don¡¯t have the faintest clue as to what¡¯s happening or what he¡¯s planning.

    ¡°Your arrogance¡­ just like Garina,¡± Crone said in disgust. ¡°Perhaps her stench really has rubbed off on you. To not only meet Sievan but to give his rune away to a worthless mortal woman¡­ unbelievable. You are a liar that spews filth, but if you are truly just her disciple, then it is only right for you to meet the Prophet.¡±

    That bastard! This is a trap. The Prophet will see right through any bullshit and recognize Decras¡¯ magic on the spot. We can¡¯t let that happen.

    Garina didn¡¯t get a chance to say anything. Vermil¡¯s features had sharpened in anger the moment that Crone mentioned Moxie and the man had already started to respond.

    ¡°No. We¡¯re busy right now, and I¡¯m not inclined to do anything you want until you apologize,¡± Vermil said.

    Crone stared at him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You were wrong,¡± Vermil said. There was real anger in his words. ¡°You insulted Garina. You insulted me. That calls for an apology.¡±

    ¡°And pray tell, what insult did I give you but the truth?¡±

    ¡°You said I was a liar,¡± Vermil replied. ¡°You claimed that I was just a child.¡±

    ¡°You are.¡±

    ¡°I can prove that I¡¯m not.¡±

    Crone let out a dark laugh. ¡°Is that so? Can you, now?¡±

    ¡°Quite easily. All you have to do is lower your domain and let me into your mind. I¡¯ve got a Mind Rune. I¡¯ll lay myself bare to you and we can see what I¡¯m been lying about. And after that, you¡¯re going to apologize to Garina and me ¡ª and then you¡¯re going to fuck off.¡±

    ¡°And if you fail to prove that you are not a liar? How will you atone?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill myself.¡±

    Crone snorted. ¡°No. If you are a liar, then you are the one we seek. I will need you alive. If you wish me to accept this deal, then Garina will kiss my boots when you are proven wrong. How does that suffice?¡±

    Garina¡¯s back stiffened. She nearly blurred into an attack on the spot. Crone had gotten even more arrogant since the last time they¡¯d fought ¡ª or perhaps he was just trying to goad her into revealing their hand.

    There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to debase myself to that degree. There are limits to everything.

    ¡°Done,¡± Vermil said before Garina could say a word.

    You squirmy little shit!

    ¡°Of course,¡± Vermil continued, his eyes darkening. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty nasty request. I think it¡¯s only fair that you pay a deeper punishment if I¡¯m not lying.¡±

    ¡°What? You wish for me to face the same punishment?¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t give a shit about your foot fetish,¡± Vermil replied. ¡°If I¡¯m right, I want you to perfectly copy one motion I do. It will take no longer than three seconds. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°Accepted,¡± Crone said without an instant of hesitation. Garina could feel his smirk from beneath his hood. ¡°That is, assuming your mentor is willing to swear on it as well. Should she have any faith in her student, I¡¯m certain it should be no issue.¡±

    Anger pulsed in Garina with such intensity that it threatened to pour out of her ears. She forced herself to remain calm. Vermil had to be playing at something ¡ª but Crone hadn¡¯t chosen his words lightly.

    Any promises between the Apostles were sworn on Decras¡¯ name. Breaking it was equivalent to calling down the wrath of every other Apostle.

    If I agree to this¡­ I¡¯ll actually have to do it.

    I swear to any god that¡¯s listening, Vermil. If you haven¡¯t thought this through, I¡¯m going to fucking murder your entire family tree.

    ¡°I swear to it,¡± Garina said through clenched teeth.

    ¡°As do I. Look forward to what comes next, Garina,¡± Crone said with a dark laugh. He crouched before Vermil so they were both at the same head level. ¡°My domain is relaxed, boy. Show me what it is you believe will prove that I am a liar. This will be fun.¡±

    ¡°It will be fun, but not for you.¡± Vermil set his hands on either side of Crone¡¯s head. ¡°Allow me to show you eternity. Empty Proliferation.¡±

 Chapter 603: The Mortal

    Garina didn¡¯t have the slightest idea as to what Vermil could have been planning when he grabbed Crone¡¯s head. Even with Decras¡¯ magic, there was no power he possessed that had a chance of causing any real harm to the Apostle.

    The moment Vermil tried to release an actual attack, Crone would kill him. The difference between their souls would be larger than the size of an ant and an elephant. There was simply no way to bridge that gap.

    Could Renewal possess some ability that Vermil plans to call upon to kill Crone? No. She¡¯s no more powerful than Decras ¡ª and even if she were, Vermil wouldn¡¯t be able to harness that magic. His other runes are too weak to resist the pressure of such strength.

    That means he¡¯s planning on somehow outsmarting Crone?

    Garina¡¯s fists clenched at her sides. That was not a smart plan. Crone wasn¡¯t exactly the most intelligent Apostle, but he was no fool. He couldn¡¯t be fooled by a desperate mortal with no plan. If Vermil was planning to somehow fabricate evidence in his mind, it would fail.

    And if he failed¡­

    Garina¡¯s stomach churned in fury and disgust. Her fingers twitched at her sides. It would have been easy to stride forward ¡ª to drive her pointed fingernails through the other Apostle¡¯s eye and kill him on the spot before he could react.

    But she couldn¡¯t do that. Her honor would have died a painful death at the notion¡­ and Crone knew it. She wasn¡¯t sure if shame or honor would kill her first, but at the rate things were going, she was getting the sinking feeling that she was going to find out.

    Damn it all. How did I get myself into this situation? Why did I agree to let Vermil do this? How far have I fallen from what I once was that I¡¯m willing to risk so much just so I can have some damn peace?

    Garina¡¯s nails bit into her palms. Blood dripped down her fingers and fell to the ground of the burnt forest.

    Then her thoughts missed a beat.

    Something was wrong.

    There should have been concern in the faces of the other mortals. Even if they weren¡¯t the ones that were about to be forced to humiliate themselves, they had to know that Vermil would not be making it out of this alive if he lost the bet.

    Crone was going to take him to the rest of the Apostles, and they would bring him to Decras. No mortal was going to survive a meeting with a god.

    But in the face of all of that, the only one of Vermil¡¯s allies that looked concerned was the old man.

    And that didn¡¯t add up in the slightest. Garina was not blind. She¡¯d always prided herself on being observant. Vermil and Moxie were clearly more than just friends. But Moxie ¡ª the one that should have been the most worried ¡ª looked more relaxed now than she had when Garina had arrived.

    Lee shared a similar expression, and it wasn¡¯t one that fit the situation in the slightest. It was not the expression of one whose friend was about to be killed.

    It was the one of someone who knew they had already won.

    What¡¯s going on? Are they fools? They can¡¯t possibly believe that Vermil is actually going to get the upper hand over Crone. There¡¯s no universe that a Rank 4, no matter who he is, will be able to match souls against a Rank 7.

    That means they think Vermil was actually telling the truth. But that isn¡¯t possible. He had to have been lying. Vermil is a mortal. Nothing he claimed could have been true. So what am I missing?

    Crone twitched in Vermil¡¯s grip. His expression shifted, screwing up as if in agony, and Garina¡¯s eyes went wide.

    A droplet of blood ran down from his nose. It traced across his lips as if in slow motion, continuing down across his face.

    Garina¡¯s gaze followed the drop as it beaded at the bottom of his chin and fell, landing on the ground with such an audible drip that she could have sworn it echoed in her ears.

    What?

    Crone¡¯s eyes snapped open. They¡¯d gone bloodshot and wild, darting around the clearing as if they were unable to comprehend what they saw. The Apostle ripped himself free of Vermil¡¯s grasp and jerked to his feet, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to rise.

    Vermil¡¯s hands dropped to his sides and he stood as well. His features were unreadable. He simply watched as the Apostle, 3 ranks above him, gasped desperately for air as he re-grounded himself in the world.

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    Confusion exploded through Garina¡¯s mind. Something behind Crone¡¯s eyes had changed. His pupils had dilated; his gaze was wide and vacant. He stared straight past all of them as if he were watching something that wasn¡¯t there.

    The Apostle didn¡¯t even seem to notice the small river of blood tracing down from his nose and dripping from his chin.

    ¡°What are you?¡± Crone rasped.

    ¡°That was never part of the question,¡± Vermil replied. He adjusted the collar of his jacket. ¡°You lose, Crone. Admit it. I¡¯m older than you.¡±

    Crone could do nothing but let out an agonized, wheezing laugh. It seemed the full control of his senses hadn¡¯t returned to him yet.

    Vermil¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Unless you still don¡¯t believe me? I¡¯d be happy to run through all of that with you a second time.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ were telling the truth. I should not have lowered all my barriers and allowed a creature such as yourself into my mind,¡± Crone ground out. He wiped his face with the back of a hand and squeezed his eyes shut. When they opened again, much of his former self had returned. Much ¡ª but not all. ¡°Someone like this¡­ now I see. You chose a fragment of a monster as your disciple. What I saw was not of Decras, but that does not mean he does not possess Decras¡¯ rune. This could still be the mortal that stole his rune. If you were willing to train an abomination like this, then you may have already turned your back on the rest of us.¡±

    Garina stared in disbelief. The words hitting her ears echoed as they passed through their mind. Nothing made sense.

    What the fuck am I watching? Did¡­ Vermil win the bet? What happened in there? And what is he talking about? And what is this about a fragment of a monster, much less the other shit he¡¯s saying?

    ¡°We¡¯re not done here,¡± Vermil said, snapping his fingers. ¡°Finish our bet first ¡ª unless you have no honor?¡±

    ¡°I have honor,¡± Crone snarled. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, his gaze re-focusing on Vermil. ¡°We who follow in the Master¡¯s footsteps have nothing but honor. It is our duty. Go on, abomination. Choose your action. I will copy it. I do not know what you seek to achieve with this. Will you debase yourself?¡±

    Vermil turned and strode over to Garina. He pointed at a dagger at her thigh and she wordlessly handed it over, still trying to understand what was going on. Vermil marched back to stand before Crone.

    ¡°Would you stop with your weird fetish shit?¡± Vermil demanded. ¡°At this point, it almost seems like you¡¯re hoping to do it, but don¡¯t wrap me up in that. But, before we get started, what happens if you refuse?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Crone¡¯s features tightened in anger. ¡°You insinuate I would be unable to do anything you commit yourself to? My resolve is unshakable. There is no humiliation too great¡ª¡±

    ¡°Answer the question. What happens if you fail?¡±

    The anger in Crone¡¯s face turned to fury and he pounded a fist against an open palm. ¡°It is impossible. I will do anything that you do. But if it will get you to finish this worthless discussion and get on with it, then fine. I will do whatever you ask of me. No restrictions or limits beyond turning my back on the Master. I will not betray him¡­ though it matters not. I will not fail. My motion will mirror yours perfectly.¡±

    ¡°Good to hear,¡± Vermil said. He moved his hand, bringing Garina¡¯s dagger up to his back so its handle lined up perfectly with the handle of Crone¡¯s sword. ¡°Prepared, I hope?¡±

    ¡°Pain does not scare me,¡± Crone said, taking his sword hilt in his hand. ¡°Do as you will. You are only mortal. I am a follower of the Master. There is nothing you can do that I cannot.¡±

    Vermil lifted Garina¡¯s blade in a wide motion, then brought it to rest at the side of his neck.

    ¡°This should be fun, then,¡± Vermil said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you on the other side.¡±

    Then, without another word, he carved through his own neck. The long dagger sliced through it in a single clean motion, sliding free of the other side even as the strength slipped from his body.

    Garina¡¯s mouth dropped open in abject disbelief.

    Across from her, the elderly man¡¯s eyes bulged in horror. He took a step forward, dropping his staff as he reached out to stop Vermil but nowhere near close or fast enough to move in time to have stopped him.

    Vermil¡¯s body pitched forward. It crashed to the ground, his head rolling and thumping as it bounced off his back and landed on the burnt ground beside the corpse, joining it in a growing pool of blood.

    Crone did not move.

    He stared at the corpse, the sword at the edge of his neck, lips parting.

    ¡°What?¡± he breathed, then in a higher tone, ¡°What?¡±

    Vermil had killed himself.

    Madman.

    Why would he do that? For the sake of his students? What level of conviction does it take to sever your own life like that?

    ¡°Do it,¡± Garina whispered. She swallowed. Her gaze sharpened. ¡°Copy him, Crone. That was the bet.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª I can¡¯t do that,¡± Crone said, licking his lips. ¡°What manner of fool kills themselves? That¡¯s impossible to copy! I will not throw my life away for such a worthless task. What did he think he would get out of this? The deal was with him, not any of you. If the mortal is gone, then it¡ª¡±

    ¡°Gone is a strong word.¡± A voice echoed through the forest.

    Garina¡¯s blood went cold just as her domain prickled in recognition. It should have been impossible, but her domain was not one that could be tricked so easily. There was no doubting what she felt ¡ª and she could tell by the look on Crone¡¯s face that he felt it too.

    She, along with everyone else in the clearing, spun.

    Vermil strode out from the trees, as naked as the day he was born. He plucked a leaf from his hair and flicked it to the side, his eyes as cold as a dead sea.

    Garina couldn¡¯t help herself. She took a step back.

    This didn¡¯t make any sense. Vermil had definitely died. That hadn¡¯t been an illusion. She¡¯d felt him die¡­ and she¡¯d felt him return.

    ¡°You know, you keep calling me a mortal.¡± Vermil strode over to his corpse and lifted his own head by the hair. He pulled his own severed head¡¯s mouth up into a grotesque smile with two fingers and shook it in disappointment before tossing it to the ground, where it rolled to a stop at Crone¡¯s feet. ¡°I don¡¯t think you know what mortal means. Now, get on with it. Copy me as you promised to ¡ª or admit defeat. Which will it be?¡±

 Chapter 604: Offer

    For several long seconds, Crone stared at Vermil in mute silence. Garina couldn¡¯t even muster the energy to be smug. She just joined him in staring. A part of her was starting to wonder if someone had managed to land a solid blow on the back of her head or if Ferdinand had been sneaking strange substances into their food again.

    Vermil was not satisfied to let the silence rein.

    ¡°Answer my question. Do you admit that you are unable to copy me? Or are you going to run that blade of yours across your throat?¡± Vermil asked. He crossed his arms before his chest, craning his neck back to defiantly meet the Apostle¡¯s gaze. Garina was unsure if the notion was made more or less intimidating by the fact that he was buck naked.

    ¡°I will not,¡± Crone ground out. He twisted the weapon and slammed it back into the sheathe on his back. ¡°You are not the mortal that the Master is looking for. No mortal is capable of magic like that. He does not possess the ability to return from the grave, and a mortal would not have been able to develop such a power from your rank.¡±

    ¡°Great. Don¡¯t really care about the latter bit, though,¡± Vermil said. He tapped his foot impatiently on the ground. ¡°See, you¡¯ve gone and made me strip naked to prove a point.¡±

    Garina resisted the urge to cough into her fist.

    Actually, I¡¯m pretty sure you were the one that stripped naked on your own. He technically didn¡¯t make you do anything, but I¡¯m not about to point that out. It might make him turn in my direction, and then I¡¯ll see a bit more than I¡¯d prefer to.

    ¡°Name your price. I will not betray my word,¡± Crone ground out. ¡°What is it you want?¡±

    Vermil smiled. ¡°A lot of things. I¡¯m tempted to tell you to kill yourself just to see what would happen, but I¡¯m not that cruel. How about I settle for something a little simpler? You might even like it.¡±

    ¡°I will not deprive the Master of one of his greatest warriors. All other requests will be honored, no matter what they may be.¡±

    ¡°You really need to use better wording ¡ª but a deal¡¯s a deal. Here¡¯s your task. From now until I decide otherwise, you will do everything that Garina tells you to. I¡¯ve just proved my innocence. Thus, her loyalty to your master is not in question. That means there¡¯s no reason for there to be any conflict of interest and you have no way to refuse this command. Also, you¡¯re calling her Ma¡¯am from here on out.¡±

    ¡°What? Why wouldn¡¯t a Rank 4¡ª¡±

    ¡°You thought I¡¯d tell you to get me runes or something?¡± Vermil let out a cold laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t need your magic. I¡¯m Rank 4 because I choose to be, Crone. Not because I have to be. Now, where¡¯s that honor you were talking about?¡±

    Garina could hear Crone¡¯s teeth grinding within the darkness of his hood.

    ¡°So long as her orders are not against the service of the Master, then I will heed her.¡±

    This is not how I saw this going. Vermil is a little monster. What did he show Crone while they were together in his soul? He would have ripped most people in two for the mere insinuation that he had to follow someone¡¯s orders, much less mine.

    Then again, I suppose ripping Vermil in two wouldn¡¯t do much of anything at all. What a terrifying power. He must have gotten it from Sievan¡­ and that mean¡¯s he¡¯s incredibly well connected. Sievan wouldn¡¯t even share his Death Runes with the other Apostles.

    ¡°You can fuck off,¡± Garina said, unable to resist the temptation to see if Crone would actually listen.

    ¡°With pleasure.¡±

    ¡°Just that?¡± Vermil raised an eyebrow.

    Crone¡¯s fists tightened at his sides.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to find a way to kill you with honor, Spider. Ready yourself.¡±

    ¡°Do what you please. Now answer Garina properly.¡±

    ¡°With pleasure, Ma¡¯am,¡± Crone ground out. He drove a foot into the packed dirt and there was an earsplitting crack. Black energy exploded across his body and he launched into the air, blurring into the sky and disappearing within a split instant.

    There was a long second of silence. The elderly man still stared at Vermil in abject disbelief, shock so evident in his features that it almost distracted Garina from her own surprise.

    Lee stared at the headless corpse on the ground with an uncomfortably hungry look in her eyes, while Moxie just looked exasperated.

    Then Vermil walked over to his corpse and started pulling the blood-stained clothes off it. He didn¡¯t even look back over to Garina or the air where Crone had vanished. It barely even seemed like he cared.

    ¡°He¡¯s your problem now,¡± Vermil said as he tugged his pants off. A smirk pulled across his lips. ¡°Hope you enjoy dealing with that insufferable prick, Ma¡¯am.¡±

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    ¡°You¡¯re a little shit, Vermil. You know that? Adding the last part in was entirely unnecessary. People are going to think I¡¯m humoring that weird bastard.¡±

    ¡°Then perhaps you shouldn¡¯t have come trying to threaten us. I appreciate you playing along, but I don¡¯t take kindly to people who threaten my friends.¡± Vermil squeezed the blood out of his jacket sleeve before slinging it over himself. ¡°Now, do we have any further business?¡±

    ¡°What, you think I¡¯m just going to leave?¡± Garina asked. ¡°After that?¡±

    ¡°Define what that is.¡±

    ¡°You scared a Rank 7 off. As a Rank 4. Do you have any idea how ridiculous that is?¡± Garina asked. ¡°And you have to realize that the Apostles won¡¯t stay gone forever. It¡¯s only a matter of time before you¡¯re found.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made it this far.¡±

    ¡°Up until you draw on your runes to such an intensity again,¡± Garina said. ¡°Then you¡¯re dead, and I am too. I threw my lot in with you.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have had to if you didn¡¯t come here in the first place.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t change what I did,¡± Garina snapped. ¡°My bigger concern is the future. How are you going to deal with the next Apostle that shows up when they aren¡¯t stupid enough to let you melt their brains? Unless you¡¯re secretly a Rank 7 in hiding¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°Then what will you do?¡±

    ¡°Probably throw you under the wagon.¡±

    Garina¡¯s eye twitched. Vermil was being sarcastic. With her.

    ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you¡¯re insufferable?¡±

    ¡°Quite frequently, yes. I trust there¡¯s somewhere you¡¯re taking this? Because I¡¯ve got a lot of work to do and you¡¯ve caused me more than enough difficulties already.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand the significance of the situation that we¡¯re both stuck in. If the Apostles¡ª¡±

    Vermil spun on his heel, his features turning as dark as a stormy night as he strode up to stand nose-to-nose with Garina. A vein in his neck bulged as he fought to restrain anger that bubbled up from within him like steam escaping a vent in the earth.

    ¡°I know exactly how significant the situation is,¡± Vermil snarled. ¡°But there¡¯s shit all I can do against the other Apostles right now. That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to sit around and waste time. The only way to deal with power like theirs is to grow powerful enough to fight them on my own terms. That isn¡¯t going to happen if I waste time wondering about what to do. I¡¯m just going to get stronger.¡±

    ¡°You think you¡¯ll be able to close the gap between yourself and the Apostles in the short manner of weeks or months it¡¯ll take them to track you down? The stronger you get, the more of your power will leak free.¡±

    ¡°Then perhaps you should look into a solution yourself,¡± Vermil said, the anger vanishing from his features and leaving Garina unsure if it had ever truly been there at all. Even now, she didn¡¯t have the slightest clue as to what his real personality was. He was as unreadable as a moonless night. ¡°Either that or throw them off my trail.¡±

    ¡°Why would I do something like that?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯d assume you have reasons for stepping in the way you did. You¡¯re trying to hide something as well. That means we¡¯re on the same side, doesn¡¯t it?¡± A cold smile pulled across Vermil¡¯s lips. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ how do the Apostles feel about fraternization with people outside the organization? Is Ferdinand doing well?¡±

    Son of a bitch. He¡¯s sharp.

    ¡°There¡¯s no fraternization,¡± Garina said flatly. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ enjoying a little time off. I¡¯ve been watching over this little toy kingdom for far too long. How would you like doing the same shitty, thankless job for generations?¡±

    ¡°It would probably be a pain in the ass,¡± Vermil said with an understanding nod. ¡°So it seems it would be in both of our interest to keep this little alliance of ours. You keep telling people that I¡¯m your student instead of wasting time trying to kill me. I¡¯ll handle things on my end and do my best to make sure our cover doesn¡¯t get blown. We¡¯ll both be happy.¡±

    I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m bargaining with a Rank 4. He¡¯s not asking for what I would have expected. Any Rank 4 should have asked me for Runes to get stronger. I could have boosted him up to Rank 6¡­ but instead, he wants me gone.

    That¡¯s odd. Very odd. Now that he knows our goals should be the same since we¡¯re both fucked if the Apostles discover we were lying, he should be trying to capitalize on it. He¡¯s clearly bold enough to.

    But instead, he¡¯s being abrasive. This isn¡¯t just Vermil being rude. He¡¯s doing this entirely on purpose. He was nothing like this during the dinner we had¡­ and I suspect that was closer to his true personality than this is.

    He¡¯s hiding something.

    Sorry, Vermil. I¡¯m not that easy to manipulate.

    ¡°No,¡± Garina said.

    Vermil blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Your story is going to evaporate the moment an Apostle asks you a single question about us. You don¡¯t even know what Runes I use, nor do you have any techniques that I might have taught you. For that matter, I don¡¯t even know the name of your main Rune.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°How am I meant to pretend to be your student when we know nothing about each other?¡± Garina crossed her arms in front of her chest and arched an eyebrow. ¡°You don¡¯t actually plan to pretend to do anything, do you? You¡¯re just trying to get rid of me.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Garina snorted at that one, and the corner of Vermil¡¯s lip twitched as well. He¡¯d been caught and they both knew it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s be honest with each other for a moment,¡± Garina said. ¡°I genuinely did not want to find you. I came here for a Rank 7 that isn¡¯t here anymore. There¡¯s no animosity between us ¡ª but I will not allow the Apostles to destroy what I¡¯ve built.¡±

    Vermil blew out a long breath. His posture shifted as some of the tension drained out of it and his shoulders relaxed. ¡°I know where you¡¯re coming from. That¡¯s the same position I¡¯m in, but you¡¯re just as much of a threat to my people as the other Apostles are. You have to understand that.¡±

    ¡°I do. But the other Apostles will come. Make no mistake. Being my apprentice is not a coveted title. Our order very rarely takes on new members. You will be tested. And if you fail, so do I.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just say you changed your mind?¡±

    ¡°No. Not that easily. But I have another idea. One that might actually work to conceal what you really are while protecting both of our interests at the same time.¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±

    Garina smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you really are or what powers you possess, but I¡¯d wager there¡¯s still a whole lot you don¡¯t know about this world. Why don¡¯t we make all the bullshit we just spilled real? This is the first time I¡¯ve ever met someone as uniquely deranged as you. It might actually be fun.¡±

    ¡°Wait. Do you mean¡ª¡±

    ¡°I, Garina of the Seven,¡± she extended a hand to Vermil and a dangerous smile played across her features, ¡°extend to you the offer of apprenticeship and access to the full knowledge of an Apostle.¡±

 Chapter 605: Limitations

    Noah stared at Garina¡¯s proffered hand with a blank expression. An offer of apprenticeship from one of Decras¡¯ followers. One of the strongest mages in the world ¡ª and a chance to ally with one of his far-too-numerous enemies.

    They had similar goals. Garina wanted to keep her personal affairs hidden from the other Apostles. Even if Noah didn¡¯t know the specifics of who the Apostles were, it was evident how powerful the group was.

    They were on an entirely different level. Garina herself was evidence of that. She was Rank 7, but not all mages of the same rank were built the same. Noah knew that to be true more than almost anyone else.

    Just as another Rank 4 would have been no threat in the slightest to him, he was confident that Garina was leagues in power above any other Rank 7 he¡¯d met. Her strength felt like it eclipsed Sievan¡¯s rank 7 aide, Zath.

    An offer to study under someone like that was a golden goose. Anyone else in the entire Arbalest Empire would have tripped over themselves in their haste to throw themselves at Garina¡¯s feet and accept it.

    ¡°No thank you,¡± Noah said.

    Garina blinked. Then she blinked again. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a kind offer,¡± Noah said. ¡°And I appreciate your extended hand of friendship, but I don¡¯t want to apprentice under anyone at the moment. Apprenticeships are too restrictive. It would mean I¡¯ve got to actually study under you, and that means less time for my students. I can¡¯t split my priorities like that.¡±

    ¡°Do you realize who I am?¡± Garina asked. There was no arrogance in her voice. It was a genuine question. ¡°I am Garina of the seven. Of every mage you have ever met, the only one who surpasses me is Sievan. I have defended the empire you live in for hundreds of years. There is no other that could give you anywhere near the power that I could. In the span of a mere few days, I could teach you magic that you have never heard of. Magic you could never dream of. And you refuse that¡­ because you have to teach children?¡±

    ¡°Sounds about right, yes. And I¡¯ll be honest. I rather enjoy discovering things. Part of the magic of magic is learning. Every time someone¡¯s told me some absolute about how Runes work, they¡¯ve been wrong. You never know what someone will find out when they have to stumble through it on their own.¡±

    A smile passed over Garina¡¯s features.

    ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly insightful. You¡¯re also far from the first person to come to that conclusion. What do you think the entirety of this Empire is?¡±

    It was Noah¡¯s turn to be surprised. ¡°The Empire? What does that have to do with anything?¡±

    ¡°Did you really think this was all there was to the world?¡± Garina asked with a small laugh. ¡°The Arbalest Empire is a testing zone. It¡¯s a science experiment ¡ª one to determine what happens when people with no true knowledge of Runes are left to their own devices. Well, that isn¡¯t exactly its full extent, but it¡¯s sufficient for the likes of you.¡±

    ¡°Hold on. Wait a moment.¡± Moxie raised her hands. ¡°What are you saying? An experiment? There was a war. The Long Night¡ª¡±

    ¡°A purge,¡± Garina said. ¡°One set about by a number of different factions working in rare unison. The Church of Repose. The Apostles. The Obsidian Gate. The Horde of Man. The Endless Path ¡ª and more. We all wiped every single trace of Rank 7 and above runes from this section of the world. Razed the Locations of Power to ash and let you start over with a new slate. One without external influence or preconceived notions.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to say that everything is just¡­ fake?¡± Moxie asked, aghast.

    ¡°Fake? No. It¡¯s quite real. It¡¯s just that the situation has been a bit¡­ contrived. There are mages who have been seeking a path to godhood for thousands of years. The Arbalest Empire was just one of the methods they hoped to distill information from.¡±

    ¡°It was a failure, then,¡± Silvertide said. He leaned heavily on his staff. ¡°We have not produced a Rank 7 mage.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve produced quite a number of them,¡± Garina replied with a shake of her head. ¡°Hundreds, actually. I just remove them from the baby area before they break any important toys. There¡¯s a ban on any Rank 7 from existing within the Arbalest Empire. We won¡¯t allow it to be destroyed by some brat with an ego problem.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you came for Yoru,¡± Noah breathed. ¡°You¡¯re the janitor.¡±

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°That¡¯s an apt way to put it.¡±

    ¡°The Bastions, then?¡± Moxie asked. ¡°What was their purpose? If the War was all fake, then why have massive stocks of powerful artifacts?¡±

    ¡°Come, now. Do you really think there would be anything that powerful in a little hole like this? There are a few trinkets and toys stored within the Bastions that I¡¯m sure the nobles of this area are convinced to be of immense strength¡­ but the vast majority of the items stored in the Bastions are not weapons of war.¡± Garina let out a loud laugh. Perhaps an overly loud one.

    ¡°Research,¡± Noah said. ¡°They¡¯re research probes. Or portals of some kind?¡±

    Garina smiled. ¡°Well done. The Bastions house information transmitters. They send information on upcoming Rank 7s to the factions that started the Arbalest Empire. As you said, Vermil. A fresh take on knowledge is very valuable.¡±

    This whole kingdom is a giant petri dish. That¡¯s¡­ brutal. It makes so many things click, though. That¡¯s why there has never been a recorded Rank 7. It¡¯s not because it¡¯s impossible to do it. It¡¯s because Garina just yoinks them away.

    ¡°And that¡¯s what you want to do to N ¡ª Vermil?¡± Lee asked, her eyes narrowing. ¡°You want to take him away?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Garina said. ¡°If he wants to stand against the apostles, then he will need to be a Rank 7. I can¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said. ¡°I appreciate the offer, Garina, but I have no interest of abandoning my students or my friends. No matter what this empire may be, I have no plans to leave until my work here is done.¡±

    ¡°How do you plan to deal with the Apostles when they come for you and you are a Rank 4?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be a Rank 5 by the time I next see an Apostle. And I have no plans to fight them head on. There are far more effective ways to battle than to sling magic around ¡ª as I just demonstrated with Crone.¡±

    Garina pursed her lips. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and tilted her head to the side. ¡°Arrogant.¡±

    ¡°A bit.¡±

    ¡°I suspect I will not be able to convince you to leave.¡±

    ¡°You will not.¡±

    ¡°Idiot.¡± Garina pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°But I can sense your Runes are far too strong for a Rank 4 of this area. I take it you¡¯ve determined how to make Complete Runes?¡±

    A pang of mild surprise passed through Noah.

    So we aren¡¯t the only ones that managed to discover Flawless Runes, then. I suppose it makes sense. There¡¯s no way the entire world would have been blind to this, but it¡¯s still good to know that we¡¯re ahead of all the people in the Arbalest Empire that didn¡¯t just get fed the information. I guess that was the point of the science experiment. To see what mages can accomplish on our own.

    ¡°I call them Flawless,¡± Noah said. There was no point hiding it.

    There was a long pause. Then Garina blew her hair up and let her hands drop to her sides. ¡°There has not been a single Rank 7 from this Empire that figured Complete Runes out¡­ and something about your soul is clearly different. You may be the very thing this empire was built to create. I will not force you to accept my offer, but it leaves us in the same position as before.¡±

    ¡°What if we didn¡¯t quite go so far as a real apprenticeship?¡± Noah asked, tapping a finger against his thigh. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a big jump. I¡¯ve got my tasks, and I¡¯m sure you have things you want to do. How about you just swing by over tea every once and a while?¡±

    Garina stared at him.

    ¡°You want me come by for tea?¡±

    ¡°No commitments. No rules or restrictions. Just two people having a chat. You can tell me what I need to know about the Apostles, and I¡¯ll have no obligation to be dragged off and abandon my students.¡±

    ¡°And you would continue to learn on your own,¡± Garina mused. ¡°It would preserve your approach to magic and potentially reveal something new. But what do I get out of this? An Apprenticeship aids me as well as you. It gives me someone to do minor tasks and take over my less important duties. For me to simply visit you means you think we are equals.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d imagine I can teach you a few things,¡± Noah said.

    Garina studied him for several long seconds. ¡°Who are you, Vermil? When you strip the layers of lies and deceit away, who are you?¡±

    ¡°Depends who you ask.¡±

    ¡°A curious answer. You certainly have my interest, but do you have more than one trick? Teach me something, Vermil. Right now. Tell me something that I do not know. If you can do that and prove I have something to learn from you, then I will accept your offer.¡±

    This is a huge opportunity. If I could actually get Garina to agree to just give us information, it would speed things up by magnitudes that I can¡¯t even comprehend. I can¡¯t let myself get turned into her servant, but a business relationship with her is invaluable.

    The corner of Noah¡¯s lips twitched up in a smile and he turned his gaze to Lee.

    ¡°Look at her.¡±

    Garina tilted her head to the side. ¡°I am aware of the demon.¡±

    ¡°Are you, though? Tell me, Garina. Do you know who made demons?¡±

    ¡°Decras,¡± Garina replied slowly. ¡°I am familiar with Sievan and the rest of the race.¡±

    ¡°And you know of their limitations?¡±

    ¡°They are beholden to their runes and unable to wrest themselves free of Decras¡¯ influence. The Master rarely speaks of them. Where are you going with this?¡±

    ¡°Take a closer look at Lee.¡±

    The Apostle squinted at Lee for several long seconds. Then her head tilted to the side and a confused frown creased her face. ¡°I don¡¯t see where you¡¯re going with this.¡±

    ¡°Surely you can recognize your masters¡¯ presence.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡± Garina trailed off. Then her eyes went as wide as saucers. She spun to Noah. ¡°It¡¯s not there. Where is Decras¡¯ influence?¡±

    Noah just smiled.

    Gotcha.

 Chapter 606: Miss

    After prying Noah with questions for nearly an hour, Garina left with nothing but a promise to return in the coming days ¡ª and an order to ensure that there was some tea ready for her. It was a strangely unceremonious departure. One moment, she was there.

    The next, she was gone.

    They were alone in the scorched acres once more.

    Even still, it was several seconds before anyone spoke. They simply stood there and stared.

    Noah rubbed at his throbbing skull. The headache was far from the worst it had been. He¡¯d been the one to kill himself so he hadn¡¯t taken too much soul damage. It could be easily fixed in a day or two¡­ but he couldn¡¯t quite muster up any words for his stunned allies.

    Silvertide stared at him like he¡¯d seen a ghost. The old man rubbed at his eyes and several times moved as if to speak, only to think better of it and close his mouth a moment later. His fingers drummed a soft beat against the shaft of his staff.

    ¡°Well,¡± Moxie said finally, her words breaking the silence. ¡°You¡¯ve definitely got a problem.¡±

    ¡°I do not,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°No, I think you do,¡± Lee said. She edged a step closer to Noah¡¯s headless corpse. ¡°Do you mind?¡±

    ¡°Feel free.¡±

    Lee started shoving the entire corpse down her gullet whilst Silvertide watched, eyes flat and glassy. A pang of sympathy rang through Noah. The old soldier had been far from up to date on any of their affairs. He¡¯d probably had some suspicions that they weren¡¯t as they seemed, but this was a step and a few beyond strange.

    ¡°Thanks for the meal,¡± Lee said as she finished off the last of Noah¡¯s body and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

    Noah ruffled her hair, taking care to avoid the horns that now jutted out of her forehead. Her transition to a full demon was going to take a bit to get used to ¡ª and he was going to have to figure out an approach to get her back into Arbitage. He doubted that people were going to be pleased with a demon hanging around them, free of Decras¡¯ influence or not.

    ¡°Silvertide?¡± Moxie asked with a concerned frown. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I believe I may be dead,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°But I was hoping the afterlife would be considerably more enjoyable than this¡­ or perhaps I have simply drank a bit too much tea. What did they put in those leaves?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not dead. Sorry to burst your bubble,¡± Noah said. ¡°And as far as I¡¯m aware, you aren¡¯t drugged out either. Can¡¯t verify that one, though.¡±

    And the afterlife is a lot worse than this. A whole lot worse.

    ¡°Then¡­ how? Rank 7s. You died, and yet you live. Moxie had a Master Rune¡­ no, made a Master Rune? I do not understand what is happening. I have seen more impossible things in the span of minutes than most see in a lifetime.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Lee said cheerfully. ¡°That all happened.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you should sit down,¡± Moxie said, putting a hand on the older mage¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s a lot to process. But I think it should go without saying that you have to keep everything you heard and saw today secret from anyone and everyone.¡±

    Silvertide let out a bark of laughter. ¡°Oh, I am no fool. If even one of the things I just witnessed was real, acknowledgement of its existence could bring the entire empire down to the ground in war. What manner of Rune allows someone to die and return to life?¡±

    ¡°One that¡¯s best left un-thought about,¡± Noah suggested. He ran a hand through his hair and grimaced as a pang of pain drove through his skull. No matter how many times he got a soul damage headache, he never got used to it. He could push past them, but they were always infuriatingly agonizing. "For what it¡¯s worth, I was planning on bringing you into the fold.¡±

    ¡°The fold implies there was one secret,¡± Silvertide muttered. ¡°This is more than a fold. It¡¯s a hundred of them. Like a wrinkled asshole.¡±

    Noah nearly choked on his own saliva. He hadn¡¯t expected that line from the prim and proper Silvertide ¡ª though he had seen the man steal tea leaves from a restaurant. Perhaps Silvertide wasn¡¯t quite as proper as he liked others to believe.

    ¡°I¡¯d say you should get some rest, but we should find the others before they start panicking,¡± Moxie said. ¡°We don¡¯t want them getting too far thinking that Garina is hot on their heels.¡±

    Noah started to nod in agreement. Then he paused as a faint crack from behind him caught his attention. His eyes narrowed and he turned.

    ¡°Seriously? Does not a single person listen to me?¡±

    Isabel stepped out from the forest, Todd and Alexandra in step with her. Yoru and Brayden flanked them. A ripple passed through the air beside the group. James and Emily emerged from within the protection of an invisibility spell.

    They weren¡¯t alone. Sticky and the other demons all emerged from the trees a moment later, awed expressions on their faces.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of running from a Rank 7?¡± Brayden asked, studying Noah with an unreadable expression. ¡°We got the message from Lee and ran for about ten seconds. Then we realized it didn¡¯t matter, and we might as well come to back you up. Didn¡¯t expect to find out you were¡­ what, immortal?¡±

    Noah blew out a slow breath. Everyone in their group had finally seen his secret. He was surprised to find more than a little worry twisting within him. Noah had no idea how everyone would respond to discovering that he was¡­ well, him.

    ¡°Immortal probably isn¡¯t the right word. I¡¯d go with persistent.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Whatever you are, we¡¯ve been watching in case you needed backup,¡± Todd said, giving Noah a thumbs-up. ¡°You didn¡¯t. Nice. But hey, if you did, we would have been able to brag in the afterlife. After all, it¡¯s quite the achievement to get killed by a Rank 7.¡±

    That¡¯s Todd for you. I guess he already knew the majority of the story, but it¡¯s always nice to know he¡¯s on my side ¡ª especially when I¡¯m doing cool shit.

    But coming back into what they should have known was near-certain death¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re all idiots,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. He couldn¡¯t exactly argue with them. Garina could have killed everyone in the forest if she¡¯d wanted to. Trying to flee really would have been pointless, but that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t have tried.

    And, though he didn¡¯t say it, Noah couldn¡¯t quite quash the warm feeling in his chest. Staying had been stupid¡­ but he still appreciated all of them for it.

    ¡°Like teacher, like student,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°I am not stupid. I am tactical.¡±

    ¡°Tactically suicidal, maybe,¡± Isabel grumbled. ¡°You scared the life out of us, professor.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re one of the few that do know about what I¡¯m capable of,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯ve kept you all in the dark about a lot of things to protect you, but that one shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise to everyone.¡±

    ¡°Professor, just because someone manages to come back to life once doesn¡¯t mean they can do it again,¡± Todd said. ¡°And watching somebody kill themselves to make a point is a uniquely unsettling experience.¡±

    ¡°I just want to know what you did to that other Rank 7,¡± James said. ¡°How¡¯d you terrify him like that? What did you show him, and can you teach me how to do it?¡±

    ¡°No. We are not going into detail about this,¡± Noah said firmly. ¡°There are certain things about me that I think everyone has earned knowledge of, but I¡¯m not teaching you that. You couldn¡¯t do it even if you wanted to.¡±

    ¡°What things?¡± Aylin asked, eyeing Noah with something approaching reverence in his eyes.

    Ah, fuck. I really don¡¯t need Aylin thinking any higher of me. He already basically acts like I¡¯m a minor god. This is going to give me a serious ego problem.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Noah said. ¡°You could probably fill a few books with it.¡±

    ¡°How many?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be more than happy to settle for the abridged notes,¡± Brayden said. ¡°Though I somehow suspect all this is going to do is give us even more questions.¡±

    Most likely, yes.

    ¡°We will be honored to hear whatever you¡¯re willing to share with us,¡± Violet said. ¡°But you owe us no answers, Spider.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps not. But I trust everyone here ¡ª and you¡¯ve all earned the right to know at least a little bit more about who I am. There¡¯s no point leaving you in complete darkness ¡ª but understand that you can never speak of anything I say here to anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Your secrets will die with us,¡± Vrith promised, staring at him with an expression eerily similar to Aylin¡¯s. Noah repressed a sigh. She¡¯d been one of the few demons that had just seen him as a powerful high Ranker, but now she had the same reverence in her gaze that Aylin did.

    Damn it. Hopefully this clears a few things up. I really don¡¯t need anyone here looking at me like I¡¯m anything more than a man.

    ¡°You all know me by a number of different names,¡± Noah said, drawing in a deep breath and launching straight into the thick of things. ¡°But my real name ¡ª and the one I got a very, very long time ago ¡ª is Noah.¡±

    ***

    It took Noah another hour to summarize the biggest secrets of his life. Noah didn¡¯t go into detail on his dealings with Decras or Renewal, but he told his closest allies everything about his runes. About Sunder and about the afterlife ¡ª and about what had come after it. He told them of Vermil and of Father. Of how he¡¯d met Lee and of everything that had happened leading up to the trip to the Damned Plains. He spoke of what had happened within the Damned Plains, of Sievan and Wizen.

    And then it was done.

    An hour almost felt like it was too short for the story, but he was glad it wasn¡¯t longer. He¡¯d been hoping that some of the reverence would evaporate when everyone learned he was just a teacher that had spent a very, very extended stay in hell.

    He couldn¡¯t have been more wrong.

    By the time he was done, he could have sworn there was more respect in the slew of eyes staring up at him from the circle that they¡¯d made while he spoke.

    There were several minutes of long silence as everyone processed Noah¡¯s story.

    ¡°You told me you killed Vermil,¡± Brayden said, finally breaking the silence. ¡°That¡¯s not true. You didn¡¯t kill him. Azel did. Why did you act like it was your fault?¡±

    ¡°My soul destroyed Vermil¡¯s,¡± Noah said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Brayden said firmly. ¡°Vermil did it to himself. You were never trying to kill him. I¡¯ve been blaming you for a death that wasn¡¯t even your fault. Even if you hadn¡¯t been there, Azel would have killed Vermil.¡±

    ¡°Not to be harsh, but even if Noah had killed Vermil on purpose, he did the world a favor. That man was lost,¡± Moxie said.

    Brayden blew out a long sigh. ¡°I know. Father ruined him before he had a chance to become anything better. I can¡¯t help but mourn for what he could have been ¡ª but know that it isn¡¯t your fault, Noah. You don¡¯t have to take the blame for Vermil¡¯s death, no matter how vile he was.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more concerned with the gods,¡± Silvertide said, running a hand through his hair and looking far older than his years. ¡°You¡¯ve stolen from the god that made demons?¡±

    ¡°Forget stealing. I thought you were a god yourself,¡± Aylin breathed. ¡°But a human found the issue with us? You did what Decras couldn¡¯t. Doesn¡¯t that mean¡ª¡±

    ¡°Careful,¡± Violet warned. ¡°We don¡¯t want to draw Decras¡¯ ire. He may not appreciate what Noah did for us. It has to be embarrassing for a god to have his work corrected by a mortal.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°And it wasn¡¯t me that found it. It was Sticky. I just helped things along a bit.¡±

    The small demon reddened as everyone turned in her direction again. She scrunched down on herself. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. It was Spi¡ª uh, Noah. And Wizen.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re so good at killing yourself that you beat Wizen by convincing him to do it too,¡± Alexandra said in awe. ¡°Moxie is right. You have a problem.¡±

    ¡°I do not have a problem,¡± Noah snapped. ¡°And we are not going to go around saying that was how I beat Wizen. We didn¡¯t even fight!¡±

    The looks in everyone¡¯s eyes told Noah that it was going to be rather difficult to stop that particular sentiment from taking hold.

    ¡°Too late,¡± Lee said. ¡°You can¡¯t complain when we just all saw you kill yourself to prove a point a little while ago. That¡¯s like me saying I don¡¯t like eating.¡±

    Noah let out a heavy sigh.

    He could outmaneuver a Rank 7, but he lost a fight to an ill-founded rumor. He most certainly did not kill himself at every inconvenience. It was just that killing himself tended to solve a lot of his problems.

    ¡°Is there anything else anyone wants to ask?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Because we will not be speaking of most of this again. It¡¯s too dangerous to discuss.¡±

    He could see dozens of questions in everyone¡¯s eyes, but none of them asked anything. For that, he was thankful. The night had been long. Between Yoru nearly killing herself ¡ª which was definitely not influenced by his own habits in any way ¡ª and all the Rank 7 drama, he was exhausted.

    So, of course, it was at that moment that the air beside Noah crackled with purple energy.

    His ears popped.

    Jalen stepped out from a portal with his hands crossed behind his back and a wide grin on his lips.

    ¡°I have returned!¡± Jalen proclaimed. Then he paused and glanced around at everyone, taking in their expressions. His smile fell away and his brow furrowed in confusion. ¡°Is something going on? What did I miss?¡±

 Chapter 607: Break Them

    ¡°I hate you,¡± Jalen proclaimed.

    The head of the Linwick Family, one of the most powerful mages within the Arbalest Empire, laid sprawled out on the ground, glaring up at the sky, his face creased like a pouting toddler.

    ¡°That feels like an overreaction,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°No! I missed so much fun stuff!¡± Jalen whined, lifting his head to thunk it back against the dirt a moment later. ¡°It¡¯s not fair! I was doing work and you were having fun!¡±

    ¡°I would not call anything that we just went through fun,¡± Moxie said.

    Jalen harrumphed, and Noah resisted the urge to slap his palm against his face. They¡¯d filled the Rank 6 in on what had happened with Crone and Garina, though Noah hadn¡¯t yet elected to share his full story with him.

    He wasn¡¯t entirely sure Jalen wouldn¡¯t just go shouting it from the rooftops for the heck of it. The Rank 6 was a good ally, but he wasn¡¯t all there in the head. If Jalen decided that keeping Noah¡¯s secrets was no longer fun¡­ well, they probably wouldn¡¯t be secrets for long.

    ¡°You got to meet a Rank 7,¡± Jalen said. ¡°A Rank 7! And you told her off! I still don¡¯t get how you pulled all that shit off without getting yourself killed. Is this Garina like me? Is that it? Just bored and in want of something to do? Do you think she¡¯ll play darts when she gets back?¡±

    Technically, I didn¡¯t get through it without getting myself killed. I just did the killing myself. Subtle difference there.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to ask her when she returns, but I¡¯d really prefer if we could stick to the topic at hand.¡± Noah pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. ¡°We really need to get to that auction. I need a lot of runes to prepare for what¡¯s to come.¡±

    Jalen let out a harrumph. ¡°You only want to give me the boring tasks. Go get us access to an auction, Jalen. Go sweep the trash while I have the time of my life dancing with certain death and forces beyond mortal comprehension. What if they¡¯d ripped you to little flesh ribbons? I wouldn¡¯t have gotten to watch!¡±

    ¡°Why does it sound like you were hoping for that to happen?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m an optimist. I always look on the fun side of life. Best to enjoy what¡¯s happening while it¡¯s happening,¡± Jalen said.

    His words might have been slightly more inspirational if he wasn¡¯t currently lying on the dirt mid-tantrum.

    ¡°Pull yourself together already,¡± Silvertide snapped. He rapped Jalen on the head with the end of his staff. ¡°If anything, this is your fault. You said you didn¡¯t want to get too involved or the other Family Heads would start stepping in as well. Has that changed?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jalen said reluctantly.

    ¡°And if you¡¯d been here, what are the chances you tried to fight one of the Rank 7s?¡±

    ¡°Nearly one hundred percent. Who would pass up on such an incredible opportunity to learn? To grow? They¡¯re from outside the kingdom, you withered old sod!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re older than I am,¡± Silvertide said.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t look older. I am a very superficial person.¡± Jalen stretched his arms over his head and let out a yawn. Motes of sunlight poked into the dark sky above them as the sun began its crawl into the sky. Jalen¡¯s entire body ground to a halt like it had been frozen in ice. Then the petulant expression evaporated from his features. ¡°Oh, look at that. Dawn.¡±

    He sat up and rose to his feet, brushing the dirt from his clothes and adjusting his shirt as if he hadn¡¯t just been pitching a fit moments ago.

    Noah and Moxie exchanged a baffled glance. It was exceedingly difficult to tell what Jalen was thinking on the best of days ¡ª and he seemed to be even more insane today than he was normally.

    Nobody else was having much more luck. All of Noah¡¯s students, demon and human alike, stood in a large ring around the Rank 6. They bore expressions from complete befuddlement to uncomfortable silence.

    The only ones that looked to be completely uninterested by his fit were Lee and Yoru. That was probably only because the former was occupied with some jerky she¡¯d lifted from Moxie¡¯s pockets while the latter had considerably more important things to be thinking about.

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    ¡°Do you conduct yourself properly at the advent of every new day?¡± Vrith asked through a confused frown. ¡°Why does dawn matter?¡±

    ¡°Because the auction is toward the center of the kingdom, and the tickets to enter don¡¯t activate until dawn,¡± Jalen replied, every trace of the whining child that had been in his place moments before gone with the winds. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a fistful of crumpled up papers trimmed with gold lining. ¡°I had to kill some time.¡±

    ¡°Kill time?¡± Alexandra squinted at Jalen. ¡°You mean that was¡­¡±

    ¡°Rather entertaining, yes. When you get to my age, you¡¯ll realize that it¡¯s time to let loose every once and a while.¡± Jalen flicked a speck of ash from his hair. ¡°Everyone¡¯s always so prim and proper. So measured. You should learn to relax. Just complain about some asinine shit every once and a while. It¡¯s healing for the soul ¡ª and it¡¯s a lot of fun. Good way to kill a few hours.¡±

    ¡°It is not,¡± Noah said, but attempting to argue with Jalen was something akin to beating his head against a brick wall and expecting to find anything but blood. The best thing he could do was just give up and try to get to the actually important portion of the matter. ¡°Did you say you got us access to an auction?¡±

    ¡°One of the biggest ones in the kingdom. It¡¯s a long-running one that goes for a week out of every month. We¡¯ll be showing up two days late, but they only approve new tickets in the morning. We should probably get ready quickly. It would be a shame to miss too much of it.¡±

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have mentioned this when you first got back?¡± Moxie demanded. ¡°You¡¯ve wasted hours!¡±

    ¡°I have enjoyed hours,¡± Jalen corrected. He reached into a pocket and pulled out another bundle of papers. These, Noah recognized instantly. Catchpaper. Jalen handed the sheaf to Noah without even looking in his direction. ¡°And would knowing earlier have done anything other than make you pace in circles while you waited for the auction to open? What preparation would you have done?¡±

    Moxie hesitated for a moment. ¡°Er¡­ Vermil could have imbued the runes.¡±

    ¡°Which takes all of a few minutes,¡± Jalen observed dryly. ¡°A huge waste indeed.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think we¡¯re children that need to be distracted from a big scary appointment?¡± Moxie asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

    ¡°I think the words you were looking for are ¡®thank you¡¯. I just did you a favor. You may repay it with a game of darts at a future date.¡±

    Moxie rolled her eyes. ¡°Noted.¡±

    ¡°I should say,¡± Jalen said, his features growing serious, ¡°that you will need to be cautious. Especially the more demonically inclined of you. Vermil said he wanted access to a big auction. That¡¯s what I got. But big auctions are well defended. There will be Inquisitors. Given your appearances¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Noah said. ¡°I appreciate the warning, but it¡¯s something I¡¯ve already accounted for. The purpose of this auction is more than just getting some runes. It¡¯s a demonstration for all the noble houses.¡±

    ¡°A demonstration of what, exactly?¡± Jalen asked. ¡°You can¡¯t plan to challenge every single one of them. They¡¯d destroy you.¡±

    Noah just smiled.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see. You¡¯re welcome to attend the auction yourself. Even if you aren¡¯t doing anything, it should be useful.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? After all the effort I went through to see something fun? I¡¯d rip my own heart out before I missed this.¡±

    ¡°Figured,¡± Noah said. He turned to the others. ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t bring everyone. As much as I¡¯d like to include you as a learning experience, this is going to be a little bit dangerous. I¡¯ll be having to ask the rest of you to wait here, safe, with Brayden.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Isabel asked.

    ¡°Lee, Yoru, Aylin. You¡¯re with me. Everyone else will remain back.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Isabel asked, blinking in surprise as she exchanged a look with Todd. ¡°Not that I¡¯m going to argue, but why would you bring all the demons? Isn¡¯t that going to bring every single Inquisitor down on top of you?¡±

    Noah put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°That was then, Isabel. I¡¯m not the same person I was back then¡­ and these aren¡¯t the same demons. Trust me.¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t take too long,¡± James said through a yawn. ¡°We might get attacked while you¡¯re off. The nobles have to be looking for Isabel and Todd at this point. We¡¯ve been missing for long enough for them to realize something is up. Especially since Jakob and Verrud disappeared during the exam and didn¡¯t do much to make their interest in Isabel secret¡­ well, it¡¯s not hard to start drawing connections.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let anyone get through me,¡± Brayden promised.

    ¡°Nor will I,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to go, but I know why I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re dead, of course,¡± Noah said with a nod. He stuffed the pages of Catchpaper into his book. It would imbue the runes he needed it to. There was no need to waste time doing it himself. ¡°I trust you can get us to the auction, Jalen?¡±

    In response, the Rank 6 snapped his fingers. A purple portal ripped open beside him with a loud tearing noise. Undulating magic rippled and pulsed at his side.

    ¡°One passageway to a shitshow,¡± Jalen proclaimed, holding up the fistful of tickets in his hand like a torch. His lips split in a wide grin. ¡°This is going to be fun.¡±

    You don¡¯t have the slightest idea.

    I can¡¯t wait to see the looks on these noble idiots faces when I break them.

    ¡°Moxie, could I borrow that gift I gave you a while ago? I promise to return it in pristine condition,¡± Noah said.

    She pulled the cloak off her back and handed it to him with a nod. He pulled it on, pulling the hood low over his face to cover his features.

    And with that, Noah¡¯s group stepped into the portal.

 Chapter 608: Better

    The auction was already well underway by the time that Jalen stepped through the portal and emerged onto a large, black marble platform alongside Vermil and his demons. Loud yells echoed through the darkened, dome-ceilinged room as noble families yelled out bids for a rune.

    Dozens of platforms similar to the one he¡¯d arrived on floated in the air, connected by swaying gold bridges and encircling a huge stage at the center of the room. A woman stood in its center, dressed in a decidedly chilly looking outfit that she most certainly had not suggested herself, yelling out information about the rune that was currently up for auction.

    Jalen¡¯s lips thinned as he scanned the room. It had been a long time since he¡¯d last attended an auction¡­ and it hadn¡¯t been long enough.

    He hated every part of them.

    The posturing noble families, covering their faces to protect their identities like cowards. Promises of alliances made as both parties prepared to drive a dagger into the others¡¯ back. It was a place of fear and cheating. There was nothing interesting. Nothing honorable.

    Jalen had seen the same shit play out over and over and over again.

    It was boring.

    His eyes flicked to Vermil, and a small grin pulled at the corner of his lips.

    Something tells me that this one will be different.

    An attendant rushed up to them, his long silver robes rippling and nearly tripping the man up. He was late. Jalen was quite certain the man was supposed to have been waiting for any new arrivals, but he couldn¡¯t have been bothered to care.

    ¡°Magus Jalen! I¡ª¡±

    Jalen¡¯s hand snapped out, pressing a finger to the other man¡¯s lips. His mind was on other things. Far more important things ¡ª such as the ideal trajectory of a thrown dart. It had been too long since he¡¯d had a match against Vermil, and he had no plans of losing their next one.

    The absolute last thing he needed right now was some blathering idiot wasting his time.

    ¡°Hush,¡± Jalen said. He shoved the fistful of tickets into the man¡¯s chest with his other hand. ¡°Our platform.¡±

    ¡°Of course, your lordship. Platform 4. It was prepared as quickly as possible. I ¡ª uh, we had to remove a lesser noble family. They¡¯ve requested repar¡ª¡±

    Jalen leaned close to the man, pressing his forehead against the other man¡¯s. ¡°Tell them to bring their complaint to the Linwick Estate. Personally. No servants. No retainer mages. The head of their family. If they come¡­ I will see to it that they are rewarded.¡±

    If they¡¯ve actually got the balls to show up, then I¡¯ll be more than happy to pay. They won¡¯t, though. Bunch of blasted pathetic cowering worms.

    ¡°Understood,¡± the attendant stammered, his voice nearly a whimper of horror.

    It would have taken everything Jalen had to keep the disgust from his features ¡ª so he didn¡¯t even bother trying. That only made the fear in the attendant¡¯s eyes grow. It was a small miracle the man hadn¡¯t collapsed into a puddle by now.

    ¡°Masks,¡± Jalen said, snapping his fingers. ¡°Do I have to do your job for you? Perhaps I should collect your pay and create some children with your wife as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± the attendant said with a weak laugh, pulling a string of white porcelain masks from his waist. They each had two holes for the eyes and a flat line where the mouth went, effectively concealing all the features of the one wearing them.

    Was the ¡®of course¡¯ with reference to my plan to take his wife and job? Or was it to the masks? Gods, I hate these people.

    He took the mask from the attendant and slipped it over his face. As much as he hated the masks, they did provide for some interesting opportunities. It was a lot more fun to screw with people when they didn¡¯t know who they were talking to.

    The attendant moved along the line to Vermil, handing him a mask. He turned to Lee ¡ª and then he froze.

    His eyes went wide. He took a step back, the blood rushing from his cheeks and turning his face pale.

    ¡°D-d-demon! There¡¯s a demon!¡±

    An observant one, are you? Took you nearly a minute to find one of the 3 demons on the platform five feet away from you. They weren¡¯t even trying to hide their horns. Blithering idiot.

    This is good, though. It means we get to skip past the boring bullshit and get to the good part. Bring on the brawl!

    Jalen flexed his fingers ¡ª and Vermil let out a burst of laughter.

    ¡°Demon?¡± Vermil asked. ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot.¡±

    The attendant hesitated, taken off guard by the mocking amusement in Vermil¡¯s voice. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Would a demon let me do this?¡± Vermil asked, wrapping an arm around Lee¡¯s shoulders and ruffling her hair with the other hand. Lee did absolutely nothing to stop him, and Vermil slipped her a piece of beef jerky before releasing her.

    What is she, a dog?

    That looks like it feels kind of nice, actually.

    That thought passed through Jalen¡¯s head before he¡¯d even registered it. The old mage blinked, then pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers.

    It¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve been in a relationship. I wonder if any of the old ladies from my generation are still alive. I¡¯m sure one of them is kicking somewhere.

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    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the attendant said, some of the fear leaving his features. Some, but not all. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a demon¡­ but she has horns!¡±

    Vemril arched an eyebrow. He flicked one of Lee¡¯s horns gently. ¡°She¡¯s not the only one, friend. Look around at the rest of our party.¡±

    The attendant¡¯s eyes went wide once more. ¡°Three demons!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a dense one, aren¡¯t you?¡± Vermil asked as he shook his head. ¡°This is my daughter and her friends. They¡¯re dressed up for her birthday.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re dressed up¡­ as demons?¡± The attendant swallowed. His back relaxed. ¡°She¡¯s your daughter?¡±

    Jalen nearly laughed on the spot. The coward clung to the promise of safety over what his own senses told him. He was so desperate for safety that he would believe Vermil said.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Can I¡­ touch the horns? To make sure?¡± the attendant asked weakly. ¡°It¡¯s part of my job.¡±

    Huh. Maybe he¡¯s got a bit of a spine after all.

    ¡°Feel free, but if you touch my daughter, I¡¯m going to rip your heart out and feed it back to you,¡± Vermil said with a cheerful smile.

    The attendant paled once again. The blood was rushing in and out of his face at such a rate that Jalen was starting to wonder if the man was going to pass out.

    ¡°On second thought¡­ I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine,¡± the man said meekly. He handed out the masks to Vermil, who distributed them to Lee and Aylin. Yoru had brought her own mask, and she made no moves to replace hers with the shoddy white one.

    So much for his spine.

    ¡°Pleasure,¡± Jalen said the moment everyone had pulled their masks on. He snapped his fingers and drew on his runes.

    Purple energy swirled around all of them and they snapped out of existence, reforming upon Platform 4.

    It was, like all the other platforms, painfully gaudy. Silver-trimmed obsidian railing ringed it, covered with beautiful designs that had no place being wasted in a dark room like this. Large chairs covered with soft cushions were arranged in the center, allowing them to sit and look down on the platform like the arrogant little stuffy nobles they were.

    ¡°Incredible,¡± Aylin breathed as he shook the effects of Jalen¡¯s magic off. ¡°I wish I had Space Runes. I¡¯ve never felt control like this.¡±

    Little flatterer. That won¡¯t work on me.

    ¡°It is a very powerful ability,¡± Yoru said quietly. She looked around the room platform ¡ª she barely stood taller than the railing surrounding the platform, then back at the chair behind herself.

    She made to sit down, but her long silver hair got in the way. It would have been relatively easy for her to push it out of the way if she¡¯d had hands.

    Unfortuantely, she did not.

    Jalen flicked a finger and a band of purple stretched out, moving her hair to the side as she lowered herself into the chair. Yoru glanced at him in surprise, then inclined her head slightly.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He grunted in response.

    Vermil hadn¡¯t told him what had happened to cause Yoru to lose her arms, but something had seriously changed in the demon in the time it had taken him to get tickets to the auction. It was hard to place exactly what it was. If he¡¯d been forced to find a way to describe it, Jalen would have said that she felt more¡­ there.

    Well, and that she no longer has arms. That¡¯s a pretty big change.

    Everyone other than Vermil and Jalen sat down in the plush chairs. Lee pulled her mask back to take a bite out of her armrest, then wrinkled her nose.

    ¡°It smelled like flowers, but it tastes like dirt.¡± That did nothing to stop her from chewing and swallowing the bit of furniture.

    ¡°That would be the perfume,¡± Jalen said, his lips curling in distaste. ¡°Horrible choice, really. They should have gone with something more exciting than whatever this flowery rose shit is. I can see it now: burnt pickles. That would be exotic.¡±

    ¡°My understanding of nobility leads me to believe they would likely not appreciate that smell¡­ unless humans have very different olfactory appreciation than demons,¡± Alyin said.

    ¡°Oh, we love pickles,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Especially burnt ones. You should give one to every highly ranked human you meet. It¡¯s a symbol of respect.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Aylin said. ¡°Thank you for your tutelage. Knowledge from someone like you is always appreciated.¡±

    Okay, the flattery might be getting somewhere.

    ¡°You think I¡¯m that intelligent, huh? Wise boy.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Aylin said. ¡°You are a Rank 6. I cannot accidentally rip your soul open in the process of learning from you.¡±

    Well now I just feel objectified.

    Vermil shot Jalen a look through the holes of his mask.

    ¡°What?¡± Jalen asked.

    ¡°Stop screwing with my students.¡±

    ¡°You mean your daughter¡¯s birthday attendees? Speaking of which, what does that make me? The godfather?¡±

    ¡°Hired clown,¡± Vermil replied. He approached the edge of the railing, shifting the book on his shoulder down to the ground and pulling several sheafs of Catchpaper out from within it before slinging it back over his shoulder.

    ¡°Ouch,¡± Jalen said, taking full advantage of his mask to grin unabashedly. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan, Birthday Dad? I trust you¡¯ve got a good reason to go through the effort of getting to this auction.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve got something like that,¡± Vermil said. He adjusted the hood of the coat he¡¯d taken from Moxie to make sure it fully covered his head. Jalen couldn¡¯t even see his mask beneath it. ¡°You know, I was thinking on what the best way to approach this would be. Most of my ideas took a whole lot of political maneuvering that I really couldn¡¯t be bothered to do. I just need a lot of runes¡­ and quickly.¡±

    ¡°So what did you decide on?¡± Jalen asked, leaning forward.

    ¡°This,¡± Vermil replied.

    Then he jumped over the edge of the platform.

    Moxie¡¯s white cloak fluttered around him as he fell down, slowing his fall with a burst of wind a moment before he landed upon the stage beside the female auctioneer. She sputtered off, midway through some speech about a worthless rune, and her eyes went wide.

    ¡°Sir! Please remain on your platform! Customers are not allowed to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hush now,¡± Vermil said, his voice far darker than Jalen recalled it. Something¡­ uneasy lingered just beneath his words. It was enough to set even Jalen¡¯s skin on edge. Vermil put a hand on the woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I need a moment of everyone¡¯s time.¡±

    A guard stepped out from the shadows.

    ¡°Come with me,¡± the man said. ¡°You¡¯ll be leaving the premises.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Vermil said, cocking his head to the side. ¡°I won¡¯t be doing that.¡±

    The man went to respond ¡ª and his eyes went wide. The fire covering his palms snuffed out and he grasped at his throat, trying and failing to draw a breath.

    ¡°What is this?¡± he wheezed.

    Uneasy murmurs passed through the auction, and more guards stepped out of the shadows. Jalen leaned forward in his seat, delight passing over his features.

    ¡°Relax,¡± Vermil said, lowering his hands. The guard drew in a ragged breath and scrambled back to the safety of his allies. Vermil did nothing to stop him. ¡°I come today bearing a business proposition.¡±

    ¡°Who in the Damned Plains are you?¡± someone yelled from right beside Jalen ¡ª and he turned to realize that it had been Aylin.

    The demon winked at Jalen from behind his mask.

    ¡°That is an unintentionally apt way to phrase that question,¡± Vermil said with a booming chuckle. ¡°My name is Spider. I have passed through the Damned Plains. I have killed men and demons alike that are more powerful than you could have ever imagined ¡ª and I have come to offer you all a very special deal.¡±

    There was an instant of stunned silence.

    ¡°He¡¯s a demon!¡± a woman screamed. ¡°There¡¯s a demon in the auction!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell what Rank he is! I can¡¯t read him at all!¡± a man called out, fear gripping his words.

    The room exploded into chaos.

    That was quite fortunate, as it covered Jalen¡¯s roaring laughter perfectly.

    This is going to be even better than I imagined.

 Chapter 609: Poor day

    The entire auction house rung in panicked cacophony. Mages scrambled everywhere, guards rushed across the floor, and yells mixed in the sky. Jalen watched more than a few bumbling idiots trip over themselves in their haste to make an escape.

    Even his amusement wasn¡¯t enough to keep him from shaking his head in disgust. The majority of the mages in this room were high Rank 4s or Rank 5s, and there were definitely at least a few Rank 6s scattered throughout it as well.

    They were meant to be amongst the most powerful people the empire had within it ¡ª but the mere mention of the Damned Plains was enough to make them soil themselves in fear. Of course, Jalen had no delusions that these were truly the strongest the empire had to offer.

    Almost all of the mages of any real worth aren¡¯t wasting their time at an auction. They¡¯re hidden away or training. But even still, there should be some people here that aren¡¯t completely pathetic.

    His gaze swept across the room in search of something interesting. He¡¯d spent years sifting through worthless, backboneless fools. Jalen liked to think he had something of an eye for people that wouldn¡¯t keel over at the slightest sign of an issue.

    And sure enough, he found what he was looking for.

    In all the chaos following Vermil¡¯s announcement, there were several people that hadn¡¯t so much as flinched.

    A woman on platform 2 leaned over the railing, staring down at Vermil. Her mask did nothing to disguise her interest. Jalen was slightly more interested in her hair. It was a fiery orange-red, the color of the Torrin family servants. Another woman stood on the platform with her, clad in heavy black robes that were a size too large for her. She was going out of her way to conceal as much of her form as possible.

    Then on platform 6 ¡ª a large man sat in his chair, straight backed. His fingers drummed against the armrest as he waited to hear Vermil out. A slew of attendants surrounded him, rushing around in a panic that he did not share.

    Upon Platform 8 was a tall woman with black hair. She stood, arms crossed behind her back, head cocked to the side like she were watching an interesting show play out before her.

    And those weren¡¯t all of them. All throughout the room, there were scattered points of mild interest. Mages here and there that weren¡¯t completely worthless. It was actually a few more than Jalen had expected to find, though Vermil hadn¡¯t actually done anything yet.

    He was a single supposed demon surrounded and revealed. There was a sea of bodies between him and the mages. Only the most cowardly fools would be getting terrified already. This was possibly the worst spot for a demon to attempt an attack.

    ¡°You¡¯re finished, demon!¡± A mage yelled. ¡°Showing yourself here is like throwing yourself neck-first onto a blade!¡±

    ¡°Demon,¡± Vermil repeated, cocking his head to the side. ¡°Is that what you think I am?¡±

    The guards surrounding him on the platform pressed closer. They readied their weapons and yelled orders, but none of them were actually willing to close the gap between them and Vermil.

    Even if the only proof of his identity was his claim to be from the Damned Plains, no sane man wanted to get anywhere near a demon ¡ª and not even an idiot would pretend to be one.

    ¡°You just said you were,¡± the mage called back. ¡°Are you not?¡±

    ¡°Lay down,¡± one of the guards called, his voice breaking. ¡°Hands behind your back!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Spider said.

    The guards stared at him.

    ¡°Please?¡± the guard tried.

    ¡°Decent attempt, but no,¡± Vermil said. He set his massive grimoire down on the ground with a heavy thud. ¡°Now, I believe we were having an auction, were we not?¡±

    ¡°Where are the Inquisitors?¡± a mage yelled through the cacophony. ¡°They¡¯re paid for situations like this! Someone remove the demon!¡±

    That¡¯s a good question. An event like this should have at least one Inquisitor on staff somewhere. I¡¯d imagine Vermil was even planning for that. He wouldn¡¯t have made an entrance like this if he didn¡¯t expect an Inquisitor. As moronic as their group is, I can¡¯t say they¡¯re often slow to act on information.

    What¡¯s going on?

    ¡°Be calm!¡± a woman roared. Her voice boomed through the auction house like rolling thunder, ripping through the chaos. Jalen¡¯s domain prickled. Her words had been imbued with magic. A lot of it.

    Sound magic. There¡¯s something you don¡¯t see much anymore.

    Not a scrap made it through his domain. The woman was strong, but he was stronger. That was almost a disappointment. It had been too long since he¡¯d had an interesting challenge. Still¡­ they had to be a high Rank 5 or low Rank 6.

    And, to Jalen¡¯s mild surprise, the order worked. The panicked scrambling paused.

    A form flew through the air before alighting on the ground across the stage from Vermil. She wore gray robes with plates of armor sewn into them, covering vital spots. Imbuements ran throughout the material to strengthen the connecting cloth, and it had clearly seen some use before.

    There we go. Someone interesting. Not an Inquisitor, though. No bones on her that I can see, and they love flashing their bones around. Bunch of perverts.

    ¡°You look like someone in search of a good Rune,¡± Vermil said, not even flinching at her arrival.

    ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± the woman asked, flexing her fingers. ¡°You can¡¯t be stupid enough to think you can defeat an entire room of top-ranking mages, demon.¡±

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    ¡°What makes you so certain I¡¯m a demon? I never said anything of the sort.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me. You claimed to be from the Damned Plains. So either you¡¯re a demon or a very, very stupid mage,¡± the woman said. Her voice carried a layer of weathered experience in it. She wasn¡¯t some fresh magelings looking to make a name for herself. She was definitely on the older side.

    I don¡¯t think I recognize her, though. She must be from a generation after I stopped paying attention. Unfortunately, that still leaves her with a few hundred years of leeway.

    ¡°Or something else entirely,¡± Vermil said idly. He leafed through the pages of Catchpaper in his hands, then picked one out and flipped it around, holding it so only the woman could see it. ¡°But, fortunately for you, I¡¯m not here for a fight. I¡¯m here strictly on business. If you want to know what I am, I¡¯d be happy to tell you¡­ for a price.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m so easily¡­¡± the woman trailed off as she got a look at the paper. For several seconds, she stood in complete silence. Only then did she manage to finish her sentence. ¡°¡­bribed?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Vermil said. ¡°You¡¯re a mage. And what does a mage want more than power?¡±

    ¡°Give me that,¡± the woman snapped, grabbing for the Catchpaper. Vermil¡¯s hand twitched. It moved at an impossible speed, pulling the slip away from her a moment before her fingers could touch it.

    He clicked his tongue. ¡°No, no. That¡¯s not how this works. It¡¯s for sale. This is an auction, is it not?¡±

    ¡°What does he have?¡± a mage yelled. ¡°Is it a demon or not?¡±

    ¡°What is she, a demon-sniffing dog?¡± Vermil called back. ¡°Come down here and decide for yourself.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t run this auction,¡± one of the guards growled, emboldened by seeing that Vermil hadn¡¯t killed the woman. ¡°You¡¯re no demon. That¡¯s why the Inquisitors aren¡¯t here yet. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re playing at, but crossing us is the last mistake you¡¯ll make.¡±

    ¡°Someone should really tell you not to throw up death flags like that,¡± Vermil said, shaking his head.

    ¡°Last chance. Lay down. Hands behind your back,¡± the guard snarled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Vermil said, his voice going cold and dangerous. ¡°They don¡¯t pay you nearly enough for this.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± the sound mage across from Vermil said, snapping out of her stupor. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s a demon, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°No quarter,¡± the guard snarled. He snapped his fingers and stone rushed up from the ground like a river coursing along his body. It formed into a glaive and he thrust it for Vermil¡¯s chest in a practiced motion.

    Vermil had moved before the man¡¯s blow had even begun. The glaive blurred harmlessly past him and his hand snapped out. He grabbed the weapon and ripped it out of the guard¡¯s grip before planting a foot in the man¡¯s chest and sending him flying back with a powerful kick. The guard hit the ground with a grunt, rolling and slamming to a stop against a wall.

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to play around or waste energy on worthless fights,¡± Vermil said. ¡°I¡¯m just here to sell some runes. That¡¯s what the auction is for, yes?¡±

    The ring of guards bristled, but none of the moved. They looked from Vermil to the fallen man in the corner of the room as he staggered to his feet, winded but largely uninjured.

    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± a mage on a platform across the room from Jalen called through a snort of gross laughter. ¡°The guard was right. You¡¯re no demon. Inquisitors would never let demons into this venue. Someone, go remove that idiot¡¯s mask so we can see what family he¡¯s from and then remove him. Nobody wants to buy his shitty¡ª¡±

    ¡°Five hundred thousand gold,¡± the sound mage said.

    Her words carved through the room like a knife.

    Everyone stared at her.

    ¡°What?¡± someone asked, their shocked words just barely reaching Jalen¡¯s ears. ¡°She¡¯s bidding on it?¡±

    ¡°What does he have?¡± the woman leaning over the railing of platform 2 asked. ¡°What kind of rune is worth that much? What does he have?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Vermil said. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for money. I¡¯m looking for a trade. Anyone that can bring me the runes closest to what I want, Rank 4 or higher, gets the runes. That simple.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to humor¡ª¡± a mage started.

    ¡°What do you want? I represent the Herron family. I can guarantee we can get you what you need.¡± the sound mage said, cutting the man off immediately. She shot a glare at one of the guards who was starting to approach and the man faltered before taking a step back.

    ¡°Now, that¡¯s not how an auction works,¡± Vermil said. ¡°Everyone deserves to get a chance to bid ¡ª but seriously, where are the Inquisitors? Are they asleep? Those idiots have a job to do! Is this seriously how bad security has gotten?¡±

    ¡°You wanted the Inquisitors to show up?¡± the sound mage asked incredulously.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that their job? I just claimed to have come from the Damned Plains,¡± Vermil said irritably. ¡°Would someone do me a favor and call them over? I¡¯ll happily start the auction once they arrive, but I really need those stuffy pricks here to verify what I¡¯ve got for sale.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± the huge man resting amidst a sea of attendants rumbled. ¡°Enough teasing. You have our attention. With a scene like this, you had best pray that your product is as important as you and your accomplice say.¡±

    ¡°Accomplice?¡± the sound mage asked, spinning toward the man. ¡°I¡¯m no¡ª¡±

    ¡°What does he have for sale?¡± the man asked, ignoring her protests. ¡°Tell me.¡±

    ¡°A type of rune that not a single one of you has ever had a chance to get your hands on before,¡± Vermil replied with a laugh. ¡°Demon runes. Harvested straight from the Damned Plains, from some of the most powerful entities within it.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± someone yelled immediately.

    Vermil pointed in their direction. ¡°And this idiot is why I need those stuffy Inquisitor pricks here. They can sniff out Demons anywhere.¡±

    ¡°If those runes are real¡­ then you¡¯re a demon,¡± the huge man said flatly. ¡°They will kill you.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s save that discussion when the Inquisitors arrive. It seems we all have a similar interest in getting them in here to verify my claim, yes? I was promised there would be an Inquisitor here, so if someone could go ahead and get them off the toilet and over to doing their job, that would be fantastic.¡±

    There were a long few moments of silence.

    Then another form blurred through the air. A man leapt off his platform and slammed down on the stage between Vermil and the sound mage. His entire body was wrapped in a black cloak and he had a wide, floppy hood pulled low over his head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be the Inquisitor?¡± Vermil asked.

    ¡°No. I am not.¡± The man¡¯s back twitched. Something bulged under his cloak.

    ¡°Bummer,¡± Vermil said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait your turn to bid, then.¡±

    The sound mage took a step back, her eyes widening as she caught sight of something under the man¡¯s hood.

    She didn¡¯t get a chance to do anything more.

    Blood-red wings ripped free from the man¡¯s back, ripping through his clothes. He grabbed at his good, dark, pointed fingernails digging into the cloth as he tore it away from his face and threw it to the ground.

    His mouth was full of jagged fangs. Deep pits covered the man¡¯s face and his nose was nothing but a flat surface with two thin holes. Yellowed, snakelike eyes peered out from sunken sockets. Black flames danced across his wings and coiled down his back like a twisting tail.

    The man held a hand out.

    A bloodstained rosary fell from his fingers. It clattered to the ground, bone marbles clinking against each other.

    Power exploded through the room in a wave. It fizzled against Jalen¡¯s domain, hissing and popping all around him.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the Inquisitor is otherwise indisposed of,¡± the man said, his lips pulling apart in a thin sneer. ¡°You¡¯ve chosen a poor day to posture as one of my kind, scum. You are ruining my game.¡±

    Standing before Vermil was a demon ¡ª and based off the raw power burning from the monster¡¯s body, they were easily at the peak of Rank 5 or the bottom of Rank 6.

    Jalen stared, lips parting slightly behind his mask. The demon was strong. They¡¯d been concealing their power by using the oppressive power of the Inquisitor¡¯s beads against themselves.

    Huh. Didn¡¯t see that one coming.

 Chapter 610: Guide & ANNOUNCEMENT

    The entirety of the auction house stared down at the stage. For a few brief moments, it was completely silent. Surprise had stolen everyone¡¯s voices, taken their ability to do anything but gape with wide eyes.

    Vermil stood, hand rested on his massive book and head cocked to the side. A huge demon loomed above him. The monster had grown larger when it had shed its human form and now stood several heads above him. Quiet black fire licked across the demon¡¯s enormous wings and licked at the stage at its feet, melting the stone like it was butter.

    The auctioneer behind Vermil had fallen to her backside. Her eyes and mouth were wide open with terror and she had frozen mid-crawl to safety, unwilling to even budge an inch in the presence of the mythical monster before her.

    Even a weaker mage could tell just how powerful this demon was. The bloody rosary at its feet was all the proof anyone needed. For a demon to kill an Inquisitor was an immense feat, and the power pouring off the demon was so palpable that Jalen could practically taste it.

    As a matter of fact, he could. It smelled like sulfur and ash and sooty sweat.

    One of the guards took a step back. His pale features trembled. Hands tightened around his weapon. Breath filled his lungs as he prepared to yell something out. Perhaps he planned to rally the troops and charge. Perhaps he meant to run.

    They never found out which.

    The demon flicked his hand.

    A sharp needle of black flame leapt from the inferno upon his body. It pierced clean through the man¡¯s eye and passed out the back of his head. Without so much as a whimper, the man crumpled.

    The clang of his armor echoed through the auction.

    ¡°Nobody move,¡± the demon commanded, lips twisting as his sneer deepened. ¡°Move ¡ª and you die before we get to the main event.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one demon. Killing one Inquisitor does not mean we cannot deal with you ourselves,¡± the huge man surrounded by attendants rumbled, though he didn¡¯t budge from his throne. It was hard to tell if that was because he was scared or if he just couldn¡¯t be bothered to heave his bulk up.

    The demon let out a raspy laugh. ¡°I am not the only one present. My demons are distributed throughout this building. There are more than enough of us to deal with all of you, especially when you never see us coming.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± a mage called from a platform below Jalen. ¡°You¡¯re¡ª¡±

    There was a wet thunk. The mage pitched over the platform. He plummeted through the air, blood trailing behind him like the tail of a red comet and splattered against the ground with a wet crunch.

    A woman stood behind him, ichor dripping from her claws. She reached up to her face and ripped the tanned skin away, revealing a dull blue sheen. Her lips split apart to reveal an impossibly wide, toothy grin.

    ¡°Oops,¡± she said, a forked tongue flicking from her mouth and tasting the air.

    Jalen scratched his backside.

    Those are good dart throwing hands. Wonder what she¡¯s doing later.

    ¡°We are the knife at your back,¡± the demon on the stage floor roared. ¡°The eyes in the shadows. The whisper in the wind. Nobody moves. Nobody does anything more than breathe without my express permission. Thank your gods that we have use of your power. It is the only reason you still draw breath.¡±

    Panicked mutters passed through the arena, but the demon¡¯s warning had worked. There was no way to know how many demons were planted in the audience, and when it came to fighting monsters, demons were amongst the worst opponents to have at your back.

    Mages weren¡¯t well suited to dealing with surprise attacks. Shields were optimized against magic, not impossibly fast assassinations.

    Of course, any real mage would be able to handle themselves just fine here, but those are few and far in between. We¡¯d probably win this fight easily if everyone just charged the idiot, but that would involve bravery and self-sacrifice that none of these pompous idiots have ever known.

    ¡°Any attempts to call for inquisitors will be severely punished,¡± the female demon said, her tongue running along her lips. ¡°But please, I encourage you to try.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Jalen called.

    The demon¡¯s eyes snapped up to him. ¡°I ¡ª what?¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Jalen repeated. ¡°Do you have a whip or something? It¡¯s been a few years and I¡¯m not as spry as I used to be, but I could be swayed¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she hissed. ¡°I don¡¯t have a whip.¡±

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s a disappointment.¡± Jalen pursed his lips. ¡°Hot irons? Nipple clamps?¡±

    Leathery wings exploded from the demoness¡¯ back and she launched herself into the air, blurring across the auction house.

    To Jalen, it was painfully slow.

    He resisted the urge to teleport to where she¡¯d been standing. That would have left Vermil¡¯s students undefended, and he wasn¡¯t about to gamble their lives to have a little fun.

    The demon alighted on the railing before him and unfurled to her full height, lips pulling back in a snarl.

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    ¡°Play games with me and I¡¯ll rip you¡ª wait. What¡¯s a nipple clamp?¡±

    ¡°What are you doing tonight?¡±

    ¡°Linestra,¡± the demon on the floor snarled, anger burning in his eyes. ¡°This is not the time to play with your food.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary,¡± Jalen said. ¡°It¡¯s always a good time to play with your food. I¡¯ve never much gone for younger women, though. How old are you?¡±

    Linestra stared at him, so taken aback that she couldn¡¯t find words to respond. Her gaze shifted past Jalen and landed on the demons standing behind him. The demoness¡¯ eyes went wide.

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

    Jalen snapped his fingers.

    Bands of spatial energy snapped around the demon in a split instant. They slammed her arms to her sides and crushed her wings against her back. Her jaw was slammed shut as a band wound around her entire head, preventing her from speaking.

    At the same instant, burning purple energy exploded out from Jalen. It enveloped the entire platform they stood on, buzzing and hissing as ripples of magic washed within it.

    ¡°Would you look at that?¡± Jalen asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°Still got it.¡±

    Linestra struggled desperately against the bindings, but they didn¡¯t so much as flicker. His magic eclipsed her power by a league.

    ¡°Your threats mean nothing, mage. Release her if you want to leave this building alive,¡± the demon on the floor ordered, the black fire twisting around his body magnifying in intensity. His wings flexed and sliced through the ground at his feet. ¡°If she dies, then not a single mage here will draw breath tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You think I give a shit about anyone here?¡± Jalen asked through a bark of laughter. ¡°Don¡¯t you mind me. I just get rather peeved when someone¡¯s having a discussion with me and then decide they want to bugger off to do something else. It¡¯s quite rude.¡±

    ¡°What a coincidence,¡± Vermil said, his voice booming through the room. ¡°I feel the same way. This prick hasn¡¯t even introduced himself yet.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still here? Be silent, scum,¡± the demon snarled. He didn¡¯t let his gaze turn from Jalen. ¡°Release the demon, or¡ª¡±

    A crack split the air.

    One of the demon¡¯s wings crumpled. The air around it seemed to collapse, glowing white cracks collapsing in on themselves. A scream of pain split the air. The demon staggered as his wing let out dozens of loud cracks, the bones within it crushed.

    Vermil let his hand lower. ¡°You interrupted me.¡±

    The demon let out a roar. He blurred toward Vermil ¡ª and Vermil stepped right past him.

    Jalen¡¯s eyes widened. It should have been impossible for a mortal to move out of the way faster than a Rank 6 demon, especially without the use of magic. The ways to fight a demon were by setting up impenetrable defenses or trapping them, not by matching their speed or strength.

    It seemed that the demon was equally surprised. He stumbled and spun back toward Vermil, eyes wide. ¡°Impossible.¡±

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Vermil muttered. ¡°You know what¡¯s impossible? I had a great auction planned! I was going to offer these good people some great deals. Great prices. A blowout sale! How did I manage to find the one auction with your dumb ass in it?¡±

    ¡°You dare speak down to me after dodging one attack? I am Salthazar, Demon of¡ª¡±

    Vermil snapped his fingers. The fire sputtering along Salthazar¡¯s back evaporated, and the demon¡¯s eyes bulged. He clawed at his throat, suddenly finding it devoid of air.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it,¡± Vermil said as he pounded a fist into his hand. A ripple of energy passed out from him. ¡°You were right! I don¡¯t need the Inquisitors at all.¡±

    The book at Vermil¡¯s side rippled.

    The fury in Salthazar¡¯s expression vanished as he noticed something ¡ª as to what it was, Jalen had no idea. But in the span of a moment, there was terror within the demon¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°That power. What are you?¡± Salthazar rasped, taking a step back. His face went pale. ¡°What manner of¡ª¡±

    ¡°Behold!¡± Vermil boomed. ¡°A live demonstration has delivered itself to me!¡±

    ¡°Are you insane?¡± a mage yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t fight the fucking demon! We need to wait for the Inquisitors and do as they say! I don¡¯t want to get killed!¡±

    Vermil paused for an instant. He turned toward the mage who had spoken. Even though his features were covered by the mask on his face, there was so much derision in his stance that it was impossible to miss.

    ¡°You seem to have misunderstood my purpose for coming here. I am not one of you, Magus. Anyone so worthless that they can¡¯t defend themselves against a few knives in the dark isn¡¯t worth my time.¡±

    Then he snapped his fingers.

    ¡°No!¡± Salthazar yelled, spinning for the stands and calling out to his hidden allies. ¡°Help¡ª¡±

    Salthazar¡¯s limbs snapped to his sides like he¡¯d been grabbed by an enormous, invisible hand. Vermil¡¯s hand slammed down on Salthazar¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Never forget,¡± he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. ¡°You started this.¡±

    ¡°Orlen!¡± The demon screamed. ¡°Help! You didn¡¯t tell me¡ª¡±

    A blade of pitch black energy sliced down the demon, going from head to toe. For the briefest moment, Vermil was taken aback.

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± he asked.

    The demon split straight down the middle. Blood poured from the demon¡¯s halves as he collapsed to the ground, dead. Six runes rose up from his corpse, and Vermil¡¯s composure returned in a snap. Jalen doubted anyone noticed it. Everyone, himself included, was far more focused on the runes. Jalen couldn¡¯t tell the their exact rank. For that matter, he couldn¡¯t read them at all.

    Fascinating. They feel like they should be somewhere between 5 and 6. I can¡¯t quite tell which one the demon was. He shouldn¡¯t have gone down that easily, though. Even without the magic a Rank 6 human mage would have, someone of his strength should have survived more than one blow from Vermil.

    What¡¯s going on? It¡¯s almost as Salthazar saw something else a moment before Vermil attacked. Like it wasn¡¯t even Vermil he was scared of.

    Tongues of paper shot out from the grimoire on the ground, binding around the six runes and yanking them within its pages. Vermil grabbed the grimoire and held it up high in the air.

    Upon its pages were the runes he¡¯d just taken from the demon.

    ¡°Behold!¡± Vermil roared. ¡°Your demonstration is concluded. Six freshly harvested demon runes are waiting for you to buy them. I¡¯d say that¡¯s more than proof of my words. So¡­ let¡¯s hear those bids, shall we?¡±

    ¡°Are you mad?¡± the sound mage asked, staring at him in a mixture of awe and terror. ¡°We¡¯re under attack! There are demons hiding in our midst. Nobody¡¯s bidding on an auction!¡±

    Vermil burst into laughter. ¡°No. You¡¯re under attack. I am holding an auction ¡ª and anyone who interrupts it will meet the same fate as this kind donor lying at my feet."

    There was a moment of stunned silence. Even Jalen stared in disbelief. Vermil had just ripped every single rune straight out of the dead demon ¡ª and not with Catchpaper, but in plain sight of everyone watching.

    What ridiculous power is that? He still has secrets? Incredible. Absolutely incredible.

    Linestra squirmed. She shot Jalen a desperate look. Intrigued, he flicked his hand and banished the bindings around her head, not taking his eyes off Vermil. This was far too fascinating to be distracted.

    ¡°Anyone can bid?¡± Linestra called, not even slightly bothered by the death of her compatriot.

    ¡°Anyone,¡± Vermil confirmed with a chuckle. ¡°So let¡¯s get this auction properly underway, shall we? I¡¯m an open-minded man. Demon, human, I don¡¯t care who you are. Forget your allegiances. Forget your past. All that matters is the now. If you want power¡­ I will guide you to it.¡±

 Chapter 611: Battle

    Humans and demons could never coexist together. They were predator and prey. Mortal enemies that could never truly come to equal footing. Demons feasted on human emotion, and humans hunted demons to purge every trace of them from the mortal plane.

    Hundreds of years, perhaps even thousands, had gone into the war between them. Fueled by fools summoning monsters beyond their power to control, by Inquisitors that zealously killed every demon they came across, no matter the demon¡¯s intention or desire.

    A chasm full of spilled blood spanned the gulf between the two sides. It was so deep that no man could hope to cross it. Nobody had been foolish enough to even try mending that rift. It was an impossible task.

    At least it had been.

    As it turned out, the solution to the Arbalest Empire¡¯s greatest grudge match was actually rather simple.

    It was the same solution that, despite what the rich would swear, existed for just about every single problem in life.

    Money.

    Or, to be more accurate, power.

    When the opportunity to grasp immense strength made itself known, then nobody gave a shit about who was standing at their side. They didn¡¯t care if the person beside them had horns sprouting from their forehead or hair from their ass.

    Jalen let out a whistle, shaking his head in disbelief. He¡¯d seen a lot of things in his life. Some of them had been nice, and some less so. At this point, even getting surprised was a rare occurrence. But seeing something for the first time ¡ª that was a rare treat indeed.

    He was getting second servings of it today.

    In a room full of some of the strongest mages in the empire and demons alike, there was only a single thing that anyone cared about.

    It wasn¡¯t their age-old feud. It wasn¡¯t the pile of bone beads on the floor, nor was it the sundered demon lying in two heaps beside it.

    They only had eyes for the book in the center of the room and the man beside it, hawking off runes like he was a vendor in a busy market square.

    ¡°Don¡¯t offer me shit,¡± Vermil snapped. ¡°I already gave you a list of the runes I wanted. Where among them was something even remotely similar to Blistering Blizzard?¡±

    ¡°It¡ªit¡¯s a rank 5 rune!¡± a woman stammered in disbelief, staring down at Vermil from the platform she stood upon. ¡°Formed at twenty percent full! That¡¯s one of the best ones we¡ª¡±

    ¡°It was not on the list,¡± Vermil said. ¡°I am uninterested.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop wasting time,¡± a massive man roared, pushing his way through the crowd. The smolder behind the eyes of his mask instantly gave him away as a demon. ¡°I¡¯ve got a Blackened Warp Rune. Rank 4.¡±

    ¡°Can anyone beat that?¡± Vermil called, cocking his head to the side.

    A mage raised a hand. Jalen vaguely recognized him from his patterned robes ¡ª the man was high up in a relatively large noble family. Jalen had forgotten his name¡­ and the name of his family as well. Neither had been worth remembering. The man cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯ve got a Shadowswept Night Jaunt¡ª¡±

    ¡°That is not a Space rune. The only thing I¡¯m accepting for this are space related runes,¡± Vermil said. ¡°If you have something else, wait for the next rune I put up for auction. I¡¯m in a generous mood today, so wet your hair and sit back down until it¡¯s your turn.¡±

    The mage, amongst the elite of the Arbalest Empire, sat down like an admonished child.

    ¡°Sold to you,¡± Vermil said, pointing at the demon.

    The man leapt from his platform with a delighted laugh, slamming down into the ground with enough force to crack it. He strode over to Vermil, slapped his hand against the pages of the grimoire, and imbued Blackened Warp into its pages.

    Vermil wordlessly handed the man a slip of Catchpaper with his prize upon it.

    ¡°Pleasure, Spider,¡± the demon said, his laugh muffled by his mask. There really wasn¡¯t much point for the mask anymore. The demon wasn¡¯t even trying to hide his identity. His eyes were literally burning.

    The demon was fully exposed in a sea of mages, and nobody so much as blinked. They just didn¡¯t care. If an Inquisitor had walked in on the scene, they would have wept bloody tears. After all the work they put in to purge the empire from demon filth, the nobles at its top didn¡¯t give two shits about the demons in their midst.

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    Not when there was power to be claimed. Demons were old news. New, unknown runes? Ones from a powerful, dead demon? That was far more interesting than someone else¡¯s battle.

    Vermil, you smarmy shit. You¡¯ve managed to achieve peace between the two biggest groups of assholes this world has ¡ª myself not included, of course. It would be unfair to include myself in the comparison. I¡¯m just one man, so everyone would be embarrassed when I trounce them.

    ¡°For this next rune, I¡¯m looking for any runes with Sound within them,¡± Vermil called, flourishing another Demon Rune from his grimoire. Even though nobody could see his face, Jalen could tell the brat was smiling. ¡°Rank 4 at the minimum. The more sound influence, the better.¡±

    The demoness by Jalen¡¯s side stiffened. She tried to free herself again from the bonds he¡¯d put around her. The effort failed miserably, and she shot him a look. Jalen had, unfortunately, already forgotten her name.

    ¡°What?¡± Jalen asked petulantly.  ¡°You started it.¡±

    ¡°What are you, a child?¡± She squinted at him. She gave her arm a tug, then let out an exasperated huff. ¡°Let me out. You¡¯re a demon, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯ve been called.¡±

    Mostly in bed, but I believe one or two people may have granted me that title when I was razing their family to the ground. Ah, I miss my younger days. Not enough to go back to them, though. Far too troublesome.

    ¡°Don¡¯t play coy with me,¡± the demoness said. She squirmed again. ¡°You¡¯re not with Salthazar, but I don¡¯t care. There¡¯s no reason to keep me bound like this. How is your magic this powerful? What Rank are you?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be the one asking the questions here? I¡¯m the one that caught you.¡±

    The demon glared at him.

    ¡°I want to bid on that rune, but I¡¯m not going to do it while I¡¯m trussed up like a pig. Come on. How was I supposed to know you were demons? You baited me here by getting mouthy!¡±

    ¡°That was just my natural state, but if you¡¯re going to bid, I suppose it can¡¯t hurt. Just know I¡¯ll rip your head off and tear it into little confetti shreds if you so much as glance in the gremlins¡¯ direction,¡± Jalen said cheerfully. He grabbed the demoness and hoisted her into the air with one arm.

    His bindings evaporated as if they¡¯d never been there.

    She stared at him in surprise. ¡°Who are you? I¡¯ve never seen a demon with magic this powerful.¡±

    ¡°You must not get around much,¡± Lee said. Jalen glanced over to find her chewing on something that looked suspiciously like an arm. He decided not to question it. There were some things in life that even he didn¡¯t need the answer to.

    ¡°His power is incredible, but Lord Spider¡¯s is even more so,¡± Aylin said. ¡°You would do well to fall in line.¡±

    ¡°Lord Spider?¡± the demoness glanced over her shoulder at Vermil. Several people ¡ª and one person that Jalen suspected to be yet another demon¡ª were still yelling out offers for it. ¡°He¡¯s not a demon, is he?¡±

    ¡°He is Spider,¡± Aylin said. Reverence gripped his tone in a vice grip. ¡°He has treated with even the Lord of Death.¡±

    ¡°He defeated the Rising Moon,¡± Yoru said. ¡°He took my arms and I thanked him for it.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been to the afterlife and returned unharmed,¡± Lee said. ¡°He even brought someone back with him.¡±

    The demoness stared at them, the confusion in her features pulling her lips open into a wide O of disbelief.

    ¡°What manner of monster is he?¡± she muttered. ¡°An Archdemon? Is that why I can¡¯t sense his power at all?¡±

    ¡°Be glad you can¡¯t,¡± Yoru said. ¡°If you were a threat to him, you would already be dead. This is all a game for his amusement. There are times he pretends to be weak. Times he pretends to be a demon, and times he pretends to be a human. But he is none of them. His motives are not yours to know. He is Spider.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I want to bid anymore,¡± the demoness said, all the gusto evaporating from her features. ¡°This is the equivalent of him tossing out trash to see the birds fight, isn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t need to be in the debt of someone that powerful.¡±

    Jalen¡¯s hand landed on her shoulder as his lips split apart in a grin behind his mask. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s too late for that. See, me and Spider ¡ª we¡¯re good friends. We play darts together. Every weekend, as a matter of fact¡­ though he¡¯s missed our last few games. Whoops, I¡¯ve gone off track. Fact of the matter is ¡ª I could have killed you the second your feet landed on this platform. I chose not to.¡±

    ¡°No, the demoness muttered, horror warping her features. ¡°Wait. That¡¯s not fair. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve never been called,¡± Jalen said, cutting her off as his smile grew even wider. ¡°You¡¯re in my debt ¡ª which means you¡¯re in Spider¡¯s. And I¡¯m going to be rather pissed if you¡¯ve gone and lied to get yourself unwrapped. You said you were going to bid¡­ ah, fuck. What was your name again?¡±

    ¡°Linestra,¡± the demoness said weakly.

    ¡°Linestra,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Very good. As I was saying, I believe you were just about to place a bid. I do hope it¡¯s a good one.¡±

    ¡°Why is Spider here?¡± Linestra asked as she approached the edge of the platform and braced her hands against the railing. ¡°What does he want? If he¡¯s this powerful¡­ is he trying to go against Orlen? Why would he interfere with us?¡±

    ¡°Feel free to ask him yourself,¡± Jalen said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t bite.¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Lee provided.

    ¡°Thank you, Lee,¡± Jalen said.

    ¡°I have absolutely no plans of speaking to Spider any more than I have to,¡± Linestra said with a shudder.

    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. Make that bid of yours¡­ but don¡¯t fret too much if you can¡¯t win. Spider is going to want to hear out what you have to say.¡±

    ¡°What? Why me? I¡¯m not the leader! I barely know anything!¡±

    Jalen¡¯s smile darkened. ¡°Because I¡¯m not convinced any of the other demons in this room are going to live to see sunset. I fear your little invasion wasn¡¯t nearly as discreet as you thought it was. There are Inquisitors surrounding this entire building.¡±

    Based on how they¡¯re moving into position¡­ I¡¯d say we¡¯ve got about five minutes for Vermil to finish up his little auction. I can¡¯t remember the last time there were reports of this many Inquisitors all gathered in one place¡­

    Someone tipped them off. This is going to be a bloodbath.

    How fun.

    I wonder if I can get the battle named after me.

 Chapter 612: Recruiting

    Any initial hesitation that the demons or humans had toward Vermil was blown away by the promise of power. For the residents of the mortal plane, it was a chance too great to pass up. Runes from the Damned Plains that had never been seen before¡­ no noble would ever pass that up.

    Every single person that had a rune Vermil wanted rejoiced. They all bid without reservation. After all, it was easy. His asking prices weren¡¯t measured in gold. Trading away relatively average runes in exchange for his offerings was an incredible deal.

    The demons bid with equal fervor. They could actually read the runes ¡ª and when a high ranked Demon Rune came up for auction, none of them could afford to pass it up. His requests were just too perfect.

    Vermil had every single person in the room dancing in the palm of his hand. In the span of just a few more minutes, he managed to auction off nearly a dozen Demon Runes of varying ranks.

    Jalen watched on, literally twitching in anticipation. Nobody else seemed to have noticed the growing forces of Inquisitors outside the auction house. They were getting ready to break in, he was sure of it.

    If Vermil hadn¡¯t been so confident his people would have no trouble against Inquisitors, then I¡¯d be getting Lee and the others out of here. Would have done it ten minutes ago. Well, maybe five. Or three. Can¡¯t be missing the action ¡ª but the point still stands. Keeping them around with a sea of bloodthirsty ball-fondlers outside is hardly the move of someone with a nice and wrinkly brain.

    Linestra stood beside him, drooped over the railing like a wilting flower. She¡¯d tried to make a run for it the moment he¡¯d revealed the presence of the waiting Inquisitors, but he¡¯d yanked her right back to the platform.

    They were going to need at least one survivor from the auction to figure out just what it had been that the demons had been planning. Jalen hadn¡¯t missed Vermil¡¯s expression when he¡¯d killed the prick in charge.

    The demon had mentioned someone by the name of Orlen as he¡¯d been split, and Vermil had flinched in response. He knew something about that name¡­ and if he¡¯d been unsettled by it, then it was probably important.

    ¡°Please,¡± Linestra said, hope binding her tone. ¡°Just¡­ let me go. I don¡¯t want to get killed by the Inquisitors.¡±

    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯d go?¡± Jalen asked, arching an eyebrow. ¡°We¡¯re surrounded. There is no escape. Relax. You¡¯re probably in the safest position in this entire room. Spider knows the Inquisitors are here. Just sit your ass over there and keep bidding.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the worst part! I am bidding!¡± Linestra threw her hands up. ¡°And I lose every time! This is humiliating! What¡¯s wrong with my Runes? My offer was better than the one Spider chose! Why would he pick trash over me?¡±

    ¡°Maybe you smell bad,¡± Lee offered.

    ¡°He can smell me? From all the way over there?¡± Horror gripped Linestra¡¯s words. She sniffed at her armpit, then frowned. ¡°I smell fine.¡±

    ¡°I think Lee was joking,¡± Aylin said. ¡°You taste normal. Just a demon.¡±

    ¡°I taste ¡ª what?¡± Linestra stared at him. ¡°When did you taste me? And what do you mean just a demon? I can see your horns, you little brat.¡±

    ¡°We are not the same,¡± Aylin said. ¡°You are a demon. We are something more. Lord Spider has made us greater.¡±

    ¡°That didn¡¯t answer my first question.¡± Linestra slowly brought her hand up to her mouth and touched it with the tip of her tongue. ¡°I do taste normal. What is it you mean by greater? And what is Spider?¡±

    ¡°He is Spider,¡± Aylin said.

    Where did Vermil find this little straight-faced guy? I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s fucking with Linestra or not. It¡¯s hilarious. His expression is about as flat as a dinner plate.

    Linestra let out a heavy sigh and slumped back over the railing. ¡°Can I please leave?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jalen said cheerfully. ¡°You haven¡¯t won a rune yet. Keep placing those bids.¡±

    ¡°I can leave if I win?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jalen said. ¡°But I figured giving you a goal would keep your mind occupied. Just relax and enjoy the moment, would you?¡±

    ¡°This is blackmail. Don¡¯t you have any shame?¡±

    ¡°Yes. No.¡±

    ¡°Want a snack?¡± Lee asked, holding the half-chewed arm out to Linestra. ¡°This one doesn¡¯t taste very good.¡±

    Linestra eyed it like she was considering the offer for a few seconds before shaking her head. ¡°I prefer to stick to normal energy. I haven¡¯t been forced to resort to physical food in a long time, and if I¡¯m about to get eviscerated by a bunch of Inquisitors, I¡¯ll not debase myself now.¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Lee shrugged and stuck the arm back into her mouth before speaking through a full mouth. ¡°It¡¯s quite chewy.¡±

    ¡°What do you even eat in the first place?¡± Jalen tilted his head to the side. ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly sentient for a demon. I don¡¯t have a lot of dealings with your type. Most of them end up being a bit more like your buddy Salthazar over there.¡±

    ¡°Fury demons?¡± Linestra asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Jalen replied, cackling. ¡°Dead.¡±

    ¡°Hilarious,¡± Linestra said woodenly.

    It seemed she had reached the point where there was no point for her to even put on a show of being scared. Jalen supposed being surrounded by a growing army of her mortal enemies would probably do that ¡ª and, if anything, he preferred the honesty to the false, desperate laughter of someone desperate to keep him from killing them.

    ¡°I¡¯m a Vengeance demon,¡± Linestra said. ¡°It¡¯s an offshoot emotion of anger and lust.¡±

    ¡°Lust? What does vengeance have to do with lust?¡±

    ¡°Everyone thinks vengeance has to be some grandiose thing. There aren¡¯t that many people that survive getting betrayed in a desperate battle,¡± Linestra said. She pushed away from the railing and slumped back into a chair. ¡°But there are a whole lot of cheating little shits. People who are never satisfied. People who always want more. Makes it quite easy to snag a meal. It¡¯s how I got pulled to the mortal plane in the first place. The idiot that summoned me wanted me to investigate her husband by testing his loyalty.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a delightful recipe for disaster,¡± Jalen said. ¡°How¡¯d that turn out?¡±

    ¡°She screwed up the circle, but I played along. It was too juicy of a chance for me to pass up. Turned out, her husband was perfectly boring. He just liked pulling long days at work. She was just projecting. I came back to report my uninteresting findings to find her in bed with his brother. It was delightful. I got to feast three times that day.¡±

    ¡°Three?¡± Aylin asked. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I went right back to the husband, dressed like a private investigator, and told him his wife was cheating on him,¡± Linestra said, a small smile pulling across her lips at the memory. ¡°His fury was delicious. I told him I could make them pay, and he asked me to. It was easy. Headed right back home and told my summoner I betrayed her. Got my second meal out of that. Then I killed them both and brought their heads back to him. Imagine the look on his face when he saw his own brother in my hands. I might have neglected to mention who his wife was cheating on him with.¡±

    ¡°The third bit of vengeance was directed against you? That¡¯s cold,¡± Aylin said.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do the crime. I just did as I was asked.¡± Linestra shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault he regretted his choices once they were done. If anything, I did him a favor. What kind of shitty brother fucks his siblings¡¯ wife?¡±

    ¡°Sounds fun,¡± Jalen said.

    ¡°The wife part?¡± Linestra squinted at him. ¡°That¡¯s kind of messed up.¡±

    ¡°I am not getting judged by the likes of you¡­ but I was referring to the detective bit,¡± Jalen said, crossing his arms.

    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s been my cover story since I¡¯ve been on the mortal plane,¡± Linestra said. ¡°I¡¯ve been running a detective agency out of Dawnforge while I waited for the other demons to get summoned. It was all for today. What a waste.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. You¡¯ll probably live,¡± Jalen said.

    ¡°Right,¡± Linestra said dryly. ¡°Forgive me if I don¡¯t believe that for a second. An army of Inquisitors? I¡¯m dead. I¡¯m barely Rank 5. More than enough to deal with one or two of the wretched corpse-desecrating bastards, but more than that? We¡¯re all done for. I¡¯m just going to sit here and enjoy the flavor of everyone swearing vengeance as they get killed. At least I¡¯ll get a meal as I die.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re depressing,¡± Lee informed Linestra. She took the half-chewed arm and shoved it into the other demon¡¯s mouth, silencing the surprised protests by pushing it in further. ¡°Here. Eat this. It¡¯s tasty.¡±

    Linestra managed to choke the arm down, coughing and sputtering. Then she went as stiff as a rod.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Linestra whispered. ¡°What did you just feed me? Why did it taste like¡ª¡±

    A brilliant crash ripped through the room. Light carved through the darkness like glowing blades. Screams echoed out as hooded figures dropped from the ceiling and burst in through the doors.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Jalen said, reinforcing the protection of the energy dome he¡¯d put up around the platform. ¡°Would you look at that? Here they are.¡±

    ¡°This is an Inquisition,¡± a voice boomed. ¡°There are demons present upon the premises of this building. Anyone trying to escape will be treated as a demon and put down accordingly. Do not leave your seat. Remain still. This will not take long.¡±

    Ice gripped the entire room in a vice grip as the temperature dropped like a rock. Jalen let his domain activate, grinding the magic away before it affected the platform they were on. Everywhere else, aside from small patches in the room where other mages were using their magic, frost spread across the ground.

    The Inquisitors had a powerful mage with them. Someone around Rank 6.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Linestra breathed. ¡°I was really hoping you were lying to me.¡±

    ¡°Sit straighter,¡± Jalen said, leaning forward in his chair with a delighted grin. ¡°The fun part is only starting. You don¡¯t want to miss this.¡±

    And then another voice tore through the air.

    Not from the Inquisitors, but from the lone mage standing in the center platform of the auction house.

    ¡°Gentlemen, please. Calm yourselves,¡± Vermil called. Dozens of Inquisitors turned toward him as one. He didn¡¯t even miss a beat. ¡°I¡¯m trying to hold an auction here ¡ª and you¡¯re late.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s definitely a demon. Deal with him!¡± an Inquisitor ordered.

    Another cloaked man sprinted for Vermil. His sleeves flapped back to reveal a large, bone rosary clutched within a hand. The Inquisitor lifted it into the air and it ignited with burning white light.

    Linestra¡¯s teeth gritted in pain ¡ª but not a single one of the other demons on the platform even blinked.

    The Inquisitor skidded to a stop before Vermil, arm lowering in surprise.

    ¡°What?¡± the man asked, his voice faltering. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ not a demon?¡±

    Vermil¡¯s laughter echoed through the auction hall.

    ¡°And now, the final item of this auction¡­¡± Vermil grabbed the Inquisitor¡¯s hand in a vice grip and brought the man¡¯s glowing rosary right up to his face. He held it there for a moment before shoving the Inquisitor back and lifting his hands into the air. ¡°My name is Spider, and I offer every demon in this room freedom. Freedom from Inquisitors. Freedom from yourselves. I offer you the chance to never fear again ¡ª and the only price I ask is your loyalty.¡±

    Jalen¡¯s eyes widened. For once, he was so taken by surprise that he couldn¡¯t even be delighted by the stunned silence gripping the room like a hand around a throat.

    Vermil wasn¡¯t just trying to weasel a few runes out of people.

    He was recruiting an army.

 Chapter 613: Bargain

    Noah¡¯s mask was doing a remarkable job of hiding the blood streaking down his face.

    Pain wrapped his entire being. Spikes dug into the insides of his stomach and jabbed deep into his spine, trying to blend him apart from within. His skull pulsed with a relentless headache and his mouth was as dry as a desert rock.

    It had been a long time since he¡¯d last had an Inquisitor turn their magic against him. He hadn¡¯t forgotten the sensation in the slightest ¡ª but he was a lot stronger than he had been the last time he¡¯d faced one.

    He could withstand it. It wasn¡¯t an enjoyable experience by any stretch of the imagination, but that didn¡¯t matter. Noah could deal with pain. He¡¯d felt worse. So long as the Inquisitors bought his bullshit, he would stand in the center of the room and eat the burning magic for as long as it took.

    And it was working.

    The entire room stood in stunned silence. Inquisitors and demons and nobles stood alike, frozen like a sea of ice sculptures, disbelief holding all of them in place.

    Not a single one of them could tell who he was or what he was supposed to be. He claimed to be from the Damned Plains, withstood Inquisitor magic, but did not work with the attacking demons.

    Attempting to discern his intentions was impossible.

    Even for him.

    This is really not how I was planning to do this. How did I just randomly choose the one day where the demons were planning something? Why are there so many Inquisitors around ¡ª and what the hell was Salthazar going to say about Orlen before he died?

    I¡¯ve literally been talking out of my ass for the past few minutes. I¡¯m going to need to use the bathroom if I¡¯m forced to spew much more bullshit¡­ but at least I¡¯ve gotten just about every single rune I wanted and then some.

    The original plan is in smoking shambles, but who gives a shit? We have what we came for. All I need now is a way out¡­ and to test a few things in the process.

    ¡°Are you man or demon?¡± the Inquisitor before Noah demanded, clutching his rosary to his chest like it was a pearl necklace around the neck of a wealthy woman who had never worked for so much as a penny in her life.

    ¡°Dispatch him,¡± another Inquisitor ordered as he ripped himself free of his surprise. ¡°Man or demon, he plans to collaborate with the enemy. Spider is our foe.¡±

    The first Inquisitor grabbed a dagger from his waist and slashed it across his hand. Blood exploded forth in a river, swirling around him¡ª

    There was a wet thunk.

    Blood splattered across Noah¡¯s clothes.

    The Inquisitor froze. He swayed, then looked down at a clawed hand protruding from his chest, fingers wrapped around a still-beating heart.

    His lips parted. Whether it was in surprise or pain, they never got to find out. The hand squeezed shut and the organ squelched like a wet sack of meat ¡ª which Noah supposed it was. Without a word, the Inquisitor pitched forward.

    He crashed to the ground and his rosary slipped from his fingers. It rang against the stone floor with a loud, echoing crack. Several of the bones shattered and their pieces rolled to a stop all around the dead man, quickly swallowed by a growing pool of blood spreading around his body.

    And above the dead man stood Lee. The nails on her hand, now stained red, had sharpened to elongated points. Blood and viscera covered it like a layer of thick, unmixed paint. It dripped and splattered to the floor beside the Inquisitor.

    It took Noah a moment to even realize he recognized her.

    ¡°Anyone who approaches Spider will die,¡± Lee said, her voice ringing through the silent room.

    It wasn¡¯t a threat. It was a promise.

    ¡°A demon killed an inquisitor,¡± a noble whispered. His fear spread through the room like an invisible serpent, coiling through the air in a split instant.

    There was another moment of silence.

    ¡°Run!¡± a woman screamed.

    Nobles scrambled in every direction. Magic surged and chaos descended like a heavy blanket ¡ª only to be rudely ripped away no more than an instant later as an immense domain slammed down over the entire room.

    The frost covering the ground and walls grew thicker. Noah drew deeply on Combustion, yanking power from the Master Rune to keep his body from starting to freeze.

    ¡°Calm yourselves,¡± a woman said, emerging from the crowd of inquisitors and shrugging off her robes. Glistening white and silver armor covered her body, patterned in the unique fractals of falling snow.

    Every step she took left a frozen step on the ground. Coils of frosty mist rose up from it and tendrils of ice stretched out from them, freezing portions of the ground into solid ice. Her eyes burned into Noah; two flat, frozen lakes. Her angular features were completely emotionless.

    The hair on the back of Noah¡¯s neck stood on end, and it wasn¡¯t from the temperature. She was strong. Not the strongest person he¡¯d ever come up against, but after meeting Sievan, it was going to be rather difficult for anyone to ever fill those shoes.

    Lee lowered her stance as the woman approached, but Noah put a hand on her shoulder.

    She was a lot stronger than the average Rank 4, but this was no mere Inquisitor. She was too strong. To have a domain this large¡­ she was a Rank 6, and she was easily as strong as Evergreen had been if not considerably more powerful.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Noah said. ¡°I do suspect that this will go nowhere, but I am of the monogamous sort.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s magnanimous,¡± Lee whispered to him.

    Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t quite whisper quietly enough to keep her voice from reaching every single ear in the auction house.

    We¡¯re really going to have to work on our inside voices a bit.

    ¡°Right. Thanks,¡± Noah said in a considerably better whisper before raising his voice once more. ¡°The magnanimous sort. I have no quarrel with the Inquisitors, and I don¡¯t believe they have any true reason to have one with me.¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°I¡¯m certain you¡¯d like it to be that way,¡± the woman said quietly. ¡°But even if I ignore my man ¡ª who you just orchestrated the death of ¡ª you are the vile sort that associates with demons. Your kind must be purged for the good of the kingdom.¡±

    Noah lifted a hand into the air. His mask repressed the agonized grimace that pulled at his lips at the effort of the motion. ¡°Ah. See, you¡¯re misunderstanding things just a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Pray tell,¡± the female Inquisitor said. ¡°I would be fascinated to know of my shortcomings.¡±

    Her voice was so flat that it felt like a literal blade of sarcasm driving into Noah¡¯s gut¡­ or perhaps that was just every single one of his internal organs trying to give out on him.

    The other Inquisitors milled about in confusion, their rosaries readied in their hands. They didn¡¯t want to attack without her permission, but waiting around in a sea of hidden demons was practically asking to get your head ripped off.

    Fortunately ¡ª or perhaps unfortunately, depending on the perspective ¡ª the demons didn¡¯t dare start fighting. It was going to be hard for them to believe that Spider wasn¡¯t a demon. And if he was¡­ he¡¯d offered them the moon and the stars.

    None of them could even consider trying to break the uneasy peace until they¡¯d had a chance to hear him out. Only once he spoke could they risk revealing themselves.

    The Inquisitors knew it too. One of them approached the armored woman, his rosary wrapped around his hands and his eyes locked on Lee and Noah.

    ¡°Mistress Fuyin, our orders were to purge without¡ª¡±

    ¡°We,¡± Noah said loudly. ¡°Are not demons. None of my associates are.¡±

    ¡°Your companion has a horn,¡± Fuyin said flatly. ¡°They are not even attempting to conceal their origin.¡±

    ¡°I was unaware that deer were also demons,¡± Noah said. ¡°Though some of us may share a few similar traits with the race known as demons, we are not of their ilk. Not anymore.¡±

    The Inquisitor who had companied a moment ago grabbed his rosary and lifted it into the air. Noah clenched his stomach. He couldn¡¯t afford to attack. Killing the man wouldn¡¯t be too difficult, but it would destroy the air of control he¡¯d managed to wrest for himself.

    The moment it became clear the Inquisitors attacks did affect him, the whole jig would be up. And, before that could happen, everyone else needed to get out.

    ¡°Then tell me, what are you?¡± Fuyin asked. ¡°Adrien, stand¡ª¡±

    The Inquisitor stepped forward. Burning white light ignited in the rosary.

    ¡°Die in agony, demons!¡± the man screamed, charging forward.

    And then Lee was before him. Her closed fist slammed into his stomach. The man doubled over in agony and let out a surprised wheeze. The rosary whipped in his grip, nearly flying from his grip, and Lee¡¯s hand clamped down on top of it.

    The Inquisitors eyes went wide.

    ¡°You can touch¡ª¡±

    His head rolled back mid-sentence, severed at the neck, and thunked to the ground. It was followed by the rest of his body a moment later. Lee held the rosary before her, watching the light fade from it, then tossed it onto the man¡¯s corpse.

    ¡°I warned you,¡± Lee said softly.

    A heartbeat of silence passed.

    Well, it looks like my theory was right on the money. The Inquisitors really don¡¯t have anti-demon magic at all. They have anti-Decras magic¡­ and there isn¡¯t any of Decras¡¯ original runes left in Lee. She consumed it to evolve.

    ¡°Did you see that?¡± the demon standing on Jalen¡¯s platform asked, awe burning in her eyes as brightly as the light of a rosary. ¡°That demon is immune to the Inquisition¡¯s magic!¡±

    She wasn¡¯t the only one. Excited murmurs rose through the crowd from demons unable to contain their disbelief.

    ¡°This is what I promise,¡± Noah called out. ¡°To any demon that lays down their arms and joins me ¡ª I will grant you evolution. I will make you who you were always mean to be. The runes within you are chains, but I can fix that.¡±

    Inquisitor Fuyin stared at Noah like she were trying to pry his mask off with her gaze. She didn¡¯t seem too concerned about the dead men at her feet.

    ¡°Even if you are no demon, you cannot think I will allow you to empower the greatest enemies of humanity,¡± Fuyin said. She pressed her palms together. Frost gathered between them as she pulled her hands apart, forming into a glistening sword.

    ¡°They will not be your enemies,¡± Noah said. ¡°Demons are as much a victim of their power as humanity is. The reason they hunt humans is not one of their own control¡­ but I can change that. If your wish is to purge demons from this world, Inquisitor, then I am your greatest ally.¡±

    ¡°Liar!¡± Another Inquisitor yelled.

    Noah¡¯s lips twitched in amusement behind his mask.

    The funniest thing is, I¡¯m being completely honest. I really can completely remove the majority of the threat demons pose to people. Half of these guys are only hunting people because their runes force them to¡­ but all that matters is that I¡¯ve given the demons a reason to fight.

    After this, the demons will put up enough of a distraction out of desperation to get free of their weakness that Lee and the others can escape. Any that actually manage to find us, I¡¯ll keep to my word and fix. If I want to take on the Nobles gunning for Isabel¡¯s Master Rune, I¡¯ll need an army.

    I can hardly pass this opportunity up. It¡¯s not my fault this one just served itself to me on a silver platter.

    ¡°Hold,¡± Fuyin said, raising a hand.

    Noah blinked in surprise.

    There was genuine thought in her features. She was actually considering his words.

    ¡°How?¡± Fuyin asked.

    Many of the other Inquisitors spun to her in surprise. A large man pushed through the ranks, throwing his hood back to reveal a bald man with a thick, bushy beard and unsettling, golden eyes. The man barely even looked human. He was nearly eight feet tall and proportionately wide. It was like a brick wall had taken to the flesh.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be planning to hear him out,¡± the mountain of a man said. ¡°Fuyin, you are stepping out of bounds. We have our orders.¡±

    ¡°Our duty is to seek ways to halt the demons. Spider claims to possesses one,¡± Fuyin said flatly. ¡°We have waited this long. I believe it is wise to wait longer, Inquisitor Tren.¡±

    She¡¯s not the one in charge? There¡¯s no way they sent two Rank 6s for this, right? Does that mean Fuyin is actually just a really strong Rank 5? Damn. I¡¯d love to get a look at what runes she¡¯s got rattling around.

    ¡°You are overruled, Fuyin. We will discuss this after the conclusion of this Inquisition. It seems your attitude may need to be adjusted,¡± the large man said. He turned toward Spider and pulled a huge rosary free of his sleeves, cracking his neck. ¡°Inquisitors, prepare to¡ª¡±

    ¡°You could try that,¡± Noah drawled. If Fuyin was interested in his offer¡­ perhaps he could leverage that. ¡°And many of you will die. Perhaps most. But why would you cut the tail of the lizard when it will simply regrow?¡±

    ¡°What do you propose?¡± Fuyin asked.

    Tren glared at her. ¡°Enough, Fuyin. Your orders are to purge. This arrogant fool claims to be the head of the demons, but all he can do is stall for time. There will be no more¡ª¡±

    ¡°I will remain behind. Everyone else here will leave,¡± Noah said. ¡°You¡¯ll have many chances to kill demons in the future¡­ but how many will you get to learn information from the one who can stop them?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lee asked, spinning to Noah.

    ¡°Or I can kill you and all the other demons here,¡± Tren rumbled. ¡°And then I will get everything I want.¡±

    ¡°You can certainly try,¡± Noah said. ¡°And regardless of what happens, you will not learn anything that I have to share. You need the knowledge I possess, Inquisitors. So tell me ¡ª will you lose the battle for a chance to win the war?¡±

    The huge man stared at Noah. All around him, Inquisitors twitched and nervous crowds stared down at them. If Tren attacked, this would be a bloodbath. Even with this many Inquisitors, there were enough demons to do an enormous amount of damage and everyone knew it.

    ¡°What do you fancy yourself,¡± Tren growled. ¡°Some manner of savior?¡±

    Noah smiled. His Grimoire had given him a perfect answer for that, even if the book hadn¡¯t been thinking of this particular scenario when they¡¯d last spoken.

    ¡°I prefer to think of myself as a Herald.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll never let you live,¡± a demon called. Noah glanced up at the voice ¡ª it was Aylin who had spoken. ¡°If you do this, you¡¯ll die! Why would you give up so much for demons you don¡¯t know?¡±

    Nice, Aylin.

    ¡°Because I am not so easily killed,¡± Noah said simply. ¡°Today will be remembered as a demonstration of my power. It is up to the Inquisitors to determine if the memory will be carved into history with blood or quill. So what do you say, Tren? Will you burn your chances at true victory just to kill a few demons?¡±

    Tren glanced to Fuyin, then grit his teeth.

    ¡°Speak, then.¡±

    Hook, line, and sinker.

    ¡°Everyone is to evacuate first. I will remain. And then ¡ª only then ¡ªwill we bargain.¡±

 Chapter 614: Cant be bothered

    Linestra¡¯s mouth felt like it was full of cotton. She gripped the edge of the railing in a vice grip as she ¡ª along with every other demon and human in the room ¡ª stared down at Spider.

    There was only silence following his offer. Linestra could barely believe what she¡¯d heard. It simply made no sense. There were times when demons worked together to further their own goals¡­ but this was something different.

    Spider stood before an army of Inquisitors and offered himself up in exchange for every other demon¡¯s life. It made no sense.

    It simply went against everything they were.

    What about his offer to free us? If that was real, then how can he do it if he¡¯s dead? Not even an Archdemon could try to go up against this many Inquisitors. That Fuyin woman is powerful enough on her own, and the huge human is even stronger than she is. That many pieces of bone rosary against one person¡­

    Spider is dead. He won¡¯t be able to defeat them all.

    So why would he do it? Does he have some manner of artifact that will let him fight back against the Inquisitors?

    The humans seemed to be just as confused as the demons.

    ¡°What manner of demon gives up his life in exchange for another?¡± Fuyin asked, tilting her expressionless head to the side like a dog as she tried to figure out what Spider¡¯s angle was.

    ¡°I already told you. I¡¯m more than a mere demon,¡± Spider said with a low laugh. He reached to his side and pulled off his gourd and travel bag, handing them to the demon beside him and patting her on the shoulder. He slipped out of his robe and put it over her as well.

    ¡°What? He can¡¯t be stronger than a Rank 5,¡± a mage muttered. ¡°Who is that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll even sweeten the deal. I will speak with you unarmed,¡± Spider said.

    ¡°Are you arrogant or a fool?¡± Tren cracked his neck. ¡°What game do you play at, Spider? You¡¯re weak.¡±

    ¡°Answering that question would ruin the fun,¡± Spider replied. ¡°Make your choice, Inquisitor. The battle or the war? Which will you win?¡±

    The large man gritted his teeth. He made a sharp gesture with his free hand and a ripple of motion passed through the Inquisitors as they all lowered their rosaries.

    ¡°Everyone is to leave this building. Immediately,¡± Tren growled. ¡°Immediately. Any stragglers will be executed. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a human, demon, or a hunk of metal puppeted by a dog. Get out. Only Spider and the Inquisitors are to remain. For any humans in the audience ¡ª return to your houses immediately. Call for Inquisitors to verify that your numbers have not been compromised. And for the demons hiding in the audience like cockroaches¡­ run. Enjoy the brief moments this buys you. I will find every last one of you.¡±

    The auction house exploded into motion. People drew on their Runes and launched themselves through the hole in the ceiling aboard flying swords; they fled from the auction house through any exit they could find.

    Linestra would have loved to do the same if the madman with the purple magic hadn¡¯t been keeping her captive. Even though she wasn¡¯t bound anymore, one of his eyes was firmly affixed on her neck. There was no doubt in her mind that, if she tried to flee, he would stop her.

    ¡°What should we do, Jalen?¡± Aylin asked. ¡°Did Spider inform you of this plan? Are we meant to stay?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one that¡¯s supposed to know things?¡± the madman asked, running a hand through his graying hair and shaking his head. ¡°Well, you heard the man. Answers would ruin the game.¡±

    ¡°What is that even supposed to mean?¡± Linestra asked. ¡°We need to run!¡±

    ¡°It would be wise to do as Spider says,¡± the armless demon said in a quiet voice. ¡°He has not been wrong before. I do not dare attempt to weight into the probabilities right now. I fear to see what I might find.¡±

    ¡°Probabilities? Like math?¡± Jalen scratched the bottom of his chin, then let out a snort and shook his head. ¡°Nerd.¡±

    ¡°The pursuit of knowledge is always wise,¡± Aylin said. ¡°Even if you hold great power, there is always more to be learned.¡±

    Linestra stared at them in disbelief. There wasn¡¯t any panic among Spider¡¯s companions. Every single one of them was acting as if this there wasn¡¯t an army of Inquisitors waiting to kill all of them. Like it was just another day.

    How are they so casual about this? We need to be running!

    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Jalen said irritably. ¡°I was shit at math, you little mouthy brat. Music too. Tried to get good at Formations when I was younger. Turns out, I don¡¯t have the patience for it. I much prefer smashing things over the head with cool magic. Much less of a hassle.¡±

    ¡°I can teach you, if you want,¡± Yoru said.

    Jalen blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Math,¡± Yoru said. ¡°I can teach it to you.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ we can talk about this later,¡± Jalen said, his voice sounding slightly taken aback. ¡°I suppose we should do what Ve¡ª er, Spider suggested, eh? No point sitting around at a party when all the players have already left. Still¡­ what a disappointment. I was hoping to kill a few people. This wasn¡¯t even a battle. How am I going to get it named after myself now?¡±

    What is he talking about?

    ¡°Your head is damaged,¡± Linestra informed Jalen.

    The room around them was already mostly cleared out. Linestra was becoming more and more aware that the only people surrounding them were Inquisitors. If they didn¡¯t leave soon, they wouldn¡¯t be getting the chance to do it at all.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be the first woman to tell me that,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Good old Evergreen. Too bad she¡¯s rotting. She was always fun when she was mad.¡±

    He¡¯s properly insane.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    A blur shot toward the platform. Linestra flinched, but Jalen just flicked his fingers. The purple barrier surrounding them vanished. That seemed like a strikingly stupid thing to do when someone was actively flying toward them at a speed so fast that she couldn¡¯t even track where they were.

    Before Linestra could even flinch, the demoness that had gone to help Spider alighted on the railing of the platform across from her. She¡¯d slung Spider¡¯s massive Grimore over one shoulder and had his healing potion tucked under an arm.

    ¡°Come on,¡± she said. ¡°Jalen, bring the other one. Spider is going to want to speak to her.¡±

    How is he going to speak to me if he¡¯s taken by Inquisitors? He¡¯s going to be dead!

    ¡°We¡¯re actually leaving?¡± Aylin asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes. Spider has this handled. Everything is as he wants it to be. Just trust him. Our job is to leave and make sure we aren¡¯t followed.¡±

    ¡°Well then,¡± Jalen said. He grabbed Linestra by the back of her shirt and hoisted her into the air like a wet cat.

    ¡°Put me down!¡± Linestra hissed, squirming furiously. ¡°I¡¯m more than capable of moving myself! I am not some child!¡±

    ¡°Relax,¡± Jalen said. ¡°And don¡¯t move too much, will you?¡±

    The air before them hummed as crackling purple energy spilled out from Jalen¡¯s free hand. It twisted through the air like snakes, tickling Linestra¡¯s skin.

    Then there was a loud snap, and the world lurched.

    One moment, they were in the auction house.

    The next, a sea of red sand stretched out in all directions around them. Linestra¡¯s stomach lurched into her throat and she nearly threw up. She managed to catch herself at the last second. The rest of Spider¡¯s people stood around her ¡ª and demons and nobles alike flew through the air all around them.

    ¡°Short range?¡± Aylin asked.

    ¡°There are Imbued runes all around the auction house. They only let you use Space magic to pop into certain areas, and it¡¯s easy to track long range teleports,¡± Jalen replied. ¡°We don¡¯t need an Inquisitor tracking us back. Any idiot who teleports right out of that auction house is going to have the Inquisition at their door by tomorrow. We go by foot until there¡¯s more distance between us and the auction.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Aylin said. ¡°We should be fast, then. There are a lot of people present that may interfere.¡±

    Jalen nodded. The air blurred around them again, and then they were standing dozens of meters from where they had been. Linestra¡¯s stomach lurched again.

    This has to be the worst method of travel ever invented.

    But just what is Spider planning? How is he going to get out of this?

    ***

    ¡°Well then,¡± Noah said, looking out over the small army of the Inquisitors surrounding him before turning his gaze to Tren. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s just you and me and the few dozen men staring at us. I¡¯ve never felt so wanted before.¡±

    His head felt like a vice was closing on it from every angle. He¡¯d taken too much damage from the rosaries. Even if he¡¯d somehow left with the others, unless he found a healing potion soon, he was pretty sure he¡¯d have just bled out from his internal injuries within an hour.

    Part of him just wanted to keel over and die now ¡ª but this was an opportunity. He had to at least see if he could get something useful out of it.

    ¡°You said you have a way to destroy the demons. Permanently,¡± Fuyin said. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°By fixing their Runes,¡± Noah replied. ¡°It¡¯s rather simple, really. I just make them what they were always meant to be.¡±

    ¡°What they were always meant to be? What are you trying to be, some sort of Demon Prophet? You sound like a fanatic,¡± Tren said with a cold laugh. ¡°But you and your demons¡­ you weren¡¯t affected by the Rosaries. How? That¡¯s what I want to know. Tell me that, and your death will be fast.¡±

    The corner of Noah¡¯s mouth pulled up. ¡°A demonstration, then.¡±

    He extended his hands and drew on Combustion. He flicked his hand to one of the dead Inquisitors at his feet and they ignited with a whoomph.

    The Inquisitors stiffened, but Tren held a hand up as smoke started to pour off the corpse.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tren asked. ¡°If you try to fight¡ª¡±

    ¡°Relax,¡± Noah said. His nose wrinkled at the smell of cooking flesh, but he didn¡¯t waste time in reaching for Natural Disaster and drawing the smoke to him, causing it to swirl into the shape of Sievan. ¡°I¡¯m getting you some visuals. If you want to understand what I can do, then you need some visuals.¡±

    Fuyin frowned. ¡°This¡­¡±

    ¡°Silence,¡± Tren said. ¡°It¡¯s smoke, woman. You¡¯re an Ice mage. Deal with it if he tries to attack. Speak, demon. And do it quickly. If we are not satisfied here, then I will be bringing you back to our headquarters ¡ª and I can assure you that you will not enjoy that.¡±

    And so Noah spoke. He told them of the Demon¡¯s plight ¡ª there was no reason not to, after all. Inquisitors weren¡¯t exactly bad by nature. To the average mortal, a Demon was a horrible foe.

    There was a need for people that could protect the mortal plane against demons that were coming here just to hunt humans. Noah didn¡¯t give a shit about those demons. The only ones he cared about were the ones on his side¡­ and they had none of the weaknesses that the normal demons did.

    He told them of how Demons were controlled by their runes and how the stronger they got, the more of them was consumed by their own magic.

    And as he spoke, more of the room filled with smoke. It swirled around his body and danced at his fingertips, forming into shapes and images of what he described.

    The Inquisitors watched on in growing interest. Every word that spilled from his lips drew their attention even further.

    ¡°That¡¯s what you meant by free,¡± Tren breathed, eyes burning with hunger as he took a step toward Noah. ¡°You found a way to remove these¡­ poisoned runes from them.¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± Noah confirmed. ¡°I make them whole.¡±

    ¡°You empower them,¡± Tren said. ¡°You speak as if you are an ally for humans by fixing these demons, but you are only making them stronger!¡±

    ¡°Not all demons prey on humans. Some can live together with them. The demons are changing, Inquisitor. Perhaps you should as well.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Tren snarled. ¡°I can believe much of what you said, but demons are demons. I will not be taken in by your lies.¡±

    Oh, well. I tried.

    ¡°We should bring him back,¡± Fuyin said. ¡°The council will want to hear of this.¡±

    ¡°In that, I agree,¡± Tren said. ¡°You were right, Spider. This was far more valuable than just killing those demons. And tell me ¡ª are you one of these new demons? The ones immune to the rosaries?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°Then you will be the perfect subject of study.¡± Tren¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°Thank you for your sacrifice, Spider. Your corpse will greatly aid us in finding a new way to destroy demons.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. I don¡¯t think it will,¡± Noah said, a smile of his own crossing his features. Enough time had passed. Everyone should have been able to get out of here by now. He coughed into his mask. ¡°Is it just me, or is the room getting rather smokey?¡±

    Fuyin tapped a finger against her waist. ¡°Tren. Perhaps it would be wise to hear him out? If these new demons are truly not a threat to humans, then they do not fall under our directive. They could be useful.¡±

    ¡°Demons are demons,¡± Tren replied. He thrust a finger at Noah. ¡°Restrain him! He¡¯ll be coming with us.¡±

    Inquisitors blurred forward, and Noah did nothing to stop them. They grabbed his arms and jerked them behind his back, shoving him down. He slammed to his knees with a loud thud.

    Noah just drew in a deep breath. He pulled rivers of smoke past his mask and into his lungs. Then his lips fully pulled into a smile.

    At least one of the Inquisitors seemed rather reasonable. Maybe I could convince more if I let them take me back to home base¡­ but I can¡¯t be fucking bothered.

    The inquisitors shoved him down onto the ground. One of them grabbed his mask and prepared to pull it off. Noah twisted his head to look straight at Fuyin. There was a chance she¡¯d be useful later.

    Her eyes widened as she recognized something in his gaze through the smoke twisting around all of them.

    The smoke that was flooded with his magical energy.

    ¡°Shields!¡± Fuyin yelled, ice already exploding around her in a dome.

    It was too late.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you,¡± Noah said.

    He ignited the smoke.

    There was a flicker of orange as the fire caught.

    Then the room exploded.

 Chapter 615: Who

    A roar ripped through the desert.

    Flames exploded up from the ground alongside a massive plume of sand, licking for the sky. A thick cloud of smoke and fire rolled out from the explosion.

    Linestra¡¯s mouth dropped open. Even though they were far from the auction house, she could still see the hazy waves of heat twisting up from where it had been.

    Linestra spotted Lee slipping away from the party and darting over a sand dune but paid little attention to it. Her eyes were transfixed on the molten air.

    ¡°Gods above,¡± Linestra breathed. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Spider,¡± Aylin whispered. The glow of the flame flickered in his eyes, making them shimmer as if in reverence.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± Linestra swallowed. ¡°Just like that? There¡¯s no way he could have survived an explosion like that, is there? I heard someone say he was only a Rank 4.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s absolutely nothing only about Spider,¡± Yoru said.

    ¡°But how will he complete his promise? He said he would fix us!¡± Linestra said. ¡°Was that a lie? Did he really just¡­ let himself die? Just to save us? Why?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to lay it on so thick. I¡¯m going to get an ego if you keep that up.¡±

    Linestra¡¯s blood went cold.

    That voice was familiar. But it was impossible. There was no way it could be here.

    She twisted in Jalen¡¯s grip, looking to the dune that Lee had vanished over.

    Standing at its top was Spider. He wore the coat he¡¯d given Lee and had his grimoire slung back over his shoulder, his potion at his hip.

    He was alive.

    Not only alive. He was completely unharmed.

    ¡°How?¡± Linestra breathed. Blood thumped in her ears as her brain struggled to process the information her eyes were feeding it. Ice gripped her veins.

    ¡°Afterlife¡¯s full,¡± Spider said with a careless shrug, as if coming back to life was something one did on an average afternoon. ¡°They sent me back.¡±

    What the fuck does that even mean?

    While Linestra tried and failed to pick her jaw up from the floor, Aylin reached up to the mask and pulled it away from his face. She was already in such a state of disarray that she barely even registered the motion until she caught a glimpse of his face.

    What she saw was enough to momentarily rip her out of her surprise ¡ª with yet even more surprise. Aylin¡¯s features were young. He couldn¡¯t have been older than 20 ¡ª and she didn¡¯t suspect it was because he was so powerful that his aging had halted.

    Even if she didn¡¯t have a domain, there was no magical pressure coming out of Aylin. Even Salthazar had possessed a magical weight about him. Not quite a domain, but more than this. That meant Aylin had to be less than Rank 5 or 6 ¡ª and yet, he was somehow one of Spider¡¯s new demons.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Linestra muttered. Her eyes flicked from Aylin to Spider as he made his way down to join the rest of them.

    Speaking of features ¡ª Spider¡¯s were strikingly¡­ normal. He was an average looking human with long black hair and a messy carpet of a budding beard. An average looking man that had just saved the lives of dozens of demons and destroyed a room of Inquisitors with a single fell swoop.

    ¡°How fortunate. That makes two of us,¡± Spider said. He glanced around the group. ¡°Nobody¡¯s hurt, yes?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re fine. We made it out while you distracted them, but it looks like there isn¡¯t anything to worry about now,¡± Lee said.

    Aylin shook his head. ¡°No, we aren¡¯t safe yet. That was a big blast, but some of the stronger Inquisitors definitely could have survived. I wouldn¡¯t bet on them all being dead.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Oh, they definitely aren¡¯t,¡± Spider said. He glanced over Aylin¡¯s shoulder at the spot where the auction house had once sat beneath the sand, then shook his head. ¡°But they¡¯ll be busy enough. The place caved in. Their stronger members are alive¡­ but they didn¡¯t see anything that they shouldn¡¯t have.¡±

    How would he even know that? And how did he get here so quickly? Some form of teleportation magic? But Jalen is already immensely powerful and clearly specializes in spatial magic¡­ and he said that it was difficult to teleport at a range without revealing to the Inquisitors where we¡¯ve gone.

    Spider wouldn¡¯t be dumb enough to reveal us like that, would he?

    ¡°How did you even escape?¡± Linestra asked, swallowing heavily. ¡°Are the Inquisitors still coming for us?¡±

    ¡°I highly doubt they have the slightest idea of where we are, and they¡¯re a bit preoccupied at the moment. That said, we should get going. No point sitting around and just inviting trouble onto ourselves.¡±

    Linestra nodded empathetically. ¡°I agree. I¡¯ll just be on my way¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. you¡¯re coming with us.¡± Spider¡¯s lips split into a smile behind his hood. ¡°Your boss said something that caught my attention. We¡¯ve got a lot to talk about.¡±

    Uh oh.

    ¡°Perhaps we could discuss here?¡± Linestra offered weakly.

    ¡°Oh, no. We might have Inquisitors on our tail at any moment. It would be pretty bothersome if they came after us now, but I¡¯d say we should be far enough that we¡¯ll blend in with everyone else teleporting anywhere. Either way¡­ Jalen, would you take care of this?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± Jalen said petulantly. ¡°You stole my chance to get a battle named after myself!¡±

    What?

    ¡°You took us to the auction. It¡¯s only fair you take us back,¡± Spider said, crossing his arms in front of his chest and tapping a foot on the ground. ¡°Stop being a brat. If you take us back, I¡¯ll ask my tea guest if she¡¯ll play darts with you the next time she visits. Just make sure you get us back in a way that is absolutely impossible to trace.¡±

    Jalen¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°One trip back to your boring-ass shithole is served. Pucker up, kids. Both ends. This isn¡¯t going to be fun.¡±

    Linestra¡¯s mouth didn¡¯t even get a chance to open and voice any of her endlessly mounting confusion.

    Jalen had barely even finished speaking by the time a wave of violet energy erupted from his body. It crackled against her skin as it washed past everyone around Jalen, swallowing them in a molten sea of twisting magic.

    Then they were gone.

    The world shifted.

    Grassy plains formed beneath Linestra¡¯s feet and her stomach jerked up ¡ª and the world changed once more. The grass turned to waves of rolling stones.

    The world shifted.

    A freezing gale slammed into Linestra¡¯s skin like miniature blades were driving into her flesh. It bit at her neck and pulled goosebumps up all along her body. Her breath caught in her throat¡ª

    The world shifted.

    They stood in a field of grass, surrounded by plump blue flowers. Linestra staggered as they arrived, stomach lurching in so many directions that it may as well have been a marble rattling around inside her.

    This is torture. I thought arriving in the mortal realm from the Damned Plains was bad, but this mortal teleports like a drunk man drives a wagon.

    There was an instant of stillness. She swallowed back the bile in her throat. ¡°Are we¡ª¡±

    The world shifted.

    Dirty brownish-black ground snapped into being below Linestra¡¯s feet. Looming burnt trees swam all around her and the smell of ash prickled against her nostrils. Her head spun and she staggered, nearly tripping over her own feet before a hand caught her by the back of her collar.

    ¡°No,¡± Jalen said, pulling Linestra back to her feet with the ease of a child righting a toy.

    Linestra¡¯s stomach lurched. She couldn¡¯t even muster the words to thank him ¡ª especially since he was the reason she¡¯d nearly fallen on her face in the first place. Her teeth clenched as she prepared herself for another teleportation, but nothing came.

    ¡°Are¡­ we done?¡± Linestra asked, tasting bile on each word she spoke.

    ¡°Do you want to be done? I can go for a few more rounds,¡± Jalen offered.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I have to agree with her,¡± Aylin said. ¡°That was¡­ less than enjoyable. It was, however, enlightening. I¡¯ve never gotten such a good demonstration of spatial magic before. Your reserves must be incredible.¡±

    ¡°Flattery,¡± Jalen said with a scoff. He paused for a moment, then arched an eyebrow. ¡°Go on. Nobody said you had to stop. Compliment me more.¡±

    ¡°That was it for now,¡± Aylin said.

    ¡°You are an egotistical man,¡± Yoru said.

    ¡°You have no arms,¡± Jalen said.

    ¡°Now that just seems uncalled for,¡± Spider said.

    ¡°I was under the impression we were just stating the obvious.¡± Jalen scratched at his chin.

    Spider visibly repressed a sigh. His gaze swept over the burnt forest surrounding them before landing on Linestra. She shrank back.

    This does not bode well for me. How did this job go so wrong? It should have been so cut and dry. Salthazar¡­ what have you gotten us into?

    ¡°Now, then,¡± Spider said. ¡°Tell me, what was your name?¡±

    ¡°Linestra. I¡ª¡±

    Spider held a hand up. ¡°I¡¯ll be more than eager to hear everything you¡¯d like to share, but you¡¯re going to start with a name.¡±

    ¡°A name?¡± Linestra asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

    ¡°Orlen.¡± Something in Spider¡¯s eyes gave rise to a primal fear deep within Linestra. They were¡­ wrong, for lack of a better word. She¡¯d heard the phrase that eyes were the windows to the soul before, but Spider¡¯s were more like portals into the depths of an endless, uncaring sea. ¡°You¡¯re going to tell me who ¡ª or what ¡ª Orlen is.¡±

 Chapter 616: Ritual

    Noah¡¯s gaze bore into Linestra as the demon flinched back from him. It looked like his demonstration had been effective in more than one way. She was absolutely terrified ¡ª and that was making staying serious a little bit of a challenge.

    I wonder what Linestra would do if she realized I was actually ¡®just¡¯ a measly Rank 4. Oh well. If it gets me information on who or what the hell Orlen is, I don¡¯t care what she thinks of me. Wizen¡¯s last word ¡ª literally ¡ª was this name.

    Unless he decided to have a bit of fun at my expense, then this has to be incredibly important.

    ¡°I¡­ I wasn¡¯t privy to all of the details,¡± Linestra stammered. ¡°Salthazar handled that. He was the one that ensured we got out of the Damned Plains and recruited us to the cause.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Noah said flatly. ¡°Tell me everything you know about Orlen. You clearly recognize the word.¡±

    A flicker of anger lit behind Linestra¡¯s eyes. The demon was still a demon. She definitely didn¡¯t take kindly to being ordered around. Unfortunately for her, she was completely surrounded and entirely outmatched.

    If anything, I¡¯m surprised she¡¯s got this much control over herself. I guess there¡¯s a difference between being controlled by your Runes and just throwing self-preservation to the wind.

    I wonder if all Demon Runes are somehow adjacent to Yoru¡¯s Moonlit Prophecy. Do they eventually become sentient when they get strong enough? Are they already sentient and just don¡¯t¡¯ have enough power to manifest themselves? If that¡¯s the case¡­ it would make sense that they would take actions to survive, even in spite of their normal nature.

    Noah yanked his thoughts back to the matter at hand. Demon Runes and how they worked was fascinating ¡ª but he couldn¡¯t let himself get distracted right now. There would be time to think about the demons as a whole later.

    ¡°Orlen was Salthazar¡¯s contact,¡± Linestra said. A stick cracked beneath her foot as she shifted her weight. ¡°He helped arrange for a lot of the summoning, and he was the one that wanted us to attack the auction house.¡±

    So it¡¯s a name. I thought so, but good to get confirmation.

    ¡°Why?¡± Noah asked. ¡°What did he want?¡±

    And why were there so many Inquisitors there? That definitely wasn¡¯t the normal amount. Is there a leak somewhere in the information channel between the demons and Orlen? Or is something else entirely going on?

    ¡°He just said he was looking for something. That¡¯s all I know,¡± Linestra said. She swallowed heavily, clearly aware just how useless her information was. ¡°That¡¯s really it. He didn¡¯t even tell us what it was he wanted. Our job was just to kill a few key targets and cause some chaos before making a run for it.¡±

    ¡°Making a run for it?¡± Jalen repeated. He tilted his head to the side and let out a derisive snort.

    ¡°Not likely you¡¯d get very far with all those Inquisitors standing outside of the auction,¡± Aylin observed.

    Noah couldn¡¯t help but agree. It almost felt like Orlen had set the demons up to fail on purpose.

    But¡­ why?

    ¡°Is Orlen a demon?¡± Yoru asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Linestra shook her head. ¡°I never saw his face. We never met in person. It was always through messages that would show up through red plasma portals. I once saw a demon try to peek through the portal. A strand of energy touched him and his whole body twisted up like someone was wringing a wet towel. Got blood and guts all over the whole damn room.¡±

    Noah¡¯s features twisted in distaste. Orlen was not sounding like a particularly enjoyable person¡­ but despite the expression on Linestra¡¯s face that betrayed how useless she felt she was, her information had actually been useful.

    Red plasma. Like the magic Wizen was using from the Key? That would certainly be a connection. But why would Wizen be using Orlen¡¯s magic? This isn¡¯t a situation where he¡¯s pretending to be Orlen. If he was, then there would be no point telling me his other name ¡ª and Orlen wouldn¡¯t be still ordering things around.

    So Wizen got something from Orlen? He took the Key from Arbitage. Maybe this Orlen gave him a way to use it? A Rune or something?

    Even if that was the case, Noah didn¡¯t have the slightest idea why Wizen would have bothered writing the man¡¯s name down. Orlen didn¡¯t matter if he was just some random powerful mage that had helped him out for some reason or another.

    He made sure to make sure I was aware of his name.

    Why?

    Noah¡¯s jaw clenched in annoyance. Every single answer he got just gave him even more questions. The more he learned about the world, the more he realized that nobody had the slightest fucking idea as to what was going on.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Linestra said. ¡°I swear. That¡¯s all I know.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. It wasn¡¯t her fault, and Aylin hadn¡¯t said anything. That meant she was telling the truth. ¡°I don¡¯t expect the cogs to know what the machine is thinking.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nevermind,¡± Noah said. He shook his head, his thoughts already drifting. The headache prodding his temples from blowing himself up certainly wasn¡¯t helping ¡ª but he was so used to them at this point that it really wasn¡¯t that much of a bother.

    I¡¯ll have to look into this Orlen. Figure out what it is that Wizen wanted me to know about him. But, until then, I¡¯ve got a much more pressing matter to deal with. The noble bastards after Isabel¡¯s Master Rune.

    ¡°That will be all I need you for. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ can go?¡±

    Noah paused. Unleashing a Rank 5 or 6 demon on Arbitage hardly seemed like a wise decision. He could think of a number of ways that could go wrong. Ferrying her off somewhere was also a bit of a problem. She¡¯d just go terrorize the local population.

    I don¡¯t want to be responsible for killing a bunch of innocent people. I suppose I could ask Jalen to drop her off at the Herron estate or something and just enjoy the carnage, but that would be a waste.

    ¡°Do you like cats?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ never had the opportunity to consider that question. Should I like cats?¡±

    On second thought, no. Mascot would eat her alive.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m drawing a blank,¡± Noah said. ¡°Thoughts, anyone?¡±

    Lee¡¯s stomach grumbled.

    Linestra¡¯s features paled.

    ¡°Darts?¡± Jalen offered.

    ¡°You are a grown mage,¡± Noah snapped. ¡°You do not need to kidnap a demon to play darts.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a kidnapping. More like a mandated vacation.¡±

    Oof. That¡¯s a rough line. Definitely wouldn¡¯t want anyone quoting that one.

    ¡°You ¡ª you offered us freedom back in the auction house,¡± Linestra said cautiously. She swallowed before continuing. ¡°Is that offer still available?¡±

    Oh, right. I do vaguely recall that. I was kind of bullshitting at the time, but I do need some backup to deal with the noble houses ¡ª and some more test subjects to polish up the process of fixing people with Sticky Runes certainly wouldn¡¯t hurt.

    ¡°That could be arranged, so long as you¡¯re willing to swear fealty,¡± Noah said. ¡°And you¡¯ll need a bit of patience as well. The procedure is not quick.¡±

    ¡°I just hope you aren¡¯t too attached to your arms,¡± Yoru said.

    Linestra sent a horrified look at the smaller demon. Noah sent her a look as well, but for an entirely different reason. His eyebrows twitched in surprise.

    Was that a joke? Yoru is making jokes? I¡¯m so proud of her. Wresting Moonlit Propehcy¡¯s influence away has done her wonders.

    ¡°I¡­ am prepared to sacrifice if it means I get my freedom,¡± Linestra said. She set her jaw. ¡°I can always get new arms.¡±

    ¡°No, no. You need your arms,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Lose the legs instead. You can¡¯t play darts without arms, and that¡¯s a mandatory part of the deal.¡±

    ¡°It is?¡± Linestra asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Jalen said. He sent Noah a pointed look. ¡°It¡¯s very important training. Life and death. You won¡¯t be able to withstand the changes to your body if you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how Yoru lost her arms,¡± Aylin put in. ¡°She didn¡¯t play darts enough.¡±

    Okay, now we¡¯re just getting our stories twisted up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything it takes.¡± Linestra said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how playing darts will influence anything, but I will follow your teachings, Spider. I want to be free.¡±

    ¡°Good enough for me,¡± Noah said with a shrug. ¡°Welcome aboard. I¡¯ll get around to fixing you up soon enough.¡±

    Linestra blinked. ¡°Just like that?¡±

    ¡°Did you expect a ritual or something?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Sorry. I¡¯ll work on that for the next demon.¡± Noah scratched at the back of his neck. ¡°For now, a few ground rules. No killing anyone I don¡¯t tell you to. Cover your horns and blend in with humans. Do not be noticed under any circumstances. Avoid all fights and do not feed off anything but food for as long as possible.¡±

    ¡°You want me to starve myself?¡±

    ¡°Think of it as a fast,¡± Noah said. ¡°You have to purify your body to prepare for the process.¡±

    Aylin glanced at Noah out of the corners of his eyes, but Linestra was already nodding along in understanding.

    You¡¯re going to have to get used to a whole lot more bullshit than that if you¡¯re going to stick around forever, Aylin.

    ¡°I see,¡± Linestra said, nodding along as if Noah¡¯s explanation was the most logical thing in the universe. ¡°That makes sense. I will do as you say.¡±

    ¡°Great. See you tomorrow. Three in the morning, sharp,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about finding me. I¡¯ll find you.¡±

    ¡°Actually, why don¡¯t you just take her with you for now?¡± Noah asked. ¡°That¡¯ll save me the trouble of finding her housing.¡±

    Linestra¡¯s eyes went wide and she sent a horrified look in Noah¡¯s direction. ¡°What? I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Would be thrilled,¡± Aylin said, his hand falling on Linestra¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You do not disobey an order from Spider.¡±

    The demoness grimaced, then nodded. ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Noah said, clapping his hands together. ¡°Now that¡¯s all settled. Jalen, would you mind waiting around for a little? And Aylin ¡ª can you find the others? It¡¯s just about time to head back.¡±

    ¡°Prepare?¡± Jalen asked. ¡°What are we waiting for? And for how long?¡±

    Noah smiled. He set his hand on his Grimoire. ¡°Just about 12 hours. And you¡¯re waiting for me. It¡¯s about time for Vermil Linwick to make his return to Arbitage.¡±

    I can already stand toe-to-toe with pretty much any noble. If the Nobles want to try to come after Isabel, then Rank 4 isn¡¯t going to be sufficient to deal with them.

    Normally, pushing all the way from halfway through Rank 4 to Rank 5 would be a great way to screw your growth completely¡­ but I have every single rune I need from that auction, and I¡¯ve got as many tries to get this combination right as I want.

    If the nobles want to come for my students, then the gloves are coming off. Garina said there was a world outside this kingdom. There¡¯s no reason for us to let these bastards throw their weight around any longer.  I could already handle most of their stronger mages at Rank 4¡­

    So let¡¯s see how they like me at Rank 5.

 Chapter 617: Voyeur

    ¡°This is¡­ nice,¡± Renewal said from what looked ¡ª and felt ¡ª to be a fluffy black cloud. It sponged all around her, somehow supporting her body perfectly whilst remaining impossibly soft.

    She¡¯d never sat in a chair nearly quite this comfortable, and she would never be admitting such to Decras.

    The other god sat across from her in a matching chair. His legs were kicked up; feet rested on a pillar of the same cloudy material. He sported a grin so smug that it could have killed a lesser being.

    ¡°Is it?¡± Decras asked, studying his fingernails as if the thought had never occurred to him. ¡°That¡¯s kind of you. I¡¯m glad to hear you like my humble abode. Of course, it¡¯s nothing compared to what the Order has.¡±

    ¡°Oh, get off me,¡± Renewal said with a huff. She ran her hand along the fur of the black cat coiled in her lap. ¡°I¡¯ve already defected from everything I spent the vast majority of my life working toward. Isn¡¯t that enough for you?¡±

    Decras¡¯ laughter echoed through the void around them. There were no real edges to the room they sat in. It simply¡­ ceased to exist after a certain point. Renewal couldn¡¯t quite tell where, and she didn¡¯t try to.

    The room had been made by a god considerably stronger than either her or Decras. That thought sent a chill down Renewal¡¯s spine. The Fallen had been the subject of a great many stories and a greater number of warnings from Judgement and the other gods in the Order.

    They were, if Judgement was to be believed, the reason that the universe failed to achieve perfection. A black stain on a white sheet. A mar upon existence itself.

    The Fallen were a relentless force of evil and chaos that stopped at nothing to tear down the perfect structure that the Order represented. Their mere existence spat in the face of life itself. Judgement had more than a few less-than-kind words to say about the Fallen.

    Renewal had believed them for a long time.

    But now¡­ she wasn¡¯t so sure.

    I always thought the Order was just¡­ life. We¡¯re the good guys, they¡¯re the bad guys. That¡¯s how it was. But Decras¡­ he¡¯s a prick, but he hasn¡¯t done anything evil. I can¡¯t say the same for Judgement. She was about to fucking kill me, the crazy bitch.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Some of the amusement fell away from Decras¡¯ tone. There was genuine worry within it. ¡°Is the room not to your liking?¡±

    Renewal held a hand to a mouth to cover a smile. ¡°No. Everything¡¯s perfectly fine.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that? Are you snickering at me?¡± Decras¡¯ eyes narrowed. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I was just thinking that we don¡¯t have rooms anything like this back home.¡±

    Decras let out a derisive snort. ¡°You¡¯re lucky the Order gave you anything better than a wooden rod to sit your godly ass on. Bunch of stuck up bastards who think they can wrest the universe to do their bidding.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t our purpose,¡± Renewal said defensively.

    The other god arched an eyebrow at her. ¡°Right. So you¡¯re just forcing souls to march through the cycles of reincarnation because you enjoy doing it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Renewal tried to shift her position in the cloud, but it just swallowed her arms and left her bundled up in an annoyingly comfortable cocoon. ¡°We don¡¯t do it for fun! It¡¯s our duty!¡±

    ¡°Duty. What Duty? What makes you think that you have any more right to determine where a soul ends up than the soul themselves? It is not our purpose to determine fates. You play judge, jury, and executioner, but you were nothing more than a bored clerk.¡±

    ¡°Now that¡¯s just rude,¡± Renewal said crossly. ¡°I¡­ generally did my best. Most of the time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about your best.¡± Decras rose from his cloud and crossed the room to stand before Renewal. He reached into the cloud and found her hand, pulling her free of its depths with a sharp tug. ¡°And don¡¯t let yourself relax so much. The Cumulo will try to consume your energy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll what now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a tamed monster,¡± Decras said, walking back over to his cloud and flopping into it. ¡°A very comfortable one. And before you ask ¡ª it¡¯s not intelligent. It¡¯s about as smart as a patch of moss. A very comfy patch of moss.¡±

    ¡°One that¡¯ll eat me if I¡¯m not paying attention.¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Correct. Welcome to the real universe, Renewal. Not the fake sham that the Order has tried to squeeze it into. Life is power. It cannot be reigned.¡±

    ¡°But it can, apparently, be sat on.¡±

    ¡°Most things can be sat on. You just might not survive a few of the experiences.¡±

    Renewal laughed. She couldn¡¯t help herself. Shaking her head, she sat back onto the fluffy cloud, though she made certain not to let herself get too comfortable.

    ¡°What do you mean by this not being about my best, then? You can¡¯t possibly think the afterlife is meaningless. It¡¯s what everyone passes through. It keeps the universe going.¡±

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡± Decras shook his head. ¡°What do you think happens to all the souls that don¡¯t make it? The ones that fall off the lines? The ones that don¡¯t even get there in the first place?¡±

    Renewal frowned. That thought had never really come across her mind. Every soul passed through the afterlife.

    It¡¯s just how things work. That¡¯s what Judgement¡­ told¡­ fuck.

    ¡°It¡¯s fake?¡± Renewal asked, swallowing heavily. A knot built in her stomach and worked into her throat. ¡°The afterlife is fake? But I¡¯ve seen¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not fake. Just unnecessary,¡± Decras said with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯ll show you sometime. But there are so many souls that never make it to you. That simply enter the cycle of reincarnation on their own. After all, it¡¯s not that difficult when the waters of life aren¡¯t all horded in the same spot.¡±

    Renewal¡¯s gaze bore into Decras. Her chest felt like it was constricting. There was absolutely no reason for Decras to lie about any of this now. He could have told it to her earlier, when she was still in Judgement¡¯s domain, if he¡¯d been trying to sway her.

    But he hadn¡¯t. He¡¯d waited until she¡¯d already turned coat.

    Until he had absolutely nothing to gain by revealing the information.

    ¡°The Waters of Life don¡¯t originate in the wellsprings?¡± Renewal asked, barely daring to utter the words. They would have been blasphemy if she¡¯d spoken them before any of the other gods in the Order.

    ¡°Those gaudy things? Of course not. They were built by the Order. That energy should permeate the universe, cleansing the souls of the dead and preventing the powerful from passing beyond their means. The Order is just fucking with the natural way of life to build their palaces and so-called ¡®structure¡¯. It¡¯s all fake, Renewal. Life isn¡¯t that cut and dry.¡±

    ¡°Why would you tell me this now? Why not before?¡±

    ¡°Because then I would have had a motive,¡± Decras replied simply. ¡°And I didn¡¯t have one. I¡¯ve just enjoyed our time together. There was no grand plan to steal you over or turn you against the Order.¡±

    ¡°I thought the Fallen are fighting the Order. You can¡¯t tell me that isn¡¯t the case.¡±

    ¡°It is. But we don¡¯t recruit soldiers. Soldiers come to us,¡± Decras said. ¡°We ¡ª unlike the Order ¡ª do not steal the possibility of choice. Those who seek will find. If you are willing to blind yourself, we will not force you to see.¡±

    Renewal stared at Decras.

    The Cumulo started to eat her.

    She sent a pulse of magic out, forcing the creature to release her as she rose to her feet.

    ¡°Show me. Please. I need to see it.¡±

    ¡°Another day,¡± Decras said. ¡°It¡¯s not often that we get opportunities to celebrate like this, Renewal. Your blindfold is gone, so I thought we¡¯d get up to a bit of your favorite pastime.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Renewal asked with a frown. ¡°This is more important than any¡ª¡±

    Decras snapped his fingers. ¡°Voyeurism.¡±

    Colors bloomed in the air, twisting together to form into an ocean of black. A lone man floated within the darkness, surrounded by beautiful, swirling runes.

    Renewal¡¯s eyes went wide. She recognized the darkness. She¡¯d been there only once before, when her presence had been quite literally summoned.

    ¡°Is that Noah? But isn¡¯t this his¡ª¡±

    ¡°His Mindspace,¡± Decras said with a satisfied smile. ¡°He draws upon my power to great degrees ¡ª and that draw creates a minor connection between us. Almost like that of master and student.¡±

    Renewal¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Decras¡­¡±

    ¡°Relax. I¡¯ve had enough connection stored up to do this for weeks, Renewal. Most of it will be spent within minutes. I have no desire to interfere with the mortal, but don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to watch.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re making me sound like a creep.¡±

    Decras pointed at Noah. The mortal swept his hand through the air and his Crumbling Space rune split apart, severed perfectly down the center. He slammed his hands together before it could even begin dissipating, reforming the Rune in a split instant.

    His features turned down in displeasure and he carved it apart a second time before repeating the process.

    This time, he smiled.

    Renewal¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°He remade a rune twice? That quickly?¡±

    ¡°And look at the Rune,¡± Decras said, more than a little respect in his voice. ¡°Flawless, as he calls it. A true perfect rune. In seconds. No fractures or missed notes. Just sheer damn determination.¡±

    Renewal flopped back into her cloud. She leaned forward, staring with rapt attention as Noah split apart a second Rune and slammed it back together with the same speed as the previous one.

    ¡°Have you ever made a Rune that quickly? One at this quality for your current level?¡± Renewal asked in awe.

    ¡°A single Rune? Once or twice,¡± Decras said. ¡°But this many? Never. I wonder if he¡¯s going to manage to pull it off. Brute forcing your way through half of a Rank isn¡¯t just difficult. It¡¯s ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°Half a rank?¡± Renewal¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. How do you know this?¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one keeping an eye on him. I just never took mine off,¡± Decras said. He pointed at the screen, where Noah had started to draw Runes into his soul. ¡°Now watch. I¡¯ve only got a few minutes, so you better enjoy them.¡±

    Noah formed and shattered the runes one after the other. Magic danced through the air as his hands flitted like those of a conductor, painting the darkness with streaks of burning energy.

    It was beautiful.

    And, somewhere deep down within Renewal, she admitted that it was terrifying.

    If this is what he can do now¡­ what will he be capable of when he becomes a god?

 Chapter 618: Ready

    Energy from dozens of shattered runes prickled against Noah¡¯s skin. His entire soul felt like it had been permeated with raw magic. He could feel it tingling against his tongue and filling his lungs.

    Hairline fractures ran throughout the dark void surrounding him. Dim beams of white broke though the emptiness like rays of sunlight breaking through a dirty window. He wasn¡¯t concerned. The damage wasn¡¯t nearly as extensive as it could have been.

    As it turned out, bringing runes into his soul and shattering them an instant later really didn¡¯t give the runes much time to bond with him. That meant the injuries he sustained from removing them were far more manageable.

    The cracks wouldn¡¯t have even been worth thinking about if he hadn¡¯t made quite so many of them. He¡¯d been working with a lot of runes ¡ª but it had been to great effect.

    Crumbling Space and Warped Matter were finished. They floated alongside Natural Disaster and Empty Proliferation. All four of the runes were flawless. They were completely prepared to advance to the next stage.

    That left him with three slots to fill. Fortunately for Noah, he knew exactly what he was going to put there. He¡¯d known since before he started hunting for runes in the auction. The normal strategy would have been to carefully consider the Rank 5 Rune he wanted to create, get the constituents, and then make the Rank 4s one at a time whilst ensuring he understood every component enough to successfully combine them into an effective Rank 5 Rune.

    The process would take weeks or months for someone who was careful and intelligent enough not to rush ahead like a moron. It would probably take a few days for an idiot like Dayton, who just slammed all his runes together to advance through the ranks as quickly as possible without completely crippling his potential.

    Noah planned to do it in minutes.

    I¡¯m done doing things the normal ways. I don¡¯t need to hide from the nobles anymore. The time for that is over. If the nobles want war, I¡¯ll give them war.

    Noah lifted his hand. Runes shifted to float before him.

    The first Rank 4 he wanted to create was relatively simple. He¡¯d been heavily inspired by the Fragment of Renewal ¡ª or rather, its inverse.

    There were few disasters as horrifying as a plague. And, as far as Noah was concerned, that definitely counted as a disaster. It would fit in with the rest of his runes. He was already stretching his definition of exactly what counted as a disaster.

    That was the best part about runes. There were no hard rules about combinations. It was all fueled by intent. If he could find a common pattern among the runes he made, then they would combine. It was as simple ¡ª and difficult ¡ª as that.

    Noah carved his hand down, shattering a Rank 5 Creeping Frostborne Infection rune. He sliced through its components, splitting apart the sickness related runes and moving the rest to the side to store for energy later.

    He repeated the process with several other runes he¡¯d gotten from the auction, pulling all the rot and infection related runes free. It definitely wasn¡¯t his favorite rune. There was something a little unsettling about working with runes as gross as these.

    Anyone walking around with a rune that can rot things away is hardly someone I¡¯d want to associate with. I suppose that makes me a hypocrite.

    Oh well.

    His lips curled into a cold, determined smile. It was ironic. His life on Earth had been so short. Only twenty-something measly years, and the last one of which he¡¯d spent in a hospital. He¡¯d spent it lying alone in a pristine white bed with only the beep and whine of the machinery around him to keep him company.

    Noah could still remember wondering why he¡¯d been the one to get sick. Why he¡¯d been the unlucky one. He¡¯d eaten healthy ¡ª or at least, as healthy as his budget had afforded him to. He hadn¡¯t smoked or drank. He didn¡¯t use any drugs.

    Noah had done everything right.

    And none of that had saved him.

    He was more than familiar with the insidious rot of sickness. He knew what it felt like to have his body slowly wither away until nothing but the soul remained. Noah understood rot well. He wouldn¡¯t claim to be an expert on it ¡ª but he finally had an answer to that question he¡¯d asked. An answer to why he¡¯d laid in that bed and wasted away until nothing remained.

    The answer was that there wasn¡¯t one.

    There was no reason he¡¯d gotten sick. Life didn¡¯t give reasons. It was simply what one made of it. Nothing more and nothing less. It was experience. And today, Noah used that experience.

    He took everything he knew of the slow march of sickness and used those memories to drive the runes flying around him together.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    A brilliant flash lit his soul. Noah squinted through the light, looking down upon the new rune that had taken form.

    His lips twitched as his smile grew slightly wider.

    Then he called on Sunder and carved the rune apart.

    It hadn¡¯t been perfect, much less flawless. Noah supposed it would have been a bit arrogant to believe he¡¯d get it right the very first time around.

    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to.

    Twice more, he reformed the rune.

    Twice more, he Sundered it.

    Noah didn¡¯t let the failures dissuade him. They weren¡¯t even truly failures. They were simply steps in the right direction. Each one brought him closer to a flawless Rank 4 Rune.

    And then it was done.

    Fragments of green energy twisted around Noah, remnants of previous combination attempts, as he looked upon the new rune in his soul.

    Consuming Rot ¡ª Rank 4

    This time, Noah didn¡¯t smile. There was no time for him to waste on anything but advancing. He simply drew upon the rune, feeling its power grip his entire body as he tested it. The rune¡¯s power remained uniform as he walked in a circle around it. It never faltered or changed.

    He¡¯d created a Flawless Rune.

    Noah flicked his hand and the rune shifted back, floating to take its place in its soul. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly to steady himself. His soul was awash with energy and soul damage, but his work was not done.

    Two more.

    Consuming Rot had been the test run. It had been equal parts brute force and understanding. The next two runes he had to make were going to stretch his definition of a disaster even further.

    First, something that aligns with something else I¡¯m familiar with. Everything in this world is a pattern. Runes themselves are a pattern. There are few things that work better with patterns than music. I¡¯ve been trying to figure out how I could directly use music in a rune for a while now, starting with the first one I ever made.

    And now¡­ I have an idea on how to do it.

    Noah drew runes into his soul from the Grimoire and sliced them apart one after the other. He removed a mixture of Space, Matter, and Vibration runes from within them, cutting them down to their base components before rebuilding them to ensure that every material he worked with was at Flawless quality.

    Then he repeated the process that he¡¯d taken with Consuming Rot, driving the runes together. His first attempt failed to produce a Flawless Rune, and so it was sliced apart. His second and third attempts met the same fate.

    He was burning power at a rate that would have made even a noble cry. Noah was pretty sure he¡¯d completely destroyed dozens of runes in his pursuit of rapid advancement. Thousands upon thousands of gold, an immense amount of power, all burned.

    And from that fire, the fourth attempt emerged.

    It was a Rune inspired not by the harmony of music, but the lack of it. Nature was full of harmony. It could be found almost everywhere. But finding something with absolutely no harmony whatsoever¡­ that was difficult.

    A concept completely devoid of any manner of harmony was a pattern in itself ¡ª and that was the concept which Noah used to create his sixth Rank 4 rune. He ran it through several tests, but it passed every single one.

    The rune was Flawless.

    Spatial Deharmonization - Rank 4

    Noah¡¯s skull pounded, but he ignored the pain. He could feel power pressing against the walls of his soul from all the new runes he was forming, slowly and steadily causing it to grow even larger.

    There was only one Rank 4 left to make. He had absolutely no plans of stopping now.

    Features creased in determination, Noah called the last of the runes he¡¯d gotten from the auction into his soul. He still had a large number of Space and Matter Runes. They¡¯d normally have been pretty difficult to get, but the nobles had emptied their pockets out when he¡¯d put Demon Runes up for auction.

    Noah¡¯s lips creased into a thin line as he worked to cut the components up. He moved with the practiced precision of a chef chopping vegetables apart on his cutting board for the hundredth time, sweeping the unneeded runes out of the way to use as power sources later.

    He combined runes. He split them apart. He combined them again.

    Noah repeated the cycle relentlessly. If the Runes could have cried out in request for a break, they would have. He cut them apart easily ten times in his pursuit of understanding. He accepted nothing short of perfection.

    Ineffective runes were replaced. His approach was adjusted. He tried again. And again. And again.

    The cracks covering his soul grew. Even without giving the Rank 4 runes he was making time to properly connect with him, they were still part of his soul. There was only so much damage that he could take ¡ª but the Fragment of Renewal waited for him, and so he did not relent.

    Noah wasn¡¯t sure how many combinations he tried and failed. All he knew is that the rune was not where he needed it to be. Several times, he got close. He created a perfect rune that anyone else would have been beyond delighted to have.

    Noah shattered them without a second thought.

    He was not satisfied with anything but a flawless creation.

    And that was what he made.

    His breaths came heavy and ragged. He¡¯d fallen to his knees at some point while he worked, and before him floated a dull rune of murky gray. Its twisting shapes rippled like oil reflecting sunlight. The rune drew from much of his experience in the afterlife and what had come after it, and yet an equal portion of its power had been purely from theory and testing.

    Theoretically, Noah shouldn¡¯t have had the capacity to make it yet. The rune should have been just barely beyond his understanding. But, ironically, his lack of understanding had lent itself perfectly to the creation of the Flawless Rune that now floated before him.

    Fractured Reality - Rank 4

    His seventh and final Rank 4 Rune was complete. Noah grabbed for the Fragment of Renewal, letting its gentle power wash through his soul and cleanse the damage away as he battled to catch his breath.

    Three new Rank 4 runes floated within his soul, filled to the brim by all the energy he¡¯d ripped from the excess runes. The amount of power it had taken was astronomical.

    Noah¡¯s lips finally twisted into a smile.

    He¡¯d done it.

    I¡¯m ready to advance to Rank 5.

 Chapter 619: Clap

    Noah stood in the center of his soul and looked over his seven Rank 4 Runes as the Fragment of Renewal wove throughout the darkness, stitching shut the extensive damage that he¡¯d given himself over the course of the last few minutes.

    His soul had expanded considerably from the new additions. Power laid in wait for his call. More than he¡¯d ever had before. For lack of a better word, Noah felt heavier. Like his very existence bore more weight to it ¡ª or perhaps he¡¯d just had a little bit too much to eat for his last meal.

    Three new runes. All of them Flawless. I wonder what the heads of the other noble families would do if they could see this. Advancing like this is ridiculous, even for me. I must have destroyed a dozen Rank 5 runes worth of energy to pull this off¡­ but if I wanted to, I could push to Rank 5 right now.

    Noah had no delusions about his chances of making a Flawless Rank 5 Rune with what he had right now.

    To be put bluntly, those chances were zero.

    Even though every single component he had now was at the absolute peak of what he knew to be possible¡­ they weren¡¯t going to combine into a balanced rune. There was a heavy inclination toward spatial affinity in them.

    Probably why Space Runes are so desirable. They¡¯re just so damn useful. Sure, they consume a stupidly high amount of energy and put a lot of strain on the soul, but what¡¯s the point of having a massive soul if I don¡¯t abuse it?

    If I combine the runes now, I know for a fact the combination won¡¯t be at its peak potential. I don¡¯t understand these new runes well enough to truly fuse them. But, even still, a Rank 5 from all Flawless Rank 4 components is going to be very powerful. A lot more powerful than just leaving things as they are right now.

    I just have to make sure the combination is at least average. If it¡¯s too shitty, then the Rune might actually end up worse than the parts that make it up. That would normally be the reason why nobody would be stupid enough to do this, after all.

    Noah¡¯s lips pulled into a thin smile. There would have been a time when he¡¯d have held off for a little longer. Ripping a poorly combined Rank 5 out of his soul, even with Sunder, would cause a fair amount of damage. Spending some time to get to know the new runes would have been a safer bet.

    But from the moment he¡¯d emerged from the Damned Plains to find two members of major families in the Arbalest Empire doing their utmost to kill his students, the game had changed.

    Noah drew in a deep breath. He steadied his mind and soul. Extended his energy to the runes floating around him. Drew them to his front, so they all floated in a glowing pattern before him.

    He reached deep within himself and drew on everything he was. He drew on the joys of teaching his students back on earth. On all the suffering of the line, and the new life that had unfolded itself for him at its end. He focused that knowledge into intent, honed and razor sharp with desire.

    Then he clapped his hands.

    The runes slammed together.

    ***

    ¡°Oh, no. This is quite the fumble. It seems I¡¯ve gone and misplaced my mouth once more,¡± Lorne said, his lips pursed in great displeasure and nose pinched between two fingers. ¡°I must venture to ask if you¡¯ve happened to lay eyes on it?¡±

    There was no response.

    The circular cave room around Lorne was empty. The only disruption in the plain, glossy stone surrounding him was the stone chair in which he sat. That didn¡¯t seem to bother Lorne in the slightest.

    ¡°No,¡± Lorne said with a shake of his head. ¡°No, no. That isn¡¯t right. I¡¯m quite certain I had my mouth a moment ago. I was just speaking with it. It is preposterous to claim that I might have left it back in yesterday.¡±

    A second of silence dragged by. Lorne nodded along to an answer only audible to him, releasing his nose and kicking a leg up on his chair so he could rest his arm on top of it.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure,¡± Lorne said irritably. ¡°And don¡¯t even try to claim it might be waiting for me tomorrow. I haven¡¯t gotten there yet. How could my mouth be there if the rest of me isn¡¯t? I¡¯m beginning to suspect you¡¯re taking me for a fool. You wouldn¡¯t do that to me, would you? Because that would be quite¡ª¡±

    A section of the cave wall ground open with a rumble. Lorne¡¯s words dried up like water in the desert sun as a man stepped into the cave, clad in black robes. Not a single part of his flesh was visible. The man¡¯s hood hung so low over his face that it probably blocked his chances of seeing anything other than the tips of his feet as he walked.

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    ¡°Oh, splendid,¡± Lorne said. ¡°Another visitor. I¡¯ve been meaning to ask. Why do you always visit today? There are three days in the week, you know. You could consider coming by on another day. It¡¯s starting to get a little stifling.¡±

    ¡°This is your domain. I may only visit when you allow me to.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m quite certain I allowed you to visit me yesterday.¡±

    ¡°I was present in this location yesterday.¡±

    ¡°No, no.¡± Lorne shook his head firmly. ¡°That was today, but a day ago. I quite vividly remember you visiting on a today, not a yesterday. Nobody ever visits on a yesterday. Or on tomorrow, for that matter. Why is that? Am I the only one with proper manners?¡±

    ¡°Most likely,¡± the man said, bowing his head. ¡°The rest of us are incapable of such things.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite all right. I forgive you,¡± Lorne said with a comforting smile. ¡°Now, what was it that you wanted to give me? I¡¯m currently searching for my mouth. I suspect I might have put it somewhere tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I would daresay it is present on your face. Much as it was yesterday.¡±

    Lorne reached up to his lips. Then he frowned and shook his head. ¡°No, no. This isn¡¯t my mouth. It was kind of you to offer your help, but this won¡¯t do at all. If you are visiting to help me find my mouth, then you should know what one looks like.¡±

    ¡°I did not visit to aid in your search. I would not be so presumptuous as to believe myself capable of such a task.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well, why didn¡¯t you say so? What do you want? Are you ailed?¡±

    ¡°I am not. I come bearing word. The Church of Repose has their insects crawling in our domain. They are still going on about that missive from their goddess that they got many moons ago.¡±

    Lorne clicked his tongue. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so rude. Calling them as such is quite disrespectful. Please conduct yourself politely in my presence.¡±

    ¡°I apologize.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quite all right. You are simply uneducated.¡± Lorne rose to his feet and adjusted the beautiful, silken robes that draped his body. ¡°Insects are marvelous creatures. Many of my greatest friends are insects. Have I told you that? I¡¯m sure I have. I will introduce you to one some day. Are you married?¡±

    The man hesitated. ¡°I¡­ yes. Yes, I am. There is no need to perform such an introduction.¡±

    ¡°Truly? As of when? It wasn¡¯t tomorrow, was it?¡±

    ¡°About five seconds ago.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I see. I must have been distracted whilst looking for my mouth. Speaking of which ¡ª¡±

    ¡°The Church of Repose. Stay focused.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Congratulations to the lovely bride,¡± Lorne said, scratching the back of his neck. ¡°Very nice indeed. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s a kind insect. I¡¯d love to meet her one day. What was it the Church wanted? Did they send another sacrifice?¡±

    ¡°No. They are searching for someone.¡±

    ¡°Your wife?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Lorne scratched the side of his neck. ¡°Why not? Is your wife not of interest to them? Oh goodness, she must be quite displeased with you. Don¡¯t let her hear you comparing her to the Repose followers.¡±

    The man¡¯s hands twitched at his sides. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if trying to gather himself. ¡°Please. Could you focus on the now for a few moments? Repose has sent a Rank 8. They are being meddlesome. If they discover the caves, they may interfere with your work.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Lorne said absently. He waved his hand as if he were trying to flick an insect away from his face. ¡°No need to be snippy. Today will be today. I can assure you that the church has not sent anyone important enough to be twisting up about.¡±

    ¡°Your orders were to come promptly if any potential interferences arrived. You were very insistent upon them.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall giving any such orders.¡±

    ¡°It was¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Lorne¡¯s features twisted into a frown. ¡°Yesterday. I remember now. How troublesome. I suppose it would be rather problematic if our work was interrupted. I will politely request that the Church locate their nosey little dogs elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I am sure that will ensure our work continues uninterrupted, as per your orders¡ª¡±

    Lorne¡¯s hand shot up as his entire body went as stiff as a rod. The man¡¯s mouth snapped shut.

    The air around Lorne vibrated. Purplish-red energy snapped around him as a dozen images of himself overlaid themselves over his body, sliding into place and vanishing within him in an instant.

    Something in Lorne¡¯s expression shifted. Flickers of red light danced behind his eyes. His head tilted to the side ¡ª and continued to turn until it was nearly entirely upside down.

    He flicked his hand.

    The space between him and the cloaked man collapsed. The stone room abruptly shrunk as a significant portion of it simply ceased to exist. Where there had once been easily five feet of distance between Lorne and the cloaked man, there was now none.

    A ripple of buzzing red energy raced over the cloaked man. His clothes rippled and snapped like they¡¯d been caught in a violent gale. Then they folded in on themselves, peeling away from his body in jerky, unnatural movements.

    Beneath them was nothing but plain skin. The man before Lorne had no eyes. He had no mouth, no nose nor eyes nor ears. There was only featureless flesh.

    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Lorne asked. His voice had changed. The traces of lilting madness that had lingered in it before were nowhere to be found. It was as if the lost pieces of his mind had been found and pulled back.

    ¡°From the Kingdom of Arbalest. Yes. We feel it,¡± the featureless man replied, even though he had no manner with which to speak.

    ¡°Chaos,¡± Lorne breathed, all other thoughts forgotten. ¡°A scrap of chaos has been born in the world.¡±

 Chapter 620: Rank 5

    Renewal and Decras sat in a room as silent as death. The two of them stared at the shimmering image before them. Their eyes were transfixed on Noah, floating in the darkness of his mindspace.

    They were fixed on the single Rank 5 Rune that shimmered before him.

    The Cumulo beneath Renewal had swallowed about seventy percent of her body. Decras wasn¡¯t faring any better. His body had nearly vanished entirely into the cloudy chair. Neither of them could so much as move. They could barely even breathe. All they could do was stare.

    ¡°Decras,¡± Renwal whispered, forcing herself to speak.

    ¡°You¡¯re letting the Cumulo eat you,¡± Decras said. The dry, jesting tone he attempted to inject his words with didn¡¯t hit the mark. He was just as stunned as Renewal.

    ¡°So are you,¡± Renewal said. She sank an inch deeper and automatically released a burst of power, blowing the chair back so she could rise to her feet. Not for an instant did her eyes leave the scene before her. It had frozen in place, locked on a single scene. She swallowed. ¡°Turn it back on. Why did you pause it?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Decras said. ¡°I used up what connection we had. There¡¯s nothing left. I won¡¯t be able to access it again right now unless I brute force my way in. That¡¯s too great of an intrusion, even for us.¡±

    ¡°Shit.¡± Renewal¡¯s fists tightened at her sides and she took a step toward the scene as if to step right into it. She swallowed heavily. ¡°What the fuck is that, Decras? I need to see more of it.¡±

    Decras rose from his own seat. Like Renewal, his full attention was locked entirely on the image before him.

    ¡°I would say that I¡¯ll get more as Noah continues to use Sunder and deepens the connection between us¡­ but I am unsure as to how long Sunder will remain as an extension of me. He is progressing in a manner that I do not understand. My link to Sunder already fades. It will not be long before it belongs to him in its entirety. What a unique individual. I wouldn¡¯t have thought it possible for his perspective to be so thoroughly changed by the afterlife. How ironic.¡±

    Ironic was the word that Renewal would have used as well. A mortal who had passed through the cleansing of the afterlife with their memories in-tact wasn¡¯t even forbidden by the Order. The mere idea of it was purely ludicrous.

    I suppose, even in the history of the universe, nobody ever thought a mortal would manage to not only drink god blood on their way out of the afterlife, but also get power from a god that would let them repeatedly die for long enough to come to grips with their own mortality without going completely insane.

    ¡°What would Judgement do if she saw this?¡± Renewal breathed.

    ¡°Purge the world, most likely,¡± Decras said.

    ¡°Purge?¡± Renewal¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Surely not. Our purpose is to ensure the natural order and protect the¡­¡±

    She trailed off, her words dying before they could finish their journey from her lips. Decras just arched an eyebrow at her.

    ¡°You can¡¯t truly still believe that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to believe anymore,¡± Renewal said. ¡°I thought I was doing what had to be done. What¡¯s the truth, then?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Decras let out a derisive snort and shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re one of the most creative fighters I¡¯ve met, Renewal. Use some of that creativity to think for yourself instead of looking for an answer from others. There¡¯s a reason I enjoyed fighting you so much. It wasn¡¯t exclusively because of your good looks and shimmering personality.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot easier said than done. I thought I understood the Universe, and now you¡¯re telling me that I don¡¯t have the slightest clue as to how any of it works ¡ª and I believe you. What do I ¡ª wait. What did you just say about my personality?¡±

    ¡°The Order is all rules. The true universe is none. Existence is simply existence,¡± Decras said. He pointedly did not answer Renewal¡¯s second question. ¡°Make of it what you will. Why do you think you haven¡¯t advanced your rank in so long? It¡¯s not because you haven¡¯t been training. Your comprehension is just stifled.¡±

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    Renewal¡¯s mind did its best to pull her in three different directions at once. She pressed a hand to her skull, forcefully stilling the voices rattling around within it.

    I am a goddess. Not a little mortal girl with no self-control. There are priorities. I cannot allow myself to be distracted by obvious ribbing. I must remain focused.

    ¡°I believe you might have mentioned my looks as well,¡± Renewal said, her mouth promptly ignoring every single thought that had just passed through her head.

    Decras let out a bark of laughter. ¡°It seems the Order was able to squash you into line, but they couldn¡¯t break your will. But my answer remains the same as it always will be. True learning is done through experience. If you want tutelage, then seek out one of the Fallen that actually comprehend more of what they are doing. And until then, I would be considerably more concerned about this.¡±

    He pointed at the rune in the center of the screen. Renewal¡¯s brain pulsed with another faint prong of pain. It wasn¡¯t that it actually posed her a threat. She was a goddess, and the rune was a Rank 5.

    It wasn¡¯t a threat ¡ª but it was wrong.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Renewal said softly. ¡°Judgement would destroy the entire planet if she discovered that Rune existed.¡±

    ¡°The existence of a Rune like this, especially at such a low rank, is the antithesis of everything that the Order stands for. Judgement would do everything in her power to ensure that Noah can never reach godhood. Even I am uneasy. Comprehending a sliver of the universe, no matter how minuscule, at this rank ¡ª imagine what he will be capable of when he ascends.¡±

    ¡°I think you should be more than just a bit uneasy,¡± Renewal said. ¡°Unless I¡¯m alone in lacking comprehension?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Decras said grimly. ¡°You are not.¡±

    A finger of ice brushed down Renewal¡¯s back.

    Decras¡¯ confirmation only put her even more on edge.

    Renewal had seen many runes in her lifetime. More than most existences could even begin to comprehend. Decras was no different. He had seen so many different variations of runes. He¡¯d even made a race ¡ª flawed as they had been.

    And, in spite of all that experience, the rune immortalized in the image before the two gods was completely foreign.

    Neither of them could read it.

    ***

    Noah¡¯s skull pounded. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was from pain or excitement. His mindspace swam all around him as he fought to keep his balance, squinting through throbbing eyes at the results of his effort.

    What the fuck did I make?

    The Rune before him felt like it squirmed beneath his gaze. Jagged lines turned straight; straight lines twisted and undulated like trapped snakes. The moment his gaze landed on a section of the rune, it changed, desperately doing everything in its power to keep him from reading it.

    Even its color couldn¡¯t seem to settle down. At times, it was a sanguine red. Then it was black and gray and a sickly green. The colors changed like a flitting butterfly, zipping away whenever his eyes tried to get comfortable.

    Is this some sort of uncertainty principle bullshit, where by perceiving the rune I end up changing it? Is that even the uncertainty principle? I really wish I remembered more of physics class.

    Noah gritted his teeth and squinted at the rune. It wriggled free from him. A flicker of frustration lit in his stomach, but he smothered it. No matter how strange the rune was, it was definitely a Rank 5.

    He could feel energy rolling off it in waves. Noah was certain it wasn¡¯t a perfect rune, much less a flawless one, but it was powerful. He was confident the rune was significantly stronger than the sum of its parts.

    Noah took several steps away from the rune so he could get a better look at the entire thing at once. He squinted at it. A wave of queasiness drove into his stomach, but he didn¡¯t let his eyes peel away.

    This was his rune.

    I made you. I know everything that went into you. I might not know some of the components like the back of my hand, but they¡¯re all built off things I have at least a general understanding over.

    This rune is built from the knowledge and experience that make me who I am. I¡¯ll be damned if I can¡¯t fucking read my own goddamn handwriting.

    Noah¡¯s jaw clenched. His eyes watered. A burning sensation built in his upper chest like he¡¯d gotten a bad case of heartburn. He didn¡¯t let it distract him. Noah drove his focus forward like a blade.

    His Master Runes shuddered as he drew deeply on everything he had at his newly made Rank 5. Power thrummed through his soul.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Noah whispered. His teeth throbbed from the intensity of his bite. Pain pricked his palms where his nails bit into it, but his gaze didn¡¯t waver. It remained locked on the rune, demanding the twisting shapes and designs to grind to a halt.

    And they did.

    For the briefest instant, the rune gave in. It surrendered the fight and fell still as it acknowledged its creator.

    And, in that moment, he finally knew his rune¡¯s name.

    Unstable Pandemonium ¡ª Rank 5

 Chapter 621: Zap

    Noah¡¯s eyes snapped open back in the Scorched Acres as he drew in a sharp breath. An imprint of Unstable Pandemonium had burned itself into his irises, dim lines glowing faintly in the air before him even outside of his mindspace.

    He sat on the ground, amidst a small clearing, surrounded by the entirety of his group. Moxie and the others had all returned in the time he¡¯d spent working on his runes and it seemed that they were splitting their attention between introductions and watching him.

    Jitters gripped Noah¡¯s body as he felt his domain twist and fluctuate. There was so much more power in it than he was used to. Keeping the magic contained was like trying to hold a squirming fish in a single hand.

    Energy filled him to the brim. It permeated through his veins and filled his lungs with every breath he took. Every single one of his Body Imbuements had crumbled with the combination of his Runes into Unstable Pandemonium. His tremorsense was gone until he figured out how to remake it ¡ª but, strangely enough, he felt like he could feel more now than he had been able to before.

    The entire world felt more vibrant. More¡­ there. He didn¡¯t know how else to describe it. Every single color was simply more than what it had before. Ash bore new notes in its scent, traces of its history that his nose simply hadn¡¯t been able to pick up before.

    Jalen studied Noah with an intensity that was uncommon to the old mage. He¡¯d picked up on the immense shift to Noah¡¯s domain. His brow went from furrowed to twitching upward; his lips parted in shock.

    ¡°What Runes did you just combine?¡± Jalen asked, staring at Noah in surprise. ¡°Half the Runes you got from the Auction weren¡¯t even your Rank! How did you do that?¡±

    ¡°A man has to have a few secrets, Jalen. It¡¯s how I stay interesting.¡±

    Noah shifted to rise to his feet, only to find himself already standing. His stomach lurched in surprise at his own speed. He staggered, which took him a blurring step to the side and nearly headlong into a tree. Noah managed to right himself an instant before he smashed into it.  Every single motion he made was like he was flooring the gas pedal on a racecar.

    Holy shit. I¡¯m going to have to get used to this. The connection that the Fragment of Self makes between my body and soul got even stronger when I hit Rank 5. I almost feel as fast as¡ª

    ¡°Gods,¡± Moxie said, her eyes going wide. ¡°What was that speed?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re almost as fast as I am!¡± Lee exclaimed. She squinted at Noah. ¡°Did you eat something really good? You smell¡­ spicy.¡±

    I¡¯m not even sure how to take that.

    Noah looked down at his hands. It took considerable effort to keep himself from accidentally smacking himself in the face as he raised them. It wasn¡¯t just that he¡¯d gotten the ability to be faster. He simply was faster.

    I¡¯m not moving at the speed of thought, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m too far from it either. This is ridiculous. I knew getting a Rune of Self imbued into my soul was a huge benefit, but I didn¡¯t expect it to scale this hard either.

    Makes me wonder what¡¯ll happen as Lee and other ¡®fixed¡¯ demons reach higher ranks as well. They¡¯re even more physically inclined than I am. Am I even going to be able to keep track of how fast they can move?

    ¡°What manner of ability is that?¡± Silvertide asked, leaning heavily on his cane. His gaze bore into Noah, a mixture of awe and desire within it. He clearly wanted to say more, but he restrained himself after a glance at Linestra, clearly not wanting to give too much away to the demoness by accident.

    ¡°One that can be taught,¡± Noah replied. He hesitated for a moment. ¡°Probably. It¡¯s not very easy. You¡¯re welcome to sit in on my classes. I¡¯ll be covering it after we all review our Formations.¡±

    ¡°Classes?¡± Linestra repeated. She squinted at Noah in confusion. ¡°I¡­ thought your role as a teacher was a cover for your plans?¡±

    Is that the explanation that Moxie gave her?

    Noah caught Moxie¡¯s eye, and she gave him a slight nod.

    ¡°A cover is worthless if it¡¯s only half-assed,¡± Noah said with a shrug. ¡°And I take the training of those who follow me very seriously. Have you already met my protegees?¡±

    ¡°We have been briefly introduced,¡± Linestra allowed. She sent an uneasy look toward the students, who had all gathered in a small circle. ¡°I cannot get a proper read on your people¡¯s strength. I am unused to being this¡­ unsteady with mortals. They are mortals, are they not?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always found it amusing to hear some demons call humans mortals.¡± Noah scratched his chin. ¡°It implies that you aren¡¯t mortal. That definitely isn¡¯t true. I¡¯ve killed enough demons to know that they die just as well as humans do. But yes, they are human. Most of them are, at least.¡±

    Linestra swallowed and nodded. She didn¡¯t say anything else.

    Noah caught Brayden staring at him. The large man wasn¡¯t doing much to hide it. He chewed the insides of his cheeks, his inquisitive gaze boring into Noah¡¯s head like a drill.

    ¡°Every time I lose track of you, you get stronger,¡± Brayden muttered. ¡°Your domain is stronger than mine. I can feel it. And to think I felt like I was making good progress recently.¡±

    ¡°Whoops. Is it still leaking?¡± Noah focused his thoughts and pulled his domain back to keep it from suppressing everyone else¡¯s magic. ¡°Sorry about that. And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been making great progress. I¡¯ve just been in a¡­ unique set of circumstances. It¡¯s given me a lot to think about. I¡¯m certain the next few lessons will be quite enlightening.¡±

    ¡°Does this mean it¡¯s time to go back to Arbitage?¡± Isabel asked. ¡°We¡¯ve been hiding in the forest so long that I¡¯m worried we¡¯ll be marked as missing. We haven¡¯t had anyone come looking for us yet, but who knows how long that¡¯ll last.¡±

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    ¡°I sense some eagerness there,¡± Todd said, a smile pulling across his lips as he poked Isabel in the shoulder. ¡°You want to get back so we can show the asshole that funded Jakob and Verrud that we aren¡¯t running, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so vain that I¡¯d only be thinking about showing off,¡± Isabel said, crossing her hands in front of her chest. ¡°I want to get back to work. We¡¯ve missed out on so many lessons. I¡¯ve got a lot of things I want to learn.¡±

    ¡°I notice you said only,¡± Todd said slyly.

    Isabel¡¯s lips twitched in a small grin. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that showing off doesn¡¯t hurt, but we aren¡¯t in a situation where I can let myself get too distracted. We don¡¯t know who knows what or what they¡¯ll try next.¡±

    Alexandra nodded. Her expression was deadly serious. ¡°We need to get stronger. Especially me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re plenty strong,¡± Yulin said. She stood together with all of Noah and Moxie¡¯s students. Even though she was Jakob¡¯s former student, it didn¡¯t seem that anyone held a grudge against her.

    That¡¯s good. She¡¯s capable ¡ª not to mention Yulin is the reason that Alexandra showed up in time to back everyone up against Jakob and Verrud. I really don¡¯t have a great grasp on her character, but I trust the kids. If they¡¯re okay with her, then I am too.

    ¡°Yulin is right,¡± James said. ¡°Alexandra, you¡¯re possibly the strongest one out of our whole group. You¡¯ll be back on your feet in no time, no matter what weird training you¡¯re putting yourself through right now.¡±

    Ah. Alexandra must have given them the gist of her being weaker without mentioning exactly what I did to those Body Runes she had stuck in her. Good. I¡¯m confident she¡¯s going to be one of the first ones to figure out how to get a Self-Rune without having to kill yourself to get it. She knows herself well.

    ¡°Taking caution may well be a wise path,¡± Silvertide warned. ¡°Jakob and Verrod did not act on their own. Enough time has passed for their families to have realized what happened. Your victory was well earned¡­ but know that the nobles will take their death as confirmation, Isabel. They will not rest until your rune is theirs.¡±

    ¡°Oh, they¡¯ll rest all right,¡± Noah said, his features going dark. ¡°Just not in the way they¡¯re planning on. It¡¯s time we return to Arbitage. No running. No hiding. We have a lot of training to catch up on. A few greedy noble bastards aren¡¯t going to stop us.¡±

    ¡°If they knew what kind of forces you had, I think they¡¯d bring a whole lot more than a few people the next time around,¡± Brayden said as he cast his gaze around the camp.

    Moxie¡¯s lips twitched up in a cold smile. ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it.¡±

    ¡°Nor do you,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ve expanded our recruitment efforts. Has Jalen told you what happened in the auction?¡±

    Moxie shook her head and glared at the Rank 6 mage. ¡°Not most of it. He says he didn¡¯t want to steal the fun bit from you. The new demon you brought along is too scared to do anything without your permission and Lee and Aylin won¡¯t say anything either.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Jalen said.

    ¡°I demand a bribe for information,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any more food right now,¡± Moxie snapped.

    ¡°Then I don¡¯t have any info. Blame Aylin, not me.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t blame me,¡± Aylin said. ¡°Jalen said he would make me play darts with him if I said anything.¡±

    ¡°That should have been an encouragement!¡± Jalen protested. ¡°I gave you a great reason to tell Moxie what happened! This just proves your intense loyalty to Spider. You chose to give up one of life¡¯s greatest joys ¡ª playing a game of darts with me ¡ª to protect his fun moment.¡±

    Aylin stared at Jalen blankly.

    ¡°You can still play darts with me if you want,¡± Jalen offered.

    ¡°No thank you.¡±

    Jalen sighed. ¡°Brat.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, everyone,¡± Noah said through a chuckle. Moxie didn¡¯t seem too bothered about anything. She¡¯d probably already put together a lot of what happened. And, if Noah was honest, he was glad they hadn¡¯t shared everything. It had been a while since he¡¯d had time alone with her. That was one of the things he was looking forward to the most when they got back to their rooms.

    It''s time to head back. I should also pay a visit to Contessa and Karina. Been a while since I¡¯ve seen them. I wonder if they¡¯re still taking care of Mascot.

    ¡°Oop!¡± Lee said, her eyes darting to the side. ¡°My axe! It¡¯s coming!¡±

    Linestra frowned. ¡°What do you mean? How can an axe¡ª¡±

    A black streak leapt from the trees. Linestra¡¯s eyes went wide and she threw herself to the ground a moment before the massive black axe that Lee had liberated from Axil hurtled through the air, its head making loud, heavy whumps as it spun toward her.

    Lee grabbed the hilt of the weapon with a single hand, spinning in a full circle to spend its momentum and keep it from ripping her arms off. Then she held the weapon aloft before herself. ¡°It came back!¡±

    ¡°It thought you said it would come back slowly, not flying at our heads like a psychopath!¡± Todd exclaimed. ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°That was slow,¡± Lee said as she let the axe lower. Her eyes flicked to the side. ¡°Oh. Monkey.¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t have his tremorsense active anymore. His Domain was contained as well, so he ended up seeing the monster before he felt it.

    A Slasher stood at the edge of the path the axe had just made through the trees, staring at them with its beady black eyes. Saliva dripped from the large teeth that jutted from its mouth and its massive claws hung from gangly arms at its sides.

    It had been a long time since Noah had seen a Slasher. Somehow, they were more intimidating in his memory. This one just looked like a sad, angry monkey.

    ¡°There¡¯s a memory,¡± Noah said, his lips thinning. He still hadn¡¯t forgotten the number of times the monsters had ripped him to shreds. That one was probably going to linger for quite some time. ¡°Allow me.¡±

    The Slasher¡¯s lips peeled back in a snarl. Noah still remembered its attack patterns like he¡¯d seen them yesterday. He didn¡¯t know if the Slasher would even still use them since the Hellreaver was dead ¡ª but he didn¡¯t care to find out.

    Noah met the monster¡¯s eyes.

    He lifted a hand and drew on Unstable Pandemonium.

    A screaming ocean of energy responded. The power was familiar, but at the same time, it wasn¡¯t. It held the combined strength of every rune that had gone into the Rank 5¡­ but there was something new within it.

    Something different.

    Screaming a roar of challenge, the Slasher charged.

    Noah released the magic.

    A sleek bolt of sanguine lightning ripped from his palm. It screamed through the air, zigzagging at odd, abrupt angles, and slammed into the Slasher¡¯s chest.

    In a split instant, the towering monkey folded in on itself. Loud crunches split through the air as it collapsed like a black hole had spawned in its chest, drawn in on itself.

    The once-intimidating Slasher transformed into a spiral of cracking bone and splattering viscera.

    And then it was over. The monster¡¯s mangled body collapsed to the ground, dead long before it ever fell. Sickly blood and pulverized guts dripped from the trees around it and soaked into the burnt ground around the messy pile of its flesh.

    Holy fuck. That was not what I was expecting. What the hell is this rune? I¡¯m going to have to do some testing. Some very, very extensive testing.

    ¡°Oh, that is gruesome,¡± Jalen said. For the briefest second, there was genuine unease in his features. Then it vanished. ¡°What rune was that? I want it.¡±

    Noah let his hand lower. He didn¡¯t let any of his thoughts show on his features. He looked at the bloodied corpse of a Slasher for a long second.

    ¡°Silvertide,¡± Noah said. ¡°When¡¯s the next Advanced Track meeting?¡±

    ¡°Tonight,¡± Silvertide replied, not pulling his eyes away from the dead monster. His skin had gone a shade paler.

    Noah nodded slightly, then turned to Jalen.

    ¡°Open a portal back to Arbitage, please. I believe it is time for Vermil to return from the Damned Plains.¡±

 Chapter 622: Disappoint

    ¡°You want to pop back out in Arbitage? Just like that?¡± Jalen asked, arching an eyebrow at Noah and glancing around the rather full clearing. ¡°With everyone here?¡±

    Noah looked around. Their little group had certainly grown quite a bit since he¡¯d left. With the addition of all the demons to the mix, they certainly made quite the odd gathering. He had no plans of leaving anyone here behind.

    I¡¯ve got the strongest ones augmented with Sticky runes. Only Violet, Edda, Torrick and Vrith are left. Aylin and Yoru are fixed up, and Lee is Lee. After I¡¯ve repaired them all, Inquisitors won¡¯t be a threat to us anymore. They¡¯ll just have to wear something to cover their horns until the right time.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to find somewhere for them to sleep, and I need the backup. My plans are no longer something that can be accomplished by a single man. Everyone here will have a role to play¡­ at least until we¡¯ve dealt with the nobles.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to war,¡± Silvertide said flatly. ¡°Is that what you¡¯re implying?¡±

    ¡°War is such a strong term. I am teaching. It just so happens that there are some people who pose a threat to my students. A good teacher never allows for such things.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mince words with me, Vermil. I know what we¡¯re up against,¡± Silvertide said. He hesitated for a long second before shaking his head. ¡°But I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re capable of. Not anymore. I don¡¯t even know if I know what you really are.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± Noah said. The corner of his lips twitched. ¡°But if you want me to be forthright, then I will be. I plan to raze every single noble family that comes after Isabel to the ground.¡±

    ¡°Can you really do that? They¡¯ve ruled for hundreds of years, and for good reason. You don¡¯t even have a Rank 6 Soul Domain. How will you be able to protect everyone if you challenge the entire kingdom?¡±

    Huh. Now that he mentions it, I need to test out the new powers a Rank 5 Rune gets me. I¡¯m pretty sure I should be able to manifest my magic without needing a source. I wonder how that would apply to Unstable Pandemonium. I¡¯ll have to do some testing once I get a little alone time when we return to Arbitage. I don¡¯t want to do it with an audience¡­ especially when we¡¯ve got deadlines to meet. There¡¯s an Advanced Track meeting that Spider needs to be making an appearance at.

    ¡°There are ways. I don¡¯t plan to challenge them all yet. I don¡¯t have a death wish,¡± Noah said. Moxie arched an eyebrow at him, which he pointedly ignored. He continued on without gracing her expression with a response. ¡°Things have to be handled one step at a time. But I think you would be deeply surprised to see just how significant the differences in runes can be. The noble families know nothing. They¡¯ve been so content to force the status quo to remain as it was that their powers are waning. That¡¯s what happens when, instead of working together to try and improve your runes, you force artificial scarcity and hide your research.¡±

    ¡°Spider holds even Sievan¡¯s respect,¡± Aylin said. ¡°A group of mortals is no match for him.¡±

    Silvertide¡¯s brow furrowed. Then his lips twisted into a grim smile. ¡°Very well. I will expect to see proof of your true power before I throw my lot in with you entirely. I have a responsibility to my student. I will not put Tyler in danger needlessly. But if what you say is true¡­ then we will stand by you. The kingdom has been rotting from within for a very long time. Perhaps it is time for change.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± Jalen said. ¡°I¡¯m just here to watch. I¡¯m not doing shit until you start flicking Rank 6 mages in the nose. At that point, I don¡¯t reckon it¡¯ll matter much if I throw my lot in. Everything will have gone to shit anyway.¡±

    ¡°That means you¡¯ll fight by our side when things do go to shit?¡± Moxie asked, raising an eyebrow.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Jalen smiled. ¡°Do you think I would pass up an opportunity to have a little fun? It¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve tried myself against another Rank 6. I will act when they directly interfere ¡ª but not a second before.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all I need,¡± Noah said. ¡°The portal, then. To my room, if you would. I want to sort out some accommodations before we pay the Advanced Track meeting a visit tonight.¡±

    ¡°With pleasure,¡± Jalen said. His lips pulled into a dangerous smile. ¡°This will be fun.¡±

    He snapped his fingers. Purple energy ripped through the clearing, wrapping around every single person in Jalen¡¯s vicinity. Then, with a crackle, they were gone. A breeze coiled through the Scorched Acres in their passing, leaving behind only the warped corpse of the Slasher that Noah had killed in their wake.

    ***

    Contessa¡¯s head jerked up as a crackle of energy went off outside the door. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as an uneasy chill ran down her spine and made its way along her arms.

    ¡°Karina,¡± Contessa whispered, reaching for her Runes. ¡°Did you feel that?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the other woman replied in a grim tone. ¡°Space magic. In an Imbued area meant to protect against it. We might have visitors.¡±

    ¡°Took longer than I thought,¡± Contessa said. The two of them rose from the bed in unison. Nobody had come to take Vermil¡¯s room ever since he¡¯d gone missing, but the man had a number of enemies. It was an inevitability that some of them would come snooping around when it became clear he was really dead.

    I don¡¯t know why the school hasn¡¯t forced us out of his room already. Someone must be pulling strings, but it doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t know where else I¡¯d go. I can¡¯t return to the Torrins. Karina can¡¯t go back to the Linwicks. This is our home now.

    ¡°Mascot,¡± Karina whispered. ¡°You ready, buddy?¡±

    The plump white cat glanced up at them from where it had been curled up on the bed. With a yawn, Mascot rose to his feet and stretched himself out. He licked his lips, then hopped onto Contessa¡¯s shoulder and batted at her cheek.

    ¡°Not now, Mascot. I already spent all of Vermil¡¯s paycheck on top-grade fish. We¡¯re out of snacks,¡± Contessa whispered as she took a step toward the door. If someone was looking for a fight, then it was better to get the jump on them.

    Mascot let out a hiss of displeasure.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you some more if you help us out,¡± Karina said in a hushed tone. ¡°But if this is a strong mage, we might need some backup.¡±

    Mascot yawned.

    That was either an assent or a warning that he was about to void his bowels. It tended to be hard to tell, but Contessa was fairly sure it was the former. She wouldn¡¯t claim she could understand the odd cat. That would have been delusion. However, she¡¯d spent so much time with Mascot in recent times that she felt she could generally pick up on the cues Mascot put down.

    Oddly enough, Mascot didn¡¯t seem too bothered today. He normally got pissy whenever someone walked by the door, much less teleported in outside it.

    Then again, he also gets mad when we don¡¯t feed him with half the money we have left. It isn¡¯t a good idea to put too much stake in anything Mascot does. Maybe this is just Ulya visiting with a new puppet she¡¯s been working on.

    Contessa wasn¡¯t about to bet on it, but it was better than the alternative. Anyone with space magic strong enough to teleport right into the T building was going to be quite powerful¡­ and she could hear a number of people in the hallway.

    Gods, did someone bring an army? What in the Damned Plains is happening?

    A knock rang against the door.

    Contessa and Karina exchange a glance.

    Karina nodded.

    Mascot started licking his rear end.

    Contessa grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, preparing to release the magic she¡¯d gathered ¡ª

    Her mouth dropped open and her hand fell limply to her side.

    Before her stood Vermil. Beside him stood Moxie and Silvertide, but that wasn¡¯t all.

    Karina let out a whimper.

    Jalen loomed over Noah, a terrifyingly eager smile twisting his features. And, flanking all of them, was a mass of students and demons.

    What the fuck?

    Mascot licked the side of Contessa¡¯s face.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Vermil said with a wide smile. It didn¡¯t reach his eyes. Something about the man had changed. Contessa had never forgotten the look on his face when she¡¯d threatened his students, but this was different. It was almost alien, like she was staring into the eyes of a force of nature rather than a man.

    A chill gripped her spine.

    Why does it feel like I¡¯m staring into the eyes of death itself?

    ¡°Vermil?¡± Contessa breathed, eyes going wide. ¡°You¡¯re alive?¡±

    ¡°Sorry to disappoint. Did you miss me?¡±

 Chapter 623: A lot

    Contessa stared at Vermil in surprise for nearly a second before she managed to pick her jaw up off the floor. Not a single piece of the scene before her made even the slightest amount of sense.

    Vermil was dead. He had to be. She¡¯d struggled to believe it a while, but it had been so long since he¡¯d vanished during an operation with the Enforcers that there could have been no other solution.

    There had been a small part of her that suspected he¡¯d just cut his ties with the school and ran. But that wasn¡¯t the Vermil that she¡¯d come to know. She knew all too well just how much he cared about his students.

    He¡¯d never have left them in Arbitage voluntarily. Contessa had been certain he¡¯d just end up showing back up at some point, but days had turned to weeks passed since his disappearance and he still hadn¡¯t returned. She¡¯d been forced to admit that there was no way he was anything but dead.

    And now he stood before her, flanked by two of the greatest mages in the kingdom and a small horde of demons.

    Contessa¡¯s ears rang and she reached out for the wall to support herself. She wasn¡¯t deluded enough to think this was some sort of trick or a play by someone with Shift Runes trying to put her off guard.

    Nobody could encapsulate Vermil other than the real one. This was him.

    He¡¯d made it out of the Damned Plains.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look too pleased,¡± Vermil observed as he stepped past her and into the room. He glanced around, then frowned. ¡°Huh. Doesn¡¯t feel like my place much anymore. Have you changed something?¡±

    ¡°We ¡ª we put some decoration up,¡± Contessa said weakly. And, just in case he¡¯d somehow failed to notice, she added, ¡°You have demons with you, Vermil. A lot of them.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Vermil glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Oh, yes. Don¡¯t worry about them. I picked up some friends in the Damned Plains ¡ª and you¡¯ve met Lee. I¡¯m pretty sure you have. Have you?¡±

    Karina stared in mute shock. She¡¯d still yet to manage to muster up a single word, and Contessa couldn¡¯t blame her. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure she hadn¡¯t somehow gotten stuck in the world¡¯s strangest nightmare.

    ¡°She¡¯s a demon?¡± Contessa asked, aghast. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening. I ¡ª didn¡¯t you die? How did you survive the Damned Plains? You know the school thinks you¡¯re dead, right?¡±

    ¡°Moxie is back too,¡± Karina pointed out somewhat unhelpfully, finally finding her voice.

    ¡°We had a bit of an involuntary vacation,¡± Moxie said. She joined Vermil in entering the room and cast a critical eye over it before giving Contessa a small nod. ¡°I like what you¡¯ve done with the place. N¡ª Vermil is a horrible interior decorator. This place was depressing. You can keep the room, by the way. Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s not going to try to move back in.¡±

    Lee ambled past Vermil and right over to the desk. She pulled a drawer open, plucking a tarp bag of dried jerky that Karina had bought a few days ago in the market. Lee popped the entire bag into her mouth, tarp and all.

    ¡°Can I eat this?¡± Lee asked as she chewed.

    At least she hasn¡¯t changed.

    ¡°I¡­ sure,¡± Contessa said. She flopped down in a chair before she tripped over her own feet and fell on her face. There had been a time when the mere sight of a demon would have probably given her a heart attack.

    Now, she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to be scared. She was just stunned. If there was one thing in the world she could thank Vermil for, it was repeatedly shattering everything she thought possible. Ever since she¡¯d had the misfortune of drawing his ire, he¡¯d managed to execute the impossible.

    She was absolutely certain that Vermil had been responsible for Evergreen¡¯s death. The old woman had put out the order for Moxie¡¯s death and been killed in a supposed usurping no more than a few days later.

    He has to be some form of Linwick agent intentionally sabotaging his public image to go undercover¡­ but frankly, I don¡¯t care anymore. I just can¡¯t bring myself to. The best thing that happened to me was him killing Evergreen. Maybe he¡¯s even a demon himself. I don¡¯t know.

    In the end, it struck Contessa that she didn¡¯t care. Vermil was back. That meant two things.

    First, she would probably get to keep her room.

    Second, somebody was going to die.

    Nobody brought a horde of demons with them because they thought that horns were the new fashionable style.

    ¡°My chin itches,¡± one of the demons ¡ª one who notably had no arms ¡ª said. She had long, silver hair that wrapped around her neck several times like a scarf.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± A tiny female demon that strongly resembled a child said, reaching up to aid the former demon.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°The soup we had for breakfast may have been bad,¡± Karina said. She pinched the bridge of her nose and supported herself against the back of the chair Contessa sat in. ¡°Are you also seeing this? Should we call for Richard?¡±

    ¡°Richard is dead,¡± Contessa said. ¡°And yes. I am also watching this.¡±

    ¡°Oh, cheer up,¡± Jalen said. He clapped Contessa on the shoulder. ¡°Say, do you think we could fit a few of our friends into this room? That bed has room for a few more. We could stack you up on top of each other. You don¡¯t have any problems with demons, do you?¡±

    ¡°Demons. No. I love demons,¡± Contessa said, no emotion left to muster up. ¡°They¡¯re my favorite.¡±

    ¡°Leave them alone,¡± Moxie said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°Nobody here wants to be stuffed into a small room. Contessa and Karina are enough, and I doubt Mascot would much appreciate his personal space getting invaded.¡±

    The cat nodded sagely. That was a rather impressive feat, considering he was still cleaning his rear end.

    ¡°Bah. You figure out where to stuff a bunch of demons, then,¡± Jalen said. ¡°We can¡¯t just parade them around the school, you know.¡±

    ¡°¡­why do you have a bunch of demons with you?¡± Karina asked.

    ¡°Oh, you know.¡± Vermil waved his hand dismissively. ¡°It kind of just happened.¡±

    Karina gave him a look that said very much that she did not know. She was also smart enough not to press the topic further. There were some things that simply weren¡¯t worth seeking the answers over.

    ¡°To business,¡± Vermil said after the rest of the demons had filed into the room. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to kick the two of you out, but I do need to figure out where I can house a bunch of demons for a little while. They¡¯re very polite. No need to worry about them.¡±

    Lee nodded empathetically, her mouth still full of jerky.

    ¡°How long?¡± Contessa asked.

    ¡°Indeterminate. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve got any ideas? I¡¯m on a bit of a tight schedule. Oh, I¡¯ve also got to get my hands on a mask. There¡¯s a meeting I need to get ready for tonight.¡±

    He¡¯s definitely killing someone.

    ¡°I can do that!¡± Todd volunteered. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡±

    Why are you so excited about helping with a murder? And what in the Damned Plains is wrong with Vermil¡¯s students? Why are they completely comfortable when they¡¯re surrounded by demons? And¡­

    Wait. Isn¡¯t that Yulin? Jakob¡¯s student?

    Jakob went missing during the exam. Why is she with Vermil?

    Contessa¡¯s mind pulled every puzzle piece before her together against her will, painting a number of different pictures. Not one of them was one she wanted to think about. The consequences were just too significant.

    Yeah. I¡¯m done with that. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on here and I don¡¯t want to know. The farther away I stay from the Linwicks and the Torrins, the better my life is. I¡¯m more than content just staying here and taking care of Mascot.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to look into some places that would be more suitable,¡± Contessa offered.

    ¡°We spent all your money on cat food,¡± Karina said.

    ¡°Why would you say that now?¡± Contessa hissed.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Karina said, wincing. ¡°I was nervous.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t really care. Just keep Mascot happy and you can keep the room,¡± Noah said with a wave of his hand. ¡°But would you mind letting me deposit my friends here for a little while? Just for the day. I don¡¯t want them getting spotted before we find more permanent lodgings.¡±

    ¡°Any property of Spider¡¯s will receive utmost respect from us,¡± a male demon promised, pressing a hand to his chest. ¡°Though I cannot take responsibility for anything that Lee eats.¡±

    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s your room,¡± Contessa said. She found herself too tired to bother with any protests. ¡°I¡¯m not going to say otherwise. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Contessa.¡±

    ¡°She used to be my handler,¡± Moxie provided. ¡°Now she takes care of Mascot.¡±

    ¡°A grand job,¡± the male demon said, his eyes widening in what appeared to be¡­ respect?

    He¡¯s impressed that I¡¯m a cat handler? Why?

    ¡°You have been given a great honor,¡± the armless demon said. ¡°My name is Yoru.¡±

    ¡°I am Aylin. I apologize in advance for any inadvertent bites I take from your soul. I have been practicing control, but I have much to learn,¡± the male beside her said. He nodded to the two small demons. ¡°These are Torick and Edda.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Lee,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°And I am Violet,¡± one of the female demons said. She nodded to a black-furred demon standing beside her. ¡°This is Vrith. She doesn¡¯t talk much.¡±

    Vrith stared at them and made no move to prove Violet¡¯s words wrong.

    ¡°Great. Good introductions,¡± Vermil said, clapping his hands together. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll all get on splendid.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that leg treating you?¡± Jalen asked Karina.

    ¡°Stop that,¡± Vermil said, flicking the Rank 6 mage in the forehead like he was a petulant child.

    Contessa¡¯s eyes widened. She scrunched down in her seat, preparing to get flattened by a wall of force as Jalen released his domain, but the impossibly powerful mage just cackled like a deranged old man.

    ¡°Let a man have some fun. It was a perfectly normal question. I did make her that leg, after all.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s suffered enough. There¡¯s no need to be needlessly cruel,¡± Vermil said. His eyes darkened as he looked back to Karina. ¡°We can save the malice for the nobles who think they can take what does not belong to them.¡±

    Yep. He¡¯s definitely killing someone tonight. Why did he have to make it so obvious? I don¡¯t want to be an accomplice!

    ¡°Wait. So you¡¯re just leaving the demons here?¡± Karina asked.

    ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Karina said, finally shaking off her stunned disbelief and managing to find proper words. ¡°This is not a good time. Ulya is¡ª¡±

    The door, which nobody had locked, swung open.

    A woman stood on the other side, two large bottles of alcohol tucked under each arm, flanked by a hooded puppet bearing a picnic basket in its hands. The advanced track professor stood on one foot, having used the other to push the door.

    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late!¡± Ulya said. ¡°I got side¡­¡±

    She trailed off, leaving her mouth hanging open mid-word as everyone turned to look at her.

    ¡°Well, this is convenient. I was planning on paying you a visit before tonight. Hullo,¡± Vermil said. ¡°How are the puppet repairs coming on?¡±

    One of the bottles of wine slipped from Ulya¡¯s hand. Her puppet caught it, but she didn¡¯t even seem to notice. She just stared at Vermil in slack-jawed disbelief.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting the feeling you might be getting this a lot,¡± Moxie said.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Ulya breathed. ¡°You¡¯re alive?¡±

 Chapter 624: Show

    ¡°You know, I swear I¡¯ve had this conversation already. I think I¡¯m getting d¨¦j¨¤ vu,¡± Noah said, pursing his lips. He glanced at Moxie. ¡°I have, haven¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re going to be having it a lot,¡± Moxie said dryly. ¡°People tend to be surprised when someone comes back from the dead.¡±

    ¡°They really shouldn¡¯t,¡± Noah said.

    After all, I do it all the time.

    Ulya stared at him, slack jawed, barely maintaining her grip on the second bottle of wine in her hands. Her puppet was doing a remarkable job of balancing both her picnic basket and the other bottle she¡¯d lost.

    Well, it looks like she¡¯s definitely made those upgrades. Glad she was able to get back on her feet after her other puppets got screwed up in the fight between Silvertide and Wizen. Out of all the teachers in the Advanced Track, she was one of the few that¡¯s generally on our side.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Ulya said. ¡°You were pulled into the Damned Plains by Wizen. I heard the reports. Silvertide himself confirmed it. How are you here?¡±

    Silvertide cleared his throat. ¡°It seems that my findings were partially incorrect. He did fall into the Damned Plains, but it seems Vermil did not die.¡±

    Ulya froze. She stared at Silvertide, not having seen him in the mass of people in the room, then pressed a hand to her forehead. ¡°Silvertide? What is happening? None of this makes any sense. How could Vermil be alive?¡±

    ¡°Come on, Ulya. You¡¯re intelligent enough to know the answer to this question. Two people enter, one person leaves. What do you reckon happened?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re implying that you beat Wizen? The mage that was strong enough to take on the entirety of Arbitage¡¯s Enforcers and emerge victorious? And you defeated him ¡ª in the Damned Plains, no less?¡±

    If we¡¯re being really technical about things, then yes. Wizen definitely wasn¡¯t planning on leaving the afterlife alive, but I did convince him to end it earlier to save Sticky instead of looking for his daughter. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d normally want to go around bragging about having convinced someone to kill themselves. That¡¯s just bad taste. Moxie might be right, I do have a problem.

    ¡°I¡¯m alive. He isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°He speaks the truth,¡± Aylin said.

    Ulya glanced to him.

    The second bottle of wine slipped from her hands. This time, her puppet didn¡¯t have any way to catch it. It shattered against the ground as Ulya¡¯s eyes went as wide as saucers. She took a step back.

    Moxie flicked a hand. A vine erupted out from within a sleeve and sliced through the air, binding around Ulya¡¯s mouth, cutting off the other woman¡¯s scream an instant before it could even start.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not bring the entirety of the T building down on our heads, shall we?¡± Moxie asked. ¡°Seriously. You¡¯re a Rank 4 mage. Carry yourself like one.¡±

    Ulya clawed at the vine with one hand and thrust a panicked finger in the direction of the demons with the other, as if Moxie had somehow managed to miss the fact that half the room was sporting horns.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Moxie said patiently. ¡°Demons. I know. They¡¯re friendly.¡±

    ¡°Honestly,¡± Emily said, shaking her head. ¡°You were staring at Vermil for like five seconds. If it takes you that long to notice a horde of demons standing right next to him, then they would have already killed you if they were planning on it. Do better.¡±

    Somehow, getting scolded by Emily seemed considerably more effective than Moxie¡¯s assurances. Ulya¡¯s eyes narrowed and she pulled at Moxie¡¯s vine again. It unwound from her mouth, letting her speak again.

    ¡°Is this meant to be some kind of joke? A setup?¡± Ulya asked.

    Moxie¡¯s vine slowly snaked around Ulya¡¯s back. The professor barely even reacted as it pulled her inside the room. Her puppet followed obediently after her, not even reacting as the vine released Ulya and reached over to the door to close it. The vine then twisted the lock to ensure they wouldn¡¯t get any more surprise visitors.

    ¡°I¡¯m not nearly this funny,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s all real.¡±

    ¡°You escaped the Damned Plains.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°With a horde of demons.¡±

    ¡°Also correct.¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯re¡­ tame?¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t wild animals,¡± Noah said. ¡°And they also aren¡¯t deaf.¡±

    ¡°She tastes scared,¡± Aylin said. ¡°I would not take any offense to what she says right now. Her mind is in a state of panic. I suspect she may start crying.¡±

    ¡°I most certainly will not,¡± Ulya snapped, glaring at Aylin. ¡°I am a researcher in the Advanced Track at Arbitage. I am not some shivering schoolgirl.¡±

    ¡°Boo,¡± Lee said.

    Everyone stared at her.

    ¡°What?¡± Lee asked. ¡°I wanted to see if she would cry.¡±

    ¡°You ¡ª wait.¡± Ulya squinted at Lee. Then she cursed under her breath. ¡°I know you. You didn¡¯t have horns before. You¡¯re a demon?¡±

    ¡°Yup. Does this mean you aren¡¯t going to cry?¡±

    ¡°I am not going to cry!¡±

    ¡°Can I have your snacks, then? Your puppet isn¡¯t eating them.¡±

    ¡°You cannot,¡± Ulya snapped.

    Her earlier fear had partially evaporated, largely due to the sheer incredulity that had sprung up at Lee¡¯s questions. Noah couldn¡¯t help but wonder if that had been completely intentional. It was difficult to tell what Lee was thinking, but she was far more perceptive than most people gave her credit for.

    ¡°You did show up at a good time, though,¡± Noah said, trying to steer the conversation back in a constructive direction. ¡°See, I need to pay a visit to the Advanced Track. There have been some people in it involved in some things I¡¯m not all too happy with. You see, I take it quite poorly when someone endangers my students.¡±

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    Ulya¡¯s eyes focused on Noah ¡ª and realization bubbled to life within them.

    ¡°When did you get back?¡± Ulya asked.

    ¡°Recently.¡±

    ¡°Jakob and Verrud. They vanished during the exam and the Enforcers are still trying to figure out what happened.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t see anything,¡± Todd put in.

    ¡°Nor did I,¡± Yulin said, raising her voice and squeezing through the crowd of demons so Ulya could see her. ¡°It must have been a freak accident.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª oh, fuck off. How many people do you have packed into this room? Yulin is with you now? Did you steal Jakob¡¯s student?¡±

    ¡°I did nothing of the sort,¡± Noah replied. ¡°She simply requested to join my class and I obliged.¡±

    ¡°You killed Jakob and Verrud,¡± Ulya said flatly. ¡°Marley too.¡±

    ¡°I believe I made it very clear that I would tolerate no threats to my students. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re bothered about this. Two professors collaborated to murder innocent students. Are you really implying that¡¯s entirely fine with you?¡±

    ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t,¡± Ulya said. ¡°I don¡¯t care about them. I¡¯m more concerned with how you ¡ª a Rank 3 according to Arbitage ¡ª has killed Jakob, Verrud, and apparently, Wizen!¡±

    ¡°The power of friendship?¡± Noah offered.

    Ulya stared at him.

    ¡°Arbitage¡¯s records are outdated,¡± Moxie said, shooting Noah a glare that said not to mess with Ulya too much. ¡°Vermil is not a rank 3. He¡¯s a Rank 5.¡±

    ¡°Which I¡¯ll be reporting very shortly. I¡¯m certain the Office will be timely with my update in status,¡± Noah said. ¡°But I can¡¯t be held responsible for their incompetence. Look, Ulya. I know this is a lot to take in ¡ª but I trust our old deal should be more than sufficient to grease the gears.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Noah removed the massive grimoire from his back and thunked the book down on the ground before him. He flipped it open.

    She still needs Runes, and I need backup. As much as I¡¯d love to take out every single noble gunning for Isabel¡¯s Soul Master Rune on my own, there are just too many of them. The more people on my side, the better.

    A few strong runes for her puppets ought to change her mind real fast.

    ¡°This,¡± Noah said.

    Ulya stared at him. She looked a little more confused than impressed, though here might have been a small flicker of interest somewhere within her expression.

    That certainly wasn¡¯t the response I was expecting.

    ¡°What?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°That is a picture of a fat man wearing skimpy clothes,¡± Aylin kindly informed Noah.

    He looked down at the pages of the grimoire.

    Aylin had not been lying. There was a rather impressive sketch of a well fed man who seemed to have found his way into a set of clothes that fit him, if only barely.

    At least he isn¡¯t naked.

    ¡°You twisted little shit,¡± Noah snapped. ¡°Show her the runes or I¡¯m not feeding you for a week.¡±

    The Grimoire¡¯s pages rippled. Ulya¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°Runes,¡± Noah replied, checking the pages once more before speaking. ¡°I¡¯ve got a number of them. I¡¯ll warn you that Demon Runes tend to be¡­ flawed, but I¡¯d imagine they¡¯d serve quite well if used for fuel in making puppets.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like this,¡± Ulya breathed. ¡°I can¡¯t read them at all. Can you?¡±

    Noah waggled a hand in the air. ¡°Not really, but the demons can.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re willing to sell these?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to give them to you,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Gold is nice, but it isn¡¯t what I¡¯m looking for right now. What I need is loyalty.¡±

    Ulya¡¯s head tilted to the side and she pulled her gaze away from the runes to meet Noah¡¯s eyes. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of line that someone preparing for some real shit gives. What are you planning?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that isn¡¯t how the deal works. You¡¯re going to have to decide if the risk is worth it before you throw your lot in.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a very favorable deal to me.¡±

    ¡°There are a select few people in this plane who have access to Demon Runes,¡± Noah said. He gestured to the demons around them. ¡°And even fewer who have direct access to demons that will help them understand what it is they¡¯re working with. No offer is without drawbacks. You can decide if it¡¯s worth it or not.¡±

    Ulya glanced at the hooded puppet standing behind her. Her hands tightened at her sides before she let out a curt breath and gave him a sharp nod. ¡°I joined the Advanced Track to get research opportunities. I wasn¡¯t expecting to play all the politics I got wrapped up in. That¡¯s on me ¡ª but this is a lot more than anything the Advanced Track can offer. If you can get me opportunities like this, then consider me swayed. I¡¯m in.¡±

    ¡°Joining Spider¡¯s encourage is the wisest decision you can make,¡± Aylin said. ¡°You have chosen the path of inevitable victory.¡±

    ¡°Spider? Wait. Wasn¡¯t that your mentor?¡± Ulya asked with a frown. ¡°Are you saying that¡­¡±

    ¡°I have a bit of a lying problem. I may have a few more names than you thought.¡±

    Ulya stared at him. ¡°I ¡ª what? But¡­ how?¡±

    Noah just gave her a grin.

    ¡°Better keep that name under wraps for the time being,¡± he said to Aylin. ¡°Don¡¯t need the wrong people getting wind of it too early. It¡¯ll make it harder to bait out the people I need to kill.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Aylin said.

    ¡°The people you need to kill?¡± Ulya repeated. ¡°Are you going after Verrud and Jakob¡¯s superiors?¡±

    ¡°Among everyone else that is trying to take what doesn¡¯t belong to them. I¡¯d start thinking on what kind of runes you want for your puppet,¡± Noah advised. ¡°Because you¡¯re going to need them soon. I¡¯ll be using all the resources at my disposal.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Ulya said. ¡°When you say everyone else¡­ nobles are greedy. You can¡¯t mean¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ulya,¡± Noah said softly, closing the grimoire and holding her gaze with his own. ¡°I will rip this kingdom apart at the seams if they think they can come after my students.¡±

    The front of the grimoire writhed. Its eye snapped open, swiveling around the room. Contessa let out something between a disgusted gagging noise and a whimper as its attention passed over her before landing on Ulya.

    Its excited. Not sure if that¡¯s a good thing or not, but I¡¯m beyond the point of caring. I¡¯ll feed it to its hearts content as long as it stays on my side and doesn¡¯t eat anything too important.

    Ulya¡¯s features paled.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that sound fun?¡± Jalen asked, rubbing his hands together. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the kingdom in proper chaos in hundreds of years. I might go on a bender.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re all insane,¡± Ulya said.

    ¡°My mental faculties are entirely intact,¡± Aylin said.

    ¡°As are mine,¡± Yoru said softly. ¡°More than they ever have been.¡±

    ¡°Unlike your arms,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be mean, Lee,¡± Violet said.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯ll have new ones soon enough,¡± Lee said cheerfully. ¡°It¡¯s important to look on the bright side of life.¡±

    ¡°I will?¡± Yoru asked.

    Lee nodded empathetically. ¡°Of course you will. We can steal somebody¡¯s and stick them on if you can¡¯t find any of your own.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°Have you ever tried it before?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you know?¡± Lee arched an eyebrow as if she¡¯d just found a massive logical hole in his argument. ¡°You don¡¯t know until you try.¡±

    Ulya ran a hand through her hair. She reached out to the glass of wine her puppet held, popped the cork off with a thumb, and took a long swig straight from the bottle.

    ¡°What did I just sign up for?¡± Ulya asked.

    ¡°A fun time,¡± Jalen said.

    ¡°An opportunity to get stronger,¡± Moxie offered.

    ¡°Treason against the noble families,¡± Karina said.

    ¡°War,¡± Noah said. ¡°And I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be needing your services immediately. I need you to help prepare things for me tonight.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± Ulya asked with trepidation.

    ¡°I want you to spread word that a demon by the name of Spider will be making an appearance at the Advanced Track meeting tonight along with me.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Spider?¡±

    Noah smiled. ¡°Fortunately, we have someone here who¡¯s quite adept at shifting their form. Isn¡¯t that right, Karina?¡±

    Karina¡¯s face paled.

    ¡°Would you believe me if I said I can¡¯t do that anymore?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Karina said.

    Jalen¡¯s grin stretched until it covered his entire face and he let out a cackle of laughter. ¡°This is going to be a shitshow. I can¡¯t wait.¡±

 Chapter 625: Returning

    With the worst of the surprises done for the day, the group was left with no choice but to do the most agonizing, gut-wrenching activity known to man. They had to do proper introductions.

    It was painfully awkward to say the least. The vast majority of the demons that Noah had brought from the Damned Plains wouldn¡¯t know decorum if it hit them upside the head. For that matter, the demon that he¡¯d brought from the mortal realm to the Damned Plains was probably the worst of them all.

    Noah watched as Lee edged her way through the room, slowly and steadily making her way closer to the puppet bearing Ulya¡¯s picnic basket and wine. She was definitely both fast and sneaky enough to just steal it before anyone could even react if she chose to.

    She did not choose to. It seemed that she found the hunt considerably more enjoyable than the actual victory. Unfortunately, it also seemed that Lee didn¡¯t think people could see her if she moved slowly enough.

    There wasn¡¯t a single person in the room that wasn¡¯t aware of her gradually approaching the puppet. Nobody said a word about it. They just focused on their incredibly awkward introductions. There were some things that were just best left untouched.

    The situation wasn¡¯t helped by the fact that Noah¡¯s room was not really meant to house this many people. A few was no problem ¡ª teachers had rather spacious quarters ¡ª but there was a literal horde of demons packed in with the teachers, students, and clingers-on.

    At least everyone seems to be largely getting along. No massive rifts despite the whole demon thing. That¡¯s all I really need. I can¡¯t have everyone at each other¡¯s throats or terrified because they think they¡¯re going to get ripped open by a psychopathic demon.

    That¡¯s not who these demons are.

    Well, maybe Vrith, but I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯ll be fine.

    Moxie poked Noah in the side with her elbow. Noah pulled his attention away from Lee, who was extending a finger to try and hook the basket from the puppet¡¯s hands, and looked to her.

    ¡°What exactly is your plan for the Advanced Track meeting?¡± Moxie asked. ¡°If Spider makes an appearance, we¡¯re going to call the Inquisition down on Arbitage.¡±

    ¡°Most likely, yes.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we be under suspicion in that case? After all, we pretended that Spider was your mentor back at that other Advanced Track Meeting we went to,¡± Moxie said with a frown. ¡°Is calling the Inquisition down on our own heads a good idea?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I want to call them in. They know who Spider is already. I made an appearance before, and it wouldn¡¯t have been long before they came investigating us once it becomes known that I¡¯ve come back to Arbitage,¡± Noah said with a shrug. ¡°If I take control of the narrative, it¡¯ll be much easier to work around things. I want them focused on Spider rather than us¡­ and I think I¡¯ve already planted the seeds of interest. That female Inquisitor, Fuyin, she was interested in figuring out what I had to offer. She definitely survived the explosion, and I think she¡¯ll come looking for information. Then all I have to do is direct her toward the nobles.¡±

    ¡°You want to set the Inquisitors against the noble houses?¡±

    Noah grinned. ¡°Can¡¯t be too hard. Father couldn¡¯t have been the only one summoning demons. Once news of my return gets out, it won¡¯t be that hard for the people behind Jakob and Verrud to start putting all the pieces together. They¡¯ll realize that Isabel was the one they were after, and that I¡¯m likely the reason those bastards are dead. I don¡¯t know how they¡¯d react to that. Maybe they¡¯d be sneaky, or maybe they¡¯d just send their full force at us right off the bat.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ll keep them occupied by directing the Inquisition at them. That won¡¯t last if they¡¯re not actually summoning demons¡­ and our enemies might not be the whole house, but just portions of it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s far from a perfect solution, but it¡¯ll buy us at least a little time, and it serves a second purpose as well.¡±

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Jalen stepped up behind them, a huge grin splitting his features. ¡°It gets word out that there¡¯s someone strong enough to not just defy the Inquisition, but also survive it. One that the other demons on the Mortal Plane will rally behind when word gets out.¡±

    Noah nodded. ¡°Not just demons. Anyone who wants power. Rumor about the auction will be out already. When it becomes clear that Spider isn¡¯t just helping demons but humans as well¡­ people will come to us.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re repeating what we did in the Damned Plains,¡± Moxie said. ¡°But I suppose you¡¯re actually planning to use it this time around. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to get lucky enough to have a run in with the head of the King Family that just makes them call off the whole thing.¡±

    ¡°Even if we did, I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s our goal,¡± Noah said slowly. ¡°This isn¡¯t just about getting the noble families to back off. Everyone that thinks they can take Isabel¡¯s Rune¡­ I don¡¯t want them hiding and biding their time. I wantthem to play their hands. Just not all at once. There¡¯s only so much I can do, after all. Fortunately, every interaction I¡¯ve ever had with nobles proves that they always play things safe. They¡¯re scared. The only time they act is when they think victory is guaranteed.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re planning to get them off guard to buy you time,¡± Jalen theorized.

    ¡°Seems sound enough as long as you don¡¯t make yourself such a huge target that every family has no choice but to act,¡± Moxie said. She arched an eyebrow. ¡°Though that seems like it very well may happen at this rate.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Noah said. A small grin flickered across his lips. ¡°Which is why we¡¯ll need more than just Spider. The enemy of your enemy is your friend. I need them off guard.¡±

    Moxie blinked. Then realization flickered behind her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to give them a bigger enemy?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of bullshit,¡± Jalen said. ¡°I love it. What¡¯s going to be a bigger threat than Spider, though?¡±

    ¡°Still working on that,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°But it¡¯ll come to me. I¡¯m open to suggestions.¡±

    ¡°If you do this, even if the enemy isn¡¯t ¡®Spider¡¯, you realize you¡¯re planning to start a fight with every single major family in the kingdom, right?¡± Jalen asked. ¡°They might think it¡¯s some new enemy Spider is helping them against, but the fact holds true. Even members of the Linwicks will be at your throat.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more than aware. You¡¯ve already made it clear you aren¡¯t too bothered about that prospect.¡±

    ¡°Oh, not in the slightest. I¡¯m curious to see if things will go as you¡¯re predicting.¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°I fully expect things to go to shit when the ball finally drops.¡±

    ¡°And what then?¡± Moxie asked, tilting her head to the side. ¡°Because with the amount of chaos the whole empire is going to get plunged into if things go as you say¡­¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be much of a place left to live,¡± Noah said with a nod. ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re planning on leaving,¡± Jalen realized. ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°To somewhere where my students can learn without worrying about someone putting a blade through their back to steal what belongs to them,¡± Noah replied with a shake of his head. He wasn¡¯t going to pack his bags anytime soon. There was still too much to do in Arbitage. Too much to learn ¡ª but he had no doubt in his mind that there was only so much growth that could happen in a kingdom where everyone fought to keep information from each other. ¡°But that¡¯s something to worry about another time. I¡¯ve got more to do before the meeting tonight.¡±

    ¡°Getting your disguise together?¡± Jalen guessed.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Key. Sticky had returned it to him back in the Scorched Acres so she wouldn¡¯t lose it by accident. It was mildly amusing to think that half the reason he¡¯d ever landed in the Damned Plains was because he¡¯d been trying to retrieve this. ¡°I¡¯ve got to return something.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re giving Arbitage back the Key?¡± Moxie¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Is it still capable of opening a portal to the Damned Plains?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. That red energy that used to be in it is gone. Sticky spent it all getting us back to the mortal plane. It just feels like a key now.¡± Even as Noah spoke, a small frown tugged at the corners of his lips.

    The red energy was indeed gone ¡ª but he hadn¡¯t forgotten what it had looked like. It had been strange magic, of a variety he¡¯d never seen before¡­ up until he¡¯d created his most recent Rank 5 Rune.

    Is it possible this key had something to do with that Orlen person? Could it have been his magic that enabled Wizen to rip a portal into the Damned Plains? But why? What the hell does he want? He¡¯s also helped a bunch of demons for seemingly no reason.

    Noah¡¯s gaze drifted to Linestra. She was sitting toward the corner of her room, doing her best to avoid drawing too much attention to herself.

    She didn¡¯t know anything, and Aylin confirmed that she wasn¡¯t lying. The nobles are a problem I can focus on. But Orlen¡­ he puts me on edge. I don¡¯t know what his goals are, but I¡¯ve definitely fucked with them by accident. Twice now, actually.

    Oops.

    ¡°But why give it back to Arbitage? I wasn¡¯t under the impression you were that loyal,¡± Jalen said. ¡°You could at least¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not Arbitage I¡¯m returning this to,¡± Noah said. He slid the key back into his pocket. ¡°I¡¯m giving it back to an old friend.¡±

 Chapter 626: Timcident

    Noah found Tim in the Transport Cannon. That was equal parts entirely surprising and expected. There hadn¡¯t been any line leading up to the cannon. The last time he¡¯d been to the cannon, there had been a number of Space Mages working together to keep it active for emergency operations. Now, it had been completely abandoned in the absence of the artifact that powered it.

    When Noah got to the top of the tall, slightly perilous building, he found that more than just the popularity of the cannon had changed. It looked nothing like what it once had.

    Papers covered the walls from floor to ceiling. They were covered with scribblings and designs that made about as much sense to Noah as a Demon Rune did to a normal mage. Stacks of books teetered on the edge, moments away from crashing to the ground yet hanging on desperately to life.

    The smell of still-drying ink hung in the air and static electricity prickled against Noah¡¯s skin. And in the center of it all, his expression shifting in shock, was Tim. The old man¡¯s hair had grown considerably since they¡¯d last met, forming a beard that would have given Santa Claus a solid run for his money. Tim held a cup of tea with two fingers. His other hand held a quill that was midway through a sentence upon a paper pinned to the wall. Ink dripped, marring his work, as he stared at Noah in disbelief.

    ¡°Vermil?¡± Tim breathed. His hand lowered, his quill leaving a long line of ink on the paper he¡¯d been working on. ¡°Is that you?¡±

    ¡°You really got to fix the settings on this thing,¡± Noah said with a wry smile. ¡°I think it forgot to summon me back.¡±

    ¡°It is you!¡± Tim let out a delighted laugh and strode over to Noah, flinging his arms around him in a friendly hug. ¡°Gods, Vermil! I thought you were dead! The Enforcers said you fell into the Damned Plains!¡±

    Noah couldn¡¯t help himself from grinning. He returned Tim¡¯s hug and patted the old man on the back. ¡°The rumors of my demise were entirely accurate. I can¡¯t recommend the Damned Plains as a vacation spot, but it has its charm.¡±

    Tim took a step back. He grabbed Noah by the shoulders and studied his features intently. ¡°You mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. I was actually there.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°I made it out.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Tim blinked heavily. ¡°That should have been impossible. The amount of power needed to breach the barrier between the planes permanently¡­ did someone open a path from you from our side? It shouldn¡¯t have been possible to open one from your end. You would need¡­¡±

    ¡°An artifact of immense power,¡± Noah finished, pulling the key out from his pocket.

    Tim¡¯s eyes went as wide as saucers. ¡°You got it back. But didn¡¯t Wizen get it? How¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wizen is dead. He and I had a chat, and he realized that he didn¡¯t need to hold onto this thing anymore,¡± Noah said. He held the key out to Tim. ¡°We both decided it would be in better hands here.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª you¡¯re giving it to me?¡± Tim asked. He took a step back and shook his head firmly. ¡°Oh, no. Thank you Vermil, but the risk is too great. That item is far too powerful. The Cannon isn¡¯t worth keeping active. As much as I love it, we¡¯ve seen what people will do to get their hands on power.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. The power that Wizen used to rip open a portal to the Damned Plains is completely spent. This isn¡¯t as powerful as it was before,¡± Noah said. He waved the key. ¡°And if you don¡¯t take it, I¡¯m throwing it away.¡±

    ¡°Throwing it away?¡± Tim exclaimed, his eyes flashing in disbelief. ¡°This is a treasure! An artifact from a lost age, Vermil! It must be kept and protected!¡±

    ¡°And who better to do that than someone who actually understands what it does?¡± Noah arched an eyebrow. ¡°Arbitage doesn¡¯t give a shit and we both know it. They barely care about their own students. This whole city is just a massive stockpile of weapons with a bunch of noble pricks that forgot what it is they sit upon.¡±

    Tim let out a snort of amusement. He studied the key for a long second, chewing his lower lip and shifting his weight from foot to foot.

    Noah wiggled it.

    ¡°Are you certain of this?¡± Tim asked.

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    ¡°Can you tell me anyone would be better suited to look after it?¡±

    The old man heaved a sigh. His lips pulled up in a smile and he reached out, accepting the key. Tim swallowed heavily as he stared down at the artifact in his hand. His fingers slowly closed over it and he slipped it into a pocket. ¡°No. Thank you, Vermil. When this was stolen, I spent many long hours wondering what the future would hold. The Transport Cannon was my entire life. It was the only worthwhile thing I ever accomplished.¡±

    ¡°It was sorely underappreciated by Arbitage.¡±

    ¡°I would agree with that. But I had a lot of time to think, Vermil. After everything had died down and people wrote Wizen off. The other Space Mages left and the transport cannon just became a tower. I stayed, of course. I didn¡¯t know what else to do. I stayed and thought.¡±

    ¡°So I can see,¡± Noah said as he looked around the room. Tim didn¡¯t seem insane. There was some form of rhyme and reason to whatever he was writing, but Noah just didn¡¯t have the slightest idea of what it was. Everything written on the papers was just completely beyond him.

    Tim smiled at Noah¡¯s expression. ¡°It¡¯s more than the key I must thank you for.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Noah blinked. ¡°What else?¡±

    ¡°You gave me a paper shortly before you left,¡± Tim said. ¡°I found it very useful. I¡¯d never had a chance to see a Rune like that. And after the helping hand you gave me with my old problems¡­ well, I spent a lot of time looking into that rune.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Noah¡¯s eyes lit up. He¡¯d almost forgotten that he¡¯d given Tim a Space Rune before he¡¯d gone off to face Wizen. ¡°You were able to use it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been fascinated by Space,¡± Tim said. ¡°And when I was left alone with nothing but my own thoughts, I fear this old man may have been possessed by an arrogance that I have done nothing to earn. An ambition. Never had many of those, Vermil. Wasn¡¯t my lot in life. But you hardly gave me much choice. That was a lot of responsibility, you know.¡±

    ¡°What, the rune?¡± Noah frowned and tilted his head to the side. ¡°What do you mean? It was just a Rune, Tim. I was hoping it might be useful since you were going to be in want of some new ones after¡­ well, you know. I didn¡¯t mean to cause trouble for you.¡±

    ¡°Trouble?¡± Tim let out a cackle. ¡°Oh, no, Vermil. Not trouble. I¡¯ve studied Space for a long time. The methods that make the Transport Cannon work properly are quite intricate. But I¡¯ve never had a chance to really get to know the magic myself. I always accessed it through a tool. Not quite the same thing. So when you gave me a chance to get up close and personal with a rune like that, I fear I couldn¡¯t help myself. I just had so many questions! I wanted to see how things worked. So I got to testing.¡±

    Noah glanced around the room. ¡°This is research, then? On Space Runes?¡±

    ¡°On Space,¡± Tim corrected, raising a finger into the air. ¡°See, I¡¯ve read all the theory. At least, the theory I could get my hands on. People aren¡¯t too open with it. I had a few chats with your brother. Nice lad. Big. He should really shrink a few inches, but no matter. He had some good insights, but everything I learned just made me want to know more. As you can see, I got carried away.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like something to apologize for. If anything, I¡¯m just glad to see you in good spirits.¡±

    ¡°Vermil, I am not merely in good spirits. I am in great ones,¡± Tim said with a delighted laugh. ¡°Every single question I answer just gives me a dozen more new ones. Isn¡¯t it wonderful? All my research is organized here. I am compiling it.¡±

    Organized is certainly a word. Not sure if it¡¯s the one I¡¯d use.

    ¡°Have you found anything, then?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes. My apologies. I should have started with that. I¡¯ve gotten a little scatterbrained as of late.¡± Tim snapped his fingers. Sparks of black energy arced from his hand and the air warped. A paper popped into existence before him ¡ª but Tim wasn¡¯t done.

    He swept his hand through the air. Energy crackled like a small thunderstorm. Papers appeared one after the other, forming in rapid-fire succession.

    Noah¡¯s eyes widened.

    Isn¡¯t Tim just Rank 3? Space Runes consume energy like no tomorrow, but he¡¯s using them like it¡¯s nothing.

    ¡°How are you doing this?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve spent some time studying efficiency,¡± Tim said with a wave of his hand. ¡°It¡¯s of no concern. Something Brayden asked me to study. I have to get the results back to him, but this is far more important. Behold!¡±

    He pointed at the papers. Their surfaces were covered with formulas that meant absolutely nothing to Noah.

    ¡°I¡­ might be a little lost.¡±

    ¡°Space has magical weight!¡± Tim exclaimed in delight. ¡°And not every location shares equal weight! The farther you get from Arbitage ¡ª from any Bastion, for that matter ¡ª the less magical weight there is, but the distribution of weight seems conical! Despite decreasing away from Bastions, it actually grows stronger toward the edges of the Empire!¡±

    ¡°¡­right. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to have to dumb down why that¡¯s important,¡± Noah said sheepishly.

    ¡°It means magic itself has spatial weight to it,¡± Tim, pausing for a moment to drink in the moment before he spoke again. ¡°We already know the Bastions are magical stockpiles, which justifies their increased weight in comparison to the rest of the world. But then why would the magic decrease in a conical pattern as we approach the Empire¡¯s edges? There could only be one reason.¡±

    Noah¡¯s spine prickled.

    Hold on. Did Tim figure out¡ª

    ¡°The Empire is either surrounded by a magical barrier of immense strength¡­¡± Tim whispered, excitement glittering behind his eyes. ¡°Or we have been hidden by something. The distribution of spatial magic makes me certain of it. There is more out there, Vermil. An area with magic that makes what we have here look like a spark in comparison to an inferno. The Arbalest Empire is not the extent of this world. It is a sheltered cove.¡±

    Holy shit. Tim figured out the truth of what the Arbalest Empire is entirely on his own.

 Chapter 627: If you want something done...

    ¡°Incredible,¡± Noah whispered. ¡°You found all of that out just by using a low-level Space Rune?¡±

    ¡°And a lot of research. I plan to travel to this edge and determine what it is that lies beyond the kingdom. I have calculated its approximate distance from us. There, I will find¡­ wait.¡± Tim¡¯s proud expression faltered. He squinted at Noah. ¡°You knew.¡±

    ¡°I knew, but not because I figured it out. I was told.¡±

    ¡°Told?¡± Tim asked. ¡°By whom? If this knowledge has already been discovered, then why¡ª¡±

    ¡°By someone who exists outside the empire.¡±

    Tim¡¯s string of questions evaporated. He trailed off and stared at Noah in abject disbelief for several moments. Then he let out a bark of laughter, one borne from a mix of surprise and delight.

    ¡°Then I was right!¡± Tim exclaimed. He grabbed Noah by the shoulders. ¡°There¡¯s a greater world! Tell me about it! How did you meet this person? Why are they here? And why¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Noah said with a laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t know the answers to those questions, Tim. The person I spoke to only told me this because I got caught up in something. I barely know any more than you do. Honestly, I probably know less. There¡¯s only one piece you¡¯re missing, though I don¡¯t think it¡¯s related.¡±

    ¡°Tell me,¡± Tim said, his eyes flashing. He paused, then released Noah and cleared his throat. ¡°If you can, of course. I don¡¯t mean to overstep.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason there are no Rank 7s in the Arbalest Empire,¡± Noah said simply. ¡°And it isn¡¯t because making a Rank 7 Rune is impossible. I met many Rank 7 Demons in the Damned Plains.¡±

    ¡°A reason¡­¡± Tim¡¯s brow furrowed. Then his face went pale. He took a step back, and Noah could practically see connections forming in his mind. ¡°An intentional limit. The decreased amount of spatial energy in the Empire isn¡¯t because we¡¯re living in some form of anomaly. This was intentionally formed. Magical power is being removed from this area on purpose. But why?¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t even get a chance to respond. Tim¡¯s mind was working so fast and the old man was pulling pieces together so quickly that Noah couldn¡¯t do anything but sit and stare in awe as Tim pieced together the biggest secrets of the Arbalest Empire.

    ¡°An experiment,¡± Tim exclaimed. ¡°That must be it! It¡¯s the only thing that explains the abnormalities and the potential barrier surrounding the empire. Someone is intentionally keeping everyone within it at Rank 6 or below. Those that reach Rank 7 are removed to avoid impacting the spatial energy.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that last bit?¡± Noah asked, blinking. ¡°Impacting the energy?¡±

    ¡°Well, artifacts bear magical weight. That¡¯s why there¡¯s more power around the Bastions where they¡¯re stored,¡± Tim said absent-mindedly. ¡°The same bears true for mages. Insignificant ones may as well have no weight at all. But truly powerful mages would theoretically have the same weight as a powerful artifact. I¡¯ve been wondering why that hasn¡¯t proven to be the case ¡ª but if all the powerful mages are being removed from the kingdom, that would preserve this strange imbalance that we seem to be locked in. Thus, it must be an experiment. Someone doesn¡¯t want the Empire to grow.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, Tim.¡± Noah shook his head in awe. ¡°Your talents were completely wasted. You might be one of the smartest people I¡¯ve ever met. I¡¯m pretty sure everything you just said is completely correct.¡±

    ¡°Then you must introduce me!¡± Tim exclaimed. ¡°The person you spoke to. I have so many questions for them. I do hope you haven¡¯t killed them.¡±

    ¡°Killed them? How would I kill somebody strong enough to be from outside the kingdom?¡±

    Tim arched an eyebrow. ¡°If there¡¯s one thing that I¡¯ve become abundantly aware of, it is your ability to do what should be impossible. I take it that this person still lives? Are they our enemy?¡±

    ¡°No! I¡¯m starting to think you¡¯ve got a rather low opinion of me,¡± Noah said, narrowing his eyes.

    ¡°You have a slight history of altercations with the strong. It was a safe guess.¡± Tim¡¯s lips twitched in amusement. ¡°Does that mean it would be possible for me to meet this person?¡±

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    ¡°I think it¡¯s more than possible. If anything, we need to make sure it happens. I¡¯d love to see Garina¡¯s expression when she realizes you¡¯ve put everything together on your own.¡±

    ¡°Garina,¡± Tim said, rolling the name over in his mouth before nodding. ¡°How can we find her? A great excursion to the edges of the empire? Or within the Damned Plains?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s coming over for tea in a few days.¡±

    Tim blinked. ¡°I ¡ª oh. That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°You sound disappointed.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be that easy,¡± Tim muttered, tugging at his beard. ¡°She¡¯s coming over for tea? What kind of tea?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think we¡¯ve worked that bit out yet.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s quite important. I will arrange for something,¡± Tim promised. ¡°For tea. The strongest living being in the empire is coming for tea with you. Ridiculous. And here I was getting ready to set out on a grand, dangerous adventure. At my age, no less! Tea is far preferrable.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get too lax,¡± Noah warned. His features darkened and he glanced around the Transport Cannon, at the sea of papers covering the floor and walls. ¡°Tim, you have to realize how much danger you¡¯re in right now. Forget the empire. If people discover what you¡¯ve learned about Space Runes¡­¡±

    ¡°A little danger is better than rotting away. I will hide away no longer. Not when I have a chance to make something of my life. Who knows how many things we¡¯ve all come to believe are actually false? I will not stop until I have unearthed them. This is my purpose, Vermil.¡±

    Noah tilted his head to the side. He glanced around the Transport Cannon once more. The building was really quite spacious, even with all the papers and books littering it. A thought started to take form in his mind and his lips slowly pulled up into a smile.

    I wonder¡­

    ¡°I might be able to help with that,¡± Noah said. ¡°How often do people drop by the Transport Cannon nowadays?¡±

    ¡°Never,¡± Tim replied. ¡°It is all but abandoned.¡±

    ¡°I see. And how do you feel about roommates?¡±

    ¡°Roommates?¡± Tim blinked. ¡°I¡¯ve never considered it, but I do love a good conversation. I would have no issue with it so long as they are well-mannered. Is there someone that needs a place to live?¡±

    ¡°A few someones,¡± Noah said with a grin. ¡°And I think you¡¯d find that they have quite a different worldview. It would definitely be beneficial for all of you to get to know each other.¡±

    ¡°Then dally not. This tower has been empty for too long. I would be thrilled to make this mysterious groups¡¯ acquaintance,¡± Tim said, reading the look in Noah¡¯s eyes. ¡°Something tells me this will be enjoyable.¡±

    ¡°With pleasure,¡± Noah replied. ¡°There¡¯s just one thing I want to do first. It seems you¡¯ve specialized into Spatial Runes. Shall we polish up what you¡¯ve got to make sure you don¡¯t have any trouble advancing further?¡±

    Tim¡¯s eyes lit up in delight. ¡°Truly? Are you certain?¡±

    Noah just grinned in response.

    ***

    A short while later, Noah headed down from the transport cannon, the Fragment of Renewal back on cooldown and his mind thoroughly unbalanced.

    Tim¡¯s runes were terrifying. He¡¯d made 6 space-based runes along with a mixed up one that had been the original Rank 2 that Noah had helped him make before his trip to the Damned Plains. And in that time, not only had Tim hit Rank 3, but Noah could literally see the progress in the man¡¯s understanding in each consecutive one. Tim¡¯s seventh Rank 3 Rune had been flawless ¡ª and Tim didn¡¯t even know what a flawless rune was.

    He¡¯d made it flawless purely through his understanding of spatial magic.

    What might have been even more ridiculous was that, even though Noah had cut apart and put together spatial runes dozens upon dozens of time, he realized that Tim¡¯s understanding of spatial magic was considerably better than his.

    Just looking at Tim¡¯s Rank 3 Runes had been enough to show him the difference between someone who understood a subject and someone who may as well have been the subject.

    He¡¯d barely even had to do anything to help Tim polish his Rank 3¡¯s up. Noah had just gone through and split the runes, removing the only non-spatial one, and Tim formed each of them into a flawless space-based rune within seconds.

    It had been one of the fastest repair sessions Noah had ever done, and Tim had been left with six Rank 3s, many of which were rather close to full. He was pretty sure it wouldn¡¯t be long until Tim was ready to advance to Rank 4.

    How many more people are there like Tim? People that could have been incredible mages if the nobles hadn¡¯t completely failed them?

    Noah¡¯s hands tightened at his sides. Arbitage pissed him off. It had everything it had needed to have been a real school. They were literally supposed to be one. It was a brilliant cover story. But instead of actually turning into a place of learning, the Bastion was nothing more than a place for nobles to posture.

    People here didn¡¯t truly want to learn. They just wanted to make sure they stayed ahead of their opponents so they could keep the little slice of the world they¡¯d stolen for themselves. Noah¡¯s lips curled up in derision.

    The Advanced Track might be the only exception to that¡­ but I¡¯m not too pleased with them so far. I suppose we¡¯ll have to see how tonight goes. Either way, I¡¯m done playing around. Arbitage needs a fire lit under it. There are people here that want to learn. People that haven¡¯t had the chance to.

    The world is changing. Arbitage is going to have to change as well. And if there isn¡¯t anyone willing to teach anyone how things should properly be done¡­

    Then I¡¯ll do it myself.

 Chapter 628: Optimistic

    Jalen teleported all of the demons into the Transport Cannon¡¯s top room.

    All things considered, Noah was pretty sure that was definitely not the best way to make an introduction. Tim had less than positive experiences with people making abrupt apperances in the cannon. Having a horde of what were commonly known to be the greatest enemy of mankind suddenly appear in his living quarters was definitely not going to be a good impression.

    Unfortunately, Jalen hadn¡¯t waited to hear Noah¡¯s reasoning out. The moment he¡¯d gotten back to his room and suggested it, the Rank 6 Mage¡¯s eyes had lit up and he¡¯d snapped his fingers. His power had grabbed everyone other than Contessa and Karina, and then the world had changed.

    Tim, who had been hunched over his desk scribbling something on what must have been the thousandth piece of paper in the room, had frozen in shock mid-sentence. He stared at the teeming mass of demons, lips pulling apart.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Noah yelled, pushing his way to the front before the poor old man could get a heart attack. He nearly bowled Lee over in the process as she somehow managed to do everything she could to entangle herself in front of his legs.

    What is she, a cat? I¡¯ve already got one of those!

    ¡°Most of us hold you no ill will,¡± Aylin provided, in what was probably meant to be a comforting manner. ¡°We follow the Great Lord Spider.¡±

    ¡°Me,¡± Noah said as he finally managed to wade his way to the front of the horde. ¡°That¡¯s me. I like made-up names.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Tim!¡± Moxie called from somewhere at the back of the pack. ¡°Silvertide is here too! I hope Vermil got a chance to warn you about the visitors. He said you were fine with it, but something tells me he didn¡¯t get a chance to warn you that¡ª¡±

    ¡°He had so many lovely students? No, he didn¡¯t,¡± Tim said with a huge smile. He straightened and stepped around the desk, brushing his hands off on the front of his shirt as he approached them. ¡°But that¡¯s no problem. This many faces is more than I expected, but this old building is quite spacious if you go deeper. We can make room.¡±

    Noah¡¯s words died on his lips. His brow furrowed in confusion. Tim hadn¡¯t even mentioned the fact that half of his ¡®students¡¯ were demons. It wasn¡¯t exactly hard to tell. Vrith was covered in black fur and most of them had massive horns jutting out from their heads somewhere or another.

    He glanced back, just to make sure that everyone suddenly hadn¡¯t figured out a way to conceal themselves. They hadn¡¯t. There was no doubt that there was a horde of demons behind him.

    Noah coughed into his fist. ¡°Er¡­ yes. Thank you, Tim. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed, but some of my students are a little unique.¡±

    ¡°All students are unique. Every individual is a flower to be nurtured, and no flower is the same.¡±

    Okay, now you¡¯re just laying it on thick. Has he really not noticed that they¡¯re demons? That seems more than just improbable. Tim isn¡¯t stupid, and he isn¡¯t¡­

    Wait.

    There was something off.

    Tim was looking in their direction, but he wasn¡¯t looking at them. It was like his eyes were looking right past everyone in the room at something far behind them. Noah blinked in surprise.

    ¡°Tim?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Vermil?¡±

    ¡°Are¡­ you blind?¡±

    ¡°Blind? Oh, no. I¡¯ve never seen better in my life,¡± Tim replied with a hearty laugh. ¡°I¡¯ve just made a few adjustments to my eyes. I hope it isn¡¯t too disconcerting. I haven¡¯t left the tower much since my work.¡±

    Moxie squeezed her way through the demons, the surprise in her features evident. She knew just as well as Noah did that Tim was taking this way too well. Even if he was the most welcoming, accepting man in the entirety of Arbitage, it made no sense for him to be completely okay with demons. He should have heard enough rumors to be at least wary of them.

    ¡°Your eyes look a bit¡­ distant,¡± Moxie hedged. ¡°You aren¡¯t injured, are you?¡±

    There was a crackle beside Noah as Jalen teleported across the room, not even bothering to push past anyone. He stared at Tim, his features surprisingly serious.

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    ¡°What have you done, Tim?¡± Jalen asked.

    ¡°Please, please.¡± Tim lifted his hands before him. ¡°Your worry for me means much, but I can assure you that I am doing quite well. I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯ve unnerved you with my eyes. I made a few Body Imbuements on them, you see. For research. Spatial weight is very hard to detect at my rank. I wanted to be able to study it better, so I had to modify the kind of information my eyes took in.¡±

    ¡°Spatial weight?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°I fear he¡¯s gone off the deep end,¡± Jalen said with a sad shake of his head. ¡°His old age has caught up to him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m younger than you are!¡± Tim exclaimed.

    ¡°Tragic. If only there was something we could have done.¡± Jalen continued to shake his head. ¡°He¡¯s senile. The mind just goes after a few hundred years. Such is life.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that old,¡± Tim protested. ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky just because you look younger than me!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not insane,¡± Noah said, unable to pull his eyes away from Tim¡¯s as he slowly started to realize just what the old man had done. ¡°And I¡¯d have told you about his research if Jalen had given me more than half a second to explain things before he teleported everyone here.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jalen glanced at Noah, his shoulders drooping almost as if he was disappointed to hear that Tim hadn¡¯t lost his mind. ¡°He¡¯s not senile?¡±

    ¡°Why do you seem unhappy about that?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°Do you have any idea how easy it is to gaslight the elderly into thinking they didn¡¯t play a game of darts with you recently? It¡¯s like an infinite-game generator. I do it all the time in retirement homes.¡±

    Noah stared at Jalen. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He supposed there were probably worse things to do with one¡¯s time than entertaining aging seniors in retirement homes, but Jalen somehow managed to make it sound immoral.

    Moxie blew a hair away from her face and looked to Noah. ¡°Bring us up to speed, please.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can even properly explain it, but Tim has gotten very into researching space and Space Runes,¡± Noah said, looking back to the old man. ¡°He¡¯s found a number of things that he probably shouldn¡¯t share too freely if he wants to avoid¡ª¡±

    ¡°Space has magical weight, the empire weight is considerably lower than it should be, and I am confident that the empire is actually a man-made experiment walled in by some greater power to observe!¡± Tim fired off, his words practically blending into one in his excitement. He blinked, then cleared his throat. ¡°Allegedly.¡±

    ¡°Damned Plains,¡± Moxie muttered. She glanced at Noah. ¡°Did he¡­¡±

    ¡°Speak to Garina? Not yet. He will,¡± Noah said through a sigh. ¡°I suppose it isn¡¯t like anyone in this room is at liberty to go speaking to people. I trust you¡¯ll all keep this secret ¡ª especially because Tim is being kind enough to lend you his room.¡±

    Everyone nodded.

    Todd cleared his throat and stood on his tip-toes so his head poked out over the crowd. ¡°I might just be fixated on this, but I don¡¯t see why it is that Tim hasn¡¯t¡­ uh, reacted.¡±

    ¡°To what?¡± Tim asked.

    Todd waved his hands around him. ¡°Us?¡±

    ¡°I fear I may not understand your question. How should I have reacted?¡±

    ¡°He modified his eyes to see the magical weight that all space bears,¡± Noah said, shaking his head in a mixture of awe and disbelief. ¡°Tim, you can¡¯t actually see what we look like, can you? You¡¯re looking at our magic itself¡­ or something like that?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Tim said with a huge grin. ¡°Isn¡¯t that fantastic? It¡¯s actually quite easy to tell whose magic is whose. Everyone has a unique signature, and my eyes haven¡¯t been the best in recent years anyways. I¡¯ve been going by voice more than anything to tell who people were. This makes everything far easier. I needed a way to easily see shifts in magical weight in locations, and my eyes were slacking ¡ª so I put them to use. Is it unsettling?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Noah said. ¡°You¡¯re fine, Tim. It¡¯s¡­ well, can you tell anything off about the people here?¡±

    ¡°Your magical signatures are a little odd, but that seems rather standard given the company.¡±

    Okay, that¡¯s probably fair enough. I¡¯ve been involved in so much strange shit that I guess Tim is kind of used to it.

    ¡°Tim, I don¡¯t want to alarm you, but half of our students are from the Damned Plains,¡± Moxie said. Her words sped up as she hurried to add, ¡°They¡¯re not what you think. Demons have been very misrepresented, and they¡¯ve had issues with their runes at high ranks that make them become twisted versions of themselves. We¡¯ve been fixing that. You have nothing to worry about.¡±

    ¡°Demons?¡± Tim asked, blinking in shock. ¡°Truly?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Aylin said. ¡°Moxie speaks the truth. We will bring no harm to any who Spider considers friend. We will cause you no concern. Unless you leave food out. Then Lee may be problematic.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Tim said slowly. He studied them for several long seconds. ¡°How interesting. There isn¡¯t a significant difference between the spatial weight of a demon and a human. Fascinating.¡±

    That¡¯s what he¡¯s focused on?

    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re okay with it, then?¡± Moxie asked.

    Tim shrugged. ¡°If you and Vermil vouch for them, then I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯ve had more negative experiences with humans than demons. That issue with their runes you mentioned ¡ª it¡¯s fixed?¡±

    ¡°Mostly,¡± Noah said. He glanced at Linestra, who winced and shrank in on herself in a failed attempt to become invisible. ¡°But they¡¯ll all behave. I promise you that.¡±

    ¡°Then they are welcome to my abode,¡± Tim said. A smile pulled at his lips and he rubbed his hands together. ¡°I have a lot of questions I¡¯d like to ask them. Perhaps this can expand my horizons even further. How wonderful!¡±

    Well, nobody can say he isn¡¯t optimistic.

    Noah blew out a relieved breath and nodded. ¡°Good. Good. Thank you, Tim. We really needed a place for everyone to stay. Now we can turn our attention to the bigger matter at hand. We¡¯ve got a few hours until the Advanced Track meeting, and those of us attending need to do a little prep.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡± Isabel asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a few ideas on how we can control the meeting,¡± Noah said, a smile pulling across his lips. ¡°But you¡¯re going to need to be ready to back up some bullshit. A whole lot of bullshit.¡±

 Chapter 629: Just as it was

    Jalen excused himself shortly after Vermil started explaining his plans. Sticking around for the reasoning always made things considerably less exciting. At least, that was the reasoning he gave them before he vanished.

    If one were to get particularly technical, he hadn¡¯t even actually excused himself. He¡¯d just left. But that was semantics, and Jalen had never been much a fan of those. They were a waste of everyone¡¯s time. After all, nobody gave a shit about what was technically true. All that mattered was the result.

    And thus, he found himself standing in a room that he hadn¡¯t been in for quite some time. Familiar occupants greeted him.

    A lone desk piled high with teetering stacks of paper that he didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of ever reviewing.

    A chair beside it, nice and comfortable whenever he was left alone for long enough to actually bother trying to sit down in it. At the moment, he was sorely tempted to toss it through a window.

    A window ¡ª the one that Jalen was tempted to toss the chair through.

    That was it. And, bar the papers, Jalen didn¡¯t particularly mind the room so long as the door remained shut. He didn¡¯t deem the door worthy of acknowledging, as it tended to admit people that he had absolutely no desire to waste time with.

    Jalen flicked his fingers. A haze of purple energy washed over the piled papers and, with a loud pop, the space above the desk collapsed. Air whooshed through the room as the papers were sucked into a twisting vortex, leaving the desk completely empty.

    He sat down in his chair and leaned back, kicking his feet up onto the top of the desk. And there he sat. His fingers twitched and tapped against his thigh and he stared up at the ceiling. It was one that he¡¯d stared at many times before. He knew every single crack, every mar in its surface.

    Jalen drew in a deep breath and let it out in an explosive sigh. He pushed his chair back, teetering dangerously on its hind legs. His stomach churned with a mixture of impatience and discomfort. It had been too long since he¡¯d been alone. He already got precious few moments of silence.

    That was intentional, but even he had his limits.

    ¡°You¡¯re growing complacent.¡± A familiar voice echoed in Jalen¡¯s ears, but he didn¡¯t so much as twitch. He knew the voice well. It was a voice he rather liked, as it happened to be his own.

    ¡°I am enjoying a long awaited rest. The gods know I deserve one after all the bullshit we¡¯ve put up with for the past few hundred years. You can¡¯t tell me that you didn¡¯t want to take a break yourself.¡±

    ¡°There is a difference between taking time off and¡­ this. Even if the title has lost all the meaning it once had, you are still the head of a great Noble Family. You are Jalen. The weight of the lives we have taken could sink a city to the core of the planet.¡±

    Jalen rocked his chair even farther back and let out a derisive snort. This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d gotten into an argument with himself, and he highly doubted it would be his last. There were many times in which he¡¯d found himself greatly in want of intelligent conversation.

    That conversation rarely came from members of his own family, so he¡¯d had to adapt and get very, very used to his own company.

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall being so melodramatic. Life goes on. I am simply enjoying the small things.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you call dallying around and hoping that someone will play a game with you? We used to take what we wanted. There were precious few that could do anything to stop us. What stimulation is darts? We could seek out a true challenge. A battle for the ages. When is the last time we had one of those?¡±

    ¡°Boring. There is no joy in crushing those who cannot fight back. Everyone of worth in this Empire is hiding or dead. What¡¯s the point of crushing some worthless little worm? In darts, the scales are evened. It is gives me a taste of what once was.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± the voice was mocking now. ¡°But you know that isn¡¯t true, Jalen. There¡¯s so much more that you have done. Even a few scant months ago, there was more. You have never been content to sit back and let someone else take the wheel.¡±

    Jalen leaned back just a bit too far. The chair tipped and he crashed to the ground, landing on his back with a loud thud. He didn¡¯t blink. His gaze didn¡¯t even move from the ceiling above him.

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    ¡°What do you think I¡¯ve been doing for the past decade?¡± Jalen asked. ¡°Don¡¯t answer that question. You know what I¡¯ve been doing. You¡¯re me. I¡¯m me. I¡¯m just in an argumentative mood.¡±

    Jalen¡¯s own smug laughter echoed in his head. That was particularly annoying because he was the one doing it. One could only wipe a smug grin off someone else¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t like he could beat the shit out of himself and still claim victory.

    At least, he was pretty sure he couldn¡¯t. It was probably worth trying at least once. Fortunately ¡ª or unfortunately, as that would depend on whether beating oneself could be considered winning ¡ª he wasn¡¯t in the mood.

    And most certainly unfortunately, the voice in his head was not done talking.

    ¡°The last decade and the last few months have been vastly different. You are putting great amounts of interest in Vermil. Too much. Who is he to tell us what to do?¡±

    ¡°I play along because I enjoy his antics. You can¡¯t tell me they aren¡¯t funny.¡±

    ¡°They are,¡± Jalen¡¯s internal voice admitted. ¡°It is not Vermil that is the issue. It is you. We are bored. When did you become satisfied being a teacher? Sitting on the sidelines in case another Rank 6 shows up to mess up Vermil¡¯s plans?¡±

    ¡°It feels like today is a nitpicky day. What do you think we¡¯re going to get out of this conversation?¡± Jalen asked, scratching at the side of his nose. ¡°There¡¯s a Rank 7 coming to visit. Can you possibly think of anything more interesting than that? A chance to finally do something new.¡±

    ¡°That will be exciting,¡± the internal Jalen admitted. ¡°I am not saying to leave Vermil¡¯s group. We are aligned there. It is your approach that you take offense with.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t start that. You can¡¯t go claiming that I¡¯m the one taking offense with my own actions. I made you up.¡±

    ¡°Or perhaps I made you up.¡±

    ¡°No, you definitely didn¡¯t. I made you. See? I¡¯m talking out loud. You¡¯re in my head.¡±

    ¡°You are also saying my lines out loud,¡± the internal Jalen said, and it struck the external Jalen that the former was right. He¡¯d been speaking out loud the entire time.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Fair point, then.¡±

    ¡°I always have fair points. I¡¯m you, and we¡¯ve never been wrong.¡±

    ¡°Now that¡¯s just a stretch.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps.¡±

    Jalen, both internal and external, remained silent for a few moments.

    ¡°What should I do, then?¡± Jalen asked, but he was no longer sure which version of him it was that was talking.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the other Jalen replied. ¡°I haven¡¯t figured that part out yet. It¡¯s been far too long since I¡¯ve had any real purpose. For years the empire has been rotting from the core. For the longest time, I thought there was nothing worthwhile left within it at all. Vermil proved that wrong. Him and his students ¡ª they are the first of a young generation that has garnered my interest. Perhaps there have been more, but I simply missed them because I have not been paying attention.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. But we can¡¯t control that, can we? There was one thing we promised to do, all those years ago. To ensure that we would be ready for when change came. To protect this worthless empire from itself until it was ready to be reborn.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. I recall the promises of my deluded younger self.¡± Jalen picked himself up from the ground and brushed his hair out. ¡°It was the reason I bothered becoming the head of the Linwick family in the first place. A time when I felt like I was a good, noble man. How boring. Why bring that up?¡±

    ¡°All you have done as of late is slack off and play with Vermil and his students. When was the last time we checked the Archives? The true ones, not the fake treasury that we built.¡±

    ¡°Bah. Just about everyone old enough to remember those is either dead or more than aware of why those weapons were locked away,¡± Jalen said with an exasperated sigh. ¡°Is that what this whole conversation was about? Slacking in my duties because I¡¯m getting lazy? I deserve to have a millennia of doing nothing after all this shit.¡±

    There was no response.

    It seemed his conversation was over.

    Jalen heaved a sigh. Despite his earlier words, the faintest of frowns pulled at his lips. He muttered a curse. Spatial magic twisted to life at his fingertip. It buzzed and crackled, burning with such energy that a mere touch from it would likely reduce a weaker mage to a pile of melted flesh.

    He brought his finger down, tracing a line through the air. The Archives were well defended. When he¡¯d been entrusted with them all those years ago, back when he had still held hope for the world, he had spent nearly a hundred years studying them. They had inspired much of his strength today.

    Nobody was going to break through them. It would have taken a power that nobody within the Empire possessed.

    The line snapped and popped as Jalen dug his hands into the energy and pried it apart like a pair of double doors. His teeth gritted and his eyes squeezed shut he pushed against the Archives. Even though they knew his energy signature, opening a path was an immense task.

    With a groan, he felt the pathway finally snap open. The spell was not a simple teleportation, or even a portal. It was a direct connection between two points in space. He knew what would await before him. Instead of a twisting purple wall, he would see clean through it and into the Archives as if there was a door to them right within his office.

    He would be able to see the immense, untouchable imbuements that had stood for hundreds of years. Ones so powerful that no Rank 6, no matter how powerful, could even dream of scratching them.

    ¡°See?¡± Jalen asked as he opened his eyes. ¡°Just as it¡­¡±

    Jalen trailed off. His hands slipped, then fell to his sides.

    The Imbuements were dull and dead.

    Something ¡ª someone ¡ª had severed them.

    The Archives had been infiltrated.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Jalen said as his face went bone pale. ¡°Oh, shit.¡±

 Chapter 630: Hello

    Jalen stepped into the Archives, gathering magic from his Runes and letting it build within his body. Invisible strands of power wormed through the air around him. His domain wrapped around them, preventing even the slightest hint of his energy from leaking free.

    Breaking into the Archives should have been impossible. He wasn¡¯t even sure he could have done it. But it had been done ¡ª which meant the intruder was one of two things. Either they were a group of powerful mages, or they were the strongest mage in the empire.

    Whichever it may have been, Jalen had no plans of letting his guard down. Fights between high ranking mages tended to be startlingly short. With the amount of magical power they could fling around, there was only so much the average body could withstand.

    That is, unless both people are prepared. Then the fights can go on for days ¡ª which is why it¡¯s all the more important to strike fast and hard. Whoever did this is no amateur.

    Jalen¡¯s head turned on a swivel as his domain swept the Archives around him. They found nothing but cold, gray stone walls. The only thing in the room with him was the portal leading to his office at his back.

    Weapons littered the wall of the Archives ¡ª though not all of them looked the part. Amidst the blades and hammers were scrolls, books, a particularly devious chair, a pickle jar, and an assortment of everything in between.

    He wasn¡¯t actually sure which of them were weapons and which had just happened to belong to whoever had made the Archives long before his time. In the end, it didn¡¯t matter. Everything within the labyrinth was far too dangerous to touch.

    Even with the Imbuements destroyed, the risk of attempting to set a single finger on any of the objects around him was that of a madman who had nothing left to lose. He wasn¡¯t nearly that far gone.

    Not yet.

    Dust scuffed beneath Jalen¡¯s feet as he stepped through the room and made for the door ¡ª the real one. There was a fake on the other wall. He wasn¡¯t sure where it led, and he didn¡¯t want to find out. All he knew is that it hadn¡¯t been there when he¡¯d last been in the Archives. That wasn¡¯t exactly uncommon. They tended to change small details when nobody was watching.

    Jalen set a hand on the doorknob. Then he paused. The frown on his lips deepened as he lifted his hand again and rubbed his fingers together. They were covered with dust. So was the floor ¡ª and all the weapons around him.

    Nobody had passed through the room. Jalen¡¯s eyes narrowed. He pulled the door open, preparing to send a wave of magic tearing free into the next room ¡ª but there was nothing.

    Nothing but more dusty floors and abandoned weapons. The confusion continued to build within him as he silently stepped forward. The Imbuements were destroyed here, too. This wasn¡¯t just a break-in. They¡¯d known what they were doing.

    The Imbuements were sectioned off, room by room. Why would you destroy the defenses on a room and then leave without taking any of the things within it? That¡¯s not the act of some blind thief.

    A chill wrapped its hands around Jalen¡¯s shoulders. This was the behavior of someone who was looking for something in particular. Someone with a mission ¡ª and someone who understood the Archives and what they were.

    There would be no other reason why they would pass up the weapons scattered across the labyrinth like trash without even pausing to examine them.

    Jalen¡¯s features had none of his characteristic amusement on them as he continued on through the Archives. The only sound was the muted scuff of his feet against the dusty floor and the distant thump of blood in his ears.

    The sprawling rooms were empty. It seemed as if they¡¯d been abandoned for centuries. No matter how many doors he opened or rooms he passed through, the result was always the same. Not a single item was disturbed. There were no footprints on the ground or scratches in the walls¡­ and every single Imbuement that had protected the ancient armory had been severed. Not a single one remained.

    Jalen made his way deeper through the Archives. His unease grew with every step. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time something had actually unnerved him to this degree. Vermil had certainly managed to surprise the shit out of him a number of times¡­ but this was different.

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    What mages could have done something like this? Even if the other heads worked together¡­ no. They couldn¡¯t do this. Even Brutus couldn¡¯t have broken into the Archives so easily, and that King family prick is probably the strongest one of us if he hasn¡¯t killed himself with his experiments yet.

    So who did this? It couldn¡¯t have been that Rank 7 that Vermil was talking about, could it?

    Jalen¡¯s fingers twitched. There was no guarantee that whoever had broken into the Archives was even still here. They might have already left. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was better or worse.

    Something told Jalen this wasn¡¯t the act of some bored mage that just wanted to see what they were capable of.

    His descent through the Archives continued. Room after room passed by. Not a single one of them had their Imbuements intact. This was more than just impressive. It was methodical¡­ and at this point, Jalen was confident it was the work of a single mage.

    No group could pull something off this flawlessly. There was too much chaos that came with working together with others.

    Definitely the work of a single mage.

    Jalen¡¯s jaw clenched. If there was someone powerful enough to surgically slice the Archives apart like this, then there was no time to waste. Even if there was only the slightest sliver of a chance that they were still here¡­

    He had to stop them before what they got what they were looking for.

    As little love as he had for the empire, it was still all there was. He¡¯d spent far too many years waiting for something worthwhile to happen. And now that change had finally blossomed, he could not allow it to be crushed by the immensity of the weaponry stored here.

    Jalen¡¯s pace picked up. He swept through the rooms, shifting from a walk to a hurried jog to a run. He ripped doors open with his magic, expanding the space in the air around where his feet fell, delaying the sound of his footfalls and stopping the doors before they could hit the walls.

    He blurred through the Archives, completely soundless as he delved deeper and deeper into their depths. Jalen couldn¡¯t even remember if he¡¯d ever gone this far before. The Imbuements had been too intense for even him, but now they were gone.

    The only thing that met Jalen was silence. He extended his domain in every direction as he continued, sweeping through the rooms for any trace of anything living. Anyone that could have remained behind.

    And he found it.

    Something prickled against the very edges of his domain, several rooms deeper into the dusty halls of the Archives.

    He wasn¡¯t alone.

    Jalen slammed to a halt, yanking his magic back to him and binding it tightly to conceal its presence. He waited for a second, even the beat of his heart stilled. There was no sound. It didn¡¯t seem that he¡¯d been spotted.

    His lips pulled back and he crept forward, passing through the rooms in his way. The intruder was still here.

    Likely a Rank 7, then. I¡¯ve got seven full Rank 6 Runes. If they¡¯re at the lower ends of Rank 7 and I get the jump on them, it¡¯s possible I can take them off guard. That¡¯s probably my only chance of winning.

    Despite the immensity of the situation, a prickle of excitement poked at Jalen¡¯s heart. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he¡¯d approached a fight like this. The last time he¡¯d entered a battle without knowing if he¡¯d live to see the end of it.

    There had been a time where this was what he¡¯d lived for.

    That had never changed.

    He¡¯d just run out of opponents.

    Let¡¯s see what cocky bastard thinks they can fuck with the shit I¡¯m supposed to protect¡­ even if I¡¯m fucking terrible at my job.

    Jalen arrived before the final door in his way. He couldn¡¯t sense the presence behind it anymore, his domain was wrapped tightly around himself so as to avoid giving his position away, but he knew that his opponent stood just feet away from him on its other side.

    He gathered his magic, pulling deeper on his powers than he had in years. Deep purple twisted to life between two fingers and formed into a tightly packed marble. The power trembled, trying to collapse upon itself. There was enough magic within the ball to bring down a castle. The best way to end this would be within a single blow. Surprise was the greatest ally he had.

    A faint smirk pulled at Jalen¡¯s lips.

    He shifted forward in a flowing motion, pulling the door wide and stepping into the room as he thrust his hand forward, taking aim instinctively. The tiny ball of magic shot from his hand before his eyes had even consciously located his target ¡ª but it flew true.

    A cloaked man stood in the center of the dusty room before Jalen. The man¡¯s back was turned and his head was tilted up to look at a plain, wooden sheperd¡¯s crook that rested against the back wall of the room.

    There was no time for him to dodge the attack.

    The man¡¯s hand snapped up. His fingers splayed out.

    Too late. Gotcha.

    Jalen¡¯s magic slammed into the man¡¯s palm. There was a brilliant shriek as streamers of purple light sheared away from the orb, fluttering by the man¡¯s fingers like confetti. The attack evaporated without so much as touching the man¡¯s flesh.

    Disbelief dropped Jalen¡¯s jaw.

    Impossible.

    The cloaked man turned to fully face Jalen. He reached up, pulling his hood back and letting it rest on his shoulders to reveal an aging, sharp-faced man.

    A man he knew.

    ¡°Hello, Jalen,¡± Father said, the smile creasing his features failing to reach his empty eyes. ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to be here.¡±

 Chapter 631: Oh.

    Just a few months ago, Jalen would have been thrilled beyond words to hear that he would be routinely getting surprised into silence. Vermil had been an endless wellspring of fun ¡ª but this wasn¡¯t funny anymore.

    Jalen found that he didn¡¯t like surprises nearly as much when he was at the butt of them.

    He liked them even less when, even after the reveal, they made absolutely no sense.

    The person that had broken into the Archives, who had carved through Imbuements with such surgical precision that he¡¯d been convinced it was one of the strongest mages that the empire had ever seen, was the middling, paranoid member of his own family that had only just clawed his way into the Main Branch.

    Impossible. Nothing adds up. Could he be working with someone else? Maybe the real threat is off getting whatever it is they came here for while Father remained back as a distraction with a plan to confuse the ever-loving shit out of me.

    But if that¡¯s the case¡­ how was Father strong enough to dismiss my attack like that?

    ¡°If there¡¯s anyone that shouldn¡¯t be here, it¡¯s you,¡± Jalen said. He cracked his neck. ¡°Who are you working with, Father? Do you have the slightest idea as to what it is you¡¯re trying to release on the empire?¡±

    ¡°I would wager that I know far more than you do,¡± Father replied. There was a faint clink as he shifted his weight and reached up to his cloak. It fell away from his body, revealing dozens of heavy red chains hanging from Father¡¯s body like tinsel on a tree. They wrapped around his body and bound his ankles together, leaving him only enough room to shuffle.

    Is he a prisoner? He certainly doesn¡¯t sound under duress.

    ¡°I did not volunteer to be part of your bondage kink,¡± Jalen said, cracking his neck. ¡°Time to stop playing, Father. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to, but you¡¯re playing with forces far more dangerous than you believe. All that work you did to get into the Main Branch isn¡¯t going to be particularly useful if you get yourself killed here.¡±

    Father¡¯s lips stretched into a thin smile, but the amusement still didn¡¯t meet his eyes.

    ¡°Any mild respect I might have for your abilities is marred by your insufferable personality,¡± Father said. ¡°I wish I could say it brought me amusement that you arrived now, of all times, but I am afraid I simply don¡¯t care. After all these years of waiting, I have what I need.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lecture me on waiting. I¡¯m hundreds of years older than you are.¡±

    Father¡¯s grin widened. And, for the briefest moment, what almost looked like genuine amusement flickered behind his dark eyes.

    ¡°Oh, I highly doubt that. I¡¯ve been waiting for a very long time. Do you even have any idea as to what this place is, Jalen? To what it holds?¡±

    ¡°I think we both know. It¡¯s an armory from before the Long Night ¡ª which is why it¡¯s so important none of this ever gets out. You¡¯ve never been stupid, Father. You have to know what would happen if weapons like this made it out into the Empire. We¡¯d destroy each other. It wouldn¡¯t even be fun. Everything would just be gone.¡±

    Jalen discreetly drew on his power, channeling his Runes while keeping his magic concealed by his domain.

    ¡°Wrong,¡± Father said.

    Jalen frowned. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°This is not an armory. It is a tomb. There are civilizations of long past in which a king was buried with all of his servants. They are all clad in riches and wealth to protect the body of the true king from being looted. Such is the Archives. Here lies a diamond hidden within piles of gold.¡±

    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Tell me more.¡±

    And then he sent a bolt of spatial lightning snapping through the air. Black cracks carved out faster than the eye could follow, covering the ground between him and Father before the crack of its passing could even ring out.

    The lightning struck Father¡¯s palm and shattered apart like fragments of broken glass. Father¡¯s expression didn¡¯t even change as they spun past him harmlessly.

    ¡°Within the Archives rest an artifact,¡± Father said, unperturbed. ¡°One so powerful that a kingdom was destroyed to keep it hidden. An artifact whose mere touch would destroy a mage below the Rank of 7.¡±

    ¡°What are you on about?¡± Jalen asked, trying to hide the unease building within him. That was twice. Twice, Father had completely stopped his attacks from hitting their mark without so much as a modicum of effort.

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    ¡°The Empire of Arbalest. So many lies. So many covers. So much deceit that even the deceivers do not know that the truth they believe in is nothing but another lie,¡± Father said with a hollow laugh. ¡°A war was fought to hide an artifact. And, when it was done, the cowardly survivors were too scared to claim their prize. So they locked it away. They sought out the weakest mages in the region and sent waves of monsters against them, arming the mages with magical weaponry and herding them into four great cities.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck are you on about?¡± Jalen asked, using the time Father was wasting monologuing to summon forth even more of his power. His attacks weren¡¯t working. He had to try something else. Something more drastic ¡ª but he didn¡¯t know what.

    ¡°When the weak mages managed to fight off the monsters, the last piece of bait was set. They were told to hide the weapons away, to protect their kingdom from being destroyed. The artifact was buried along with them, and all traces of the strong mages vanished. Of course, there were those who lived outside that continent. Those who were powerful ¡ª but the cowards were clever. They had lies for them as well. An experiment. A test, to see what new runes could be developed by mages that grew independently from the full resources of the world. Such is the greatest lie. One forged in truth.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re full of it,¡± Jalen said through a chuckle, but he was just buying time. ¡°You¡¯re telling me the Long Night was fake? That the Bastions, whose purpose is to defend the deadly weapons from that war, are just¡­ what, bait? Nothing more than a cover story?¡±

    ¡°There is no just in this world,¡± Father said. ¡°The Bastions are stockpiles of weapons. Guardians were selected to protect them, for they could do great damage to the empire. They are schools. They are research institutes. Those who advance to Rank 7 are removed from the empipre, and they often have new insights into runes. All of this is true.¡±

    A sinking feeling set in Jalen¡¯s stomach. There were a few too many pieces that fit too well from what Father said. It simply didn¡¯t make any sense for him to lie. Jalen hadn¡¯t been able to so much as touch him.

    But, if he wasn¡¯t lying¡­

    ¡°The Rank 7s are removed from the Empire because only a Rank 7 can touch the artifact,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Is that what you¡¯re implying?¡±

    ¡°The gap between 6 and 7 is a great one,¡± Father said. ¡°One that would damage the delicate balance that this kingdom hangs in. One that would allow a mage to attempt to channel the artifact that is hidden within the kingdom. Genius, is it not? Truth within lies. Lies within truth. Everything was so carefully crafted. The records of the tombs were purged very thoroughly, but information can never be truly snuffed. Pieces always remain. Fragments of information known to each of the mage families. Fortunately, they would never be shared. After all¡­ you hate each other. You were raised to hate each other.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Jalen asked.

    Father gave him an empty smile. ¡°I have gone by enough names to lose track of them. I was a King. I was a Herron. A Rivven. A Torrin. I have passed through nearly every family in this kingdom in my pursuit of knowledge. It has been so long since I have gone by my own name that I have almost forgotten it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you wanted access to the Main Branch,¡± Jalen muttered. ¡°You were trying to read our records?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not so impressive to figure out once I¡¯ve already revealed it to you,¡± Father said. The chains hanging from his body rattled. ¡°You certainly made it easy. For more years than even you can count, I have hidden. I have rotted in the darkness, gathering information and evading notice. It took me centuries to stand in this spot.¡±

    So that¡¯s why the bastard never left his room. It must be Imbued to shit to hide his presence.

    ¡°Is it really wise to admit that you¡¯re weaker than whoever it is protecting the Kingdom?¡± Jalen asked, arching an eyebrow. ¡°If you¡¯ve been hiding, then it¡¯s been for good reason. And you¡¯re exposed now. That protector is coming for you.¡±

    ¡°Only a fool overestimates his power, but I will not be weaker for any longer,¡± Father replied simply. He lifted a hand and the chains covering him rattled. Tiny imbuements covered their surfaces, so small that Jalen could barely even see them. ¡°And I remain hidden. Go ahead, Jalen. Throw another attack. My power is restrained, after all. I am certain the third one will work.¡±

    Jalen¡¯s jaw clenched.

    He obliged Father and brought his hand down, slicing through the air. A blade of black matter flashed across the room. It struck Father¡¯s outstretched hand and shattered apart, just as the last attacks had.

    Goddamn it. This is seriously pissing me off. I can¡¯t even fucking touch him.

    This is bad.

    If he can ignore my attacks this effectively¡­ then the moment he decides to attack me, all likelihoods point to my death.

    Fuck me. How lame is that?

    ¡°Thank you for your attention,¡± Father said. He lifted his hand toward Jalen. ¡°I have dreamed of this moment for so long. I must admit that having an audience has made it more enjoyable ¡ª but your purpose is served. I won¡¯t allow for any interference in the final step.¡±

    ¡°You think you¡¯re so smart?¡± Jalen asked, arching an eyebrow. And, as he spoke, he reached deep within himself ¡ª for his Runes. He refused to give up like this. He couldn¡¯t let this be the end. If he was going to die, he was at least going to go down fighting. ¡°But if you boil down everything you just told me, it can be summarized by saying some fancy Rank 7 mage hid like a little cowardly baby until he could steal a big stick. That¡¯s pretty pathetic.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t goad me into anger. Such emotions have long since withered away. Goodbye, Jalen.¡±

    Father¡¯s fist clenched.

    There was a soft thud, like a loaf of bread being dropped on the ground. A light breeze passed by Jalen.

    He looked down.

    There was a hole the size of a dinner plate in the center of his chest. Jalen could see the ground behind him through it, where his heart had been. His body hadn¡¯t even realized that it had been cut yet. The blood was only just starting to well up around the edges perfectly cut organs now exposed to the air.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Jalen said.

    Father turned away.

    And Jalen, head of the Linwick Family, fell without another word.

 Chapter 632: At the throat

    The Advanced Track meeting was considerably more busy than usual. Noah wasn¡¯t sure if they¡¯d suddenly kicked up the recruiting drive or if a bunch of professors who normally hadn¡¯t bothered showing up had finally decided that it was time to remind everyone else of their existence.

    He wore a plain metal mask that Todd had created for him in the hours leading up to the meeting. It had no features aside from a flat line for the mouth and two similar slits for the eyes, which made it somewhat annoying to look through, but it did a fantastic job at obscuring his features.

    Beside him, along with all of his normal, non-demonic students, were Moxie and Vermil. A faint smile pulled at Noah¡¯s lips at that thought. Karina was doing a fantastic job impersonating him so far.

    As stressed as she¡¯d been before, she had managed to capture an arrogant, casual air that seemed to run native in most Linwicks. The disguise would hold up perfectly so long as nobody spoke too extensively to her.

    Lee stood beside Karina, a deep hood pulled over her head. There were two small points at its top where her horns poked into it. It wasn¡¯t exactly the most convincing disguise, but it would be sufficient for the time they needed it to be.

    Everyone had their roles.

    Everyone including Jalen ¡ª who had fucked off midway through Noah¡¯s debrief and had yet to show up again.

    What the hell is he doing? I was counting on him to help me increase my stage presence. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯d miss something like this. It¡¯s right up his alley.

    There, unfortunately, wasn¡¯t much time for him to wonder about Jalen¡¯s presence. Things were about to get moving. A Rank 6 would have made things a lot easier, but Noah was no stranger to Jalen being a bit¡­ distracted.

    He also couldn¡¯t help but notice that their group was getting more attention than normal. A lot more attention than normal. Nearly every single eye in the room was directed toward them. Even Godrick, the head of the Advanced Track, was staring right at them from where he sat at the head of a long table in the center of the room.

    Perhaps Contessa did her job a bit better than I was expecting. It seems that word of Spider¡¯s arrival has spread quite effectively.

    If that was really the case, Noah was impressed with Godrick. The man held enough respect to keep an entire room of powerful mages from trying to attack the demon they all knew was in their midst.

    One that had a rather impressive kill record against a number of Inquisitors.

    Speaking of which, I wonder if any showed up. I kind of hope they did. They¡¯ll be quite useful in some of my goals. Particularly that Inquisitor lady that was a bit receptive to what I was talking about back in the auction.

    I might have forgotten her name.

    Oh well. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll come up again soon.

    A loud bang echoed through the room as Godrick drove a fist down onto the table before him. It didn¡¯t seem like an act out of anger so much as one to draw everyone¡¯s attention. All the conversation echoing through the room died, but Noah couldn¡¯t help but notice that many of the gazes still remained fixed on his group.

    ¡°I believe we are all aware that this meeting is abnormal,¡± Godrick said, his words slicing through the now-silent room like a blade. His eyes affixed firmly on Noah. ¡°The individual responsible for that has made sure to have the word spread quite effectively. You wanted our attention, demon. You have it. I suggest you use what time you have left wisely. I do not know why Vermil saw fit to invite one of our greatest enemies into our own ranks. It matters not. That will be discussed ¡ª assuming he survives this. But, if you think you can defeat an entire group of mages prepared for your arrival, then you are a fool.¡±

    Damn. What the fuck did Contessa do? I¡¯ve got to give her a raise or something.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite the introduction, Godrick,¡± Noah said, crossing his hands behind his back as he took a step forward ¡ª both to ensure the attention of the room was completely on him, and to put some distance between himself and the others in case some idiot tried to attack him while he was speaking. ¡°But you forgot to mention my name. Defeats the point, don¡¯t you think? I am known as Spider.¡±

    ¡°We know who you are,¡± a pudgy but competent-looking professor said. Noah recognized him as George. He was the professor to Fiona, one of the strongest students in the Advanced Track. ¡°What do you want, Spider? And how arrogant can you be to bring a demon to our meeting, Vermil?¡±

    ¡°Are you really asking me that?¡± Karina/Vermil asked, tilting his head to the side and arching an eyebrow. ¡°I escaped the Damned Plains. I beat Wizen. I think I might know what I¡¯m doing. The question is¡­ do you?¡±

    Damn. Laying it on a bit thick, aren¡¯t we?

    ¡°As abrasive as Vermil is, he is not a fool. I would assume there is a purpose to this,¡± Silvertide called from across the room. He¡¯d arrived separately to ensure nobody would make the immediate connection that they were working together. Silvertide¡¯s eyes narrowed and he rapped his cane against the ground. ¡°I suggest we get to that purpose sooner rather than later, Demon.¡±

    ¡°With pleasure,¡± Noah said. ¡°My time is valuable. I don¡¯t have any desire to waste it, so we¡¯ll get right to the point.¡±

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°I¡¯m certain many of you are wondering why I¡¯d ever ally myself with the strongest demon that¡¯s ever made itself manifest on the Mortal Plane,¡± Karina said. ¡°But, for those of you who have more than rocks rattling around in your skulls, you might have realized that there would only be one good reason to stand beside one of our greatest enemies. Does anybody care to take a guess?¡±

    Dozens of gazes bore into them. Noah stood as perfectly still as he could. The less human he felt, the more everyone would be uneasy ¡ª and the less likely one of them would try to do something that would interrupt his carefully prepared play.

    Come on. One of you have to want to speak. Answer the question so you can seem smart. It¡¯s not a hard one.

    And, to Noah¡¯s delight, it was Otto who stepped forward. He hadn¡¯t seen the wealthy man in quite some time, as most of his dealings had been with his assistant, Bird. Noah rather liked Otto. He was the sensible sort ¡ª and he also paid a lot of money for runes.

    ¡°A common enemy,¡± Otto said, his eyes boring into Noah¡¯s. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re implying, isn¡¯t it? That Vermil is working together with you because there¡¯s some great enemy that threatens both demons and humans.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± another professor called almost instantly. ¡°That¡¯s a likely story. Just think for a moment. Verrud and Jakob died during the exam. Right before Vermil returned. Are you going to tell us that you don¡¯t know what happened to them, Vermil?¡±

    ¡°No. I know what happened to them,¡± Karina said. Her words were grim ¡ª she was doing an excellent job of looking a mixture of distraught and harrowed with Noah¡¯s face. It was rather impressive. ¡°I was there when they died.¡±

    ¡°Arrogant bastard. You don¡¯t even try to deny it,¡± another professor called. ¡°They were known to have issue with you, Vermil. Let me guess. You¡¯re going to try to claim they were working against all of us and you were forced to kill them by making a deal with a demon.¡±

    ¡°Wrong!¡± Karina barked. ¡°We had our differences. Jakob was arrogant ¡ª and worse, a Torrin. Verrud was a bit of a sleazebag¡­ but we were all colleagues. Jakob and Verrud were not our enemies. Despite everything that went down between us¡­ I am here today to say that they weren¡¯t our enemies. On the contrary. Jakub and Verrud were heroes.¡±

    A stunned silence fell over the room.

    There wasn¡¯t a single person that had attended an Advanced Track meeting in recent times that didn¡¯t see Noah¡¯s students at odds with Jakob¡¯s. They¡¯d all watched him humiliate both the students and masters in one of the earliest meetings he¡¯d been to. It was well known that the tensions between them couldn¡¯t have been higher.

    To claim that the people in the room that hated him most were heroes was inconceivable. Nobody would ever do that, especially when said people were no longer around to defend themselves. It would have been an easy opportunity to disparage them.

    No noble would ever pass that chance up.

    Noah smiled behind his mask.

    ¡°What?¡± George asked, blinking in surprise. ¡°Heroes?¡±

    ¡°Heroes,¡± Karina repeated, going off the script that Noah had practically handed to her. He didn¡¯t know exactly what the professors would say, but he¡¯d had a pretty general idea of how they¡¯d react. She took a step forward and clasped her hands behind her back. ¡°Jakob and Verrud died trying to protect the students.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Yulin said, emerging from behind Emily. ¡°We were attacked during the exam. Someone shut off our lockets.¡±

    ¡°And not just their own students,¡± Isabel called. ¡°A group of people in Arbitage uniforms attacked us. Jakob and Verrud tried to save all of us, but they were armed with magic we¡¯ve never seen before. It was a slaughter. They died covering us. If Vermil hadn¡¯t emerged from the Damned Plains with Spider right in time to scare them off¡­ we¡¯d all be dead.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I was too slow to stop them from taking Jakob and Verrud¡¯s bodies with them,¡± Karina said grimly. ¡°And I was severely injured in the fight, even with Spider¡¯s help. I have been hiding, recuperating. I told the students to keep what they saw to themselves to avoid overplaying our hand ¡ª but now is the time to act.¡±

    Brilliant, Karina. Well done. You¡¯ve got them dancing on strings.

    ¡°Act for what?¡± Gordrick asked, his initial anger turning to confusion. ¡°What are you saying, Vermil?¡±

    ¡°Use that little mind of yours,¡± Noah said, taking the opportunity to sieze control of the conversation. ¡°I don¡¯t care about your little political games. I have stood before the Lord of Death and left him mortally wounded. I have witnessed more lives than most of you could ever comprehend ¡ª and I know of the pathetic little secrets you try to keep¡­ such as how the Bastions are nothing more than stockpiles of ancient weapons.¡±

    ¡°What of it?¡± Godrick asked, but Noah could see unease in his posture. That wasn¡¯t knowledge that people wanted to get out¡­ and thoughts were starting to churn behind the large man¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Why do you think I would ally myself with a pathetic little mortal?¡± Noah asked, but he didn¡¯t bother giving anybody time to respond. ¡°Wizen already managed to steal one of your weapons, and he was not the first. He was not alone.¡±

    Come on. Somebody say it for me. Fill in the blanks in my bullshit.

    ¡°Traitors,¡± Godrick whispered as his eyes went wide. ¡°Are you saying there are traitors attempting to unearth the weapons from the Long Night?¡±

    ¡°No human would ever pose me a threat. I am greater than any demon you have met before. Even Inquisitors are nothing before me,¡± Noah said. ¡°But the weapons from the Long Night¡­ they are sealed away for a reason. There are weapons within the Bastions that could end existence as we know it. I do not want them unleashed any more than you do.¡±

    I don¡¯t have the faintest fucking clue about how strong the things in the Bastions are, but I¡¯m sure there have to be some super-weapons somewhere. Its quite plausible. I¡¯m willing to bet nobody here actually knows what the strongest weapons are, and even if they do, they probably assume there¡¯s a stronger one somewhere.

    ¡°But who would want that?¡± Ulya called from the other end of the room, right on cue. Noah had only managed to get a little time to warn her of their plans before the meeting, but she only had to say that one line.

    ¡°I have killed many of these traitors already. I care not for mortal families, but Vermil identified them for me. They are Torrins.¡±

    Someone snorted. ¡°Right. Sure¡ª¡±

    ¡°They are Linwicks,¡± Noah continued. ¡°They are Kings. They are Herrons. They are Rivvens. They are all of you,¡± Noah called, his mask concealing his smile as he laid the final piece of his plans down. ¡°The rot runs to the core. It permeates every single one of your families. If you wish to find the traitors, turn to each other. I have no doubt that they are present even here, in this room.¡±

    Everything I said is straight bullshit, but it doesn¡¯t matter. The pieces are all there, and the nobles already don¡¯t trust each other. I saw what happened when Wizen was using his plant clones ¡ª and this is a thousand times worse.

    The urge to laugh bubbled up in Noah¡¯s throat, but he crushed it down and did nothing but watch as chaos exploded through the room and everyone burst into loud yells.

    Let¡¯s see you bastards try to come for Isabel when you¡¯re all at each other¡¯s throats over some traitors to the empire that don¡¯t even exist.

 Chapter 633: Jalens Promise

    Janice sat as still as ice as arguments ripped through the room around her. The shadow of the pillar behind her covered much of her body, preventing anyone from getting a good look at her features.

    That was no mistake. She always chose the position that would be the most advantageous to her goals. Father had ingrained that habit into her. Emotions were a weapon when one was on the offense. But if she was on defense¡­ then they were nothing but a weakness.

    His words had proven true. Because, if anyone had the presence of mind and fortune to catch a glimpse of her features, they would have seen shock flash over them. Her expression was not one of surprised disbelief.

    It was one of recognition.

    Spider. How does he know? We don¡¯t have information leaks. The number of people who know about the artifact¡­ there are almost none. It¡¯s not inconceivable that another ancient power would have hidden within the Arbalest Empire in pursuit of it. Father expected that might be a possibility. But why would Spider be associated with them? How would he have ever found out?

    Janice swallowed. She wasn¡¯t even meant to be here. Father had assigned her to watching over Arbitage. Her duty was to avoid being observed and silently gather information. That normally would have meant avoiding any gatherings of the strongest mages in the Bastion ¡ª but the empire¡¯s hourglass was running out of sand.

    Father was getting the artifact now. And once he did¡­ she had no idea if she¡¯d ever get a chance to speak with Brayden again. She¡¯d observed him attending the Advanced Track meetings with Vermil¡¯s students.

    There hadn¡¯t been a chance for her to speak with him privately. And, even if there had been, Janice wasn¡¯t sure what she would have told him. What she could have told him. She would do nothing to endanger what she had worked for. Father¡¯s plans would go forward.

    They were the only fix for this broken, chaos-ridden world.

    And so she had said nothing. She¡¯d attended the meetings in private, watching from afar. It had been some time since she¡¯d last gotten a chance to even speak with Brayden, but a dozen conversations had happened within the confines of her own head. None of them would ever see the light of day.

    She¡¯d told Father that she was paying special attention to the mildly competent mages in Arbitage to ensure that none of them would inadvertently get in their way. He¡¯d been accepting of that explanation ¡ª though Janice just suspected he truly didn¡¯t care what she did when he didn¡¯t have a specific task for her.

    Not a single part of Janice had expected to be sitting in the room when none other than Spider exposed their plans as if he¡¯d always known them. The demon had a unique ability to be endlessly infuriating¡­ but this was something else entirely.

    If he knows this much¡­

    Janice sent her senses diving inward.

    Father! We have an issue. A very serious issue.

    There was a heartbeat of silence. Then her skin prickled. An icy presence wrapped around Janice¡¯s shoulders like a cloak, and she knew that Father had turned his gaze onto her.

    Speak.

    Spider is here. At the Advanced Track meeting. He¡¯s returned from the Damned Plains ¡ª and he knows about the artifact. He¡¯s just told the entire meeting about it.

    There was a moment of silence. Janice¡¯s throat clenched as she felt the weight of Father¡¯s attention magnify. His presence was ancient and oppressive, like an endless sky devoid of stars.

    Tell me exactly what has happened.

    Spider arrived at the meeting using what I suspect to be one of his extra bodies as cover for his Vermil persona. He had word spread that an immensely powerful demon would be making an appearance at the meeting, so the entire track gathered to see if it was true. He then revealed the presence of an organization spread throughout every noble house in pursuit of an immensely powerful artifact.

    He found out? Improbable. Spider is not that old. He is not an Archdemon.

    Is¡­ it possible that he managed to trick us? That he hid his true strength when we observed him?

    There was a moment of silence.

    Unlikely, but it is possible. This is unlikely to change our plans. Spider is too late. I have already arrived at the artifact. I will have it in my possession shortly. Continue to observe the meeting. Be wary of Spider. You still hold purpose.

    Janice swallowed.

    Understood.

    ***

    Blood pooled on the cold stone around Jalen, soaking into his clothes and spreading at a decidedly alarming rate. His body begged for air, but he didn¡¯t have enough of his lungs left to even try to fill.

    Darkness coiled at the edges of Jalen¡¯s vision and worked to pull his eyelids shut. Ice wrapped around his limbs and wound up his chest as it reached for his head. Even the pain from the wound Father had inflicted on him with nothing more than a flicker of his power had faded.

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    Jalen¡¯s body was shutting down.

    Ironically enough, that seemed to have sped up his thoughts. Jalen was fairly certain this was generally the part where flashes of his life were supposed to dance through his mind and ease him into the next life.

    That didn¡¯t happen. There really wasn¡¯t much of his life that he cared to remember. It hadn¡¯t been truly enjoyable in so many years that there was simply nothing but the present ¡ª and every part of him that still remained was in revolt.

    There were many deaths that Jalen had absolutely no issue with. To be struck down in a glorious battle. To be crushed between more women than he could count. To spit in the eyes of the gods themselves and be smited into the next realm. To get crushed by an inexplicable falling anvil in front of a group of orphans.

    If his death served some purpose ¡ª even if only a mildly amusing one ¡ª he¡¯d have found no issue in it whatsoever. Existence was just too much of a hassle. But after all the bullshit he¡¯d lived through, all the worthless fools groveling for his favor, all the years that had spun past as he¡¯d waited for something to become interesting again¡­

    Jalen¡¯s jaw clenched. Dying like this was a complete waste. It wasn¡¯t just worthless. It was boring.

    I refuse to accept that I, the most badass fucking mage in the entirety of this shithole kingdom, will end like this. Crushed like nothing more than a bug.

    Inconceivable.

    Jalen¡¯s fingers twitched. A second stretched into a thousand as his mind raced. If he could somehow take Father into the next life with him ¡ª but that wasn¡¯t possible. The other man completely eclipsed him in power. There was nothing that Jalen could do as he was.

    His time was running out.

    Defiance welled in Jalen¡¯s mind like a crashing ocean. His lips trembled and pulled back in a defiant snarl.

    Father had turned his back on him. Jalen was so weak that Father couldn¡¯t even be bothered to wait until he had died to continue his work. The only thing the emotionless man cared about was the stupid stick on the wall in front of him.

    A dozen voices yelled within Jalen¡¯s head. Curses. Insults. Promises. Voices, all of them his, yelled in unison. And one by one, their cries became one and the same. The years had fragmented him. Worn his psyche to the core. The only way he could have retained any fragment of his sanity was to split himself into a dozen. It was far easier to be alone when all the company he needed was within his own mind.

    But this was the end. And in the end, a soul left the world as it had arrived. Every piece of Jalen slid back together.

    His time was thinner than a hair. The cold that had been nipping at his limbs was gone now. All that remained was a building, gentle warmth. A faint pull into the realm beyond. It was welcoming. Gentle. Like the open embrace of an old friend.

    There was light, now. A gentle glowing gold that promised peace to all those who stepped into its domain.

    Jalen¡¯s chest ¡ª or at least, what remained of it ¡ª twitched as his body instinctively tried to draw in a breath. For a flicker of an instant, clarity passed through his eyes.

    Go fuck yourself.

    He shoved the metaphorical proffered hand away and plunged into the depths of his mind.

    Jalen needed more time.

    Just a little more time.

    Everything was already at the cusp of crumbling. Runes that had been with him for as long as he could remember greeted him, almost as if in acknowledgement. He¡¯d spent so long on them. So long learning how to master their powers so he could reach the peak of strength, only to find that his pursuit of power had left him without anyone worthy to fight.

    The edges of his soul started to crumble.

    Just a bit more.

    Jalen¡¯s fists tightened at his sides.

    He extended his mind to his runes, the connection between them already starting to falter. Jalen was pretty sure he shouldn¡¯t even have had the power to reach out to them. But, for some reason, power brushed across his senses. There was a faint sense of peace within their magic.

    Perhaps they were saying farewell.

    He¡¯d never been one for sentimentality.

    Jalen grabbed onto the magic.

    All I want are a few more moments.

    With a roar and every remaining scrap of will and power within his failing body, he did what he had intentionally refused to do for hundreds of years.

    He drove all his runes together into one.

    The world shattered.

    Jalen¡¯s eyes snapped open.

    His Domain roared. Power burned around his body like a churning storm. It flooded through his veins and pumped in his skull like the beat of a thousand men marching to war. His body was stronger than it had ever been¡­ but there was simply too much missing. Advancing in ranks could not fix the damage he had sustained.

    Death waited, a hand on his shoulder. Jalen could feel it now.

    This very second was his last.

    And so Jalen took that second.

    He took it ¡ª and he froze it.

    Father paused, his hand on the wooden staff. He turned back to Jalen. And for a flicker of a moment, surprise passed through his eyes.

    ¡°You still live?¡±

    Jalen¡¯s lips pulled back in a bloody snarl ¡ª but he used every ounce of willpower he had to contain the power pouring from his body. He wrapped it in his domain and prevented even a flicker of it from leaking free.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone ever tell you to finish off your opponents?¡±

    The power screaming in his body did nothing to offset the weakness waiting to swallow him whole and drag him to the next life. The moment his concentration waned, it was over.

    ¡°You were never an opponent,¡± Father replied. ¡°Merely an insect.¡±

    ¡°You know what?¡± Jalen asked. The corner of his lip twitched in amusement. ¡°This might end up being funnier than the anvil.¡±

    Father¡¯s head tilted to the side. ¡°What?¡±

    Jalen released his Domain.

    There was a flicker of an instant where nothing happened. Then Father¡¯s eyes went wide.

    The air before Jalen vibrated. A shadow passed through the room. The pressure in the room changed with a pop. Jalen staggered into the wall behind him.

    And then they were no longer alone.

    A woman clad in black stood between Father and Jalen. She wore a spiked collar around her neck and her teeth were pointed like razor-sharp blades. Power radiated her as if she were a miniature sun.

    Would you look at that? Vermil wasn¡¯t full of shit after all.

    ¡°Oops,¡± Jalen said, his lips splitting into a sardonic grin. ¡°Did I just reach Rank 7?¡±

    The woman¡¯s gaze flicked from Jalen to Father ¡ª and then to the artifact on the wall. Then her eyes went thin in fury. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

    Jalen slumped back against the wall, his legs no longer able to support him. He slid to the ground. His second was wearing thin, but he planned to milk it for every last drop he could.

    There¡¯s no way I¡¯m dying before I get to see Father¡¯s shit get kicked in.

 Chapter 634: Fall

    It took every scrap of energy that Jalen had left to keep himself awake. He honestly wasn¡¯t even sure how he hadn¡¯t died yet ¡ª but spite and the sheer dumb refusal to give up until he saw Father pasted into a meat patty was certainly helping. The huge hole in his chest had stopped weeping blood, but he couldn¡¯t feel his combined rune anymore.

    They weren¡¯t the only things he couldn¡¯t feel. His fingers were numb. So were his legs. He was pretty sure his body had started to shut down and the inevitable end was knocking at the doors of the fortress he¡¯d built around his mind.

    But they hadn¡¯t fallen yet ¡ª and so long as they didn¡¯t fall, he planned to enjoy the scene before him to its fullest.

    Vermil never told me his Rank 7 friend was pretty. Rat bastard. I could have been so much more motivated.

    ¡°You,¡± Garina said, her eyes boring into Father with unrestrained fury. ¡°And here I thought you ran like the coward you are.¡±

    ¡°After all the effort I went through to get here?¡± Father asked, his lips pulling up into a faint smile. ¡°But fear not. I¡¯ll be leaving shortly. There will no longer be a reason for me to remain here. Especially now that my task had been made considerably less enjoyable.¡±

    ¡°That opportunity has long since passed. Rank 7 mages are not permitted within Arbalest. A momentary infraction is forgivable, but you¡¯ve been here¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ever since I evaded you all those years ago. That must sting, Garina. I take some pride in it. The only mage to have ever escaped you,¡± Father drawled. His words were those of a smug victor, but his tone was as flat and dead as his eyes. ¡°I admit that you are a powerful opponent. There are few other mages on this world that could force me to hide within imbued rooms for hundreds of years.¡±

    ¡°It was my greatest failing. One that will be rectified today.¡± The air around Garina trembled with sheer power, but she wasn¡¯t calling on her runes. It was the sheer magical pressure of their presence alone. Power made manifest.

    The power known only to a Rank 7.

    Rune Force.

    Rubble at Garina¡¯s feet clattered. It flattened like dough, crushed into the ground and turned to paste. Cracks sealed themselves over as her magical weight rolled out with the gravitational pull of a black hole, crushing everything in her wake.

    Incredible. I never thought I¡¯d get to see it in person.

    Garina¡¯s stance shifted. Despite the immense power she had, the mage wasn¡¯t rushing to attack Father. She was wary ¡ª which meant he was even stronger than Jalen had expected.

    ¡°You stand accused of the crime of breaking the treaty and invading the empire as a Rank 7,¡± Garina said. She shifted her stance, lowering her weight. Black energy slithered through the air around her, borne from nothing but the existence of her runes. ¡°I will carry out your sentence. The punishment is death.¡±

    ¡°I have been sentenced to death far more times than you can count. My life is not for the likes of you to claim, dog. You should realize that this fight was over before you ever arrived,¡± Father said. His eyes flicked to Jalen for an instant before returning to Garina. ¡°Even though your mutt has soured my victory¡­ I have already won.¡±

    The air snapped.

    Garina disappeared.

    Even Jalen¡¯s trained senses couldn¡¯t keep up with her speed. One moment, she¡¯d been before him. The next, she was upon Father, her foot raised high into the air and plummeting down like the crashing strike of an axe meant to fell a continent.

    The kick slammed into Father¡¯s shoulder with a resounding crash. He crumpled like a sack of potatoes, the sound of shattering bone and shearing metal echoing through the room. The pile of clothes that was Father then laid still and unmoving on the ground, crackles of black energy arcing across his body.

    Blood pooled on the ground around Father.

    Jalen blinked in surprise. For all the talk Father had put out, Jalen had fully expected the fight to be a whole lot¡­ more.

    I guess mages really just don¡¯t expect physical attacks.

    Then Father twitched. The blood seeping from his body slowed. Then it started to reverse its flow. It ran back into the pile of clothes, which bubbled like boiling liquid.

    Garina leapt back instead of pressing her advantage, landing several feet away from Jalen.

    Father rose, stepping away from nothing but a pile of shattered red shackles. There was no other sign that Garina¡¯s attack had even connected with him.

    An immense force drove into what little remained of Jalen¡¯s lungs like a physical strike. His eyes bulged and he wheezed, denied even the strength to grasp at his throat with limp fingers.

    Magic distorted the area around Father with its intensity. The air itself seemed to scream in pain as it was crushed by the rolling force of his magic, and flashing mirages tore through the center of the room as his Rune Force clashed with Garina¡¯s.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Father asked emotionlessly. ¡°An executioner does not flee the sentenced. Surely you do not take offense to me removing my bindings. There is no purpose to hide now that you have arrived, after all.¡±

    ¡°What manner of magic is that?¡± Garina asked, her lips thinning. ¡°What have you done to yourself?¡±

    Father chuckled. He lifted an arm toward Garina.

    ¡°Careful!¡± Jalen yelled.

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    Father¡¯s hand clenched into a fist.

    Perhaps Garina had already been aware of his powers, or perhaps she took Jalen¡¯s warning to heart, but she moved out of the way. To Jalen¡¯s eyes, she may as well have teleported.

    The air where she¡¯d been standing distorted. For an instant, Jalen could have sworn he saw shimmer of translucent fingers tightening around where Garina¡¯s heart had been an instant before.

    Garina sliced a hand down through the air.

    Father lifted his arms before himself.

    The room split apart.

    An enormous scar, running from the ceiling to the floor, appeared in the ground. It was easily three feet wide and a dozen feet deep in every direction. There was no trace of the magic she had used.

    It had simply happened.

    And, in spite of the impossibly fast attack, Father stood exactly where he had been. The scar in the ground stopped directly in front of him and re-appeared in the ceiling above the staff Father stood before.

    He hadn¡¯t been so much as scratched.

    Jalen¡¯s skin prickled. Even in his situation, he couldn¡¯t repress the awe burning within him.

    Are they at the peak of Rank 7? Is this the power that one can master at their level?

    Garina vanished.

    Father did the same.

    Jalen¡¯s eyes strained as he desperately tried to keep up with the fight. Portions of the room shattered. Magic roared, oceans of power driving into each other. He was confident that both Father and Garina possessed more than enough power to level a city ¡ª but, for some reason, they were both restraining themselves.

    At least, he was pretty sure they were.

    All he could spot were the briefest flashes of a fight. Garina swinging what seemed to be a massive weapon made of energy so black that the night seemed white in comparison. Father doing a series of hand motions that forced Garina to dodge away from invisible strikes.

    He couldn¡¯t tell who was winning or if anyone had even managed to claim the upper hand. Neither of them even paid him so much as a second glance. Jalen had been completely forgotten.

    Then there was a resounding crash. Something in the air shifted. Father slammed into the wall beside the staff with enough force to shatter the stone behind him.

    He dropped to the ground, falling to his knees as he gasped for air. Garina reappeared before him, the huge black broadsword in her hands made purely from runic power already crashing down for Father¡¯s head. Pure magic burned within the weapon. Jalen wasn¡¯t sure how, but he knew without a doubt that Father would not be getting back up if the blow connected.

    A grin pulled across Jalen¡¯s weary lips.

    She got him. What a fight. I wish I could have seen more of it.

    He felt his body relax. There was no longer a reason to hold on. There was nothing left to see. He¡¯d accomplished what he ¡ª

    Wait.

    The skin around Father¡¯s eyes was ever so slightly wrinkled. His lips were pulled up in the faintest of smiles ¡ª one that had actually reached his eyes.

    Father doesn¡¯t smile like that.

    Jalen didn¡¯t have time to call out a warning.

    All he could do was thrust a hand forward. He gathered the magic that had inexplicably stuck around even though his life should have drained it away. He took that magic and thrust it from himself. Jalen threw it forward in a desperate attempt, unaware as to what he could even accomplish with his own powers.

    The air around Garina crumpled like the many pieces of paper that Jalen had crushed up to throw in the trash.

    But, for a flicker of an instant, its collapse slowed like an underwater explosion. And in that second, Garina flicked to the side. A pulped mess splattered to the floor where she¡¯d been standing, crushed and warped beyond recognition.

    Only when Jalen looked to Garina did he realize what it was.

    Her right arm was gone. It, along with a fair portion of her shoulder, had been ripped clean off and ground to a paste. Garina didn¡¯t so much as stagger, but the blood weeping down her side definitely wasn¡¯t a good sign.

    ¡°I knew I disliked you for a reason,¡± Father said, his eyes flicking to Jalen as he rose to his feet, suddenly no longer bothered by the apparent injuries that had brought him to his knees. ¡°Time-space magic? You, of all people, managed to comprehend it?¡±

    ¡°Not in the slightest. I¡¯ve got no idea what I¡¯m doing,¡± Jalen replied through a wheeze. ¡°That look on your face is worth it, though.¡±

    Father¡¯s lips twitched.

    ¡°This is over. I win, Garina. I have spent years preparing to fight you, but you have been preparing to fight everyone. You cannot defeat me.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think a missing arm will stop me?¡± Garina asked. ¡°You cannot escape your fate.¡±

    ¡°Fate,¡± Father repeated, turning the word over in his mouth like a sour grape. ¡°There is no such thing as fate. Fate is simply an alignment of causalities. You cannot control it.¡±

    He turned to the staff on the wall behind him.

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Garina said through a laugh. ¡°Other Apostles are already coming. You¡¯re out of time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I sense them. You think to bait me into using what I cannot control,¡± Father said softly. ¡°But you are wrong. It is appropriate, I think. You were here at the beginning, and you will be here at the end.¡±

    Then he reached up and grasped the staff.

    Jalen half expected the room to go up in flames, but nothing happened. Father lifted the shepard¡¯s crook off the wall and brought it down to hold before himself.

    It just looked like a plain piece of wood ¡ª but the horror in Garina¡¯s features proved it was anything but.

    She didn¡¯t mince words. Garina vanished, reforming directly before Father, her sword reformed in her remaining hand. It plummeted for his neck in a streak of black.

    Father pointed the staff at Garina.

    Her magic shredded apart like confetti and her hand swung past Father harmlessly, no longer holding a weapon.

    Garina took a step back as disbelief warped her features.

    ¡°Impossible. You can use it? How?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the bullshit magic you used against me,¡± Jalen wheezed. ¡°Talk about lame.¡±

    ¡°Used? He¡¯s already used it?¡± Garina¡¯s pale features somehow went even paler.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Father said with a smile. A real smile. ¡°I have already comprehended the faintest portion of the order of the universe. The staff will simply guide me. I would normally enjoy this moment for longer, but I will admit that the combined force of the Apostles would be too much, even for me. There is much I must study before I meet them on the battlefield. I have enjoyed our game, Garina, even if you did not realize we were still playing. You lose.¡±

    Father turned. His eyes lingered on Jalen.

    ¡°Try it,¡± Garina said. ¡°You¡¯re fast, Father. But can you risk another attack? I know what you¡¯re capable of now. Will you be fast enough to avoid my blade again? One arm is all I need. Once I have the scent of yoru blood¡­¡±

    Father¡¯s lips twitched in what just might have been distaste.

    Then he folded apart like a piece of origami being pulled apart by a child.

    Garina and Jalen stared at the space where he¡¯d stood.

    ¡°Well,¡± Jalen said through a weak cough. The world spun around him as his wounds finally caught up to him. ¡°That¡¯s probably not good.¡±

    His vision went dark and his eyes fluttered. The air before him shifted as several forms suddenly appeared before him. He couldn¡¯t make out what they looked like despite his best efforts. The room was nothing but a distant haze, now.

    ¡°Garina!¡± a gruff-voiced man barked. ¡°What happened? Where is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ready the Apostles. All of them,¡± Garina said, her voice grim. ¡°The Long Night has been stolen. We must prepare for the empire to fall.¡±

 Chapter 635: The Rules

    Darkness surrounded Jalen.

    He wasn¡¯t sure when it had happened, but the snake that was the encroaching shadow had finally managed to swallow his vision. His body felt light and weightless, like a thousand pounds of force had finally been lifted from his shoulders.

    And, more surprisingly, there wasn¡¯t a hole in his chest anymore.

    He was draped in rather boring looking white clothes that were definitely far too revealing for both his own comfort and the continued sanity of anyone unfortunate enough to be in his vicinity.

    Jalen lifted a hand to his chest, but the hole really was gone. There was nothing but skin and flesh ¡ª and some sick bastard¡¯s idea of flowy lingerie.

    ¡°The fuck is this?¡± Jalen muttered, rubbing the thin cloth together between his fingers.

    At least it was comfortable.

    He cast his gaze around the darkness. It seemed that he was floating in some vast, empty space. There was nothing else to go by. The world just seemed¡­ empty.

    A frown pulled across Jalen¡¯s features. He twisted to the left and right in search of something. Anything. And, far in the distance, he found it. It was so small that he could barely even make it out, but there was a sliver of gold like a fallen strand of hair.

    What is that? Where am I? And where the hell are my clothes? They had a sick ass hole blasted into the chest. I want that back. It would be such a fashion statement. I¡¯d never take them off ¡ª no. I¡¯d just have the hole cut into the chest of all my clothes.

    I¡¯m a few hundred years old. I get to be slutty if I want to be slutty.

    Something prickled against the back of Jalen¡¯s neck.

    He turned.

    A woman floated before him.

    That was rather odd, as he¡¯d literally just been looking in that direction, and there had been nothing there.

    It was odder still, as Jalen was rather confident that the woman was not human. There was something distinctly wrong about her. She was beautiful, but in the way of a stormy night to a sailor on a rowboat.

    Her features were angelic in all the ways that a normal person¡¯s never could have been. It was like someone had painted their idea of a perfect woman rather than actually looking at anybody who had ever truly drawn breath.

    Flowing pink robes hung from her body like banners, and there was magic within her. A lot of magic. She may not have been carrying a weapon, but anyone stupid enough to believe her to be harmless would likely soon find themselves dead.

    This is a monster. An ancient monster.

    I wonder if she¡¯s single.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Jalen said.

    ¡°No,¡± the woman replied.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Jalen said. ¡°That was fast. Might actually be a record. I didn¡¯t even get a chance to try. How¡¯d you know what I was going for? Maybe I just wanted to ask if I could try on those fancy clothes of yours.¡±

    The corner of the woman¡¯s lips twitched up into a smile. ¡°The answer to that question would also be no. And I¡¯m flattered, Jalen, but I¡¯m afraid my mere presence would shatter your psyche.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, it¡¯s long gone. I¡¯m hallucinating eerie women in my dreams. That¡¯s an ill omen if I¡¯ve ever heard of one, so might as well say fuck it and go the rest of the way.¡±

    A laugh like falling stars slipped from the woman¡¯s lips. Amusement twinkled within her eyes like literal stars and she shook her head.

    ¡°Some of that might have worked on me a few hundred thousand years ago. But I¡¯m afraid not, Jalen. And this is not a hallucination. It¡¯s very, very real.¡±

    ¡°Not words I like to hear.¡± Jalen touched his chest again, his eyes drifting to the whole, undamaged skin. When his gaze lifted again, any playfulness that had remained within it was gone. ¡°I¡¯m dead, then. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re here to tell me that my heroism has granted me a second life and I will not be relegated to the agonizing boredom of whatever it is that comes next?¡±

    A flicker of surprise passed over the woman¡¯s features. ¡°You know? Did N¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, that is bad news,¡± Jalen muttered. ¡°I didn¡¯t know shit. I just assumed it would be worse than screwing around with a real body. If the herald of the end is telling me shit is going to suck, then it¡¯s really going to suck. I¡ª wait. Did what? You were about to say something.¡±

    ¡°Never mind,¡± the woman said with a shake of her head. ¡°I am not the herald. I am Renewal. I have been watching you, Jalen.¡±

    ¡°A set of words I¡¯d be thrilled to hear if I was alive. I¡¯ve always said crazy was subjective.¡±

    ¡°You are not dead, Jalen.¡±

    That took him by surprise. He blinked.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Renewal amended. ¡°You will be. Quite shortly, actually. I just wanted a moment to converse with you before you entered the afterlife.¡±

    ¡°Take all the moments you need. I have absolutely no interest in passing on. Even less than I did a few minutes ago, thanks to you.¡±

    Renewal winced. ¡°An unfortunate slip of the tongue.¡±

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    ¡°I¡¯ve had that happen a few times.¡± Jalen nodded in understanding. ¡°But why exactly is it that you were watching me? Not to say I¡¯m not worth watching. I¡¯m quite the riot¡­ but something makes me suspect you weren¡¯t charmed by my wiles and stunning sense of humor.¡±

    ¡°You chose to remain at Rank 6,¡± Renewal said. ¡°For hundreds of years, you withheld your advance. Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I was given a task, and I¡¯m not stupid. Reaching Rank 6 wasn¡¯t that hard. It was difficult, but far from impossible. I¡¯m well aware that I¡¯m amazing. But I¡¯m not that amazing. If I was able to hit the peak of Rank 6, then someone else could too. So where are the other Rank 7 mages? Couldn¡¯t figure that bit out up until my good buddy told me about a Rank 7 that was basically pruning the empire.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as the type to shy away from conflict. If anything, I¡¯d have assumed your ego would have made you confident in victory against whoever it was hunting the new Rank 7s.¡±

    Jalen¡¯s lips twitched up in amusement. ¡°I did consider it a few times. I was pretty sure I¡¯d at least get a good fight out of it. But it was a moot point. I couldn¡¯t leave. There were things I still had to do for the empire.¡±

    ¡°Watching the Archives.¡±

    ¡°Among others.¡±

    ¡°Selfless.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do a very good job of it.¡±

    ¡°You did as well as a mortal could have. There¡¯s only so long your mind could have handled such a task, especially at your rank. Remaining at 6 for as long as you did¡­ it borders on torture. Advancing your Runes would have reinforced your mind and allowed you to withstand the years better. A task such as the one you were given was not one meant to last as long as it did. It is little wonder your mind is such a fractured mess.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just lovely to know. Glad I got the memo on time. Have you considered sending your letters by any service other than the death-express? I suspect they might reach their subjects earlier if you do.¡±

    Renewal laughed and shook her head. ¡°I am only reflecting. I was not the one that tasked you with anything.¡±

    ¡°Would you look at that. Even angels deflect responsibility. I suppose it isn¡¯t a mortal trait.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised to find just how many traits we share,¡± Renewal said. ¡°There are very few ascended beings who were not once mortal. But our time draws thin.¡±

    ¡°Time for the great unfathomable bullshit, returning to the natural order, and all that?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Renewal replied. ¡°Actually, I¡¯d prefer if you passed a few messages along for me.¡±

    ¡°A message?¡± Jalen blinked. ¡°To who?¡±

    And then a spike of pain slammed into his chest. Jalen doubled over in surprise, coughing on his own words. He grasped at his heart as searing agony burned into him. His eyes went wide in shock.

    It had been years since he¡¯d been hurt like this. He¡¯d taken wounds, but he¡¯d long since learned to ignore the agony of flesh. This was something else. A burning agony that permeated through his whole being, worming its way down his veins and into his very soul.

    Renewal spoke several sentences.

    And then the darkness howled away, sucked into the distance like water draining from a tub.

    His eyes snapped open and he jerked upright with a sharp gasp for air. Jalen sat in an old stone room, his back propped up against a wall.

    He wasn¡¯t alone.

    Two other people stood in the room with him. The first he recognized. She was a rather distinctive figure, after all. The pitch black clothes, pale skin, and spiked collar on her neck were rather jarring fashion choices.

    It was Garina. Jalen also noted that her severed hand had been restored to its former position.

    And beside her was a man that could not possibly have looked more out of place. He was more than a head shorter than Garina and completely bald. The robes of a monk were draped over his body and he had a weary, resigned expression upon his smooth face.

    ¡°Ah. He¡¯s awake,¡± the bald man said. His head really was quite shiny.

    I¡¯m alive?

    ¡°If I rub your head, will I get a wish?¡± Jalen asked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. Old habits die hard,¡± Jalen said. He grimaced. His mouth tasted like ash and blood.

    He forced himself to look down ¡ª and his eyes widened in surprise. The massive hole was gone. There was a scarred patch covering a large portion of his body, but the immense damage had been completely repaired.

    How?

    ¡°I¡¯ve wondered the same thing once or twice,¡± Garina said idly. ¡°Unfortunately, Ferdinand is not a genie.¡±

    ¡°If I were, I¡¯d have been able to fix him without so much scarring,¡± the bald man who was likely Ferdinand said with a shake of his head. ¡°It¡¯s a fortunate thing he just hit Rank 7. His body was so full of energy that I was able to harness some of the excess to fuel the healing.¡±

    Jalen looked back down at his chest. ¡°You healed me?¡±

    ¡°Evidently,¡± Garina said. ¡°It was quite a pain, I¡¯ll have you know. Bringing Ferdinand here broke at least a dozen different minor rules and more than a few large ones.¡±

    ¡°Technically, I was kidnapped against my will.¡±

    Jalen¡¯s brow furrowed as he studied the two of them. His thoughts were a mess, but he was pretty sure ¡ª

    ¡°Oh!¡± Jalen exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. ¡°You¡¯re one of the blokes I¡¯m meant to give a message to!¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Garina asked in surprise. ¡°What, from Spider?¡±

    ¡°No. The bald guy,¡± Jalen replied. ¡°You¡¯re Ferdinand, right?¡±

    Ferdinand frowned. ¡°Yes. Why would you have a message for me?¡±

    ¡°From some hot, spooky looking angel called Renewal. She said she supports you in all that you do, but you really need to stop holding back so much. Also, she says you look good in black and that some guy called Decrease isn¡¯t so bad.¡±

    Ferdinand¡¯s arms fell slack at his sides. His mouth pulled open in either horror or awe. He wasn¡¯t alone. Garina stared at Jalen with the same stunned expression.

    ¡°Renewal? Renewal gave you a message? You saw her?¡± Ferdinand asked. ¡°And she wanted me to hear that?¡±

    ¡°Did you mean Decras?¡± Garina asked, focusing on an entirely different part of the message.

    ¡°Yes. She also said you should pluck your unibrow,¡± Jalen said.

    Ferdinand reached up to his forehead. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°No. That part was me. The rest was from her, though.¡±

    ¡°You spoke to Renewal? The Goddess of Reincarnation spoke to a mere mortal?¡± Ferdinand exclaimed. ¡°And she had a message specifically for me? A motivational message?¡±

    ¡°Evidently. Maybe it was a thank you for saving my life. Good job there, by the way. Appreciate it. I rather like living.¡± Jalen pushed himself to his feet with a grunt. His features turned serious as he affixed Ferdinand with a sharp gaze. ¡°I mean that. Thank you. I thought I was dead.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Ferdinand muttered. ¡°Literally. I can¡¯t believe it. Renewal had a message for me. Not the Prophet. Not her Aspect. Me.¡±

    ¡°And she approves of me,¡± Garina said, blinking in surprise. ¡°Didn¡¯t see that one coming.¡±

    Jalen glanced from Ferdinand to Garina. He arched an eyebrow.

    Looks like she¡¯s off the market. Bummer. I really do have the worst luck. Maybe I should go talk to that demon again. She seemed fun.

    ¡°Well,¡± Jalen said, drawing the word out. ¡°Not to ruin the mood, but shits royally fucked. That prick Father got his hands on an ancient artifact, so I¡¯m going to go head off and get to work. Lots to do, you know. Can¡¯t let him keep that.¡±

    Jalen turned ¡ª and Garina¡¯s hand fell on his shoulder.

    He hadn¡¯t even seen her move. She¡¯d simply arrived alongside him.

    Jalen winced.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Garina said. ¡°You¡¯ve reached Rank 7.¡±

    Fuck. I thought this might happen.

    ¡°Are you sure? I still feel like a Rank 6. Maybe you¡¯re just seeing things a bit wrong.¡±

    ¡°I am not. The rules are adamant for a reason. There are no Rank 7s other than myself permitted within the Arbalest Empire. And, no matter how much you may have just helped me¡­ that includes you.¡±

 Chapter 636: Insubordinate

    Jalen¡¯s hands tightened at his sides as displeasure creased his features. He¡¯d known what would happen if he advanced to Rank 7, but it wasn¡¯t like the artifact for which the rules had been made in the first place was still here.

    ¡°Oh, come on. I feel like the situation is serious enough that you can overlook one Rank 7 ambling around. Well, a second. You already screwed up and let Father wander around here for ages from what things sound like.¡±

    It was Garina¡¯s turn to wince. Then, to Jalen¡¯s surprise, a small smile pulled at her lips.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll like getting to know you, Jalen. We will speak again ¡ª but I cannot allow you to remain in Arbalest. The Long Night was one of the main reasons, but it was not the only one.¡±

    ¡°What, do you think I¡¯m going to snag some other world-ending artifact to fight back against his?¡±

    Garina raised an eyebrow.

    Jalen cleared his throat. ¡°Okay. Yes, I was planning on doing that. But I could promise not to.¡±

    ¡°That would be appreciated, but ultimately ineffective. There are more than artifacts sealed in Arbalest. There are monsters. Ones who will not awaken unless they sense worthy prey. Ones who could destroy this entire empire. And you, Jalen, are a Rank 7. Were you to mistakenly allow too much power to slip through in the wrong location¡­ it could be the end. I would judge that a worthy reason. But there is one more reason ¡ª and likely the hardest one to evade.¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°The Apostles have seen you. While you laid here dying at the conclusion of the fight with the one you call Father, the rest of my order came.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Jalen said slowly, drawing the word out. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how that¡¯s relevant. Did they take a peek at my naughty bits or something? Why should I care they saw me?¡±

    ¡°Because they are waiting for you,¡± Garina replied simply. ¡°It is not often that we see a Rank 7 this powerful. The world outside Arbalest is vast. There are a great many factions vying for power ¡ª and the only thing they¡¯ve ever been able to agree on is to leave this empire alone. But life goes on. The struggle for power continues.¡±

    There was a long moment of pause.

    Jalen¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Are you telling me that the reason I can¡¯t stay in Arbalest, ultimately, is because your buddies saw me and were impressed enough that I¡¯ve now got to go to their stupid recruiting drive?¡±

    ¡°If you do not leave the empire, they will know what happened. They will come for you. True power does not emerge easily. You will not be forced to join their ranks, but they will not let you remain here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s some bullshit,¡± Jalen said. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°And why are they allowed in the Empire? Aren¡¯t they too strong?¡±

    ¡°They were only here briefly. All have left. The theft of the Long Night justified¡­ extraordinary response. But we were too late to stop it, and so they have left once more. And so must you.¡±

    Jalen heaved a sigh. ¡°Shit. I don¡¯t suppose I could let my allies know what happened? Feels awful rude to just up and vanish?¡±

    ¡°I will tell them.¡±

    ¡°And if I try running?¡±

    A flicker of amusement passed over Garina¡¯s features. ¡°You are welcome to try. You will not make it far.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Ferdinand agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve tried. Multiple times.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Jalen said. ¡°What about my stuff? I¡¯ve got a number of deeply sentimental items that I could not live without. My dart board, for example.¡±

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    ¡°Somehow, I don¡¯t suspect you do,¡± Garina said. ¡°They will find you when you leave Arbalest ¡ª and then you will understand why you cannot remain here. The rules cannot be allowed to bend any further. Be honest, Jalen. Why do you want to remain behind so badly? Opportunity awaits you. The greater world. This is not the end. It is the beginning.¡±

    Jalen hesitated. That was a good point. If Garina had come to him offering these terms just a few short months ago, especially if the Archives had already been looted, he¡¯d have jumped on them without so much as a second thought.

    A chance at true freedom. A world where, just maybe, people weren¡¯t all cowards. Where he wasn¡¯t the strongest mage in the kingdom anymore.

    It sounded incredible.

    But that was a few months ago. Before he¡¯d had people that truly relied on him. Not just Vermil, but his students as well. The little brats had actually started to grow on him.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have people that I wanted to spend time with before,¡± Jalen said simply. ¡°Things have changed. And Father is still rolling around Arbalest with that stick of his.¡±

    ¡°Not for long,¡± Garina said grimly. ¡°He¡¯ll have no reason to remain here once he masters the weapon. But if you¡¯re talking about Spider¡¯s group¡­ you can¡¯t think it¡¯ll be that long.¡±

    ¡°That long?¡± Jalen frowned. ¡°What do you mean? And by the gods, Vermil has too many damn names. He needs to choose one.¡±

    Garina¡¯s lips twitched up into a smile. ¡°He does have quite a few. And I mean you can¡¯t imagine it¡¯ll be long until he leaves the empire.¡±

    Jalen frowned. ¡°What? He¡¯s only just reached Rank 5. Do you have any idea how long it takes a normal person to reach Rank 7? It¡¯ll be at least a hundred years before he hits 7 if he doesn¡¯t rush ahead.¡±

    ¡°No, Jalen. It won¡¯t be. Vermil has the attention of two gods. If you truly think it¡¯ll take him that long, then you are severely underestimating his abilities. Mark my words. Before the passing of a year, Vermil will reach Rank 7.¡±

    Now that I think about it, he did go from Rank 1 to Rank 5 in mere months. It¡¯s easy to forget who he used to be. That¡¯s¡­ actually, isn¡¯t that nearly impossible? I never really paid it much attention. I don¡¯t care how people get stronger as long as they do, and Vermil has been a lot of fun¡­ but how the fuck did he make such a powerful Rank 5 Rune in this short amount of time?

    ¡°What¡¯s this about gods?¡± Jalen asked suspiciously. ¡°Something¡¯s telling me I might be missing a few pieces of the puzzle.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask him when you meet next ¡ª but if you really care about Vermil and those students of his, then I should warn you that there will be many factions in the outer world that take very, very poorly to someone like Vermil. He poses a threat to everything they stand for.¡±

    Jalen studied Garina for several long seconds.

    ¡°I see what you¡¯re implying. They might need someone to pave the way,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Well then. It seems I have no choice.¡±

    ¡°Correct. Choose a direction. Go far enough and you¡¯ll leave the Empire. I¡¯d imagine it should be quite simple for a Space mage of your caliber.¡±

    ¡°Most certainly.¡± Jalen nodded sagely. ¡°No reason to be insubordinate any longer, then. I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±

    He blew out a short breath, gave Garina and Ferdinand a sharp nod, and then vanished with a pop of purple energy.

    Garina started to turn toward Ferdinand.

    Then she froze, her eyes narrowing.

    ¡°You little shit.¡±

    ***

    Moxie let out a startled curse as Jalen snapped into existence beside her, hidden in the shadow of a pillar.

    ¡°Father is at least a Rank 7. He stole the Long Night,¡± Jalen hissed, speaking before Moxie could even finish registering his appearance. ¡°He¡¯s going to do something with it. Be very, very careful. I also reached Rank 7. Your pale friend is kicking me out of the empire. She¡¯s got more strong friends. May or may not be friendly. Also a bald guy. There¡¯s a whole world outside the Empire. Rank 7s and above. Arbalest is just a dumping ground for deadly weapons and artifacts. Be careful. Find me when you get out of here. Say hi to Vermil for me. Gotta go get my dart board. Good luck.¡±

    And then Jalen was gone.

    Moxie stared at the space where he¡¯d been standing, still trying to process the words that he¡¯d just spoken, when a patch of darkness twisted.

    Garina appeared before her an instant later.

    ¡°Where is he?¡± Garina hissed.

    What in the Damned Plains is going on?

    ¡°I ¡ª uh¡ª¡±

    Garina turned, looking at something that Moxie couldn¡¯t see, and vanished, not even waiting for a response.

    And that was that. Noah was still mid-bullshit, and he had the whole of the room focused on him. None of the other Advanced Track mages had noticed Jalen or Garina¡¯s passing.

    ¡°What just happened?¡± Alexandra whispered from beside her.

    Moxie just shook her head in befuddlement, and that was just about when Jalen¡¯s words finally managed to sink in.

    She went still as a frosty finger ran down her back.

    Oh, shit. I don¡¯t even get half of what Jalen was talking about, but if Father is a Rank 7¡­ we¡¯re in trouble.

    Noah is going to need to hear about this. If Father actually stole some ancient artifact¡­ the lie he¡¯s come up with might be just a little bit too accurate.

 Chapter 637: Traitor

    Noah looked out over the Advanced Track meeting, which had been successfully transformed into a scene of complete chaos. Any semblance of professionalism had long since evaporated.

    It didn¡¯t even seem like most of the professors present remembered that the whole point of the meeting was to be training their students. Then again, a supposed Archdemon showing up and throwing a massive wrench into everyone¡¯s gears probably hadn¡¯t helped encourage anyone to continue with their normally scheduled activities.

    He let his gaze drift over the room, observing everything silently. There wasn¡¯t anything more he needed to say now ¡ª not until everyone managed to gather their thoughts. It probably wouldn¡¯t take long. If there was one thing that he was fairly certain applied to nearly every mage here, it was paranoia.

    They already barely trusted each other. Everyone had their own agenda. They had runes they guarded from the others; conflicts within their families that prevented them from ever being more than surface-level allies in all but the direst circumstances.

    It hadn¡¯t even been so long ago that Wizen had infiltrated Arbitage with his plant puppets. Everyone was still on high alert. Noah had simply introduced something for their fears to focus on. Even the most suspicious members of the Advanced Track were going to at least have to think about his claims.

    Demon or not, I¡¯ve got a damn good point. Hell, I¡¯d believe myself if I were in the crowd. Is that egotistical? Maybe it¡¯s egotistical.

    Noah¡¯s eyes caught on Moxie. That wasn¡¯t unusual per say, but her expression seemed¡­ off. Like she¡¯d seen something unsettling. And considering everything he¡¯d just said had been largely rehearsed, Noah was pretty sure it didn¡¯t have anything to do with him.

    She caught him studying her and gave him a slight nod to indicate things were fine. Noah wasn¡¯t so sure about that, but it probably meant the problem wasn¡¯t immensely urgent.

    I¡¯ll have to find a moment after this shitshow to figure out what¡¯s going on. There¡¯s no way I can sneak away right now. There¡¯s way too much attention on me as things are.

    The arguments near the edge of the crowd abruptly died out. A path of silence carved through the professors, moving in his direction. Noah turned toward it. He was pretty sure he knew what was coming, but it never hurt to be prepared.

    From within the sea of students and teachers emerged a woman with features as cold as ice. Plates of white and silver armor flowed across her body, imbued with depictions of gentle snowfall that seemed to change with every step she took. She left a trail of iced footsteps in her wake, each one coiling with faint frosty mist.

    But, by far, the coldest thing about the woman was her eyes. They were like two glaciers that had been trapped within her gaze.

    It was Inquisitor Fuyin.

    In some ways, her eyes almost reminded Noah of Father¡¯s ¡ª but at the same time, they couldn¡¯t have been more different.

    Fuyin¡¯s gaze was flat and cold her emotions frozen; Father¡¯s was simply dead. It was like comparing a winter storm to an empty night, devoid of stars. One was the beautiful cruelty of nature; the other was wrong.

    ¡°Spider,¡± Fuyin said, coming to a halt. It was impossible to tell exactly what she was thinking.

    Noah had been quite confident that Fuyin had survived his little explosion back at the auction, but he was mildly surprised to see that she¡¯d shown up so suddenly. He¡¯d been fairly confident it would take her at least a day or two to get to Arbitage after tonight¡¯s meeting.

    Guess she¡¯s really on top of things. Can¡¯t complain. She was reasonable enough.

    ¡°Inquisitor,¡± Noah said, inclining his head. ¡°It¡¯s been too long. It is pleasing to see you in good health.¡±

    ¡°No thanks to you. You killed many good men.¡±

    ¡°I defend what is mine. Mortals have seen the world in shades of black and white for too long. It is as I told you before. My companions and I are far more than mere demons. We are advanced. Evolved. If the Inquisitors had been willing to deal with me in good faith, then they would not be dead.¡±

    Godrick emerged from the crowd. The large man¡¯s features were creased in a mixture of annoyance, distress, and just plain anger. He definitely wasn¡¯t having a very good day. Noah couldn¡¯t imagine why. This was probably the most exciting meeting that the Advanced Track had held in ages.

    And who doesn¡¯t love exciting meetings?

    ¡°Inquisitor Fuyin,¡± Godrick said. There was more than a slight amount of fear in his words. The Inquisitors weren¡¯t known for their surgical methods of operation. ¡°I was unaware that you would be making an appearance today. This demon¡ª¡±

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    ¡°Is exceptionally dangerous,¡± Fuyin finished. ¡°He killed dozens of Inquisitors a few mere days ago. And now he comes here. To Arbitage. I must wonder why. Are you so certain that you are not one of those seeking the weapons you speak of, Spider?¡±

    Well, that¡¯s convenient. I¡¯m pretty sure that was meant to be a question based on the hypothetical situation I made up, but all she¡¯s done is basically confirm to everyone here that a weapons stash does actually exist. Thanks for that. Makes things even easier for me.

    ¡°If I was, do you really think I¡¯d be talking about them to all of you?¡± Noah crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°I don¡¯t need more power, Fuyin. I have everything I need. I simply enjoy life. I would be more than content to sit back and watch things play out if you idiots weren¡¯t so liable to destroy yourselves in your inaction.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re very confident about all of this,¡± Fuyin said. ¡°Why? Do you have proof? Confirmation? You are asking us to go against everything that we have already seen to be fact. Such a request must have evidence. Is there a traitor you can point us to? From the way you have things framed, there should be one here, right in this room. Is there?¡±

    Goddamn it. I really don¡¯t need logical questions, Fuyin. I¡¯m looking for panic. It¡¯s way easier to bullshit through panic.

    Oh well. Panic can be manufactured.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah replied simply.

    Murmurs ran through the room.

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Frederick said. ¡°The Advanced Track professors are heavily vetted. All of us are¡ª¡±

    ¡°Those plant puppets certainly felt well vetted,¡± Silvertide drawled from the side of the room. ¡°I¡¯m glad to know we were on top of everything there from the start, and that all the people that died were just deemed unworthy.¡±

    ¡°That was an exception due to never before seen circumstances¡­¡± Godrick trailed off, not even bothering to finish the sentence. His expression creased in thought and he squinted at Noah intently.

    Fuyin took a step forward, her gaze affixed on the eye holes in Noah¡¯s mask. ¡°And you are aware of their identity?¡±

    If I say no, then my position is going to look pretty weak. Whelp. Time to find a scapegoat, I guess. Sorry in advance to whoever this ends up being. Maybe I can choose some dickhead that nobody likes. Too bad I already killed Verrud and Jakob.

    ¡°Humans tend to blend together. I can locate them, given time.¡±

    Fuyin nodded slowly. ¡°I see.¡±

    Then she snapped her fingers.

    A frigid wind screamed through the room, whipping through everyone¡¯s hair and sending cups and plates tumbling from tables. Noah yanked power from Unstable Pandemonium and braced himself, preparing for a surprise attack.

    But no magic came. Instead of driving into him, ice blanketed the walls and floor beneath his feet. It stretched over the ceiling and painted the entire room in a gentle, blueish-white frost. The magic passed over everything so quickly that it was done even as Noah realized what was happening.

    ¡°Inquisitor, watch yourself,¡± Godrick said, a note of warning in his tone. He may have respected her power, but Godrick was also a Rank 6 ¡ª and not a weak one. ¡°There is only one demon in our midst. There is no cause for overuse of power.¡±

    ¡°This is not an Inquisition,¡± Fuyin said. Her gaze remained locked on Noah. ¡°It is an opportunity for the demon to prove his words. I have locked us off from the outside world with the full strength of my domain. Nobody will be able to leave this room without an immense use of force. Not even through spatial magic.¡±

    Ah, bugger. She¡¯s making it so that I can¡¯t claim someone was here but made a run for it. No escape unless they brute force their way through her domain and basically prove that I¡¯m telling the truth. Shit.

    ¡°How convenient,¡± Noah said. ¡°Thank you. I don¡¯t suppose everyone would be so kind as to line up for me?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t possibly believe the demon. You¡¯re an inquisitor!¡± a professor exclaimed.

    ¡°My purpose is to inquire. Those who blindly make their own truth are blinder than fools. I will determine if the demon speaks the truth or not. Decisions must be made on evidence, not emotion.¡±

    Just my luck. The one Inquisitor that isn¡¯t a fucking nutter. Then again, I feel like most Inquisitors would have just tried to kill me and turned this whole thing into an even bigger shitshow.

    Noah let his gaze sweep over the room. He didn¡¯t exactly know who he was going to try to call a traitor. This part hadn¡¯t been in his plans. He felt a bit ill at ease just tossing some random professor under the bus ¡ª not to mention he¡¯d need some sort of proof.

    ¡°Anytime today, demon,¡± Fuyin said.

    ¡°Would you prefer I rush things and give them a chance to escape?¡± Noah asked, continuing to search the room. ¡°Be patient. I will unearth them in due time. Just hold your domain.¡±

    And then Noah paused. His gaze, which had just drifted by a pillar, was pulled back to it. A woman stood in its shadow. She was clearly trying not to draw attention to herself ¡ª and Noah knew who she was.

    A flicker of surprise passed through him.

    Isn¡¯t that Janice? What the hell is she doing in the Advanced Track meeting? Don¡¯t tell me Father has her spying on me.

    Noah took a step toward her.

    Janice¡¯s eyes widened ¡ª for some reason, her features were awash with disbelief.

    Then she thrust a hand into her pocket. A loud, audible crack echoed through the room.

    Tongues of purple energy exploded out and encased Janice in a buzzing cocoon of molten energy. The power leapt upward like a bolt of lightning. It slammed into the ceiling with a resounding crash.

    Ice shattered and rained down. It was only the smallest of cracks, but that proved to be enough. The energy, and Janice along with it, wormed through the hole and vanished.

    A moment of silence hung in the air. Everyone stared at the damaged ceiling.

    The fuck?

    Noah was still standing there, staring in complete befuddlement, when every other eye in the room turned back to him.

    ¡°It seems,¡± Fuyin said, ¡°that the demon was not lying. We have traitors in our midst.¡±

 Chapter 638: Artifact & IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Janice fell to her knees on cold stone floor. A dimly lit room spun around her, illuminated only by faint white imbuements covering every bit of the room. The fragments of a crushed Imbued Artifact slipped from between her shaking fingers, turned to nothing but powder. Its purpose had been served. She had been delivered to the safe house.

    Her lungs burned as the last twists of Father¡¯s magic danced within them. Adrenaline made her heart pound like a runaway horse. Janice didn¡¯t let herself breathe in. There was still foreign magic in her lungs ¡ª and drawing it deeper into herself had a nonzero chance of very unfortunate results.

    Only five seconds after the last of the energy had faded did Janice finally allow herself to draw in a ragged breath. Her fingers were trembling, and it wasn¡¯t from lack of air.

    Spider had nearly caught her.

    She gave herself exactly one second to acknowledge the emotions gripping her before she shut them down. Rising to her feet, Janice brushed the dust off her pants and adjusted her jacket. Father did not approve of needless panic.

    All situations had to be approached in a calm and logical manner. Emotions could influence decisions and create flaws in plans that should have been flawless.

    Still ¡ª she¡¯d never expected Spider to have read them so thoroughly. Janice had been serving Father ever since he¡¯d taken her in from the streets as a child. Not once had anyone ever managed to get the upper hand over him, even in the slightest altercations¡­ and this demon had managed it multiple times.

    ¡°Janice.¡±

    Father¡¯s words echoed through the dimly lit room. Janice spun toward their source, failing to conceal the surprise in her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯ve already returned?¡± Janice asked. Thoughts raced through her mind and she nearly asked Father if Spider had managed to interfere in his plans again before she noticed the plain wooden staff held in the old man¡¯s hand. Her eyes widened. ¡°You were successful?¡±

    ¡°Such is the thing with most long plans,¡± Father said idly. ¡°Though they may be hundreds of years in the making, the actual execution and success is often decided in mere hours. Yes. I was successful. The payment for that hard-earned success was the groundwork I spent so long laying. Tell me, Janice ¡ª why are you here? I did not call for you.¡±

    ¡°Spider,¡± Janice replied. ¡°He knew more of our plans than we thought. He declared there were traitors within the Bastions that sought the artifacts hidden within the Archives. Then, when asked to identify them, he went straight for me. He knew.¡±

    Father¡¯s head tilted to the side. His features didn¡¯t so much as change in response to the new information, but Janice had known him long enough to tell that he was deep in thought.

    ¡°Traitors?¡± Father repeated. ¡°Plural? Are you certain?¡±

    He didn¡¯t seem surprised in the slightest that Spider had managed to figure out what they were going for.

    Janice¡¯s brow furrowed. She cast her thoughts back to Spider¡¯s speech.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Janice said with a nod. ¡°In all of the houses.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Father said, tapping a finger against his thigh. He ran a thumb along the surface of the wooden sheperd¡¯s staff. ¡°How curious.¡±

    Is he not concerned that our plans were discovered?

    ¡°I fear I may not understand something,¡± Janice hedged. ¡°Is this not a serious problem? We are not done with the Arbalest Empire yet, are we? There is still more we have to prepare.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Father said. ¡°On both counts. I do have spies in the other houses, but they are not the ones that Spider refers to. They have no relation to my foremost mission in the empire and were simply there to ensure there would be no interference on our path to the Main Branch of the Linwick Family.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª oh. So why would Spider say there are traitors in all of the families?¡±

    ¡°That is the question,¡± Father mused. ¡°There are two potential answers to it. Three, if we assume there is a possibility that Spider is a fool ¡ª but assuming your enemies are fools is the best way to become one yourself. Let us use this as an opportunity to practice. Tell me what these three options are, Janice.¡±

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    Janice hesitated for a second to dig through her thoughts. Father was methodical. He didn¡¯t mind delays in answers. He did mind when answers were wrong. To him, there was nothing worse than a quick, incorrect response.

    ¡°The fool¡¯s option is to assume Spider made a mistake,¡± Janice said. That was the easiest of the three. ¡°It would be to decide that Spider somehow found out about your spies and just assumed they would be part of your plans to get the artifact rather than just spies.¡±

    Father nodded. ¡°Good. You did not cover all potential options, but it is close enough. We can dismiss that one. What are the other two options?¡±

    ¡°One would be that he lied. He has some sort of agenda that needs the nobles at each other¡¯s throats.¡±

    ¡°Not an unreasonable possibility. He is responsible for the deaths of several high-ranking members of the Arbalest Empire. And the final option?¡±

    Janice swallowed. She hesitated for a moment longer before speaking. ¡°The last option is that Spider is right, and there are other people in the empire that were aware of the items within the Archives and were also attempting to get them.¡±

    ¡°Well done. And if that final option is correct, then there are other Rank 7s in the kingdom that have evaded Garina,¡± Father said. ¡°They will likely discover that the Long Night is missing soon enough and may cause potential annoyance. Which of those final two options do you believe is the most likely?¡±

    That was a trick question. Janice shook her head immediately. She didn¡¯t need to think about this one.

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to say without more information. Making conclusions, even if they are just guesses, without basis can cause unintentional bias. We must be aware of both options if we consider Spider a threat.¡±

    Father smiled. And, even though Janice was more than aware the smile was only for her own benefit and did not mirror the man¡¯s true emotions, she appreciated it nontheless.

    ¡°Good,¡± Father said. ¡°I have trained you well. Come then, Janice. There is more we must prepare. This location is Imbued to protect us from prying eyes for approximately 30 days. We will assume it lasts 25. In that time, I must remove the bindings upon the Long Night ¡ª and then we will be done with this empire.¡±

    ***

    Noah managed to contain his complete befuddlement at Janice¡¯s sudden retreat throughout the rest of the meeting. It was the only thing he had to do, after all. Fuyin¡¯s confirmation of his bullshit had taken care of everything else for him.

    All he had to do was stand around while the room collapsed into chaos for what must have been the dozenth time that night. There was nothing left for him to say ¡ª and that was definitely for the best.

    This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d managed to pull a blanket over people¡¯s eyes, but something was different. Noah couldn¡¯t quite place his finger on what it was. His stomach felt simultaneously uneasy and satisfied, as if he¡¯d just had a great meal.

    His runes also felt ill at ease. He couldn¡¯t hop into his Mindspace to check on them, but it didn¡¯t feel like anything was actually wrong per say; it was just¡­ different. Odd.

    Todd¡¯s mask did an excellent job of concealing his face from everyone else so he could indulge the thoughts with what little attention he could spare them. He was pretty sure he had a pretty confused expression on his features ¡ª but fortunately, nobody else could tell.

    It wasn¡¯t long before professors and their students hurriedly left the meeting, all rushing to prepare for what was to come next. Nobody knew exactly what would come of a revelation like this, but there was no doubt about one thing ¡ª there would be opportunity in it.

    There was always money in war.

    His job for the night had been accomplished. The noble houses would turn on themselves for at least as long as it took them to figure out there weren¡¯t actually any traitors within them. And, in that time, none of them would be able to work together to go after Isabel.

    Noah wasn¡¯t stupid enough to hope that they¡¯d just give up on her Master Rune. If anything, the houses would individually all want it even more. Powerful weapons became a whole lot more valuable when times were tense.

    But nobody was going to be working together against him. They couldn¡¯t do that when they couldn¡¯t trust each other¡­ so he¡¯d bought them some time.

    And time was exactly what Noah needed. It had been far too long since he¡¯d been able to work with his students. They were in need of some remedial lessons.

    He¡¯d gathered their group and slipped out of the Advanced Track meeting. Fuyin had done nothing to stop him, but she¡¯d caught his gaze as he left. Her eyes spoke of a promise.

    They¡¯d be speaking again soon. Noah didn¡¯t actually mind that. She seemed reasonable enough for an Inquisitor. Perhaps there was something useful he could get from working with her ¡ª but that took second priority to preparing his students.

    Nobody stopped them as they left. Noah wasn¡¯t even sure if most people noticed. They were all too caught up in their own worries.

    They put several minutes of distance between themselves and the meeting before Moxie caught Noah¡¯s eye ¡ª and something about her expression brought him to a dead standstill.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Noah told everyone. ¡°Give us a moment.¡±

    He and Moxie stepped to the side and lowered their voices.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Noah whispered.

    ¡°We may have some trouble,¡± Moxie replied, her features grim. ¡°Jalen ran by the meeting with Garina on his ass. He reached Rank 7 and got kicked out of the Empire ¡ª and he¡¯s not alone. Father¡¯s also a Rank 7, and he just managed to get his hands on some ridiculously powerful artifact.¡±

    Noah stared at her.

    What?

 Chapter 639: Extensive

    ¡°What the hell happened while I was speaking to the Advanced Track professors?¡± Noah whispered. ¡°How did all of this happen so suddenly? And how does Jalen know that Father is a Rank 7? Shouldn¡¯t Garina have stopped anyone from that rank from being in the Empire?¡±

    Moxie shook her head helplessly. ¡°I literally told you everything I know. Jalen popped out from nowhere. He dumped the info just I told you on me, then vanished again. Garina showed up a moment later before disappearing as well. She seemed more annoyed than angry, for what it¡¯s worth.¡±

    Is this what people feel like when I bullshit them? Not a fun feeling. I hate not having the slightest clue about what¡¯s going on. It¡¯s been so long since I last felt so lost¡­ gah. When I find Jalen next, we¡¯re going to have a long talk about being better at passing along information in concise amounts of words.

    ¡°Jalen must have had a run-in with Father somehow,¡± Noah mused, his stomach turning at the thought. Father had long been one of the biggest issues he¡¯d faced. The man was a calculating, paranoid genius ¡ª and someone that Noah did not want any more dealings with than he absolutely needed.

    But¡­ given Janice¡¯s reaction to him, something told Noah that Father was going to be right at the center of all their upcoming problems. The man had been strong enough as he was. If he¡¯d gotten some ancient artifact enough to force Jalen to advance to Rank 7¡­

    Goddamn it. We might be in trouble. I need to master Unstable Pandemonium and get the students trained up as quickly as possible. This is about more than just the idiot noble houses, now. I don¡¯t trust Father with power like that¡­ and now he must be fucking pissed that I accidentally outed him.

    ¡°I imagine Garina will clear things up for us soon enough,¡± Moxie said. ¡°But it means we should get ready.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking the same.¡± Noah gave her a small nod. ¡°We have to get everyone advancing as quickly as possible ¡ª not to mention getting back to practicing. It¡¯s been too long since we¡¯ve reviewed Formations. I¡¯m going to have to fiddle with all of mine now that I have a new Rune.¡±

    Not to mention my violin. Every advancement makes me stronger in so many ways, but it also gives me a whole slew of new things to work on. I should try to make a duplicate of Unstable Pandemonium to experiment with.

    They slipped back to rejoin the main group. Most of the students were more than used to Noah¡¯s oddities, but Alexandra sent them a questioning glance with more than a little concern behind it. She¡¯d definitely seen some of what had happened.

    Noah gave her a slight shake of his head. He didn¡¯t need her stressing over it. That wouldn¡¯t change anything. Dealing with external issues was his job. The only role his students had was to grow stronger.

    ¡°Thanks for waiting,¡± Noah said as they all resumed walking. ¡°I¡¯d say that went rather well.¡±

    ¡°I nearly died from stress,¡± Karina said, still wearing Noah¡¯s features. ¡°I thought someone was going to try to murder me.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. That barely ever happens.¡±

    ¡°Statistically, he¡¯s more likely to kill himself,¡± Lee said.

    Karina stared at her. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nevermind that,¡± Noah said with a wave of his hand. Karina had been useful, but he had no plans of bringing her into his inner circle quite yet. ¡°Regardless, classes will be resuming tomorrow. We¡¯ve all got a lot to catch up on. Meet at the transport cannon as usual. We¡¯ll have a lot to discuss ¡ª and I want to see how all of you are doing on your Formation practice.¡±

    ¡°You have no idea how much we¡¯ve been looking forward to that,¡± Todd said with an eager grin. ¡°Are your¡­ uh, new students coming as well? I want to see how we match up against them.¡±

    ¡°They will be,¡± Noah said with a nod.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes too high up,¡± Moxie warned with a wry smile. ¡°Some of those new students are rather powerful.¡±

    It would be mildly amusing to see everyone try their hand against Yoru. I don¡¯t think they¡¯d make it very far. Then again, I haven¡¯t seen what she¡¯s capable of since she lost her hands. Speaking of which¡­ gotta find a way to do something about that. Shit. Things are piling up again. I really don¡¯t want to make another list.

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    Moxie nudged Noah in the side with her elbow. ¡°Stop that.¡±

    ¡°Stop what?¡±

    ¡°Thinking. You¡¯re thinking.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me to stop thinking.¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s putting too much pressure on your brain. That thing isn¡¯t meant for thinking. Just stick to the bullshit.¡± Moxie flashed him a grin.

    Noah let out a snort of laughter and shook his head. She was right. There was no need to try to deal with everything at once. At the end of the day, he¡¯d accomplished his goal. The noble houses would be in a panic soon enough. That would buy him time.

    Time to train ¡ª and time to prepare.

    ¡°You¡¯re all dismissed,¡± Noah said with a wave of his hand. ¡°Great job in the meeting today. Tomorrow morning. Transport cannon. Don¡¯t be late.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be there,¡± Isabel promised. She hesitated a moment, then gave Noah a small nod. ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back, Professors.¡±

    Emily nodded. ¡°I missed you a lot, Moxie. You much less, Vermil.¡±

    I suppose that¡¯s better than nothing.

    Noah¡¯s lips twitched in amusement.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been back a while, you know.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t count until you¡¯re teaching lessons again. I¡¯m pretty sure Vermil collectively owes us like a hundred more meetings,¡± Todd said with a wry snicker. ¡°It looked like you were going back to your old habits for a bit there.¡±

    Noah grimaced. ¡°Don¡¯t even bring that up. Go to bed, you little shits.¡±

    He raised a hand in farewell to the students as he, Moxie, Lee, and Karina broke away from them and made their way back toward the T building.

    Only when they made it back to Noah¡¯s room did Karina let her form return to normal. She shrank back down to her proper height, Noah¡¯s clothes suddenly becoming too large for her, and she let out a relieved sigh.

    Contessa sat on the bed across from them, legs crossed, Mascot perched upon her head.

    ¡°How did it go?¡± she asked nervously. ¡°Mascot was off for most of the meeting, so I thought something might have gone wrong. He likes watching when things go wrong.¡±

    ¡°Depends on whose definition of well we¡¯re asking for,¡± Noah said. He wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest that Mascot had attended the meeting. ¡°I trust you both know not to mention a word of what happened today.¡±

    ¡°You have too many enemies,¡± Contessa grumbled. ¡°But taking care of Mascot is somehow the best job I¡¯ve ever had. I¡¯m not going to blow that up by letting something slip. We aren¡¯t stupid.¡±

    ¡°Good. In that case, we¡¯ll be off. It¡¯s been too long since I¡¯ve slept in a good, proper bed,¡± Noah said. He pulled the mask that Todd had made him off his face and tucked it under his jacket. ¡°Enjoy your night.¡±

    With that, he slipped out of the room with Lee and Moxie at his side. They made their way down the hall and over to Moxie¡¯s room, not saying anything until the door was shut behind them.

    A slow breath pulled free from Noah¡¯s lips as he finally let himself relax, flopping down at her desk. He¡¯d been acting for so long that he¡¯d almost forgotten that the metaphorical mask was in place.

    A shadow passed over him and a warning bell went off in his head. Noah¡¯s gaze jerked up a moment before Moxie flopped down right on top of him, knocking the breath from his lungs in a startled grunt.

    ¡°Oi!¡± Noah said through a choked laugh.

    ¡°You stole my chair. You can¡¯t complain. I ¡ª oh, shit. Lee, wait¡ª¡±

    Both Noah and Moxie let out a wheeze in unison as Lee tossed herself onto the pile, nearly knocking the chair over from the force of her jump.

    ¡°Oops,¡± Lee said, slipping off Moxie. ¡°That was less comfortable than I thought it would be. You need to get fatter.¡±

    ¡°I fear getting fatter in your vicinity would probably be ill advised,¡± Moxie grumbled. ¡°You¡¯d probably try to eat me.¡±

    ¡°Not entirely unlikely.¡± It was hard to tell if Lee was joking or not. She stretched her arms over her back and let out a long yawn before shaking herself off like a cat. ¡°I¡¯m going to go visit the other demons at Tim¡¯s house. I want to see what they¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably a good idea. Make sure they aren¡¯t getting into trouble,¡± Noah said. ¡°And don¡¯t miss class tomorrow morning, okay? I want to see how your pattern is coming as well.¡±

    ¡°Kay,¡± Lee said. And then she was gone, so fast that Noah could only track her movement by the squeak the window made as she slipped out through it.

    They were silent for a few moments. Then Moxie let out a sigh and rose to her feet, walking over to the window and peering out it.

    ¡°What a day,¡± Moxie said.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to talk to Garina and figure out what the hell is going on,¡± Noah said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head.

    ¡°That¡¯s a problem for tomorrow,¡± Moxie said. She pulled the window shut and closed the vine curtains hanging in front of it. She turned back to Noah. Then she arched an eyebrow. ¡°So¡­ your new rune.¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve still got the mind rune in it? The one that replaces a Mind Meld potion?¡±

    ¡°Yep. Why?¡±

    ¡°We should probably test that to make sure it still works,¡± Moxie said, a slight grin pulling at her lips. ¡°Testing is very important whenever you change a rune, after all.¡±

    And, all of a sudden, Noah suddenly found his legs had enough energy to rise beneath him once more.

    ¡°A wise thought,¡± Noah making eye-contact with Moxie and exchanging a knowing nod.

    And, as it turned out, the elements of the rune that housed what had once been Empty Proliferation worked just fine.

    That didn¡¯t stop them from testing it extensively just to make sure.

 Chapter 640: Curiosity

    Noah beat the sun to rising the following morning. His eyes fluttered open against his own desires, only for him to find that he was alone in Moxie¡¯s bed. That alone was enough to pull him completely out of his slumber.

    He pushed himself upright, pushing the vine curtains to the side and peering out of the window onto the still-dark campus. It may as well still have been night. And even though he knew it would probably only be an hour or two until the sun made its appearance, his body had somehow already gotten used to the day-night cycles of the Damned Plains. He half expected it to remain night for another day.

    Moxie¡¯s absence wasn¡¯t entirely surprising. She¡¯d been doing a lot of practice and research on her runes ¡ª real practice, not what they¡¯d been up to the previous night ¡ª and now that they¡¯d returned to Arbitage, she probably had a lot she wanted to test.

    That desire was not unique to her.

    Unstable Pandemonium lurked in wait within Noah¡¯s soul. He¡¯d yet to fully determine the abilities that it possessed, nor had he even really managed to delve deeper into the other boons that came with reaching Rank 5.

    If I recall correctly, Rank 5 is the turning point where you no longer need your rune¡¯s element in the environment to use it. I should be able to manifest the power of my rune directly ¡ª but what the fuck is Pandemonium manifest?

    Noah rose from bed and pulled a fresh set of clothes on, barely even paying attention to his motions. His thoughts were completely turned to the rune that lurked within him. The questions running through his head now weren¡¯t ones he could afford to keep unknown.

    There were far too many of his own enemies lurking, not to mention the people that would inevitably come for Isabel¡¯s Master Rune when the nobles managed to untangle some of the bullshit he¡¯d wound around them.

    Not knowing what he was capable of was a great way to screw up in the middle of a fight and get someone other than himself killed.

    I¡¯ve got a few hours until class. That should be more than enough for me to get a little extraneous testing in. But where to go?

    Hmm. I wonder¡­

    ***

    ¡°You¡¯re here awful early,¡± Tim said in a low whisper. He stood across from Noah at the top of the Transport Cannon, surrounded by half a dozen sleeping demons. The two of them were the only two people in the tower that were awake at this hour. Tim adjusted his overalls. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for such a morning person.¡±

    ¡°Generally, I¡¯m not,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°But a lot has happened ¡ª and I mean a lot. I was wondering¡­ is the Transport Cannon active again? Now that the Key is back and all that?¡±

    ¡°Not technically, but I could make an exception. Is there somewhere you need to go?¡±

    ¡°The Scorched Acres,¡± Noah said. ¡°I want to do a little testing, and I hold a grudge like a motherfucker. Do you think you could send me there for about two or three hours?¡±

    ¡°Simple enough.¡± Tim flashed Noah a grin and ambled by the piles of demons, navigating through them like he¡¯d been doing it all his life, before arriving at the control panel. His hands played across the controls and a faint rumble shook the Transport Cannon as its turret shifted.

    ¡°Appreciate it,¡± Noah said.

    Tim just nodded in response, waiting quietly as the cannon set itself into position. A faint clunk echoed through the room before it fell still once more. Not one of the demons woke up. Tim gave a thumbs-up and nodded to the cannon¡¯s chamber.

    Noah climbed into it.

    Neither of them said another word. There was no need to mistakenly wake anyone up, after all ¡ª the Transport Cannon was already about to give its best attempt at doing that.

    Tim just pulled the lever at his side. The cannon hummed to life and Noah¡¯s stomach lifted up into his throat as his body disintegrated into blue energy and was sent streaking through the air over Arbitage.

    The Scorched Acres rapidly approached as his body reformed from within the energy. Noah had traveled via the Transport Cannon enough times to have gotten used to it. He landed easily on the blackened ground and set off without missing a step.

    Even though he doubted Tim was about to go sending anyone else to the Scorched Acres right about now, it was still a good idea to put a bit of distance between himself and the most visited parts of the Scorched Acres before he really started messing around with his magic.

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    A short while later, he clambered up the branches of a large, scorched tree and took up residence within its canopy. As Noah settled back against the trunk, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a certain sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    Given the grand scheme of things, it wasn¡¯t really all that long ago that I was hiding in these trees from the little shits that roam the forest. Now I could probably kill the lot of them with a finger.

    That might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but nobody was going to correct it. If there was one place he got to be egotistical, it was within the confines of his own mind.

    But he wasn¡¯t just here to play around. He only had a few hours before class. There was a lot that could be done with an hour. There was also a lot that could be wasted. He couldn¡¯t just sit around ruminating for too long.

    Noah sent his senses inward and reached out to Unstable Pandemonium. The Rank 5 Rune responded easily, its ruddy power flowing to respond to his call. He extended a hand before him, studying his fingers intently as he pulled the rune¡¯s energy toward them.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing this is the rank that lets you manifest magic from nothing,¡± Noah mused as arcs of electric red magic buzzed between the pads of his fingers. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d naturally pull Unstable Pandemonium from in the environment. I guess just some form of chaotic scene?¡±

    That thought made his head tilt to the side. If he could actually draw energy from something chaotic happening¡­ that was an eerily similar ability to what demons were capable of. And, now that he thought about it, Unstable Pandemonium had felt a bit odd during the Advanced Track meeting the previous night.

    How odd. The more I look, the more I wonder just how many similarities there are between humans and demons. Can¡¯t get distracted right now, though. Need to stay focused on the actual rune.

    Noah let the magic fade from his hand. Unstable Pandemonium¡¯s natural response to his call was to create the red lightning, and it came at quite the cost of magical energy. That wasn¡¯t the only thing it was capable of, though.

    The rune was composed from seven disaster runes ¡ª and he¡¯d already confirmed that Empty Proliferation¡¯s powers still functioned.

    Noah¡¯s brow furrowed in concentration as he focused his thoughts and called on Unstable Pandemonium again. He rubbed his fingers together and a crackle of electricity arced between them, born from the faint amount of static he¡¯d generated. Creating it drew considerably less power than the red lightning.

    A grin crossed his lips and Noah let the magic fade away. He tested it again, this time slashing his hand down and sending a howling twister of wind curling through the air. It ripped through the smaller branches around him and slammed into the trunk of a tree in front of him, ripping the wood to shreds and sending it crashing to the ground.

    The magical cost of the spell had been more than a normal wind attack from Natural Disaster, but not exponentially. It was well within reason.

    Interesting. So I can still use the elements of my runes from before. Their energy is still in Unstable Pandemonium, and if I use things that already exist in the world like wind, the energy draw is way lower.

    ¡°Means I can still do most of what I could, just at a slightly increased cost and a whole lot stronger,¡± Noah mused to himself. He called on Unstable Pandemonium again, letting more red electricity crackle across his fingers and studying it intently, all too aware of the power seeping from his rune.

    Using it like this drew a ridiculous amount of energy, but Noah was literally creating magic from nothing. He wasn¡¯t exactly surprised that it didn¡¯t come easy ¡ª and the Rune wasn¡¯t even Flawless. It only had room to improve.

    But if it was to improve, he had to understand it. And if he was to understand it¡­ he had to practice.

    It¡¯s too early to stick this red stuff into a Formation. I don¡¯t understand how it works well enough, so I¡¯d definitely just end up blowing myself up. There will be a time and place for that. But I need to have my magic for class today ¡ª which means we¡¯re doing the old fashioned style of practice.

    Noah slipped down from the tree and landed on the ground with a soft thump. Destroying the tree with a blast of wind had made a whole lot of noise. He was pretty sure the monkeys that lived in the forest wouldn¡¯t have been too huge a fan of that.

    Sure enough, Noah felt something prickle against his domain ¡ª and, in the back of his head, he was reminded that he had to rebuild all of his body imbuements, which had evaporated in his advancement to Rank 5.

    Noah turned toward the intrusion to his domain. He knew what he¡¯d come to see before he¡¯d even started to move. His domain told him everything he needed. Standing behind him, partially hidden behind the trunk of a tree, was a Slasher.

    The massive monkey loomed over Noah. Its beady eyes bore into him as saliva dripped form its open mouth. He couldn¡¯t even remember the number of times that empty, hateful gaze had been the last thing he¡¯d seen before he¡¯d died.

    ¡°Well, hello there,¡± Noah said, lifting a hand toward the Slasher.

    A streak of red energy carved free from his palm. It jerked and zipped through the air, moving up and down, left and right, but somehow slamming home exactly where he¡¯d been aiming.

    The Slasher¡¯s chest.

    The monkey let out an agonized scream silenced only by the loud cracking that split the air as it collapsed in on itself. Noah watched on as the Slasher was practically turned inside-out. Huge chunks of the monster tore themselves apart until there was nothing left before him but a pile of gore.

    The corner of Noah¡¯s mouth curled in distaste. A greater man than he would have felt some sense of unease about the gruesome death ¡ª but he¡¯d been killed by the monkeys in the Scorched Acres so many times that the only emotion he felt looking at the desecrated corpse was curiosity.

    A faint amount of magical energy trickled into him, not nearly enough to be worth noting. Killing the Slashers wasn¡¯t going to get him any significant amount of power. That was fine. For the time being, the only thing Noah wanted to do was push the limits of Unstable Pandemonium and see what it was capable of.

    I¡¯m only using small chunks of power, and the name Unstable Pandemonium implies this rune is capable of doing a whole lot more than folding monsters up like origami.

    Something prickled against Noah¡¯s domain.

    Another monkey.

    He turned toward it, red electricity arcing across his fingertips.

    Let¡¯s find out, shall we?

 Chapter 641: Pattern

    Nobody was keeping count, but Noah was growing increasingly certain that the monkeys of the Scorched Acres had finally paid for all the deaths they¡¯d inflicted upon him in blood. His hands were stained red with blood and his clothes were splattered as if he¡¯d taken a plunge into a pool of tomato juice.

    His research attempts had left a swathe of destruction in his wake. The warped corpses of monkeys, from Slashers to Chuckers and everything in between, laid in desecrated heaps in his path.

    Noah had only briefly paused his testing efforts to recover the energy in his rune before getting back to work. Each kill barely regenerated any power from Unstable Pandemonium, so he had to take frequent breaks to let it regenerate.

    The huge grimoire on his back didn¡¯t even bother harvesting the runes from the monsters he killed. They simply weren¡¯t strong enough to be worthy of garnering the book¡¯s interest. A part of Noah felt like that might have been a red flag. It hadn¡¯t been all that long ago that his grimoire had jumped at the chance to get its hands ¡ª covers? ¡ª on any rune it could.

    Now it had gotten picky.

    That probably meant something ominous. But, if Noah was frank with himself, he didn¡¯t care. The Grimoire was on his side. And, so long as he kept it fed, it would remain that way. He was well past caring if he unleashed some unspeakable monstrosity on the Arbalest Kingdom.

    They¡¯d let that cat out of the bag the moment the noble houses started sending their people after his students.

    While his path through the forest had been devastating on the local population of face-ripping little shits, it had been remarkably informative for his understanding of Unstable Pandemonium.

    The Rune definitely lived up to its name. The red lightning that it manifested rarely worked exactly the same way twice when he let its power run free, but the end result was often the same.

    It ripped apart anything it touched in a rather gruesome manner. Sometimes ¡ª and the cause of the blood splattering Noah¡¯s clothes ¡ª it just straight up exploded its target, sending bits and pieces of them across everything in the immediate vicinity.

    But Noah couldn¡¯t quite shake the feeling that he wasn¡¯t using the rune to its full potential. Sure, immense destructive power was always useful, but it wasn¡¯t exactly what he¡¯d been trying to make ¡ª and it wasn¡¯t versatile.

    His opponents weren¡¯t always going to be weaker than him. And when the fights really mattered, they rarely were. Pure destructive force didn¡¯t do much when up against an even more powerful defense.

    And that was the bit he was stuck on. Nothing about Unstable Pandemonium implied that its purpose was to simply rip through everything in its path. Pandemonium implied something¡­ more. Chaos, for lack of a better word.

    Terrifying and destructive as blowing monkeys up like fireworks might have been, that wasn¡¯t really Noah¡¯s definition of pandemonium. It was just cruel.

    I don¡¯t care about cruel, but I¡¯m completely confident that there¡¯s more to this rune. What am I doing wrong? Is it something to do with how I¡¯m manifesting the energy rather than pulling it from the environment?

    Noah¡¯s features creased in concentration. He lifted a hand and focused on his fingertips. Magic rushed through his body and a small spark lit between them, transforming into a flickering candleflame. The fire seemed to function just like normal fire. There was nothing special about it just because it had been made from pure magical energy. He flicked it away and shook his head.

    Then manifesting the power isn¡¯t the issue. It¡¯s either my understanding of the Rune or the manner in which I¡¯m using it. Maybe I need to try to find a way to make it fit in better with my understanding of the way the world works.

    Music, perhaps?

    Chaos certainly had quite a role there. Despite what many people thought, not all music had to be harmonious. An element of chaos could create unease. Tension. Conflicting notes and rapid changes in tempo could set listeners on edge.

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    It could be used to express emotion and break conventional expectations ¡ª and that was just him going off the top of his head. Music was a world that held room for everything. Both the expected and the unexpected.

    ¡°But how does Chaos work when I toss magic into the picture? The world is made up of patterns.¡± Noah chewed his lower lip in thought as he strode through the Scorched Acres, his arms crossed behind his back. Blackened sticks cracked beneath his feet and ash sifted past his powerful steps. He barely even noticed.

    There can be patterns found in chaos. I can¡¯t just say that chaos is the lack of a pattern because the complete lack of a pattern would be a pattern in itself. But if that¡¯s the case, how does one harness such a thing?

    ¡°What of the inverse?¡± Noah mused, coming to an abrupt halt. ¡°Master Runes are connected. There could be something there. They¡¯re ill understood. Perhaps that¡¯s my key? The relation between the true and its opposite? But how would harmony make any difference? That¡¯s just as broad of a concept as chaos. Every single one of my runes would technically be viewable under the guise of harmony if I squinted hard enough.¡±

    Noah started walking again, his lips thinning in mild irriation. He kicked a stray stick out of the way and paused to watch it spin through the air and shatter to dust against the tree.

    That didn¡¯t give him any inspiration. Sometimes, it was just fun to watch things break.

    A prickle pressed against Noah¡¯s domain as a Slasher stepped into view, squeezing between two trees. He nearly let out a dissapointed sigh. Despite the number of dead monsters he¡¯d left in his wake, despite the blood of their comrades soaking his hands and splattered across his clothes, the idiot monsters never stopped trying their luck against him.

    ¡°You there,¡± Noah said, pointing at the monkey. ¡°I have a question for you. What would you say chaos is?¡±

    The Slasher¡¯s beady, black eyes bore into Noah like glistening obsidians. It let out a roar of challenge and charged him.

    Noah stepped to the side and let the monster¡¯s claws carve through the air beside him, coming inches away from their mark and never having had even the slightest chance of connecting with it.

    The large claws dug deep furrows into the brittle ground. Screeching in fury, the Slasher swept a hand at Noah once more. He avoided the attack easily. Between his experience and the Rune of Self empowering his reflexes to those of a demon, dodging blows like this was child¡¯s play.

    ¡°Is chaos the lack of order? The lack of something? Or is it a concept in itself?¡± Noah queried, stepping by another blow and tapping a finger against his chin. ¡°Perhaps it is simply destruction. Would you say that?¡±

    The Slasher screeched and swept its hands at Noah again. And again, he easily avoided the attack. Its deadly claws weren¡¯t even enough of a threat for him to pause in his line of questioning.

    Noah blurred forward, slipping right under the Slasher¡¯s arms to stand behind it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to work backwards,¡± Noah said with a thoughtful nod. ¡°I understand the concept of harmony more than chaos. Harmony is what all things are made of. Well, that¡¯s my theory, but you¡¯ll have to bear with me.¡±

    The Slasher spun toward the sound of his voice. It lunged, but Noah was no longer standing where its claws carved.

    For some strange reason, Noah¡¯s thoughts actually felt like they were flowing better now. It was a common saying back on Earth that the best way to learn something was to teach it. He¡¯d never truly considered just how true that was, but it seemed the thought had some merit.

    ¡°Harmony is in all patterns. I¡¯ve definitely said that bit, but I¡¯ll reiterate it for you,¡± Noah informed his unruly student. ¡°Chaos exists as a pattern. For the purposes of this lesson, we can assume that it is the opposite of harmony. And that is what gives rise to our question. If harmony is used to create every pattern, and chaos is the opposite of harmony, then what pattern is chaos?¡±

    The Slasher let out a furious screech. It raised its hands high over its head and took a step forward in an attempt to make sure that its next attack didn¡¯t miss its insolent prey.

    Noah¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Noah breathed.

    The Slasher¡¯s hands carved down.

    Noah¡¯s own hand rose.

    A strand of red light wove across his fingers. It leapt free, jerking and zipping through the air haphazardly before striking the Slasher square in the chest.

    Brilliant streaks of red carved across the Slasher¡¯s fur, lighting it up from within like a horribly displeased Christmas ornament.

    And then the monster collapsed.

    Not to the ground, but to pieces. Magic swirled up from its body as every single part of it split apart. The hair separated from the skin, the bones from the flesh, claws from its hands¡­ and the body from the soul.

    And not just that ¡ª every single part of it was separated down to the components. Even though the parts of the monster splattered to the ground in an indiscernible pool of guts and bodily fluid, Noah could feel every separation that had happened to the monster as if he¡¯d cut it apart with a scalpel.

    Every single thing that had made the Slasher up had been undone.

    ¡°That¡¯s the pattern,¡± Noah breathed, his hand lowering as he looked upon what he had wrought. ¡°Chaos isn¡¯t the inverse. Harmony is. Harmony pulls things together that were originally separate. Chaos takes things apart until they¡¯ve returned to their true, natural state. It isn¡¯t meant to destroy. It¡¯s meant to unmake.¡±

 Chapter 642 & 643: Song

    There was still some time left before the Transport Cannon pulled Noah back, but his rune was pretty close to spent and he wasn¡¯t sure killing more monkeys in the Scorched Acres would actually accomplish anything. He¡¯d already gotten what he¡¯d come here for ¡ª or, at least, a starting point for it. Noah finally knew what his rune¡¯s purpose was.

    Though I don¡¯t have the slightest clue what the full extent of its abilities are. If it can reduce things to their base form, does that work on other Runes as well? Hell, does it work on magic?

    It wasn¡¯t like the monsters in the Scorched Acres would be able to help him much with that. The monkeys didn¡¯t have any magic. He supposed it was possible there was a mutated one somewhere¡­ or he could go looking for a Great Monster.

    I¡¯m pretty sure the Hellreaver got replaced so Arbitage could keep using this area as a training ground. I can¡¯t tell if it would be funny or downright stupid if I went and killed their replacement testing my rune out.

    Noah blew out a short breath of air and shook his head.

    Probably not worth the trouble. I¡¯ll get a chance to test this thing out against magic soon enough. I¡¯ve got way too many people that want to kill me for that to be avoidable for long.

    There were other things that could occupy his focus for the moment. He extended his hand to the side and, with a thought, summoned his violin. Sunlight shimmered off the whorls of gold running along the black wood.

    A small smile pulled across Noah¡¯s lips as he set the violin against his chin and laid the bow upon its strings, playing a bright note for no purpose other than to hear it sing. His Formations weren¡¯t going to work anymore ¡ª not now that he¡¯d advanced to Rank 5.

    That¡¯s fine. It just gives me an opportunity to keep perfecting my abilities. I¡¯ve only got 1 rune to work with right now, but once I get it working in a way that supports Sunder and the Fragment of Renewal, I¡¯ll have at least two Formations that are far more powerful than what they were before.

    He was pretty sure he was going to need them. Going up against Rank 6 mages when he was a Rank 5 was not going to be an easy task. Every single advantage he could get, he would need.

    And so Noah started to play, teasing faint flickers of power free from Unstable Pandemonium as his bow danced across the strings of the violin. He took care not to draw too much. The last thing he wanted to do was blow himself up right before class. That would have been painfully inconvenient.

    All he wanted to do was get to know his new rune¡¯s pattern so he could begin working on how to integrate it into a proper Formation.

    He was still playing when the Transport Cannon¡¯s power sent him hurtling back to Arbitage.

    ***

    ¡°Well then,¡± Noah said, looking around the crowd gathered around him in the top room of the Transport Cannon. It wasn¡¯t just the demons that had been sleeping there when Tim had sent him off. Isabel, Todd, and the rest of the students had all arrived ¡ª as had Moxie. Noah adjusted the lapel of his jacket. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re all eager to get started. Isn¡¯t it a bit early?¡±

    ¡°The sun rose thirty minutes ago,¡± Isabel said, holding back a laugh. ¡°You¡¯re late, professor.¡±

    ¡°That may be my fault,¡± Tim said. ¡°I had the cannon set to pull him back after three hours. I should have made that time shorter.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to cover for me,¡± Noah said through a chuckle. ¡°I have a bit of a bad habit of being late. There¡¯s no need to dally any further, though. We¡¯ve all got a lot to get through today. I¡¯ll be reviewing everyone¡¯s progress on their Formations.¡±

    Aylin raised a hand. ¡°I don¡¯t have any progress on a Formation.¡±

    ¡°Neither do I,¡± Sticky said. ¡°What¡¯s a Formation?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a very effective way to accidentally kill yourself while trying to control more power than you have any right to,¡± Vrith said. She hesitated for a moment, then cleared her throat. ¡°Unless you have exceptional mastery over your Runes, that is.¡±

    ¡°Not entirely true,¡± Noah said. ¡°There¡¯s more to it than most people think ¡ª but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get into that once class has started. Tim¡­ I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be able to send us anywhere with the Transport Cannon? I was originally planning to ask Jalen to send us somewhere, but¡­¡±

    ¡°With pleasure,¡± Tim said. ¡°Where to? The Scorched Acres?¡±

    Noah grimaced. ¡°I¡¯ve spent a bit too much time there as of late. I also left a lot of dead monkeys lying everywhere. Probably best not. We don¡¯t need any distractions. Maybe the Windscorned Plateau?¡±

    ¡°Easy enough,¡± Tim said. He interlaced his fingers and stretched his arms out before him before giving them all a grin. ¡°Right then. Make a line, lads and lasses. We¡¯re going to want to keep things moving.¡±

    ***

    A few minutes later, Tim had everyone deposited on the Windscorned Plateau with a promise to pull them back in six hours.

    Demons and humans alike milled about, looking around the jagged landscape of the plateau. Towering cliffs rose around them. Sheer flat walls of stone that led up to more areas just like the one they stood on. There weren¡¯t any Fluffants on their landing area, which was fortunate. Noah didn¡¯t feel like frying any of the violent elephant-shaped fluffballs at the moment.

    Plump blue flowers dotted with orange specks littered the ground all around them. A few of the demons were musing as to their edibility, a discussion which Noah was particularly interested in. More than a small part of him still wanted to try taking a bite out of the plushy-looking plants.

    If they didn¡¯t want to get eaten, they shouldn¡¯t be so plump.

    ¡°Noah,¡± Moxie said, sliding up beside him. ¡°You can¡¯t eat the flowers.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª how did you know I was thinking that?¡±

    ¡°You were looking at the damn thing like it was a five-course meal. When¡¯s the last time you had proper food?¡±

    Noah hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat. ¡°It might have been a while.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re getting food when we get back. No eating the flowers.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±

    Moxie rolled her eyes, then nodded to the mess of students. ¡°How should we organize this? Want me to split off with the ones that already know what a pattern is so they can start practicing and you can review the basics with the demons?¡±

    ¡°That would be very helpful.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they don¡¯t do anything too crazy. I¡¯ve barely managed to get any real work in on my own pattern, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯m in a good spot to tell them anything about theirs.¡±

    ¡°Practice is always good. Thanks, Moxie.¡±

    Moxie just nodded. She swept through the crowd, plucking students free from it like a mother duck collecting her chicks, and brought them to the side while Noah gathered all of the demons.

    He paused for a moment upon seeing Sticky, Edda, and Torrick among the number of those staring up at him in await of tutelage.

    Is it really wise to go teaching children magic like this? Patterns aren¡¯t exactly safe. They¡¯re probably one of the most dangerous applications of runes. One tiny mistake and ¡ª pop. No more demon.

    Noah shrugged to himself.

    Eh. I¡¯ll protect them with my domain. These kids have seen some shit. It isn¡¯t fair to treat them like helpless little brats ¡ª and frankly, they¡¯re in just as much danger of getting murdered by some nutjob Inquisitor as they are from popping themselves. Better to give them the tools to fight back.

    ¡°Today¡¯s topic is a very important one,¡± Noah said, crossing his arms behind his back and letting his gaze sweep over all the demons. ¡°I¡¯m going to start with some pretty basic stuff, but everyone should pay attention. Who here knows exactly what a Formation is?¡±

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    ¡°They are a method to bind multiple runes together and call upon them at once,¡± Yoru said. ¡°It takes many years of study to master Formations, but much of that practice becomes completely irrelevant the moment one advances their rank. Generally, Formations are only studied by those who find themselves unable to progress in other manners.¡±

    So even a former Rank 7 demon doesn¡¯t actually understand what Formations really are. How interesting.

    ¡°Partially correct,¡± Noah said with a nod. ¡°That is a common definition of Formations. It¡¯s the circumstances around how they¡¯re used ¡ª but do you know what they truly are?¡±

    Yoru hesitated for a moment. Aylin looked from her to Noah in delight. His hands were twitching at his sides from the force of the effort it took to keep from rubbing them together like an eager fly.

    Noah nearly laughed at the sight, but he managed to restrain himself. He didn¡¯t want to accidentally demotivate anyone. Also, laughing whilst talking to a Demon who no longer had her arms just felt¡­ rude.

    ¡°I am unsure as to this line of questioning,¡± Yoru admitted.

    ¡°They¡¯re patterns,¡± Noah said, taking mercy on them. ¡°And, as far as I can tell, everything in this world is a pattern. Runes are just patterns that contain magic. That might be a bit of an oversimplification, but it¡¯s still true. So can anyone guess what that might mean for us?¡±

    ¡°If runes are patterns¡­ does that mean we could somehow access magic another way?¡± Aylin asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°Are you implying that a mere pattern could somehow harness magic directly?¡±

    There¡¯s the knowledge demon for you.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said with a smile. ¡°Well done.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Yoru asked, leaning forward in unison with all the other demons.

    ¡°That,¡± Noah said with a dangerous smile, ¡°is what I am going to show you today.¡±

    Chapter 643

    ¡°Before I get too deep into anything, I want to stress a warning first. You are not to do anything with the information I teach you until I say you can,¡± Noah said, raising a hand to make sure all of the demons were paying attention to him. There was almost no need for it. The crowd was staring at him with rapt attention.

    They probably wouldn¡¯t look away even if a horde of Fluffants leapt off a cliff and charged at them. Still, Noah didn¡¯t want to take any chances. He did not need someone blowing themselves up.

    ¡°We will obey your orders, Spider,¡± Aylin said, pressing a hand to his chest and speaking with just a little more reverence than Noah would have liked.

    Actually, way too much more. This kind of thing is very useful when I¡¯m pulling the wool over someone¡¯s eyes, but I don¡¯t want him actually thinking like this normally. He¡¯s going to corrupt the others into worshipping me by accident.

    ¡°Actually, before we get started, there¡¯s one more thing I want to address. We¡¯re not in the Damned Plains anymore,¡± Noah said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to treat me like that.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± Aylin asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re acting like I¡¯m a god of some sort,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m just a teacher.¡±

    Aylin stared at Noah for several long seconds. He exchanged a glance with Vrith, then slowly nodded.

    ¡°I see. You wish to conceal your strength to avoid drawing undue attention to your teacher persona. I will treat you as such to avoid interfering with your plans.¡±

    That¡¯s not what I said at all. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be a knowledge demon?

    Noah suppressed a sigh. It didn¡¯t look like he was going to be able to change their minds anytime soon. And, if he was honest with himself, getting treated like this probably would make it easier to teach everyone how to use their patterns safely.

    The demons wouldn¡¯t be going around trying to push farther than he said they could if they thought he would smite them on the spot for it.

    Eh. White lies. Can¡¯t hurt too much.

    ¡°Right then,¡± Noah said, pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°Thank you. And moving on to the actual point of the lesson ¡ª patterns. As far as I¡¯ve been able to determine, patterns are functionally the building block of magic itself. The patterns in your runes are simply one application of that. Formations are another. For those of you who may not be intimately familiar with them, Formations are generally drawn. They use complex geometry to basically draw out a magic circle that can channel power from multiple runes at once.¡±

    ¡°So there are other applications? Ones stronger than a Formation?¡± Vrith asked.

    Noah waggled his hand in the air. ¡°See, that¡¯s the direction most people look at it. What I think has been passed up on is the basics. Let¡¯s take a look at runes. What are the three elements of creating a rune from scratch?¡±

    Vrith stared at Noah. ¡°Making a rune? You know how to create a rune from nothing?¡±

    Oops.

    ¡°We can touch on that later,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Violet said. ¡°Is that even possible? Creating a rune? I thought they just came into existence.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s cuz he¡¯s a god,¡± Torrick said.

    Aylin elbowed him in the shoulder and sent him a pointed glance. ¡°He¡¯s not a god up here, remember?¡±

    Torrick¡¯s eyes lit up in understanding. ¡°Oh, right. He¡¯s a teacher.¡±

    Aylin gave him an approving nod.

    Noah repressed a sigh. The stronger demons definitely hadn¡¯t missed what he¡¯d said. Vrith was staring in awe and he could feel Yoru¡¯s gaze burning into him.

    I am not helping my reputation at all. Oh well.

    ¡°I skipped a few things. We don¡¯t have time for all of that today, and I don¡¯t want to split your focus. The three elements to creating a rune are the magical energy, an inciting event, and intention. We¡¯re focusing on the last one. Intention. Understanding. A desire for your rune to accomplish some purpose. We all know that well, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what you need when you combine your runes,¡± Aylin said.

    ¡°Precisely,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°And that isn¡¯t where it ends. I think you would agree more than anyone else that understanding is the most important aspect of any power. It applies to more than just combining runes. So tell me ¡ª from the information you have, what is a Formation?¡±

    ¡°A pattern,¡± Edda said through a mouthful of¡­ something. Noah wasn¡¯t sure exactly what the small demon had managed to get her hands on, but he was pretty sure she¡¯d be fine. Demons had hardy stomachs.

    ¡°Good. A pattern. A specific type of pattern. Would you say that you understand patterns well?¡±

    Everyone shook their heads.

    ¡°So that is where we must start. Not with fancy Formations, but with how patterns interact with magic at a base level,¡± Noah continued. ¡°And you will be surprised to find that there is a great amount of power that can be found through merely finding a pattern. My human students have already put a great amount of effort into this technique.¡±

    ¡°Is that what they¡¯re doing now?¡± Aylin asked, looking over to Moxie¡¯s group. All the students around her were either deep in meditation or practicing.

    ¡°It is,¡± Noah confirmed. ¡°Though they have taken it to the next stage and have inserted magic into it. You will get there ¡ª but first, you must determine what pattern speaks to you the most. Anything can be a pattern. For me, it is music. For Isabel, it is a landslide. Alexandra¡¯s is the wind. Moxie¡¯s is life and death itself.¡±

    ¡°Can we even do that?¡± Violet asked. ¡°I mean¡­ we can¡¯t use external magic.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a common belief that demons are unable to access external magic until they reach a certain rank.¡±

    ¡°Commonly believed? I think that¡¯s just how it works,¡± Violet said. ¡°We¡¯re too closely tied to our runes. They¡¯re embedded too deep into our souls, which makes it easy for us to empower our bodies but much harder to push it externally.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. We will see if that holds true after the modifications Sticky allowed us to all do.¡±

    Sticky reddened and looked away. She hadn¡¯t been speaking much, but from the rapt attention in her eyes, Noah was pretty sure it was just because she was completely focused on every word he said.

    ¡°So we can use external magic?¡± Torrick asked in awe.

    ¡°I still need to modify your runes ¡ª but even if I had already done it, the answer is no. Not because you can¡¯t, but because I will not allow you to,¡± Noah said simply. ¡°Your initial pattern must be completely devoid of magic. These are dangerous. If you let magic flow through them, you could end up killing yourself. That goes for all of you. Even the stronger ones.¡±

    He made it a point to look at Yoru with that. The Rank 6 demon was hundreds of years old and had been one of the strongest ones in the Damned Plains before he¡¯d taken Sunder to her. She probably wasn¡¯t the type to love strict instructions ¡ª but Yoru just gave him a curt nod of understanding.

    ¡°How do we do it?¡± Vrith asked. ¡°Pattern feels like such a¡­ general thing. Couldn¡¯t anything be a pattern if you really try hard enough?¡±

    ¡°Yep. This isn¡¯t something where there¡¯s only one right answer. You need to think on what fits you the best. It does not matter what I or anyone else chooses or thinks. For me, that thing was music. The patterns within music are what I find easiest to understand. That probably won¡¯t be the case for you. This isn¡¯t something you have to do alone. Feel free to speak to each other. Hell, go bother my other students and see how they figured things out.¡±

    ¡°How do we know if we¡¯ve done it correctly?¡± Sticky asked. ¡°What if we mess up?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Noah said with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s a pattern. Not magic. At least, not yet. All you¡¯re doing is finding something that you feel fits you. And if you can¡¯t think of anything, just look around. There are patterns in everything from the nature to the way we speak.¡±

    ¡°Can my pattern be eating?¡± Edda asked.

    You¡¯ve spent too much time around Lee. I really don¡¯t need another living vacuum cleaner wandering around.

    ¡°I think you should probably try to look a bit deeper into yourself. Your pattern should be something that you can truly connect with. It shouldn¡¯t just be something you enjoy doing, but something you can see yourself embodying,¡± Noah suggested, trying to be as polite as possible.

    Edda and Torrick were still just kids. So was Sticky, though she was definitely a little more developed in the head than the other two. Staring death in the face tended to do that to you.

    ¡°Is there a pattern in understanding?¡± Aylin asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s for you to determine. If you can find one ¡ª then yes. If you can¡¯t, then no. This is completely personal. As I said, there¡¯s no right way to do it.¡±

    ¡°Could you show us your pattern?¡± Sticky asked.

    A small grin tugged at the corners of Noah¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯ve never said no to a show. I suppose that would probably be a good way to give an example of what works for me, so why not?¡±

    He extended his hands and his violin shimmered to life within one, the bow taking form in the other. Noah set the violin against his chin and let the bow rest against its strings.

    And, for what must have been the first time in history, a group of demons ranging from children to a Demon Lord sat and listened in silent awe to a song played by a human older than the lot of them combined.

 Chapter 644: Move on

    Once Noah finished his song, it didn¡¯t take the demons long to start brainstorming as to what their patterns might be. Their ideas were certainly¡­ interesting. It would probably take them a while to get to any ideas that would actually work.

    And someone really needs to tell Edda that there¡¯s more to life than eating. I wasn¡¯t joking about not needing a second Lee. It¡¯s not like I can blame her, though. She grew up surviving on scraps. Anyone would love food in her position.

    Noah watched over the demons for around thirty more minutes, providing advice and suggestions in an attempt to steer them all in the right direction. Many of their pattern ideas were either straight up insane or just far too impractical to be realistic.

    It was probably hard for them to reconcile power coming with something simple when they¡¯d grown up in the Damned Plains, where there was so much focus on posturing and showing how deadly you were.

    He waited around to make sure none of them would go against his warnings and try to start a pattern with magic. That wasn¡¯t particularly likely, of course. Pulling something like that off would have made them a prodigy.

    And if Noah wasn¡¯t paying attention with his domain at the ready to snuff said magic out, it also would have made them dead.

    He fortunately had no prodigy idiots. None of the demons tried to manifest their pattern and had instead all managed to get into a heated debate about what kind of pattern would be the most powerful.

    Noah took that opportunity to catch Moxie¡¯s eye from where she was overseeing the other students. He gave her a slight nod and they both broke away from their groups to meet in the middle.

    ¡°Going well?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°As well as one could expect. They¡¯re going to need to re-screw their heads on a bit,¡± Noah said with a small chuckle. ¡°They¡¯re still mentally stuck in the Damned Plains. But they¡¯ll get there soon enough. What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve basically just been practicing alongside everyone,¡± Moxie admitted. ¡°But they¡¯ve been careful. You know what¡¯s kind of interesting, though? I think Alexandra¡¯s pattern has gotten stronger. Like, a lot stronger.¡±

    ¡°Really? I would have thought that carving her runes out¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, me too. But no. I can definitely feel that its stronger. Even when she doesn¡¯t use her own magic in it, the pattern has innate power to it. Almost like¡­¡±

    ¡°A rune,¡± Noah finished, his eyes going slightly wide.

    ¡°How¡¯d you guess? Did you already know?¡±

    ¡°Patterns and Runes aren¡¯t really all that different if you zoom out far enough. Runes are just patterns made to hold a specific type of magic. Patterns shouldn¡¯t be any different when you get good enough at them.¡±

    ¡°Your music can do that too?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°I kind of skipped the beginning step with my music. I had a lot of practice back on Earth, so I understood the pattern well long before I came here,¡± Noah admitted as he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile. ¡°I went right to wrapping my magic with it, but there¡¯s definitely magical energy in the pattern of my songs.¡±

    Moxie studied him silently for a few seconds before answering. ¡°What about in a fight or something? Have you ever tried using your pattern without putting magic into it?¡±

    He paused for a moment to think about that question. Ironically enough, even though he was teaching his students to do it, Noah realized that he hadn¡¯t. He¡¯d used his pattern in fights before, but generally for the purpose of making a Formation.

    For some reason he¡¯d never really considered just using a normal music pattern in a fight when a Formation wasn¡¯t involved. Now that he thought about it, there was absolutely no reason that wouldn¡¯t work.

    How did that never come to me? I can definitely picture a few ways that would actually be pretty damn effective, even if just as a distraction.

    Noah coughed into his fist. ¡°That¡­ might work pretty well, actually. I somehow never thought about it.¡±

    Moxie let out a snort and rolled her eyes. ¡°And here I was wondering if something was secretly wrong with the idea or it would somehow be too dangerous to pursue. Then again, I should have known. I don¡¯t think danger means the same thing to you as it does to the rest of us.¡±

    ¡°Hey. I¡¯m a recovering addict. I haven¡¯t killed myself in ages.¡±

    ¡°Your idea of ages and mine are vastly different, and very much in the wrong way. Shouldn¡¯t time mean way more to me than it does to you?¡±

    Noah waved his hand in the air before him. ¡°Semantics. I am not a patient man.¡±

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    ¡°That bit is well established.¡± Moxie shook her head, hiding a smile, and nodded to the students behind her. ¡°Well, have at them. I¡¯ll make sure the demons don¡¯t do anything too stupid in the meantime.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Noah said. He and Moxie continued along their paths, swapping groups.

    He didn¡¯t say anything when he arrived. Everyone was deep in focus on their different patterns and he didn¡¯t want to distract anyone yet. It was also a great opportunity to see how far they¡¯d come since he¡¯d last had a chance to review their progress.

    And far they had come.

    All of them were infusing their patterns with magic. And, even as Noah let his domain wash over everyone, he could tell that they were stable. The fluctuations in power were steady. They were in control.

    He couldn¡¯t keep a proud smile from crossing his lips as he looked over his students. It wasn¡¯t even accurate to say they were just in control. Emily stood in a sea of shimmering frosty mist, her features peaceful despite the immense concentration that maintaining her control over the pattern must have taken.

    Noah hadn¡¯t been physically present, but he¡¯d seen just what the mist let her do. It basically acted as a pseudo-domain, letting her feel and attack people at lightning-fast speeds with tiny fragments of ice. Her grasp of the pattern was extensive.

    And she wasn¡¯t alone. Isabel¡¯s sword carved through the air, each strike bearing the weight of a building landslide. Her eyes were closed in concentration as her sword moved in conjunction with her body ¡ª and while she¡¯d positioned herself far away enough from the others to avoid accidentally getting too close with her blade, not once did she actually near them. Her instinctive understanding of her surroundings was perfect.

    And Alexandra¡­ well, Noah could see what Moxie had meant. His domain prickled when it washed over her. Her sword sang as it danced through the air around her like a hummingbird. The weapon was moving so fast that Noah could practically make out an afterimage in its wake. There was magic within the pattern itself, but it was more than just that.

    He stared in awe for several long moments as he tried to process the information that his domain was feeding him. The magic didn¡¯t seem to be coming from Alexandra herself. It was literally being born from her movements. He didn¡¯t know if it was intentional or not, but Alexandra was powering her pattern from the environment rather than her own reserves.

    Holy shit. I¡¯ve never seen that before. Every kind of magic I¡¯ve worked with requires it to come from the source. Being able to just pull magic from the world around you¡­ that¡¯s insane. I never even thought it was a possibility. I wonder if removing her runes somehow let her grow closer to the pattern she was working on? I¡¯ll have to grill her after she¡¯s done practicing. Don¡¯t want to interrupt.

    Most of the other students all demonstrated a respectable level of mastery over their abilities. Not quite to Alexandra¡¯s level, but they were all doing spectacularly. At least, he was pretty sure they were.

    Noah knew James¡¯ pattern was working when it took him three glances to actually figure out where the boy lay, arms crossed behind his back in apparent sleep. His pattern of nothingness had made him so hard to detect that even Noah¡¯s domain had nearly missed his presence.

    It was a bit hard to get a good read on Todd and Lee. Todd was focused in on working on imbuing something. Noah knew precious little about Imbuements ¡ª but he¡¯d also seen Todd make a literal gun with them.

    Pretty sure he¡¯s on the right path. I should try to find someone to help him more on the Imbuement side of things, though. I¡¯m not suitable to keep teaching him in that path. I can only help with combat and general pattern theory.

    Heh, pattern theory. That makes it sound way fancier than it actually is. I¡¯m definitely naming it that.

    As for Lee¡­ well, it was always a little difficult to tell what Lee was thinking about. She sat cross-legged, her hands braced against her knees and her brow scrunched in intense concentration.

    Noah¡¯s domain picked up on something within her. He couldn¡¯t tell quite what it was, but it was there. It probably warranted a conversation to figure out just what kind of pattern she was focusing on now that she¡¯d formed her Rune of Self.

    And then, standing in the center of the group and with a mixture of awe, fear, and confusion on her face, was Yulin.

    Ah, shit. She definitely should have been with the demons to get the summary of patterns.

    ¡°What is all this?¡± Yulin asked. Her gaze lingered on Alexandra. ¡°What kind of magic is this?¡±

    ¡°Patterns. I should have given you a summary of them together with the demons. The short form is that patterns exist in everything, and you can harness them to access magic in a different way. I can get more in-depth later. Until then, you can just stick around and watch. And no telling anyone else about this. Big secret.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yulin muttered. ¡°I can¡¯t see why. I don¡¯t get any of this.¡±

    ¡°The patterns?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yulin said. ¡°You. You¡¯re supposed to be one of the worst professors from the Linwick family. The rumors said you were a pervert that got sent to Arbitage to keep you out of your family¡¯s hair. But that doesn¡¯t match up at all. How could someone like that be¡­ you?¡±

    ¡°It all started with grand larceny.¡±

    Yulin stared at him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Never mind,¡± Noah said, shaking his head with a chuckle. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll find out one day. Until then, your only job is to practice. I¡¯m a teacher. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± The tone of Yulin¡¯s voice made it abundantly clear that she was far from convinced. ¡°Just a teacher.¡±

    ¡°Oh hey, Vermil is here,¡± James said, nearly making Noah jump. He¡¯d somehow forgotten about the boy in the time since he¡¯d last spotted him. That nothingness pattern of his was surprisingly effective.

    Todd glanced up and a grin split his lips. ¡°Oh, hell yeah. Is it teachin¡¯ time?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call it that,¡± Noah said. ¡°It sounds dumb.¡±

    Emily¡¯s white mist faded and her eyes drifted open, focusing on him. One by one, all of the students let their patterns drop safely and all turned to face him.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s teachin¡¯ time,¡± Isabel confirmed.

    She was aware of her surroundings acutely enough to pick up on Todd¡¯s joke even while practicing? Well done.

    ¡°We are not calling it that,¡± Noah said, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms in front of his chest. ¡°But I have to say ¡ª I¡¯m quite proud of all of you. You¡¯ve made quite a bit of progress since my little trip.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean we can get to the next stage?¡± Alexandra asked eagrely.

    A smile pulled across Noah¡¯s lips and he nodded.

    ¡°Yes. I think it¡¯s time that we move onto Formations.¡±

 Chapter 645: Formations & Patterns

    Noah waited until all of his students had settled down and found seats in the grass around him before he spoke again. He didn¡¯t want them to miss anything important by accident. Formations weren¡¯t a technique that allowed for mistakes. The slightest misstep would be the end. Pop. No more student ¡ª and he couldn¡¯t sit around protecting them with his domain forever.

    ¡°Formations are, at least as far as I¡¯ve observed thus far, the most powerful usage of a pattern in a single spell,¡± Noah said as he summoned his violin to his hand. ¡°Their purpose is to form a temporary holding cell to allow runic energy to gather within it. That is not to be confused with putting magic into your actual pattern. The purpose of a formation is to create the framework that holds runes. One that lets them interact with each other and build in power before exploding forth with a very powerful effect¡­ assuming you do it right. Patterns go into Formations, but Formations do not go into patterns. I know it¡¯s a bit confusing, but I¡¯ll get deeper into that in a moment. Now, Formations are traditionally made with drawn patterns on the ground, but there¡¯s another fairly common method that Formation Masters use.¡±

    ¡°Music,¡± Todd said.

    Noah nodded. ¡°Music. Which is why the idiots in this empire banned it from public spaces. Music should be a thing to be enjoyed, but I suppose I can understand a bit of fear when the guy playing a love song might accidentally blow himself and the city block around him into the next world. And that¡¯s what I want to impress on you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t play love songs?¡± Alexandra asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with Formations. They are extraordinarily powerful ¡ª and they will kill you. If you let your guard down for a fraction of an instant. If you suddenly see someone pretty walk by out of the corner of your eye. If you so much as sneeze at the wrong time. It does not matter. Formations are not forgiving. There¡¯s no second chance. You¡¯re just dead.¡±

    Well¡­ that isn¡¯t strictly true. You can definitely save a failing formation. I¡¯ve done it more than a few times. But that requires the ability to adjust the Formation entirely on the fly, which isn¡¯t something that any of the students are capable of yet. And, even if they were, I don¡¯t want them even having a flicker of a thought in the back of their minds that they don¡¯t have to be completely focused.

    ¡°I take it that¡¯s why you were so worried about us being able to hold our patterns no matter what?¡± Isabel guessed.

    ¡°It is. Well, that and your pattern can kill you as well once you¡¯ve got magic in it. A pattern with magic is basically the first step into a Formation,¡± Noah explained. He dismissed his violin with a thought and crossed his hands behind his back. ¡°You can think of a Formation as guidelines for runic power. You¡¯re basically forming a path for the energy to flow through. If that path has any weaknesses or holes¡­ boom.¡±

    ¡°So as long as our concentration is strong, Formations are relatively safe?¡± Todd asked. ¡°I knew Formations were pretty similar to imbuing. A lot of the strategies seem to be slightly similar.¡±

    ¡°Possibly. I couldn¡¯t answer that with complete confidence. I just don¡¯t have enough understanding of imbuing,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°But don¡¯t think of Formations as imbuements with a bit of extra power tacked on. That will mislead you. They may have similarities, but they are not the same. Formations let you harness the power of multiple different runes at once ¡ª and a lot of it.¡±

    ¡°Can you show us one?¡± Yulin asked. Even though she didn¡¯t even have a pattern of her own yet, she didn¡¯t bother to hide the interest behind her eyes. This was magic that she¡¯d likely never gotten a good chance to lay eyes on.

    ¡°Yeah! You showed the demons, didn¡¯t you?¡± Todd asked.

    ¡°That was just a song,¡± Noah replied with a small smile. ¡°And I¡¯ll be honest with you. I just ranked up. I don¡¯t have a Formation I can use safely around you. The chances of it exploding are a little too high.¡±

    ¡°Even you have to worry about that?¡± Yulin blinked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said. ¡°This is not something you master and then forget. If you plan to use Formations in your fighting style, then you need to be ready to constantly treat them as deadly weapons. They can kill you just as easily as they can your opponents, and that will never change. Does everyone understand?¡±

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    He received a round of solemn nods. Despite the precautions Noah was taking, he wasn¡¯t too worried that any of his students would take this lightly. They¡¯d all been practicing with patterns for long enough to know the risks involved in this kind of magic. None of them were stupid¡­ but it didn¡¯t hurt to make sure they were abundantly aware of the risks involved.

    ¡°Good,¡± Noah said. ¡°Then we will begin. I actually learned everything here in reverse. I managed to get a Formation working before I got any real understanding of what a pattern is. You¡¯re doing it the right way around. The first part of a Formation you need to learn is how to make the guidelines for the magic. You¡¯ll have to figure out how to use your pattern to do that. It won¡¯t be the same for everyone. Needless to say, you will not be attempting to fill the guidelines with any energy beyond what is required to build them.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯re just making the housing of the Formation?¡± Todd asked.

    Noah nodded. ¡°Yes, exactly. And let me say again ¡ª you will not be drawing your Runes into the formation. You¡¯ll need to have the runes you¡¯re working with in mind when you work, though. That¡¯s the hard part. The difference between a Formation and a pattern is that a Formation has a specific intent. It mixes power from runes in a very specific way. So you need to prepare for that by creating the guidelines to do something specific.¡±

    ¡°What in particular?¡± Isabel asked.

    Noah shook his head. ¡°Can¡¯t answer that because there isn¡¯t an answer. Your Formation is going to be unique to you. You need to think on what you¡¯re trying to accomplish with the Formation you¡¯re creating. Remember that each Formation is basically like a recipe for baking bread. You have to put the exact same ingredients into it each time. And each time, so long as you do it right, you¡¯ll get the same result. I¡¯d suggest starting by trying to combine the powers of two runes ¡ª in theory. That means you¡¯d be making guidelines that you think would let you do that.¡±

    ¡°But we wouldn¡¯t actually be putting the runes in,¡± Lee finished. ¡°We¡¯re just doing everything as if we were, but we stop before the last step.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. I know that¡¯s a bit convoluted, so does anyone have any questions before we begin?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I do not want any confusion here. Your task is to use magic to power your patterns and shape them into guidelines that will, in theory, let you house a combination of runes. You will not be putting the actual runes into the Formation. Clear? I want a direct answer from everyone before we start.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense to me,¡± Isabel said.

    ¡°Me too,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Emily added.

    ¡°I got it too,¡± Lee said. ¡°I might just stick to patterns for now, though. I¡¯m still working on mine.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s perfectly fine. If anyone feels unprepared to continue, then it¡¯s much better to focus on the fundamentals,¡± Noah said with an approving nod.

    James grunted in agreement.

    Noah squinted at him. ¡°Words, James. This isn¡¯t something you can halfass.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I got you. You know, maybe¡­¡± James glanced in Emily¡¯s direction and hesitated, his words dying on his lips. Her eyes narrowed and he cleared his throat. ¡°Yup. Nevermind. I¡¯m good. Ready to go.¡±

    Noah suppressed a laugh. He was pretty sure James had been about to say he didn¡¯t want to do Formations yet even though he¡¯d clearly mastered his pattern ¡ª and entirely because he was lazy.

    It seemed Emily¡¯s mere presence had stopped that in its tracks.

    I wonder if I can even blame him for being lazy. If that¡¯s his pattern, wouldn¡¯t he technically be practicing it by doing nothing? Ugh. That¡¯s one paradoxical pain in the ass.

    ¡°Great,¡± Noah said. He summoned his violin and its bow back to his hands. ¡°Then I will demonstrate what I do with music when creating guidelines. Even though none of you actually use my pattern, try to see if you can spot similarities and things you can use for your own purposes. Remember that we¡¯re doing the same fundamental thing, just from a different angle.¡±

    Nobody spoke this time. They all stared at Noah intently as he placed the bow against the strings of his violin and started to play, letting power slip through the magical artifact and fill the notes rising into the air.

    Noah constructed the beginning parts of his Formation, laying them over one another like bricks for a building. It was tempting to let himself sink into the music like he did when he was making a full Formation, but he resisted the urge, not wanting to make a complete Formation by accident.

    He continued building the guidelines until the song had finished. Noah held the final note before slowly allowing the power to fade away. Only once the last vestiges of power had vanished did he let his bow lower.

    ¡°As you can see, there was power in the song,¡± Noah said. ¡°But no discreet runes. Does that give you all at least an idea of where they can start?¡±

    Everyone other than Yulin nodded. Noah could see thoughts flashing behind their eyes already. He repressed a smile. Something told him it wouldn¡¯t be too long before his students had this next step of mastering Formations under their belts.

    ¡°Then get to it,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep a watch over things and have my domain at the ready. Let¡¯s see what you lot can do.¡±

 Chapter 646: Wrong

    The rest of the class went quite well. That was a relief, as things not going well likely meant that somebody would be blowing up.

    Noah spent several hours with his students, guiding them through the steps of creating the guidelines of a Formation and answering any questions that he could. He¡¯d been pretty confident he understood Formations fairly well, but it was remarkable how much teaching could reveal gaps in knowledge.

    He¡¯d had to dig through his thoughts in contemplation quite a few times to make sure he didn¡¯t accidentally give anyone false information. But he managed to get through the rest of the class without running into significant issues or getting completely stumped by anything.

    After he decided that everyone had gotten enough practice for the day, he dismissed them to go mingle with the demons. Both groups had a lot they could learn from each other ¡ª and interacting would definitely speed up the demons¡¯ progress on their patterns. Getting new perspectives would help all of them.

    Noah hung back, staying out of the conversation to avoid accidentally drawing too much of it to himself. He perched himself on top of a plump blue flower a few dozen paces away and settled in to watch.

    Even though I was the one meant to be doing the teaching today, I feel like I¡¯ve actually learned as much as I¡¯ve taught. I¡¯ve got so many new ideas to test. After what I saw Alexandra doing¡­ there¡¯s definitely more to Formations and patterns than what I¡¯ve seen. I really need to look into seeing if I can bring patterns into my own fighting style more. Leaving them purely just for Formations seems like a mistake.

    The flower squished beneath him as he sank into it, his fingers drumming against its plump, disturbingly comfortable surface. It struck him that he really shouldn¡¯t have sat on the flower if he wanted to focus. The damn thing was far too distracting.

    I should ask Moxie if she can grow one of these in her room as a replacement for her chair.

    Noah shook his head to pull his focus back to the present. He was not about to lose all the inspiration he¡¯d gotten from the past few hours by getting waylaid by a squishy blue flower. With no little amount of regret, he heaved himself up to his feet and abandoned his makeshift chair.

    I really haven¡¯t used music for much more than a full Formation because I basically skipped all the intermediatory steps by constantly blowing myself up until I figured out how they worked. But that might have actually been a bit of a disservice to myself. Sure, it was a needed one, but I¡¯d be stupid not to go back and start looking into using a pattern myself.

    It shouldn¡¯t even be too difficult. Maybe I¡¯m patting myself on the back a bit too hard here, but I¡¯d say I understand music fairly well. I¡¯ve certainly had enough time to ruminate over it. Working in reverse shouldn¡¯t be too hard. Worst case scenario, I just blow myself up a few times by accident.

    A part of him was tempted to start practicing right now. He¡¯d never been particularly good at the whole ¡®waiting around¡¯ thing. And, realistically speaking, he was pretty sure he wouldn¡¯t blow himself up. This was working in reverse. He already had the pattern from his studies on Formations. All he had to do was figure out how to strip away the extra stuff and get back down to the core.

    But he couldn¡¯t do that yet. The lesson was still going and he didn¡¯t know if someone would suddenly decide that now was a great time to start messing around with magic beyond them. For as long as class ran, he was responsible for everyone here.

    I¡¯ll fiddle around with things when the day is wrapped up. There isn¡¯t that much time left in the class anyway.

    Noah glanced back over to the mass of students. He couldn¡¯t tell if he felt proud or a little overwhelmed. There were a whole lot of students here now. Between everyone from Arbitage and all the demons, he was starting to upgrade from tutor to full on teacher.

    The class was getting big enough that he couldn¡¯t possibly teach everyone on his own. Fortunately, he had Moxie to help out. The demons probably wouldn¡¯t need much guidance on the more physical side of things, but Lee had that covered for the human side.

    Still, I might need to start recruiting some more help at this rate, especially now that Jalen had to leave Arbitage. I had a lot riding on him. And I¡¯ll never let him know it, but I did actually enjoy those dart games. I suppose I¡¯ll get a chance to do those again once we leave Arbitage and this empire behind.

    Given the way things are going¡­ that might not be all that far away.

    Thoughts continued to twist through Noah¡¯s head as he looked out over his milling students. There were so many things that he wanted to do. So many that had to be done ¡ª but they could wait until class was over.

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    ***

    Alexandra had a lot on her mind. She¡¯d had a fair amount before class had even started that day. But now, as she walked back to her living quarters after the Transport Cannon had pulled them all back from the Windscorned Plateau, she found that her head was just as burdened as it had been in the morning.

    She¡¯d spent the entirety of the class completely focused on her pattern and working on her Formation. Even when the others had gathered to speak, she had continued to practice. She had no choice. They were not the same.

    The others were strong. They had runes ¡ª many of them flawless. But Alexandra didn¡¯t have any of that. Her Body Runes were gone. Noah had wiped the slate clean for her. Given her another chance¡­ but that chance wasn¡¯t free.

    She¡¯d lost the power that her Body Runes had granted her. They had been her greatest curse, but they¡¯d also been what allowed her to compete with everyone else. And now that they were gone, she was weak.

    And Alexandra refused to stay weak.

    I still don¡¯t even know what kind of runes I want. Rushing ahead would be the worst thing I can do. If I grab random runes and slap them together, then I¡¯ll just be in a slightly better situation than the one I was with my Body Runes.

    No. The path forward for me right now is patterns. Patterns and Formations. I don¡¯t need powerful runes to get better at those. And, by the time I have them mastered, perhaps I¡¯ll have figured out what kind of runes I actually want.

    Her hands tightened at her sides as she stepped into the practice field where she trained every day. There hadn¡¯t been a minute in recent times when her mind hadn¡¯t been focused on her pattern.

    She could feel it getting closer. To what, exactly, Alexandra wasn¡¯t sure. She just knew that she was getting closer. Perhaps it was mastery. Perhaps it was just the first step of true understanding. In the end, she really didn¡¯t care.

    I just want to be strong. This is the only thing I can do right now, and so I¡¯m going to do it.

    Alexandra let out a slow breath. When she inhaled once more, she pulled her sword free from its sheath at her side and lowered into a fighting stance.

    Then she dropped into her pattern.

    It was nearly instinctive, now. Activating the pattern felt as natural as breathing. Her weapon danced through the air around her like a hummingbird as she let herself sink into the pattern.

    The world faded away. All that remained was the scuff of her feet against the ground and the hum of the blade in her hand as she let it guide itself. The wind could not be controlled. It could not be guided. The best one could do was harness it.

    That was the way of her sword. It was free. Limitless.

    Everything that she had never been.

    Everything she was determined to be.

    Power prickled against her skin. It roiled within her chest like the wind itself attempting to burst free, and Alexandra granted its wish. She let it flow through her entire being, filling her motions and letting her very body turn into its vessel.

    It wasn¡¯t quite the same sensation as using a rune. The magic was still there, and she could feel her lone remaining rune burning with pressure in opposition to the power, but the energy did not come from the rune. It came from the wind in the wake of her blade and the rush of her movements. It came from the pattern itself.

    Logically, Alexandra felt like the energy should have been chaotic like the wind it came from. But it wasn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t say why, but it just felt¡­ right. Peaceful. Like a summer breeze rather than the churning whirlwind that she was attempting to embody.

    A wiser woman than she would have wondered as to why. Such a woman would have sought enlightenment and understanding. They would have researched the strange magic¡­ but that woman was not Alexandra.

    She didn¡¯t care about understanding how magic worked. It was a tool. Some people ¡ª ones like Todd ¡ª loved researching and understanding it. That was their path, but it wasn¡¯t hers.

    I want to be strong. I want to be free. That¡¯s it. I want nothing more from life.

    Alexandra¡¯s movements slammed to a halt as a sharp pain drove into the center of her chest. She staggered, nearly tripping over her own feet as she drew in a surprised breath and clutched at her heart. It felt like someone had driven a dagger straight into it.

    Her lone remaining rune shuddered within her. Something was wrong with it. The power within the rune was weak. Far too weak.

    What¡¯s going on?

    She staggered again as another spike of pain drove through her soul. Bands of agony wrapped around her throat and burned along every one of her veins. Alexandra dropped to her knees, burying her sword in the ground before her.

    The grass at her feet was dead. So was the force of the wind that had been singing in her ears. Every trace of the breeze was gone. It was like the world had gone still.

    Something is wrong. Really wrong.

    Alexandra plunged into her Mindspace.

    Did I mess up my pattern? That can¡¯t be possible. I was perfectly in tune with it. I¡¯ve never felt more in tune with it than I did today! What happened?

    Alexandra¡¯s eyes snapped open within her Mindspace ¡ª and they instantly went wide. Her one remaining Fire Rune was completely drained. Not of its current energy, but its total capacity. Power had been siphoned out of it until nothing remained but the original, freshly formed and nearly unfilled rune remained.

    Hairline cracks ran throughout her mindspace. Something had left massive scars across her soul. Alexandra¡¯s face paled. If Noah couldn¡¯t repair such things, damage like this would have spelt the end for her career.

    ¡°What?¡± Alexandra breathed.

    She turned to face the rest of her Mindspace to see how extensive the damage was ¡ª and then she froze. Shock turned to pure disbelief as she stared down into the floor in the very center of her Mindspace.

    As she stared at the impossibly complex rune emblazed into the ground, one with her very soul itself.

    Fragment of Self.

 Chapter 647: The True Pattern

    Alexandra¡¯s blood pounded in her skull like a war drum as she stared at the new rune in her soul. A rune she hadn¡¯t even tried to make. She blinked, staring in stunned silence for a moment.

    Runes didn¡¯t just pop into existence. That wasn¡¯t how they worked. Well ¡ª they supposedly could, but that theoretically happened in nature, not right inside somebody¡¯s soul. There was no way for a human to form a rune without combining seven others.

    But her disbelieving thoughts had no ears to fall on. The Fragment of Self shimmered before her, embedded deep into her soul as if it had always been there. She could feel it within herself. Power she¡¯d never felt before radiated throughout her soul.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Alexandra whispered, taking a step toward the rune and dropping to her knees before it to let a hand rest upon its surface. Energy prickled against her fingers like blades of grass.

    Noah¡­ he mentioned something about a Fragment of Self. That it would be the way I could replace my missing Body Runes. But I needed a way to make it! That was the whole problem. So how did this just show up?

    And no matter how hard she dug through her mind, Alexandra didn¡¯t have the answer to that question. The rune had seemingly just popped into existence out of nowhere. Its complicated pattern wormed so deeply into her soul that it was hard for her to believe that it hadn¡¯t always been a part of it.

    But it hadn¡¯t. The throbbing pain assaulting her head from the severe damage her mindspace had taken in the formation of the Fragment of Self made that clear enough. Something had happened to cause it to form.

    Alexandra bit her lower lip so hard she tasted iron. She¡¯d never fancied herself someone who truly cared about how runes functioned¡­ but Noah was going to want an answer for this. It was something he needed for every student.

    ¡°He¡¯s helped me so much already. I can¡¯t just tell him, ¡®oh, I don¡¯t know. The rune just popped up.¡¯ The others need a way to form this as well,¡± Alexandra said to herself through gritted teeth. ¡°I have to figure out how it appeared. What happened? Why are you here?¡±

    The rune didn¡¯t respond to her. Alexandra was on her own. The longer she waited to find the answer, the less she¡¯d have to work with. She hadn¡¯t exactly been trying to memorize what she¡¯d been doing when the rune had formed. Her recollection of what had happened was already fading in the headache caused by the soul damage.

    If I can¡¯t figure out what happened now, I might not get a chance to at all. Then what would I tell everyone else? Sorry guys, I managed to make a Fragment of Self, which everyone here also needs to do, but I couldn¡¯t fucking figure out how I did it?

    Alexandra clenched her teeth. She refused to let that be a possibility. Magic didn¡¯t work like that. Noah had said it himself. Everything was a pattern. Just because she didn¡¯t see what it was didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t exist.

    There was no random happenstance. The Fragment of Self had formed because of something she¡¯d done.

    Noah said that creating a rune needs three things. Intent, an inciting event, and energy. So all three of those things must have somehow been present. If I figure out what they were, then I¡¯ve figured out how the rune popped up.

    What was I thinking right before I felt something was wrong with my rune?

    ¡°Patterns,¡± Alexandra muttered, her fingers digging into her clothes as she pushed through the pain and dug through her memories. ¡°I think I felt more in-tune with my pattern than normal. Everything was going fine ¡ª and then my rune suddenly felt weak.¡±

    And the grass around me died. That has to be really important. Why would it be dead? Nothing about my pattern involves draining the life from things. So what happened to it?

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    Alexandra stared at the rune as if the answers lurked within it. Nothing arose. The Fragment of Self just lay in wait at the center of her damaged soul. Its power waited to be called upon, but Alexandra didn¡¯t dare reach out to it yet.

    Was it the Inciting energy that somehow killed the grass? No. that just doesn¡¯t fit my pattern at all. It wouldn¡¯t make sense. It couldn¡¯t be the intent either. That just leaves¡­

    Wait. Could my rune have somehow drawn energy from the area around me to such a point that it killed the grass at my feet? That could be it. Does that mean I somehow took energy from the environment around me? But why would that happen? That shouldn¡¯t even be possible! You can¡¯t draw power from things just because you want to.

    It just didn¡¯t make sense. The world existed in patterns. Those had to be followed in all things. If they were broken, then it meant her understanding of those patterns was wrong. And from everything she knew about runes, there was absolutely no way for them to just decide to yank energy out of the environment instead of other runes.

    Then¡­ the inciting event or my intent was the cause, rather than energy itself? But it couldn¡¯t be the inciting event either. The event is the cause, not the effect. So that means the only option left is my intent.

    ¡°And that doesn¡¯t make sense either,¡± Alexandra said through a pained frown. ¡°My intent would imply that the purpose of my pattern was somehow the cause of killing the grass. But my pattern is the wind.¡±

    As soon as the words left Alexandra¡¯s lips, a deep sense of wrongness wound around her chest like a constricting snake.

    She was wrong. That wasn¡¯t her pattern.

    Alexandra didn¡¯t know how the thoughts had arrived in her head. They had come from somewhere far deeper within her mind than any waking thought, but they rung so true that there was absolutely no denying them.

    Wind¡­ isn¡¯t my pattern? Then what in the Damned Plains is? That¡¯s everything I¡¯ve been practicing for the past few weeks.

    But it wasn¡¯t. Wind had never been the point. It had just been the medium.

    The flow of thoughts arising within her mind turned from a bubbling stream to a rushing torrent. Alexandra couldn¡¯t tell why or how they were showing up, but the thoughts were coming so fast now that she couldn¡¯t have even tried to stop them if she¡¯d wanted to.

    A shimmer of energy behind the Fragment of Self buried within her soul¡¯s floor. It seemed to reinforce the words ringing through her head.

    Numbly, Alexandra staggered back to her feet. Her skull pounded with a worsening headache. At this point, she couldn¡¯t even tell if it was from the soul damage or the fragmented words taking form on their own in her mind.

    But from the pain and confusion, one more thought took form. A final thought that came from the very center of her being. Something that every single part of her new to be true as soon as it made itself known.

    The wind was just the medium I chose for that pattern. I chose it subconsciously because it felt like it fit my fighting style¡­ but my true pattern is far more than that.

    Alexandra¡¯s soul shuddered around her. The Fragment of Self burning within its center lit even brighter. Its power worked deep into her body, worming into every vein. But perhaps power was the wrong word. It wasn¡¯t the strength of a normal rune so much as awareness.

    She could feel every part of her in a way that she never could have before. From her hair to her fingernails, everything suddenly felt like it had become hers for the first time that she could remember.

    My understanding of patterns was flawed. It¡¯s not about the wind that I infused my blade with. It isn¡¯t about the avalanche that Isabel pictures herself becoming. That¡¯s just the way our true pattern manifests itself. In something we can understand.

    My pattern was never just the wind.

    And just like that, Alexandra knew what had killed the grass at her feet ¡ª and she knew how she¡¯d formed the Fragment of Self.

    The energy came from my own soul. That¡¯s why I took such severe soul damage and my Rank 3 Rune was drained to almost nothing.

    The intent was always there. For years, I¡¯ve always desired one thing over everything else. I¡¯ve wanted it so much that it¡¯s practically ingrained into my soul, so it¡¯s no wonder that my Fragment of Self could have used it¡­ which leaves only the inciting event.

    And that event was completing my pattern. My desires reached a point when they moved into a magical pattern. They took energy from my soul and used my intent to create a new rune.

    As for the dead grass ¡ª it wasn¡¯t the cause of anything. It was the effect of my completed, true pattern. A pattern that draws power from my surroundings because it doesn¡¯t recognize a difference between the world¡¯s power and my power.

    Alexandra drew in a sharp breath ¡ª and her eyes snapped open outside of her Mindspace, where she knelt on the dirt ground of her training area.

    My pattern is freedom. Freedom, no matter what the cost.

 Chapter 648: Show

    Noah stood alone in the Scorched Acres. He held his violin in one hand and its bow in the other, but his arms hung at his sides, their music temporarily silenced, as he stared up into the distant clouds as they trailed past beyond the twisting branches of the burnt tree above him.

    He¡¯d had Tim send him to the Scorched Acres shortly after class had ended. As much as he wanted to spend the time with Moxie and the others, he couldn¡¯t afford the luxury. That was the cost of playing a hand at the games he¡¯d started.

    Between the nobles, the Inquisitors, and everyone after Isabel¡¯s Master rune, not to mention all the demons he had shacked up in Tim¡¯s tower¡­ there was too much at stake. He¡¯d sold the world a promise that Spider was some monstrous entity that could not be challenged.

    And, inevitably, someone would call his bluff.

    He had to make sure it wasn¡¯t a bluff when that day came. Noah had grown stronger in the Damned Plains. A lot stronger ¡ª but not strong enough. That always did seem to be the case, but that was probably because he¡¯d been punching above his weight ever since the day he¡¯d set foot in the Scorched Acres.

    I have to take the power that already rests at my grasp. I¡¯ve made some good steps in getting control over my Rank 5 Rune, but it isn¡¯t something that can be mastered and perfected immediately. The only way true understanding of runes can be gained is through experience.

    But Unstable Pandemonium isn¡¯t the only power I have at my disposal. I¡¯ve left Formations aside for too long. I¡¯ve let music aside for too long. Alexandra set off too fast for me to ask her what the hell was up with her pattern, but that¡¯s fine. I can ask next class. What matters is that there¡¯s so much more to patterns than I¡¯ve let myself access.

    That ends today.

    ¡°What is music?¡± Noah asked the clouds above him.

    A shadow passed over his him as a cloud slipped in front of the sun and blocked it out. The corner of Noah¡¯s lips pulled up in a thin smile, but he still made no move to bring the bow of his violin to its strings.

    ¡°What is a pattern to me? What is music to me?¡± Noah¡¯s words drifted through the empty air, swallowed by the Scorched Acres. He wasn¡¯t going to get a response, but he wasn¡¯t expecting one. The only way to truly master a pattern was to completely and utterly understand it. There was no point trying to practice anything before he was completely confident he understood himself inside and out¡­ and that was a whole lot harder than it sounded. ¡°Is music a means to an end? A purpose that I clung to from a past life, or a meaning for my present one? Or perhaps simply a convenient weapon?¡±

    Noah loved music. He knew that much. But loving something was painfully easy. It was possibly the easiest thing a human could do. Love was ingrained so deeply into humanity that a man could take one look at something and decide to pursue it for the rest of his life ¡ª a woman, a passion, a goal: all the same.

    Love was easy. But to love with a purpose, to continue on when just love wasn¡¯t enough¡­ that was hard.

    A part of Noah wondered why he was even going through this line of thought. He¡¯d dedicated his whole life back on Earth to learning music, and that had hardly been a cakewalk. If he was honest with himself, it had been a shitshow.

    Most of his memories weren¡¯t truly worth remembering. Hours and hours of practice. Suffering when everyone told him that his chosen field was worthless. That he should have gone with something more stable. Something where he could really change the world and make money. Music could just be a hobby on the side. Teaching music never got anyone everywhere.

    He¡¯d heard a thousand variations of the same shit.

    And he¡¯d pressed on anyway. It would have been lying to say it had been great. If he was completely honest with himself, there were far more bad moments in that life than there had been good ones.

    But when he looked back on it all ¡ª and he¡¯d had more than enough time to do that ¡ª Noah found that there wasn¡¯t a single thing that he would have changed.

    ¡°Okay, I might have passed on the whole bullshit getting sick and dying bit,¡± Noah admitted to the tree before him. ¡°If I had to die, I think I¡¯d have preferred an anvil from a 10<sup>th</sup> story building or a truck. But aside from that¡­¡±

    Sure, he¡¯d have preferred if he¡¯d somehow magically been a rockstar and had so much money that he could dive into pools of 100 dollar bills, but when it came to the choices he¡¯d made with the hand he¡¯d been dealt, aside from punching a few choice assholes in the face, there was shit all he¡¯d have done differently.

    He didn¡¯t love music because it had been a path to power. It had never been something he¡¯d pursued because it would get him something. Noah had followed music because he wanted to. That was it. The full extent of his choices boiled down to the simple fact that he¡¯d loved music, despite all the challenges that chasing after it had caused.

    But now things were set up to be different. It wasn¡¯t just something to study because it was a way to express oneself. Music wasn¡¯t something for entertainment or relaxation. Here, it was a weapon.

    I¡¯m pretty sure that, if you asked any Formation Master that uses music why they pursued music, the answer would always be the same. They learned it because it was a method to control the Formations.

    They didn¡¯t study music for its own sake. It was the paving stones on the path for them. But that isn¡¯t going to work for me.

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    Music isn¡¯t the path. I¡¯ll never be able to look at it like some tool that I can use to harness something else. Music is music. The fact that it just happens to align with patterns and magic is nice, but it was never the reason I followed it.

    Noah blew out a long sigh.

    In a way, that was why he¡¯d never truly pursued making a true pattern with his music. When he made a formation, it was just playing a song. Sure, there were restrictions and methods that he had to follow, but life was never fun unless there was a bit of a challenge to it. Music was the same.

    But this was different. Forming music into a pattern almost felt like he was trying to intentionally use it like a weapon. And he¡¯d just never thought of it like that. Music was music. For that reason, he¡¯d never truly tried pushing the limits and seeing what it was capable of.

    Noah stood in silence for several long seconds. He watched the clouds as they continued their ponderous path through the sky above him, crossing behind the crooked branches of the trees.

    Maybe there was a part of him that felt turning music to a straight up weapon was wrong. It was a thing meant to be enjoyed. The idea of trying to go against that felt like it was going against everything he¡¯d lived for.

    Is this what I have to do? Changing my understanding of music to turn it into the weapon that everyone on this world believes it to be? I could do that. I¡¯m more than aware I could. The only thing I truly had to occupy my mind for the years of the Line that didn¡¯t blur together was music. I know for a fact that I could form it into just about any pattern I wanted to make. If I wanted it to be the blade of a sword¡­ then it would be.

    The clouds above him continued on their path through the sky. Rays of sunlight, faint at first, broke through the temporary barrier and scrawled across the Scorched Acres until it was fully illuminated once more.

    Slowly, a faint smile pulled across Noah¡¯s lips.

    Nah. Fuck that.

    ¡°I¡¯m not changing,¡± Noah said. ¡°The world is wrong. Music is what it damn wants to be ¡ª and so is the pattern I make of it. It doesn¡¯t have to be a weapon if I don¡¯t want it to be.¡±

    The back of Noah¡¯s mind prickled as something pressed against his domain. Three people ¡ª all approaching with drawn weapons. They seemed to be roughly around Rank 5 in strength. Noah¡¯s head tilted to the side and he turned in their direction just as they emerged from the scorched trees.

    A trio of men approached him, clad in black clothes. They each wore shields on their chests and masks covered the lower halves of their faces. Noah¡¯s gaze flicked to their sides, where each of them carried a heavy rosary. The bone beads clacked against each other faintly with every step.

    Inquisitors. Interesting. Not their normal garb. Possibly not with the group that I¡¯ve dealt with before.

    ¡°That¡¯s a nice revelation,¡± the man at the lead of the group said. ¡°I hope you¡¯re feeling in a talkative mood, Professor Vermil. We¡¯ve got a few questions for you about Spider.¡±

    ¡°Generally, you don¡¯t approach someone with questions when you¡¯re carrying a sword,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°That depends on the line of questioning,¡± the man replied. ¡°Kneel. Hands behind your back ¡ª and no sudden movements unless you want to get run through.¡±

    Noah let out a soft laugh, then shook his head. ¡°This is fine, actually.¡±

    The lead Inquisitor¡¯s visible features crinkled in confusion. ¡°What?¡±

    Noah set his violin against his chin and let the bow rest against its strings. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You just have very good timing. After all, you can¡¯t really have a performance without an audience, can you?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s using a Formation!¡± one of the Inquisitors yelled, thrusting his hand forward. Shadows exploded from the ground around him and carved toward Noah like a hail of black blades.

    Noah¡¯s bow sliced down across his violin¡¯s strings in an impossibly fast movement made possible only by the enhanced powers of his Fragment of Self. Bright, upbeat notes sang out through the air ¡ª and the shadows melted away, turning into gentle black mist that coiled to gather at Noah¡¯s feet. The power lingered within the mist, but its direction was gone. It was nothing but raw energy.

    The smile on Noah¡¯s lips widened. His hand moved even faster, practically a blur as the notes of a song wrapped through the air like a constricting python.

    The Inquisitor took a step back. ¡°My magic! What manner of demonic technique is this?¡±

    ¡°Now, gentlemen,¡± Noah said, his gaze turning sharper as his bow continued to dance across the strings of his violin. ¡°When attending a performance, you do not speak. You listen. But don¡¯t worry. I had a similar issue when I was a kid. I snuck a squeaky duck into an orchestra performance. Thought it would be funny. You should have seen the look on the conductor¡¯s face when, right in the middle of a rest, I went to town with that thing.¡±

    ¡°What in the Damned Plains are you on about?¡± the lead Inquisitor demanded. ¡°Lower the weapon, now. You¡¯re not getting another chance.¡±

    ¡°My parents took my duck away, of course. They made me stay after the performance was done to apologize to him. I was ready to get yelled at for an hour,¡± Noah said, ignoring the man entirely. ¡°But do you know what he did with that squeaky duck? He played a song on it. Squeaked it to a tune. About as good of one as you can get from a shitty duck. Then he gave it back to me and said I had some practice to do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± the lead Inquisitor growled. He slashed a hidden blade across his palm. Blood welled against it and he thrust his hand forward, sending a spike of blood streaking through the air for Noah¡¯s neck.

    The magic pierced through his domain ¡ª and then evaporated into motes of mist that joined the remains of the shadowy mist swirling at Noah¡¯s feet as raw energy. The man¡¯s face paled a shade.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Noah said, his violin pausing for a moment as he came to a rest in the song. ¡°For the duck.¡±

    The lingering power from the Inquisitor¡¯s magic, held in place by his music, evaporated. It was swallowed whole, consumed by the pattern filling every part of Noah¡¯s body. For everything Noah loved about music, there was one thing he hadn¡¯t acknowledged in a long time.

    For him, playing music for its own sake was not enough. Music was the feeling it evoked in those who listened to it. What he loved wasn¡¯t music alone. It was every single part that went into a true song.

    My pattern isn¡¯t just music.

    ¡°The fuck are you on about?¡± Blood swirled around the lead Inquisitor¡¯s palm, forming into a twisting vortex. ¡°You¡¯re out of chances. Take the demon-worshipper down.¡±

    The grimoire on his back shuddered. Its pages fluttered and a presence prickled against his domain as Noah felt the monster within its pages manifest itself ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t about to stop now. If he could have seen his own eyes, then he would have known they shone as brightly as a star in a clear, moonlit night.

    A single new note joined Noah¡¯s song ¡ª but it didn¡¯t come from the violin. It was the angelic strumming chord of a harp.

    ¡°Shit!¡± An Inquisitor hissed. ¡°What the fuck is that?¡±

    ¡°The Herald has awakened,¡± the abomination whispered, delight dripping from its words.

    ¡°Settle down, please,¡± Noah was caught within the pattern thrumming within him like a second heart to address the arrival of the monster. His lips pulled apart into a full-toothed grin. ¡°The show is starting.¡±

 Chapter 649: Inspiration

    ¡°That sound didn¡¯t come from his instrument,¡± one of the Inquisitors said as the three of them grouped up, their eyes darting around nervously. The three of them gathered magic around them. They were smart enough not to send it at Noah and end up feeding his intensifying song.

    ¡°Where in the Damned Plains did it come from, then?¡± the lead Inquisitor snapped. Blood twisted into a blade in his hands and he raised it before him. ¡°How do you know it didn¡¯t come from the instrument? Are you an expert on Formation tools?¡±

    ¡°It is a violin,¡± Noah said, his eyes narrowing. His fingers didn¡¯t stop playing for so much as a moment. He built the song around him, layering its magical notes over each other like he were building a house that could be only heard and not seen. ¡°Formation tools. Bah. I take offense to that. A lot of it.¡±

    ¡°If it didn¡¯t come from the damn tool, then where did it come from?¡± the third Inquisitor demanded. ¡°Are you saying we all hallucinated it?¡±

    ¡°Answer the question, demon-worshipper,¡± the first man said. He was doing his absolute best to sound like he had even the slightest amount of control over the situation left to him.

    ¡°There are a lot of brilliant ways to experience something for the first time,¡± Noah said, only speaking with the edges of his consciousnesses. The rest of his mind was completely focused on the song unfurling like a flower around him. ¡°I¡¯m partial to when things all go to plan¡­ but I enjoy learning alongside my audience just as much. There¡¯s something about new discoveries that just feels different.¡±

    And if I¡¯m totally honest, I don¡¯t fully understand what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯m just copying what Alexandra did. Seeing her use her pattern like that¡­ I really need to pull her aside and speak to figure out what she¡¯s actually learned. There might have been some instinct in there, but I can tell she was actually in control of it. Alexandra isn¡¯t just doing something without any thought behind it. Her understanding of patterns is actually far greater than mine right now¡­ but these idiots wouldn¡¯t even be able to tell the difference between my cheap copy and her abilities.

    ¡°What are you on about?¡± The Inquisitors were stuck in an awkward position. They couldn¡¯t just turn and run off ¡ª that wasn¡¯t their paradigm. But not a single one of their attacks had even gotten close to Noah, much less managed to actually injure him.

    They¡¯d been expecting to find a weak mage reliant on his demon contracts to protect him. A part of Noah wondered what they would have thought if they knew they stood across, not just from Professor Vermil, but from the very one they thought Vermil had contracted.

    ¡°That was a fun way for me to say I haven¡¯t the slightest idea,¡± Noah said with a delighted laugh. "Isn''t that wonderful? See, I realized something. The world is a pattern in itself. Music, magic, the way we all act, everything. Everyone is so focused on ripping that pattern apart to figure out how things work that nobody actually just stops. Stops to marvel at the wonder that all of this really is. It¡¯s beautiful.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s lost it,¡± one of the Inquisitors muttered. ¡°The fool has gone insane. Demonic energy must have reduced his mind to mush.¡±

    Noah blew out a disappointed sigh, his hands still playing the complicated song flooding the Scorched Acres. ¡°I suppose you wouldn¡¯t be the lot that would pick up on this too quickly. Inquisitors haven¡¯t been too good at being open-minded, have they? I wish you¡¯d sent Fuyin. At least she isn¡¯t a complete dunce ¡ª but then again, I suppose this makes things easier for me.¡±

    ¡°If we attack at once, we can break through his defenses,¡± the lead inquisitor hissed, gathering more and more blood in his sword. The weapon glistened with concentrated magical energy, its core practically humming with unrestrained power.

    ¡°You know, trying to attack things you don¡¯t understand is half the reason you¡¯re all going to end up dead,¡± Noah said. ¡°One chance. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll give you. It¡¯s certainly more than you¡¯d give me. Release your magic and step back.¡±

    ¡°We will not bargain with a demon!¡±

    ¡°Upgraded me to demon, did you?¡± Noah tilted his head to the side. Then he shrugged. ¡°So be it. I suppose I¡¯d prefer if this didn¡¯t get out anyway. You¡¯ve made things easier for me, but don¡¯t let it be said that I didn¡¯t try.¡±

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    The air crackled. Unstable Pandemonium shuddered within him ¡ª but not a single drop of power left the rune. Instead, power from the magic that the Inquisitors had thrown at Noah surged back into existence, accompanied by the bright chord of a harp ringing through the air.

    A brilliant crack split through Scorched Acres as a bolt of red lightning bloomed from the air to Noah¡¯s side, splitting it with a brilliant flash and streaking toward one of the Inquisitors.

    His Shield flashed to life in a brilliant golden orb around him. A smug expression crossed the man¡¯s lips as the red light faded from the air and his shield remained shimmering in the air around him.

    ¡°Your magic might be powerful, but we came prepared,¡± he said.

    Noah tilted his head to the side. His eyes flicked down to the Inquisitor¡¯s chest. The man followed his gaze. His smug expression faltered as he involuntarily took a staggering step back.

    A warped hole flickered in the very center of his chest. His body had warped around where the magic had connected with him, twisting like melted sugar. The spot where his heart had been was nothing but a clean hole that continued through to reveal the glow of the Shield behind him.

    The Shield sputtered. Then it went out, having nothing left to protect. It hadn¡¯t so much as been touched by Noah¡¯s magic. The Inquisitor swayed, then pitched forward. He was dead before he hit the ground.

    The other two stared at Noah in horror.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± the lead Inquisitor rasped, fear finally taking root behind his eyes. ¡°Shields cannot be bypassed by magic so easily. How could you¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you have any idea how many times I¡¯ve heard the word impossible and how many times the person who said that was wrong?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Because, let me tell you, it¡¯s pretty damn often. This is the problem! Rules, rules, rules. Rules are good ¡ª but you don¡¯t fucking understand the rules at all. You made them up, and then you get pissy when your imaginary laws don¡¯t work. You want to know why his shield didn¡¯t do anything? It¡¯s because that was his magic that killed him. Shields don¡¯t block your own abilities.¡±

    Horror washed over the features of the remaining Inquisitors, but the lead refused to back down. The man was clearly trying to buy time while he thought of a way to kill Noah by keeping him talking. ¡°You imply that you stole the magic we used? That cannot be done. Runes don¡¯t work that way. And we used blood and shadow, not that accursed lightning.¡±

    ¡°The sad thing is I would have agreed with you just a short while ago,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head ¡ª but he was running low on time. His song was nearing its end, and he was never one to drag a finished performance out too long. ¡°But really. We already know energy can transfer between runes. As far as connecting the dots goes, this can¡¯t be that difficult. You people sling the word impossible and its synonyms around so much that I¡¯m starting to wonder if you¡¯ve ever actually had an original thought. Does the Inquisition frown on that?¡±

    ¡°Do not attempt to goad us,¡± the lead Inquisitor growled. He lifted his hands, holding his blood sword between himself and Noah as if it was going to do anything. ¡°We will not fall to your trickery, demon.¡±

    Couldn¡¯t I have gotten one of the inquisitors that isn¡¯t a complete moron? I know they exist. Fuyin seemed fairly intelligent. Then again, I¡¯d probably feel a whole lot worse about killing them if they weren¡¯t like this. Once again, I have to thank them. They¡¯ve made things easy for me.

    ¡°I see,¡± Noah said, the vibrations of his violin running through his collarbone as he continued to play. It was a bit disappointing. He quite liked this song, and it seemed his efforts were wasted on the current audience. But that was just life. Noah¡¯s gaze lifted from the instrument to focus on the two inquisitors before him. ¡°Well then. I¡¯d say that it¡¯s been a pleasure, but you really didn¡¯t contribute. You were an audience. Not a good one, but an audience.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act as if you¡¯ve already won. We still have our domains to protect our magic,¡± the lead Inquisitor snarled. He and his companion both burst into motion as one, charging right at Noah with righteous roars.

    They were actually quite fast. Noah suspected that was probably because they were meant to be able to deal with demons, who could move at speeds typically completely incomprehensible to humans.

    But compared to a normal demon, they weren¡¯t really all that impressive. And compared to Noah¡¯s Fragment of Self-empowered mind¡­ they weren¡¯t really all that fast at all.

    His fingers danced across the strings of his violin as the final notes of his song sang out. A single, thrumming note of a harp breathed through the air of the Scorched Acres like a dying whisper.

    The blood sword in the Inquisitor¡¯s hands disintegrated. Disbelief washed over his features and his shield flashed to life preemptively.

    It did nothing to stop the bolt of red lightning that bloomed from the space to their side from ripping through the pair of Inquisitors like they were nothing but paper. Their domains hadn¡¯t been anywhere near strong enough to keep Noah¡¯s power from piercing through them.  They crumpled.

    The forest fell silent.

    Noah let his bow lower from his violin. He looked down at the corpses littering the ground around him, but his attention was barely there. It was focused on his pattern ¡ª one that had converted someone else¡¯s magical power into energy for Unstable Pandemonium to use.

    Well¡­ holy shit. I owe Alexandra some thanks. She gave me some great ideas¡­ and I think I might have found something big. Really big.

 Chapter 650: Not going to stop

    Noah used the elements of Natural Disaster that remained within Unstable Pandemonium to pull the earth apart, creating deep crevices that he kicked the bodies of the dead inquisitors into. He kicked all the bloodied dirt from the fight into the pits before slamming them shut once more.

    With any luck, that¡¯ll make sure no more annoying Inquisitors show up looking for me. I¡¯m really not trying to spend half of my waking hours dealing with these idiots. Why couldn¡¯t more of them be like Fuyin?

    Noah didn¡¯t have any delusions that this would keep them off his tail forever. With the amount of attention he¡¯d pulled in his direction with the whole Spider ruse, he had no doubt that the Inquisitors would be knocking at his door again soon. Maybe it would be for this, or maybe something else entirely.

    It didn¡¯t matter. He didn¡¯t need to keep them off his back forever. It just had to be long enough for him to finish preparing his students and deal with the Nobles trying to steal Isabel¡¯s Master Rune.

    Once the majority of the evidence from the fight was gone, Noah leaned back against the trunk of a burnt tree and pursed his lips. He¡¯d learned a whole lot more about patterns than he¡¯d been expecting to today ¡ª and it was almost entirely because of Alexandra.

    Even though she hadn¡¯t had a chance to tell him exactly what she¡¯d been doing, just being able to watch her absolutely incredible progress with Patterns had been like flicking a light switch on within his own mind.

    The pages of the grimoire on his back fluttered. A shadow passed over him as something large arose behind him. Noah didn¡¯t need to turn around to see what it was. He already knew.

    ¡°The Body Rune girl is something of a prodigy, is she not?¡± the abomination that lived within Noah¡¯s grimoire asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said after a moment of thought. ¡°Not particularly.¡±

    The abomination let out a raspy laugh. ¡°That is some ego, Herald. She¡¯s figured out more about patterns than you have. Everything you just accomplished was built off stolen understanding. It is like the difference between a researcher and a man who simply read the research.¡±

    Noah smiled. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s incredible. Don¡¯t get me wrong. But a prodigy would imply that it was some natural skill that gave Alexandra aid in her work. That wasn¡¯t the case. It was all sheer work and perseverance. She¡¯s been fighting to master patterns this whole time. Calling her a prodigy would be a disservice.¡±

    The abomination hesitated for a moment. Then it laughed again. ¡°A fair point. She is an interesting one. It will be curious to see if she is able to catch up with the other students. They have quite the lead on her now that her runes were cut apart.¡±

    ¡°It was necessary,¡± Noah said. ¡°And I have complete faith that she¡¯ll figure something out. Out of all my students, I don¡¯t know if anyone else has the same self-motivation. Isabel and Todd both have goals they¡¯re working toward, but Alexandra is¡­ hounded, for lack of a better word. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s going to relent until she¡¯s broken free of her past.¡±

    ¡°A motivated warrior.¡±

    ¡°Student,¡± Noah corrected. His eyes narrowed. ¡°My students are not warriors. They can fight, but that does not make them warriors. Their only job is to learn and survive.¡±

    ¡°Such is the role of a warrior.¡±

    ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t like the idea of you treating my students like they¡¯re weapons. Especially when I still don¡¯t know what the hell it is that you want.¡±

    ¡°Runes,¡± the abomination said. ¡°Power. I have made that abundantly clear.¡±

    ¡°I got that part,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°But I¡¯m also not dumb enough to believe that your goals are so simple-minded that they end purely with power. You want that strength for a reason.¡±

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    ¡°Power is a reward in its own. It is freedom. Control.¡±

    ¡°Right. And that¡¯s why you keep calling me the Herald. I don¡¯t recall earning that title.¡± Noah arched an eyebrow and finally turned around to face the abomination. ¡°Or are you going to tell me that you just call all of your friends Herald?¡±

    ¡°No. You are the Herald.¡±

    ¡°The hell does that even mean?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to find that out for a while, but there¡¯s never been a good time. Is it some weird ass prophecy shit?¡±

    The abomination started to laugh again. It was certainly in a jolly mood today ¡ª and now that Noah thought about it, he hadn¡¯t gotten any energy from killing any of the Inquisitors. His eyes narrowed even further.

    It stole the energy from their runes. Little bastard.

    ¡°There are no prophecies. There is no future set in stone. You can ask your Moonlight Demon that,¡± the abomination said through its laughter. ¡°There are only probabilities and chances. Potentials for futures that may or may not come to pass. Guarantees cannot exist. They go against the laws of this universe.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you call me the Herald?¡±

    ¡°Because it is what you are.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think you just like being cryptic.¡±

    ¡°There is a certain amount of joy to be gleaned from your frustration. More than I care to admit verbally. Doing so would feel debasing. The incompetence of mortal minds may be the closest thing to a universal constant in existence. A herald is one who brings change, Vines.¡±

    ¡°I know the bloody definition of a herald,¡± Noah snapped. ¡°The problem here is you are definitely capitalizing the damn word when you call me it.¡±

    ¡°That would be how a proper noun functions.¡±

    ¡°You little ¡ª wait. Why do you know what that is?¡±

    ¡°Much of me comes from you,¡± the abomination said with a rippling shrug that passed through its entire gangly body. Then its words changed. It took Noah a second to realize what it was. The abomination was speaking English. Not the translated language that he¡¯d inherently learned from the scraps of Vermil¡¯s soul, but actual English. ¡°My understanding of language is included in that. Runes contain more than just power, Vermil. They contain impressions.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that is creepy. Are you telling me you¡¯ve gotten¡­ what, pieces of memories from every rune you¡¯ve eaten?¡±

    The abomination¡¯s ghastly mouth split apart into a wide smile. ¡°Are you really so surprised to learn that the patterns that make runes contain more than just pure energy?¡±

    ¡°At this point, I don¡¯t think anything would surprise me,¡± Noah said, pursing his lips in displeasure. It was pretty clear that the abomination had absolutely no plans of giving him any information about whatever Herald meant. For whatever reason, it was keeping it to itself.

    I also can¡¯t keep thinking of this thing as an abomination. That might be what it is, but it takes way too damn long to think, much less say.

    ¡°Grim,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Grim. Like grimoire, but just the first bit. That¡¯s what I¡¯m calling you from here on out. Can¡¯t be bothered going with something longer. Espeically when you¡¯re going to be a pain in the ass.¡±

    ¡°You are giving me a shorter name because I annoy you?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Noah said. ¡°I could be persuaded to add a few letters if you told me what it was you were on about, though.¡±

    ¡°Grim suits me fine.¡±

    Damn it.

    ¡°Figured,¡± Noah said through a sigh. He shook his head and turned away from Grim. The monstrosity was unsettling to look at, even for him. ¡°I¡¯ve already wasted too much time on this, then. I¡¯ve got what I came here to practice. I really need to get a chance to speak with Alexandra and get her full thoughts on Patterns. Maybe I could find a way to push this even further, not to mention teach all the other students to help them get up closer to Alexandra¡¯s level on their patterns."

    "All of your students? Including the demons?"

    "Yes. Why? They might be new to patterns, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be able to figure it out just as well as everyone else did.¡±

    Grim let out a thoughtful noise. At least, Noah suspected that was what it was. It could be a bit hard to tell when dealing with horrifying corpse-creatures.

    ¡°We will see. I am most curious to see if the Moonlight Demon will be able to achieve any true progress. Living controlled by your own runes for so long¡­ an interesting experiment.¡±

    Noah¡¯s lips thinned. He didn¡¯t like the implications of that. Grim didn¡¯t seem to feel too optimistic about Yoru¡¯s chances of progressing very far with patterns. Noah honestly wasn¡¯t sure how well she was taking the loss of her Master Rune. The demon was exceptionally good at hiding her thoughts.

    But in the end, it didn¡¯t matter. Noah wasn¡¯t about to let anyone fall behind.

    We¡¯ll see indeed. I¡¯m not going to stop until every single one of my students, no matter who they are, are all better at patterns than I am.

 Chapter 651: Fragments

    Noah¡¯s return to Arbitage came not long after his fight with the Inquisitors. The Transport Cannon called him back to Arbitage, depositing him beside Tim amidst a veritable sea of sleeping demons.

    Tim lifted a finger to his lips to signal for silence. He sent a glance around the room at all the sleeping demons, clearly wanting to make sure that they weren¡¯t accidentally woken up. Noah didn¡¯t blame him. He couldn¡¯t imagine demons were typically very quiet guests. The old man was probably more than grateful for a moment of silence.

    Noah exchanged a quiet nod with Tim before he made his way out of the tower, stepping carefully around the sleeping demons. He couldn¡¯t help but feel like there weren¡¯t as many of them as there should have been.

    None of them are stupid enough to get themselves caught. They understand the stakes, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯re just off getting food with Lee or something like that. I¡¯ll get worried if they aren¡¯t back by tomorrow. For now, I just need to speak with Moxie ¡ª and Alexandra.

    Though maybe Alexandra should come tomorrow. I really don¡¯t need to be re-igniting any of those old rumors about Vermil.

    He set a brisk pace for Moxie¡¯s room without any delay. Thoughts swirled through his mind in a turbulent whirlwind. Noah barely even cared about the Inquisitors that had tried to attack him.

    All he could think about was his pattern. He didn¡¯t even fully understand what it was yet, but it had been enough to somehow rip power from another mage¡¯s runes and feed it to his own. The implications of such an ability were astronomical.

    You¡¯d think I¡¯d have gotten used to the traditionally established rules about runes not being all that accurate by now, but somehow I¡¯m still surprised. But the more I think about it¡­ the more I feel like I shouldn¡¯t be.

    Energy is energy. The runes are just a pattern through which that energy expresses itself. So, logically, there¡¯s no reason for energy from one rune to not work with another. I¡¯ve even seen that work during combinations, when I break one rune apart and use its power to fill a different one.

    This is the same thing. Just a very different application of it.

    Noah arrived at the T building and swept through the doors. Ideas and questions bloomed and mixed in his mind like some strange witch¡¯s potion. Even if he could logically understand how the pattern had worked this particular time, he still didn¡¯t know what it truly was ¡ª and that wasn¡¯t even starting to address the full potential of what patterns could do.

    If they can mess with other people¡¯ s magic, then patterns are even more powerful than I originally thought. Alexandra is a genius. Mages can normally only control their own magic because the patterns are just¡­ there. Part of their souls. But if you take that magic and imprint it on the external world with a pattern, then so many of the rules that everyone thinks are absolute about patterns are going to become wrong.

    Noah had thought that discovering Flawless runes had been huge, but he was starting to think this might be even larger. It was practically a completely new application of magic¡­ and he was willing to bet that not a single person in Arbitage had the slightest clue about it.

    Formations were so restricted and feared that the only ones that practiced them followed rigid guidelines. That sort of approach would never let them reach the intuitive understanding that Alexandra had achieved. Even getting to the point that Noah had gotten to today would be impossible for them. From the information that Noah had gotten from the books on Formations, the few Formation Masters that did exist had the equivalent of a Swiss army multi-tool and were choosing to use the whole thing as a hammer.

    He arrived at Moxie¡¯s room, still trying to process everything that had happened today. Then he paused. There was faint noise coming from within the room. There were people talking within it ¡ª but he didn¡¯t recognize either of the voices as Lee¡¯s.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Who visits us other than Lee? It isn¡¯t Karina or Contessa either.

    Noah tested the doorknob. It was unlocked. He cracked the door open, his domain rolling out before he could get anything more than a brief glimpse of the crack. There were two people in the room.

    One was Moxie, which really wasn¡¯t a surprise. But the other voice¡­ it belonged to Alexandra.

    Is it a private conversation or something? I probably shouldn¡¯t butt in if it is¡­ but standing around at the door would probably be even worse. Oh well.

    He pushed the door fully open.

    Alexandra sat at the desk, her back hunched and head cradled in her hands. Her posture was stiff and lines of strain creased what little of her face that Noah could make out. It looked like she was in pain.

    Moxie stood beside her, a hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder. Her gaze shot to Noah as soon as he stepped into the room.

    ¡°Noah. Good. I was just about to go looking for you. Alexandra¡¯s in a bad state. You need to help, now.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Noah asked, striding over to them. ¡°Did someone attack you? Inquisitors?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Alexandra said through gritted teeth. ¡°Sorry. I know it¡¯s late. I gave myself soul damage. A lot of it. I was going to wait until tomorrow to ask you to fix it, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Explanations later,¡± Noah said sharply. He swung his grimoire off its spot on his shoulder and set it down with a thunk as he drew on Unstable Pandemonium¡¯s power. ¡°Relax as much as you can. I¡¯m going to use Mind magic to take a look at your soul.¡±

    Alexandra let out a grunt of understanding and said nothing more. Even if she¡¯d planned to, Noah wasn¡¯t going to wait for it. He recognized the look on her features. Alexandra was resilient. Pain like what that could only come from an immense amount of soul damage.

    What the hell happened to her? There¡¯s no way she should have been able to take that much damage unless she literally ripped her last Rank 3 Rune right out of her soul. She¡¯s not stupid enough to do that. Is this the result of an attack? Did somebody attack one of my students?

    Anger welled in Noah¡¯s chest, but he crushed it down. Emotions would do nothing right now. He sent his magic forward, letting it form a connection between his mind and Alexandra¡¯s. Moxie looped her arms around his shoulders a moment before Noah felt his body go limp.

    His soul leapt free from its fleshy prison and darkness swallowed his vision.

    ***

    Alexandra¡¯s soul bloomed around Noah in a swirl of gentle light. A cold wind rolled against his skin as his feet materialized on the top of the mountain that made up the base of her Mindspace.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Noah breathed.

    Enormous cracks split the sky, spilling empty white light out across the sky and over the mountain peak. They ran through the clouds and down into the base of the mountain like the web of a deranged spider.

    Alexandra¡¯s soul wasn¡¯t about to split apart, but it wasn¡¯t far from it either. This was some of the worst damage that Noah had seen in any soul other than his own. He didn¡¯t even wait to see where Alexandra was.

    He extended his senses toward the Fragment of Renewal instantly, drinking deeply from the rune¡¯s power. Rivers of gentle energy welled within him and his runes shuddered as they pressed back against the Fragment of Renewal¡¯s might.

    Pearlescent energy swirled at Noah¡¯s hands. He continued to drink from the rune, gathering as much of the healing magic as his body could handle before thrusting his hands forward.

    Streams of power poured out from his hands and twisted through the air. They poured into the cracks riddling Alexandra¡¯s Mindspace. Noah held the magic for as long as he could before the Master Rune finally pulled back and its flow of energy ground to a halt.

    He let his hands drop and swayed, a wave of dizziness washing over him for a moment before he managed to shake it off.

    The smallest of the cracks started to seal as Renewal¡¯s power worked through them, but the larger ones would take longer. If Noah hadn¡¯t been Rank 5, this might have required multiple applications of the Fragment of Renewal to fully fix.

    Now, he was fairly sure that the one application would be sufficient. From the rate the large cracks were healing at, he was pretty sure they¡¯d be closed up within the next few hours.

    Noah blew out a relieved breath. Alexandra wasn¡¯t going to die ¡ª but the question still remained.

    ¡°What the hell happened?¡± Noah asked, finally turning to search for Alexandra.

    She stood behind him, a hand pressed against her skull and a fading grimace on her lips. But her gaze wasn¡¯t directed at Noah. It was focused on a spot right in front of him.

    Noah turned back to see what she was looking at. And then he froze, his eyes widening in surprise.

    Imbued into the surface the mountain was a rune whose pattern worked throughout the stone surrounding it, delving so deep that it may as well have been one with her.

    Fragment of Alexandra

    She¡¯d managed to create a Fragment of Self ¡ª and without the use of Sunder.

 Chapter 652: Promoted

    Goosebumps raced across Noah¡¯s skin as he stared at the rune in the center of Alexandra¡¯s mountainous Mindspace. Even though his brain had processed what his eyes were seeing, it took him a moment to confirm he wasn¡¯t hallucinating.

    ¡°You did it,¡± Noah breathed, spinning back to stare at Alexandra. ¡°You managed to make a Fragment of Self?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alexandra said. And that was it. There was still pain evident in her voice, remnants from the still-closing wounds that littered the ground and sky around them.

    It would be at least a few minutes before that pain abated. Noah knew from experience. The extent of the damage that Alexandra had taken, even with help from the Fragment of Renewal, wasn¡¯t something that would let itself leave peacefully and without discomfort. Even a single word probably took quite a bit of effort for her to muster.

    ¡°How?¡± Noah asked. It probably would have been better for him to wait until the Fragment had done more to heal Alexandra, but his question spilled from his lips before he could stop it.

    He could barely believe what he was looking at. Making a Fragment of Self had been one of the biggest issues that he¡¯d ever had to deal with. The benefits it gave were beyond massive, but he just had no idea how to teach anyone about it.

    Noah didn¡¯t have the slightest idea as to how it could have been made without cheating the process with something like Sunder¡¯s passive. And so long as that had been the case, he couldn¡¯t help anyone make one themselves.

    ¡°It was by accident, if you¡¯d believe that,¡± Alexandra said through a weak laugh. She flopped back as stone rose up from the ground, rising to form a chair beneath her. ¡°I was just practicing my pattern.¡±

    ¡°Practicing your¡­¡± Noah trailed off. His eyes went wide. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. That was the inciting event? Your pattern?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Her voice was a little stronger now. ¡°Can¡¯t say I was expecting that¡­ but now the more that I think about it, the more it makes sense. Our pattern is more than just a fighting style. It¡¯s too deeply ingrained into us for that, you know? I think it¡¯s an actual representation of who we are¡­ or how we look at the world. One of those. Either way, it¡¯s us. So if you think about it that way, it makes a pretty fair amount of sense for finally understanding your pattern to be a viable inciting event for creating a Fragment of Self.¡±

    Noah was already nodding by the time Alexandra had finished speaking. Pieces were clicking into place with such speed that he felt like an idiot for not having managed to see any of it sooner ¡ª but that always tended to be how new discoveries worked. It was easy to draw the lines between the dots once someone had already done it for you.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Noah said, running a hand through his hair as he started to pace. ¡°What could be more related to creating a rune that truly represents you than getting to know yourself? Then you did master your pattern. I was pretty sure you were well ahead of where I was, but you actually figured it out?¡±

    Alexandra¡¯s cheeks reddened. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a little embarrassing, but I figured it out.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Noah asked. He was asking that question a lot today, but he couldn¡¯t help himself. This was far too exciting to just pretend it was a normal occurrence. ¡°You¡¯re doing what I didn¡¯t even think was possible until this morning. I don¡¯t think I need to tell you what your own pattern was up to, but you were pulling energy from the environment rather than yourself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s part of my pattern.¡± Alexandra hesitated for a moment before coughing into her fist. ¡°It¡¯s freedom, I guess. Not being restrained.¡±

    It was clear she was embarrassed by her pattern, but Noah barely even noticed. The magnitude of the information he was getting was just too significant. Alexandra¡¯s pattern was freedom ¡ª or, in another way of looking at it, it was literally to break the conventions of what should have worked.

    ¡°You¡¯re drawing power from the rest of the world rather than your own runes because your pattern is that you don¡¯t want to be constrained by rules?¡± Noah asked, his pacing grinding to a halt. ¡°How far can you push that? That might be the most powerful pattern I¡¯ve ever heard of.¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°How many patterns have you heard of?¡±

    Noah coughed into his fist. ¡°Fully completed ones? Yours. That¡¯s it. I suppose you may have gotten that title purely by default, but that isn¡¯t to demean it. Surely you see the ridiculous amount of importance this holds. There are always rules, of course, but the rules we thought were rules aren¡¯t actually rules at all. It¡¯s like magic is a grassy field outside a cabin. Everyone¡¯s been looking at it through a dirty window while you just pulled the door open and stepped outside.¡±

    ¡°Wait. You¡­ don¡¯t have a pattern yourself? Like mine?¡±

    ¡°I hate to admit it, but a lot of teaching is figuring shit out as you go,¡± Noah said sheepishly. He scratched the back of his head. ¡°I kind of skipped a few steps in my learning process. After watching your new pattern this morning, I¡¯ve started developing one of my own. Killed a few Inquisitors with it. Good stuff ¡ª but nowhere near what you¡¯ve managed. I want to hear all of it. This is groundbreaking.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª wait. You killed Inquisitors?¡±

    ¡°They tried to kill me first,¡± Noah said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He couldn¡¯t be bothered talking about idiots when there was a discovery of this magnitude sitting on the table before him like a plump Christmas turkey. ¡°Forget them. So you made your pattern¡­ then what? What caused this soul damage?¡±

    Alexandra stared at Noah for a second before blowing out a small breath and shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Well, I¡¯ve got a bit of an idea, but I don¡¯ t know for sure. I was practicing my pattern when I suddenly felt like something was really wrong in my soul. I hopped in here to find that everything had gotten smashed and cracked to shit, there was a bite taken out of my Fire Rune, and I had a Fragment of Self.¡±

    ¡°So you literally pattern-ed your Fragment into existence,¡± Noah mused, rubbing his chin. ¡°That¡¯s fascinating¡­ but now that I think about it, it makes sense. A lot of it. The Fragment of Self should come when you completely understand who you are. It¡¯s the runic manifestation of you. A pattern is the same thing.¡±

    ¡°So how do you have one?¡± Alexandra asked, carefully rising from her chair. The damage to her soul was still pretty significant, but the worst of the cracks were thinning out and many of the smaller ones were already gone. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t have a completed pattern.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t. The pattern, that is. I had a discussion with myself.¡±

    ¡°What? What does that even mean?¡±

    ¡°You remember what I did to your original Body Runes, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You cut them out with that creepy black magic you¡¯ve got.¡±

    ¡°Right. I did the same thing to myself. Cut a fragment of my soul out, pulled the soul-goop free, then had a discussion with an identical clone of myself while making sure it couldn¡¯t take over my body. Pretty sure it wasn¡¯t going to do that, but you never know. That¡¯s what I would have done were I in its position. Then I got the Fragment of Self, sans the pattern. As I said¡­ I¡¯ve got a bit of a habit of doing the right thing in the wrong way.¡±

    Alexandra stared at him. ¡°That¡­ somehow didn¡¯t explain anything. I suppose I should have expected that.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Noah agreed absentmindedly. His mind was only half in the present. Alexandra¡¯s pattern sounded even stronger than what he¡¯d thought it to be. Drawing power from the world rather than her runes wasn¡¯t the end-all. There was a good chance it was just the start of what she¡¯d be able to do with it. ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot of questions as to how your pattern works, but I¡¯d imagine you haven¡¯t had much chance to practice with it much yet.¡±

    ¡°Not really. Not in its final form, at least,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°As soon as I figured it out I took a bite out of my own soul by accident. I came over here as fast as I could. I¡¯ve barely been able to even think straight up until just now.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense. Soul damage that severe is not to be screwed around with. You should be pretty patched up soon enough,¡± Noah said, sending a glance around the slowly healing Mindspace around them. ¡°Er¡­ I¡¯d suggest being careful once we get back.¡±

    ¡°Being careful?¡± Alexandra¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The Fragment of Self drastically increases your reaction speed as well as your control over your body. You¡¯d think that would mean you can suddenly move like a god, but it really means you¡¯re going to jerk around like a crazed puppet and smack into everything next to you if you aren¡¯t careful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ good to know,¡± Alexandra said slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±

    ¡°Good. Then we can head back, I think. I don¡¯t want to pry you with too many questions while you¡¯re recovering. I¡¯ve got enough to sate my curiosity for a little longer. You need to get some rest¡­ but I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what you can teach everyone. It¡¯ll be a good way to stir things up for the class.¡±

    ¡°Wait. The class?¡± Alexandra¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve officially figured out more about patterns than I have,¡± Noah replied with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s going to take me some time and testing to push myself up to where you are, so why would I hold everyone back until I do? We already have someone that can impart their wisdom right now.¡±

    ¡°Me? You want me to teach a class?¡± Alexandra exclaimed. ¡°But I barely even know what I¡¯ve done! It¡¯s mostly just instinct and practice!¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ve got good news for you.¡± Noah chuckled. ¡°The best way to learn is to teach. You have been promoted to temporary teacher¡¯s assistant. And don¡¯t look so terrified. This is going to be fun.¡±

 Chapter 653: Old Friend

    ¡°This is just embarrassing,¡± Renewal said, leaning back in her chair and tossing a chocolate into her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m actually starting to feel like a bit of a fraud.¡±

    ¡°That speaks well for you,¡± Decras replied. He stretched his arms out over his head before rising to his feet. ¡°The Order does not encourage self-reflection. For someone who served as long as you did under their heel, you have kept a remarkable amount of yourself intact.¡±

    That would probably be because I always hated my damn job. It was nice when the mortals in the line were interesting, but that was so far and few in between that it was generally just a pain in the ass. I did the bare minimum and spent the rest of my time daydreaming.

    Renewal coughed into her fist. She looked from Decras to the moving image floating in the air before them. Noah and his ever-growing group of students shimmered within it. For once, instead of teaching, the fascinating mortal stood off to the side with Moxie.

    Everyone¡¯s attention was focused on Alexandra instead of him. She was desperately trying to manage an explanation of her pattern and failing miserably at it. For all the talent and raw determination the girl possessed, she was absolutely horrible at teaching.

    ¡°You¡¯d think she doesn¡¯t actually know what she¡¯s doing,¡± Renewal said, pinching the bridge of her nose with a grimace. ¡°I¡¯m seriously embarrassed. She managed to form a Fragment of Self so young. Younger than I was when I first made mine ¡ª but she¡¯s got so little confidence in herself that it sounds more like Noah gave her the rune.¡±

    ¡°I agree. The girl will need to practice. She needs to be more arrogant,¡± Decras said with a nod.

    ¡°Arrogant? Hardly. Confidence doesn¡¯t need arrogance. She just needs some more experience. I suppose that¡¯s what she¡¯s getting right now, but it certainly isn¡¯t pretty.¡±

    ¡°Much of life is convincing yourself to become what you must be. Confidence rarely comes on its own. Arrogance paves the way to it¡­ and arrogance forces improvement. You cannot stay arrogant if you are not powerful.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve met a number of arrogant idiots.¡±

    ¡°And how long do they live?¡±

    Renewal paused for a moment. Then she inclined her head. ¡°I¡¯ll give you that one. I rather like the girl¡¯s personality as it is, though. Not everyone has to be like your disciples. Look at Ferdinand. He¡¯s not arrogant at all, but he¡¯s managed to tame your little monster.¡±

    ¡°Garina is not tamed. She is merely¡­ fed.¡± Decras didn¡¯t sound too confident about his own words.

    Renewal smirked and arched an eyebrow. ¡°Is there really a difference? Not even you managed to get her to do what you want.¡±

    ¡°Your shiny bald fool hasn¡¯t gotten her to do anything he wants either.¡±

    ¡°That would be because he doesn¡¯t want anything other than her company.¡± Renewal didn¡¯t bother hiding the smug tone in her words. ¡°He¡¯s just happy making her sandwiches and doing nothing. They¡¯re so cute.¡±

    ¡°Their relationship is¡­ surprisingly enjoyable,¡± Decras allowed. ¡°And I am pleased to see Garina happy. She has been alone for too long. Even power cannot replace companionship, and she never got along with the rest of the Disciples.¡±

    ¡°She isn¡¯t the only one,¡± Renewal said, glancing at Decras out of the corners of her eyes. ¡°I recall you¡¯ve got another little pain in the ass running around on that world. One who likes sticking his nose into places it doesn¡¯t belong.¡±

    ¡°You are referring to Revin? He¡¯s hardly one of mine. Not anymore. Even the apostles generally know to keep their distance from him. The fool¡¯s mind is shattered like a dropped plate. Even I can¡¯t predict what it is he desires.¡±

    ¡°Seems like he¡¯d fit into the Fallen pretty well.¡± The corner of Renewal¡¯s lip twitched in amusement. ¡°He certainly wouldn¡¯t get on well with the Order.¡±

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ¡°Should he ever acquire enough strength to ascend to godhood, I think both the Order and the Fallen will find him equally distasteful. There is a difference between Chaos and pure insanity. He is unstable. Dangerous.¡±

    That gave Renewal pause. Revin was strong for a mortal, but that shouldn¡¯t have been nearly enough to warrant the tone of Decras¡¯ voice. It almost sounded like the god respected Revin.

    ¡°Should¡­ we take a look?¡± Renewal hedged. ¡°Just to make sure he isn¡¯t doing anything too dangerous?¡±

    ¡°He has ways of shrouding his presence, even from me. I cannot expend too much effort looking or I will draw more attention than we want,¡± Decras replied. But, despite his words, he lifted a hand toward the shimmering image. His features creased in concentration. ¡°But I will see if he is in an exhibitionist mood. He does tend to enjoy an audience.¡±

    ***

    A knock echoed through a dark cave, ringing against the stone like the tolling of a funeral bell. The air in the cave was still and stagnant; the only light in it came from a distant crack in the ceiling far above.

    That light was just enough to illuminate the specks of dust twisting through the air in a misty haze above a cloaked man. He stood before an ancient altar. Both the man and the altar¡¯s features were concealed by the deep, consuming darkness around them.

    The echo of the knock faded into the empty cave. Then there was nothing but silence. Several long seconds dragged by. Then the cloaked man lifted his hand and knocked against the altar again. It was a practiced knock, one that seemed to follow some manner of tune.

    Echoes rolled out and faded away; silence ruled once more.

    The cloaked man scratched the back of his head. ¡°I swear I¡¯m doing this right. Damned Plains, this is such a pain in the ass. Am I in the wrong cave? No, I couldn¡¯t be. How many caves have a random altar in the middle?¡±

    He raised his hand to knock for a third time.

    Then the ground cracked. Stone crunched and shattered as a hand pushed up from beneath it, clawing its way to the surface like a corpse arising from the afterlife. Streaks of yellow-orange torchlight broke free from the ground, spilling up into the room as the hand yanked itself back underground.

    It reappeared a moment later alongside a second hand, breaking even more of the stone and sending it tumbling into a well-lit chamber below where the hooded man stood. The hands were followed by a head and then a body.

    Another man clambered up into the cave, brushing the dust and debris from his clothes fruitlessly.

    ¡°Can never find the damn door,¡± the man muttered. ¡°Everyone thinks secret entryways are brilliant until they hide them too well. Then what? What good is a hidden door when even the guy that hid it in the first place can¡¯t find it?¡±

    The cloaked man let the hand that had been just about to start knocking against the altar drop. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Never mind that. I¡¯ll just make a new door later,¡± the newcomer said with a shake of his head, cutting the other one off before he could even try to answer. ¡°Who are you, and why are you banging around on my ceiling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain this is exactly what you told me to do if I were to come looking for you,¡± the cloaked man replied.

    ¡°Hmm. Is that so?¡± the dust-covered man frowned and squinted at the other one. ¡°Are you certain? I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve met.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely certain. Trust me, yours is a face that¡¯s hard to forget. You spent nearly ten minutes describing the exact sequence of tasks I had to accomplish if I was to locate you again. I followed your directions exactly ¡ª and I¡¯d like to point out that they were terrible. You sent me to a dozen random useless caves before this one. Regardless, I can assure you this wasn¡¯t a spot I wished to find myself in. I¡¯d have taken any other option first had they been available. Unfortunately, things have taken a turn for the worse. Thus, I am here.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t want to speak with me and yet you came anyway?¡± the other man scratched his chin. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve definitely met.¡±

    ¡°Has anyone ever told you how insufferable you are?¡±

    ¡°Oh, all the time.¡± The man¡¯s lips pulled apart. Yellow light filtering into the dark cave from the hole he¡¯d made in the ground caught on his teeth ¡ª two rows of razor sharp fangs like those of a demon twisted into a wide, dangerous smile. ¡°Remind me your name, boy?¡±

    ¡°I am no boy. I am an Inquisitor. The bodies in my wake have ensured that I will never be young again.¡±

    The sharp-toothed man let out a cackle. ¡°How long did it take you to come up with that one? Practice it in the mirror before you went to sleep sucking on a candy?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t eat candy before bed. It¡¯s bad for my teeth.¡±

    ¡°So it is. So is seeking me out, so you must really have a death wish. Your name, Inquisitor.¡±¡¯

    ¡°I am Tillian. Tillian of the Crimson Wake, Inquisitor of the Red Lady.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I do remember you now. That insufferably long title reeks of either arrogance or idiocy, but I¡¯m not one to be shown up if we¡¯re doing proverbial dick-measuring. Always been a fan of the sport.¡± The other man¡¯s grin stretched impossibly far across his features, far wider than any human mouth should have been able to manage. ¡°I hope you had a damned good reason to come seeking Revin the Godeater, Inquisitor, because you have found him.¡±

 Chapter 654: The Place to Go

    ¡°You¡¯re as melodramatic as the last time we met,¡± Tillian said, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a weary sigh. ¡°I was really hoping that was just an act to make sure I didn¡¯t get too comfortable.¡±

    Revin sent him a blank stare. ¡°Naive. You can¡¯t change someone when you start a relationship with them. Who they are is who they will remain.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s romantic advice. It¡¯s not even deep or thoughtful. Who hasn¡¯t heard that from their parents or friends at some point or another?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good romantic advice. You¡¯ll never know when it¡¯ll be important. People all say they know it, but few actually know it. Everyone thinks that they¡¯re different. There¡¯s a big difference between logically knowing something and actually understanding and applying it.¡±

    ¡°I am not here for romantic advice.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t?¡± Revin¡¯s brow furrowed and he tapped a finger on his chin. ¡°Odd. That¡¯s usually why people visit me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive me if I have some trouble believing that. I can¡¯t imagine anyone in their right mind would come here of all places to get any form of advice for their relationships. You live in a hole under a cave.¡±

    ¡°Bah. Judgmental, are we? You shouldn¡¯t think poorly of someone based on their housing. I¡¯ll have you know that this is a very specialized training arena for my student.¡±

    Tillian grimaced. ¡°You have a student? That might be the worst news I¡¯ve gotten all day. Look, Revin ¡ª drop the act. Seriously. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been up to, but I know you¡¯re not a complete idiot. This is serious. The world is in danger. Chaos¡ª¡±

    ¡°The world is always in danger,¡± Revin said through a snort. ¡°This is just the first time you became aware of it. But I suppose you have come quite a ways to find me. It would probably be rude if I kept you waiting out here too long.¡±

    ¡°Rather rude, yes.¡±

    Revin hopped down into the hole he¡¯d climbed up through a few seconds before. Tillian followed after him, more to make sure the other man couldn¡¯t make a run for it than because he actually wanted to follow Revin anywhere.

    The room below the cave was furnished, but only barely. A single wooden table sat in its center, a few paces away from where the two of them dropped down. Three old, uncomfortable looking wooden chairs sat around it. One of them had a soft cushion placed on it.

    Aside from that, it was empty. A stone door at the side of the room was cracked open, but not enough for Tillian to see anything in the hallway.

    ¡°Feel free to take a seat,¡± Revin said, promptly plopping himself down in the chair with a cushion. ¡°Not the one I¡¯m sitting in, mind you.¡±

    ¡°I had no plans of taking that one.¡± Tillian sat down at the table across from the strange, sharp-toothed man. If he hadn¡¯t seen firsthand what Revin was capable of, he¡¯d have thought him deranged.

    ¡°So,¡± Revin said, his mouth stretching open in a wide yawn that he made no move to hide. ¡°What¡¯s got you in such a panic that you came all the way across the kingdom to find me, Tillian? Last I recall, you were hot on Wizen¡¯s tail.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª wait. I thought you didn¡¯t remember me. You definitely do.¡±

    ¡°Do I?¡± Revin cocked his head to the side. ¡°That will likely depend on how much of my time you are wasting. I¡¯m a very busy man, you know. I have a student to train.¡±

    ¡°The Chaos in the kingdom has increased. Significantly.¡±

    Revin paused. ¡°Okay. That might be a worthwhile problem. You have my attention. What a pain in the ass.¡±

    His hand shot to the side. Shadows exploded up from the ground, forming into the shape of a wicked-looking scythe. The weapon carved through the air before Tillian could even think of moving. It hooked around his neck in a split second.

    A loud clang echoed out through the cave, the ring of metal on metal.

    There was a thunk a moment later as a sickle thunked to the floor to Tillian¡¯s side. He stared at it in surprise. The attack had come out of nowhere. He hadn¡¯t felt any presence or magic against his domain, and the room wasn¡¯t nearly large enough for anyone to hide outside of his range.

    Revin pulled his scythe back as the sickle was suddenly yanked back into the darkness at the edges of the room.

    A young woman stepped out, the silver hair falling around her shoulders marking her as a Torrin. Her eyes were as flat and dead as the moon on a clouded night. The sickle that Revin had just blocked hung from a chain in her hands, swaying like a pendulum as she drew up to the table.

    ¡°Sorry, Elly,¡± Revin said, sounding genuinely apologetic. ¡°Can¡¯t practice against this one. He¡¯s a guest.¡±

    ¡°Since when does anyone want to visit you?¡±

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    ¡°I am a very popular man. One with a dozen friends. Maybe even two dozen. Haven¡¯t I ever told you how cool I am?¡±

    ¡°More times than I could ever care to count. People with a lot of friends don¡¯t have to count them. They also don¡¯t have to say they¡¯re cool.¡±

    ¡°People with smart mouths don¡¯t get friends at all. And it is called manifesting. You should try it sometime. Start by manifesting some skill,¡± Revin countered. He pointed at the last chair. ¡°Sit down. You may as well sit around for this.¡±

    ¡°Who is this?¡± Tillian asked, tracking Elly through narrowed eyes as she lowered herself gingerly into the chair across from him. ¡°Your student? How did she conceal herself from my domain?¡±

    ¡°Inquisitor training must be lacking these days. Did they not teach you about concealing your runic energy? She¡¯s matching the energy leaking from her body to the ambient energy in the room. Makes her invisible to dunces that only use their domains to feel for fluctuations in power.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a ridiculously high-level technique,¡± Tillian said. ¡°One that¡¯s almost impossible to hold for a long period of time. I was under the impression that your student was going to be a Rank 2 or something. What rank is she?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Revin scratched his chin. ¡°Ellison, what rank are you?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you at least try to get my name right?¡± Elly asked wearily. ¡°Ellison isn¡¯t even a girl¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°It can be if the girl wants it to be,¡± Revin said. ¡°Anything in this world can be taken with sufficient power. I¡¯ll put effort into remembering your name once you¡¯ve gotten to the point where it¡¯s worth my time. Just be glad I start with the right sound.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Eline,¡± the girl said, looking to Tillian. ¡°And you must be desperate or stupid.¡±

    Tillian frowned. Eline¡­ that name rung a bell. She was definitely a member of the Torrin family. Sure, the hair pretty much gave that away, but this made him even more certain of it.

    ¡°Why is a Torrin here?¡±

    ¡°Her idiot mother gambled her life away. I won it,¡± Revin replied with a shrug. ¡°And I can¡¯t tolerate incompetence. I¡¯m a very dedicated godfather. She should be honored. How many people do you know with cool godfathers? Not many.¡±

    ¡°Revin is your godfather?¡± Tillian asked, aghast.

    ¡°No,¡± Eline said. ¡°He gets confused.¡±

    ¡°I preferred James to you,¡± Revin informed Eline. ¡°He was much less whiny. You, however, can make eggs considerably better than he can. Though you do also get out of bed on your own. That¡¯s two points in your favor.¡±

    Tillian rapped a finger on the table. He¡¯d wasted enough time on this ¡ª and if he was honest, once he was past the surprise, he didn¡¯t care much about why Revin had one of the Torrin family¡¯s scions here. His work was far too important to be distracted for long.

    ¡°Chaos,¡± Tillian reminded Revin. ¡°I think something happened in the kingdom. I lost Wizen¡¯s trail when he made it into the Damned Plains, but I found his hideout. There were strong traces of Chaos magic in it, just as we suspected. And I felt that chaos energy again, recently. It¡¯s getting stronger.¡±

    ¡°That is problematic,¡± Revin said. An uncharacteristically serious expression crossed his features. ¡°I¡¯ve never been particularly sensitive to chaos, but I recall you having a rather keen sense for it. It¡¯s how you were tracking Wizen in the first place if I recall correctly. Is this increase significant?¡±

    ¡°Quite. It was like the balance had shifted,¡± Tillian said. ¡°And it hasn¡¯t gone back to normal. This is big. I wouldn¡¯t have come looking for you if it wasn¡¯t, trust me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I do,¡± Revin said. ¡°I do my best to make sure idiots don¡¯t bother me when I¡¯m working unless the circumstances absolutely mandate it. Perhaps I¡¯ll have to adjust my plans.¡±

    ¡°What is Chaos?¡± Eline asked, her brow furrowing. ¡°Some kind of Rune?¡±

    Tillian half expected Revin to get mad at her for the interruption. But, to his surprise, the madman answered it without missing a beat.

    ¡°A primordial form of runic power. A very dangerous one that can do a whole lot of damage in the wrong hands.  It¡¯s not something that I was planning on teaching you about anytime soon. It was at least a few years down the track. That¡¯s quite a pain in the ass. I¡¯m going to have to skip so many cooking lessons.¡±

    ¡°You told me those were done!¡±

    ¡°The pursuit of perfection never ceases, Elliot. Knowing how to prepare food with only the items in your possession is a very important skill. Not even James could master it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s probably because he didn¡¯t use a weapon. How are you supposed to cut meat with your hand?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s his fault for picking no weapon.¡±

    ¡°He might have picked a weapon if you¡¯d told him he was going to have to cook with it.¡±

    ¡°Luck plays an equal part in success to skill. A sickle is better suited for cutting wheat, but it¡¯s definitely better than hands for cutting food. Well done.¡±

    ¡°Somehow, that doesn¡¯t make me feel any better,¡± Eline said, sinking lower into her chair.

    ¡°Children,¡± Revin said with a shake of his head. ¡°They¡¯ll come to understand eventually. I¡¯m sure you know what I mean, Inquisitor.¡±

    Tillian did not.

    ¡°Right,¡± he said, somewhat unconvincingly. ¡°Of course. But about the chaos¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Revin shook his head and raised a hand. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten. It seems I¡¯ve been a little bit too distracted as of late. Perhaps it¡¯s time to head back to the surface.¡±

    Eline¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Yes! That sounds like a brilliant idea. Chaos is very dangerous. It needs to be dealt with, so we¡¯ll have to all work together to ensure it can¡¯t threaten the kingdom. I¡¯ll come, of course. To help.¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯re staying here and practicing alone.¡±

    Eline¡¯s mouth dropped open as all the excitement and hope drained from her body in a split second. ¡°What? No! Please, don¡¯t leave me here. I want to see the sun again!¡±

    Revin let out a cackle. ¡°Just kidding. Your training isn¡¯t done. There¡¯s more you have to learn. Oh, I know. I¡¯ve got a brilliant idea.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± Eline squinted at Revin, a tiny flicker of hope re-igniting in her eyes.

    ¡°Oh, yes. All of my ideas are brilliant, but I like this one because it means I get to pass some of my work onto someone else.¡± Revin rubbed his hands together and nodded. He rose to his feet and gestured for the others to do the same. ¡°Come. We have a trip to start.¡±

    ¡°To where?¡± Tillian asked. ¡°Do you have a lead on the chaos somehow?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Revin replied. ¡°But I do have a few seeds I planted that should have begun to flower. I¡¯d imagine we¡¯ll find some of them should be bearing fruit right about now.¡±

    ¡°So where are we going?¡± Tillian frowned. It was difficult to tell whether Revin was insane or if he had an actual plan ¡ª though, most possibly, it was both.

    ¡°To one of the Bastions,¡± Revin replied with a wicked grin. ¡°We¡¯re going to Arbitage.¡±

 Chapter 655: Recognition

    Alexandra was having a bad day. Perhaps that was just being melodramatic. All things considered, it definitely could have been a worse day. She was alive. That hadn¡¯t been a certainty during the previous night.

    Her soul had been shredded to the point where it had been one strong gust from blowing away. Now it was nearly fixed. She could still feel the hairline fractures slowly sealing over as the last of the damage faded, but the damage was minimal enough that it could be ignored.

    Surviving having made a Fragment of Self should have been a pretty good reason to have a great day. She¡¯d been very much planning on one.

    Unfortunately, Noah had seen fit to conscript her.

    ¡°I have a question.¡± Sticky¡¯s hand raised high into the air. She sat amidst a semicircle of demons and humans alike, all of whom were staring at Alexandra with enough intensity to bore holes into her head. They were drinking in every single word she said, and Alexandra hated every single second of it.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Alexandra asked wearily.

    Sticky scratched her nose with her free hand.  ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°That,¡± Alexandra said, ¡°is not a question.¡±

    ¡°Oh. I don¡¯t get it?¡±

    ¡°Changing the inflection of your voice to sound confused does not make a statement a question. What part in particular do you not get?¡± Alexandra tried her absolute best not to keep her voice even, but she wasn¡¯t so sure that her efforts were successful.

    It wasn¡¯t that she was mad or annoyed at the questions ¡ª even though this was something around the 500<sup>th</sup> one she¡¯d gotten in the past ten minutes. She didn¡¯t mind trying to help out. Helping was fun. It was like practicing. At least, that¡¯s what she¡¯d managed to convince herself of after Noah had told her she¡¯d be teaching.

    She couldn¡¯t have been more wrong.

    Helping was only fun when she actually knew the answers. Everyone here was staring at her like she was some form of saint. They all expected her to know what she was doing, but the fact of the matter was she simply didn¡¯t.

    Sure, she understood enough of her pattern to do it herself. But finding out how to translate that knowledge into something someone else could use¡­ the more she tried to explain, the less she realized she actually truly knew.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s the part where I have to be one thing,¡± Sticky said, lowering her hand and frowning. ¡°I like food. I also like dancing. And singing. And playing. How do I choose just one of those things to be my pattern if it¡¯s got to represent me as a complete whole? I don¡¯t just want to be one thing.¡±

    Alexandra hesitated.

    Shit. That¡¯s a good point. I don¡¯t want to be one thing either, do I? No, that¡¯s not what patterns are. They don¡¯t constrain you. It¡¯s an application of something that we find really important, right? More like a motivation for life¡­ or something.

    It took a supreme force of will for Alexandra to keep her eye from twitching at that thought.

    Or something. What am I supposed to do, say that? It¡¯s completely uninspirational! Anyone who heard it would probably keel over and give up on the spot. I¡¯m a horrible teacher. Why is Noah making me do this? Is he a sadist?

    She sent him a desperate look. Noah just grinned.

    Sadist bastard. I¡¯ll get him for this.

    ¡°Uh¡­ a pattern doesn¡¯t have to be the only thing you do,¡± Alexandra stammered, realizing she¡¯d taken far too long to respond to Sticky¡¯s question. ¡°I mean, it should be very important, but it can be a dream too. A goal you have for yourself. Something that motivates you, maybe? It¡¯s not an exact science. But I don¡¯t think you should look at a pattern like an emotion that demons need to consume. It¡¯s more like an overarching theme for your life.¡±

    Is that right? That seems right. I think that¡¯s right. It sounds good. Actually, now that I think about it, it sounds pretty accurate. Why didn¡¯t I think of that before it was leaving my mouth?

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°I see,¡± Sticky said with a frown. She scratched her chin. ¡°What do you think my pattern is?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t answer that question for you,¡± Alexandra said, thankful for an easy question. ¡°Only you can. It¡¯s not something that can be forced. You need to really think about what you want in life and what motivates you. And honestly, it¡¯s a good thing you can¡¯t force it. When I managed to create my Fragment of Self, I shattered my soul in the process. Imagine what would happen if everyone made one close together.¡±

    ¡°That would be ill-advised,¡± Noah said, finally stepping up to speak for the first time since the class had started. ¡°If anyone feels like they¡¯re getting their pattern to the point where it seems likely it¡¯ll manifest a Fragment of Self, I¡¯d request that you let me know so I can properly prepare. We do not want two people doing it at the same time.¡±

    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Alexandra agreed with a grimace. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be worried about suddenly stumbling into a Fragment of Self, though. You should keep practicing as hard as you can for now. It caught me by surprise, but looking back, there was a definite feeling I had that I was getting really in-tune with my pattern. Once you get there, let me know. Then we can take things slower and we can try to focus on approaching the Fragment carefully.¡±

    That should buy me some time to actually figure out what¡¯s going on. The demons shouldn¡¯t be anywhere close to making patterns that really represent themselves yet. As for Isabel and the other students¡­ well, they¡¯re a bit behind me. Not a lot. But enough that I can definitely buy myself a week to actually figure out what in the Damned Plains I¡¯m doing. There¡¯s no way any of them¡ª

    James¡¯ hand rose into the air.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Alexandra asked, blinking away surprise. It was rare that James volunteered himself for anything. ¡°Do you have a question?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± James said.

    She stared at him. ¡°Then¡­ why is your hand in the air?¡±

    ¡°You said to come forward when your pattern feels like it¡¯s close to finished. I¡¯m pretty sure mine is there.¡± James let out a yawn and dropped his hand. ¡°I¡¯m pretty happy with it.¡±

    You can¡¯t be serious. Wait. Maybe this is a good thing. If he makes a Fragment of Self, then won¡¯t he have to teach a class as well? That means I won¡¯t have to do everything myself!

    ¡°You think your pattern is close to being completed? Do you know what it is?¡±

    ¡°What did you do to make it?¡± Vrith asked, studying James intently. ¡°Why are you ahead of your other peers? Did you and Alexandra utilize some special technique?¡±

    Yes, yes. Perfect! Ask him the questions!

    ¡°Dunno. Ask her,¡± James said through a shrug. ¡°My pattern is nothing, so you can consider this as practicing. And I do it because my favorite thing in the world is doing nothing.¡±

    Emily let out a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t even bother trying to figure anything out from him. Every time I try, we just end up going to sleep in a meadow.¡±

    Vrith examined them for a moment. ¡°Has it helped?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± James said.

    ¡°No,¡± Emily said. She hesitated for a moment. ¡°But it was very relaxing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d charge for napping classes if I could be bothered,¡± James said. ¡°But I can¡¯t. If you want to go sleep in a field, do it. Don¡¯t bother me about it. Anyway, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m going to bed now. Let me know if I have to do anything, professor. Just tell me tomorrow. I don¡¯t want to do it right now.¡±

    ¡°Did you just call me professor?¡± Alexandra asked, her eye twitching.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Isabel said with a worried frown. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you not do nothing? What if you accidentally form your rune?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t,¡± James said. ¡°Not today, at least.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Todd asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you technically always partaking in your pattern?¡±

    ¡°Well, you do have to put some magical energy into a pattern for it to manifest a rune,¡± Alexandra put in. ¡°So it¡¯s unlikely you¡¯d manage to form one entirely by accident. I think it should be fine.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Good,¡± James said. ¡°That sounds like it would be more effort than I feel like expending right now. Then I¡¯ll be¡­¡±

    He suddenly trailed off, the lazed expression clinging to his face tightening as his head tilted to the side.

    Then his features twisted in horror.

    James blurred, twisting out of the way and rolling to the side. The movement was faster than Alexandra had ever seen him move ¡ª so fast that she almost missed the start of the motion. That wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d thought he was capable of.

    But, possibly more concerning than that was the blade of shadows that rose from the ground and passed through the air where James had been moments before. Darkness stretched out of the trail its passing left behind, rapidly forming into the shape of a man.

    Alexandra¡¯s hand shot to her sword and she lowered herself into a fighting stance, only pausing when she realized that the terror in James¡¯ eyes wasn¡¯t that of surprise. It looked more like¡­

    Recognition.

    ¡°Shit,¡± James said. ¡°You have to be fucking kidding me.¡±

    A row of pointed teeth split the shadowy figure¡¯s face, pulling apart into a wide, sharp-toothed smile. The darkness fell away from the man¡¯s form, revealing a shark-faced man with dead eyes and bright orange hair. He wore a tattered robe with sharp, pointed lapels that rose up around his neck like a cone.

    The man raised his hand to tip an imaginary hat, dropping his scythe in the process. He realized his mistake an instant later and stuck a foot out, somehow managing to kick the weapon back into the air and grabbing it before it could mistakenly cut anyone. The man lowered the scythe gingerly and cleared his throat before giving them another grin. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t miss me too much.¡±

 Chapter 656: Homeless Vagrant

    Noah stared at Revin in complete silence for a second. It had been quite some time since Revin had vanished after functionally abandoning James. A very large part of Noah had been certain they¡¯d never meet again.

    The rest of him was far less optimistic.

    But it was more than surprise at Revin¡¯s return that held Noah¡¯s tongue. It was Revin himself. The last time they had met had been well before Noah had formed a domain. He¡¯d had no real way to gauge the other man¡¯s strength.

    Things should have been different now. Noah was a Rank 5. He had a domain. And yet¡­ he couldn¡¯t sense Revin at all. His domain passed over Revin completely. There was no disruption in the world¡¯s magical energy at all. It was like he wasn¡¯t even there.

    What the hell? I¡¯ve felt people repress their power or make it seem like they¡¯re weaker than they actually are¡­ but I can¡¯t sense him at all. What kind of trick is that? I know he¡¯s got at least some magic. I¡¯ve seen it. Shouldn¡¯t this be impossible?

    His thoughts were interrupted by a defeated groan. James threw his hands up into the air before slumping and burying his face within them. ¡°Oh, no. I was just starting to have a good time. I¡¯d really hoped you got eaten by something.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no way to speak to your favorite godfather,¡± Revin said, pressing a hand to his chest and sending James an affronted look.

    ¡°You have multiple godfathers?¡± Emily asked as she sent James a surprised look.

    He replied with a flat stare. ¡°No. I have none.¡±

    ¡°So irritable,¡± Revin said with a shake of his head. ¡°You¡¯ll need to work on that if you ever want to learn how to speak to women, James. Nobody likes a mood killer.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never asked you for romantic advice, and I¡¯m definitely not changing that now.¡±

    ¡°You should. I¡¯ve had quite the number of people come seeking me out, you know. Your godfather is a poplar man.¡± Revin¡¯s eyes drifted over the small crowd surrounding him. He didn¡¯t even blink at the mixture of humans and demons¡­ though there was a nonzero chance he didn¡¯t even realize there were demons present.

    It¡¯s a bit hard to tell just how much is going on in Revin¡¯s head. He¡¯s the one who told me about Formations in the first place, but he¡¯s certifiably insane. Somebody definitely threw him against a wall a few dozen times when he was a child.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Moxie asked, a weary note hanging from her words. She watched Revin warily, and Noah could tell from her posture that her magic was at the ready.

    Revin might have been helpful the last time they¡¯d met, but that was probably a good idea. If he could completely hide himself from their domains, then he was stronger than he¡¯d implied during their previous meeting.

    A lot stronger.

    ¡°I¡¯m seeking out an old friend, of course. It¡¯s been too long since we caught up, Vermil. I wanted to introduce you to my companions.¡±

    Revin gestured grandiosely behind him.

    To nothing.

    Everyone stared at him.

    James let out a defeated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. Emily put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°There¡¯s nobody there, mister.¡± Sticky said helpfully.

    Revin blinked. He turned to follow her gaze, then looked back to the small demon. ¡°Right you are.¡±

    There were a few moments of awkward silence.

    ¡°He probably made them up,¡± James said, his voice muffled by his palm. ¡°I vote we go home and sleep. Write the rest of the day off. Trust me, it¡¯s the best thing you can possibly do when this idiot is involved.¡±

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    ¡°I appear to have forgotten my companions,¡± Revin said. ¡°One moment, please.¡±

    Shadows twisted up from the ground at his feet. They formed into the maw of some voracious beast and slammed shut over Revin, swallowing him whole before sinking back into the ground without a sound.

    James stood up. ¡°We should go. Quickly.¡±

    ¡°Who was that?¡± Yoru asked. ¡°He seemed¡­ odd.¡±

    ¡°A certifiably insane man,¡± Todd said. ¡°Occasionally a funny one, though. I kind of like him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re alone in that,¡± Isabel grumbled. ¡°He¡¯s off his rocker. I think I might be with James on this one. I mean, he stood up. On his own. That should be a pretty big warning in itself.¡±

    ¡°Is he a threat?¡± Violet asked, her eyes narrowing. ¡°Will he come back?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the concern,¡± Aylin said with a shake of his head. ¡°He was being honest as far as I can tell. That person does genuinely think of Vermil as his friend. He also seemed to believe that there were meant to be other people with him.¡±

    ¡°He was not human. ¡°I suggest caution,¡± Yoru said. There was more than a small note of unease in her voice. Out of everyone, her words put Noah on edge the most. When a former Rank 7 was scared of someone, then only an idiot ignored their warnings.

    Unfortunately, he was also pretty sure that running away from Revin was going to be functionally impossible. The man had just showed up in the middle of nowhere. He shouldn¡¯t have had any way to know where they were ¡ª Tim definitely wouldn¡¯t have given them up.

    It might be smart to get the kids out of here, though.

    ¡°Lee, take everyone and¡ª¡±

    Shadows bubbled up from the ground like a churning fountain. They twisted together and rose into the air, forming into three looming figures. Magical energy poured off them in pulsating waves.

    It pressed against Noah¡¯s domain and thinned his lips. Evidently, his domain had decided to start working again. He reached for his magic ¡ª more as a precaution than anything else ¡ª and saw Moxie pulling some seeds from the pouch at her side.

    Then one of the shadows let out a desperate gasp.

    The darkness collapsed like a popping balloon, revealing Revin flanked by two other people. One was a man of average height with fair hair and sharp eyes. He looked to be somewhere in his lower twenties. A short sword hung from his waist and his features were noble.

    Revin¡¯s other companion other was a young woman around the age of Noah¡¯s students. She had the brilliant silver hair of the Torrin family, but her eyes looked about ten years older than the rest of her. Exhaustion clung to her back and pulled her shoulders down like a heavy steel cloak.

    She promptly doubled over, hacking in a desperate attempt to draw in air.

    Why does she look vaguely familiar? Have I met this girl before?

    ¡°Tada!¡± Revin exclaimed, extending his arms to the sides like a conductor. ¡°I found them! And before they choked to death, too!¡±

    ¡°I hate you,¡± the girl wheezed.

    ¡°I am beginning to become of the same sentiment,¡± the noble-looking man said. His features were pale, but it was hard to tell if that was his normal skin tone or a result of having to deal with Revin for a prolonged period of time. ¡°You said that the trip would be safe.¡±

    ¡°I lied,¡± Revin said. ¡°I do that rather often. But the trip was something far more important than safe. It was cool. You should have seen that entrance. I wish I could have. I bet it was incredible.¡±

    ¡°Damned Plains,¡± Emily whispered. ¡°Is that Eline?¡±

    Noah glanced from her to the other girl. Then he blinked. She was right. Evidently, Emily¡¯s memory was a lot better than his was.

    I forgot that Revin took her in. That¡¯s¡­ rough. Though I¡¯m not going to take too much blame for missing that. I¡¯m just fucking confused right now. What the hell is going on, and what does Revin want?

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Noah asked. He didn¡¯t let his guard down. Even though he was fairly certain that Revin probably wasn¡¯t malicious, he wasn¡¯t sure enough of that to put his students¡¯ lives on the line.

    ¡°I told you already. I¡¯m looking for you,¡± Revin replied. ¡°I wanted to introduce you to my traveling companions. This is Eldritch.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you in your sleep. I¡¯ll really do it.¡±

    ¡°I am having a little trouble recalling her name correctly,¡± Revin said without missing a beat. ¡°She is a little displeased about that, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll do something about it eventually. She is my student and egg-cooker. I believe you have met.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± James said.

    He and Eline exchanged a look that said more than a thousand words could have ¡ª and in that moment, something struck Noah. His eyes widened.

    Eline wasn¡¯t visible to his domain either. Just like Revin, there was absolutely nothing where she should have been. It was as if she didn¡¯t exist.

    What the hell kind of technique are they using? I¡¯ve never heard of anything like it.

    ¡°We can get to the pleasantries later,¡± Revin said. He gestured to the man behind him. ¡°This is Tillian. He¡¯s a homeless vagrant that I picked up.¡±

    ¡°Why do you remember his name? You¡¯ve known him for ten minutes!¡± Eline complained.

    Lee sniffed the air. Her brow furrowed and she squinted at Tillian as if trying to remember something.

    ¡°Inquisitor,¡± Tillian corrected, not sounding too bothered by Revin¡¯s words. ¡°I am an Inquisitor.¡±

    ¡°You!¡± Lee exclaimed abruptly, her eyes going wide with recognition as she thumbed her nose. ¡°I know you!¡±

 Chapter 657: Where

    Noah watched Tillian with wary eyes. He didn¡¯t have the best opinion of Inquisitors at the moment ¡ª and it definitely didn¡¯t help that he¡¯d just killed a few of them a short while ago. The circumstances were a bit too odd. Revin was definitely the type of person to bring an Inquisitor along because he thought it would be funny to get Noah in more trouble.

    But why does Lee recognize this guy?

    ¡°You know an inquisitor?¡± Noah asked, looking from Tillian to Lee.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize he was an inquisitor,¡± Lee said. ¡°He gave me snacks.¡±

    Tillian squinted at Lee for a moment before recognition passed through his own features. ¡°I ¡ª oh, yes. I do believe we¡¯ve met before. I wasn¡¯t expecting to run into you here. You are affiliated with Revin?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said flatly. He couldn¡¯t even begin to think of the horrible implications of Revin getting any influence over Lee. The small demon was already chaotic enough as she was. Forget them getting along poorly ¡ª he was more concerned about them becoming friends. That was the absolute worst case scenario. ¡°She¡¯s with me. Revin, why are you bringing an Inquisitor here?¡±

    ¡°Thought it would be funny,¡± Revin said.

    Fucking knew it.

    Moxie eyed Revin warily, then lowered her voice to a whisper. ¡°What rank do you think he is? What are our chances?¡±

    ¡°Better not,¡± Noah muttered back without taking his eyes off Revin or his companions. ¡°Should at least figure out what¡¯s going on¡­ but be ready.¡±

    ¡°Are you whispering? I¡¯m an inquisitive person, you know. My feelings might get hurt if you¡¯re talking about me and I don¡¯t get to hear all the compliments. Besides, didn¡¯t anyone ever tell you that whispering was rude?¡± Revin asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m more than aware,¡± Noah said flatly. ¡°I just don¡¯t care.¡±

    A burst of laughter slipped from Revin¡¯s lips. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten snippier since the last time we met. Good. You do, however, smell vaguely of dog. That¡¯s less good. I see the Apostles have sniffed you out.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes widened.

    The Apostles? He knows them? That might be the worst news I¡¯ve gotten all day. There literally isn¡¯t a single scenario in which that¡¯s beneficial. Why does someone like Revin know of the Apostles?

    I¡¯m pretty sure this confirms he¡¯s strong. A lot stronger than we thought. Goddamn it.

    ¡°How about you just say why you¡¯re here?¡± Noah asked wearily. ¡°Because I¡¯ve got a class to teach.¡±

    ¡°A rather interesting one at that,¡± Tillian said, letting his gaze drift over the students.

    Noah¡¯s lips thinned. Inquisitors finding things interesting was rarely a good thing, and his students weren¡¯t exactly attempting to hide their demonic nature. Revin had managed to bring Tillian to the absolute worst place he could have. This was basically just asking to get attacked. ¡°You have an issue with my students?¡±

    ¡°Naw, I don¡¯t think so. Don¡¯t know them, so it would be pretty difficult to have a problem with them. Why do you ask?¡±

    Noah blinked.

    What? Is this the dumbest Inquisitor in the history of their order? There¡¯s absolutely no way he doesn¡¯t realize I¡¯ve got a bunch of demons mixed in with the human students. Or is he just pretending not to know to avoid getting ganged up on?

    ¡°We¡¯ve had a bit of a problem with Inquisitors trying to throw their weight around in the past. They¡¯ve threatened our students,¡± Moxie said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. ¡°And we take our students¡¯ safety seriously. Very seriously.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t fault you for that at all,¡± Tillian said with a one-shouldered shrug. ¡°And unless your students have anything to do with Orlen, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve got anything to fear from me.¡±

    Sticky winced.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Tillian¡¯s eyes snapped toward her in an instant ¡ª and Noah blurred. His Fragment of Self let him carve through the air in a split instant to arrive directly before Tillian, interupting his line of sight.

    ¡°Eyes on me,¡± Noah said softly. ¡°Make any sudden moves toward my students and I¡¯ll kill you. I don¡¯t care who you are or if they¡¯re aggressive or not.¡±

    A flicker of surprise passed through Tillian¡¯s features. He definitely hadn¡¯t been expecting the speed of Noah¡¯s reaction. But, instead of squaring up, he slowly raised his hands and took a step back.

    ¡°What kind of monster do you think I am?¡± Tillian asked. ¡°That¡¯s a little girl. I¡¯m not going to kill her. What fucking Inquisitors have you been dealing with?¡±

    ¡°Dead ones,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Do¡­ you not know who I am?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t the faintest.¡±

    What kind of Inquisitor is this guy? I¡¯m not trying to stroke my own ego here, but I feel like the vast majority of them should at least know my name at this point. I¡¯m the guy that¡¯s supposedly working with Spider. I mean, I am Spider, but they don¡¯t know that.

    I¡¯m actually a little offended he doesn¡¯t recognize me.

    ¡°Professor Vermil,¡± Noah provided.

    Tillian examined him blankly. ¡°Never heard the name. Don¡¯t take it personally. I¡¯ve been rather focused in recent years. I¡¯ve been after a person by the name of Orlen for years. My previous lead was a good one, but he vanished after picking a fight with Arbitage and running off to the Damned Plains. Set me back by more time than I can count ¡ª and forced me to seek Revin out. He was my last resort. I¡¯m sure you can imagine why.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± Revin protested.

    ¡°If the girl has any information on Orlen, I need it,¡± Tillian said. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t harm her. Won¡¯t even make her uncomfortable. I just need to know if she has anything I can use to find him. Orlen is dangerous. Incredibly so. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Noah said. ¡°Your last lead. Wizen?¡±

    Tillian blinked in surprise. ¡°Yes. You knew him?¡±

    I think I¡¯m starting to get what¡¯s going on here. Revin isn¡¯t an idiot. He¡¯s definitely loose in the head, but he¡¯s probably the only person I¡¯ve met that actually has a good understanding of Formations¡­ not to mention he¡¯s the reason I researched them in the first place. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s doing a lot of this very intentionally, which means he¡¯s got something to do with this whole Wizen - Orlen thing.

    Great. Just great.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t just know Wizen. I got him killed,¡± Noah said, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a sigh. ¡°My bad. If I¡¯d known that might have forced someone to interact with Revin, I¡¯d have done everything in my power to avoid it.¡±

    ¡°You killed him?¡± Tillian¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°The Enforcer that got pulled into the Damned Plains with Wizen was you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an Enforcer. I think some facts got twisted up,¡± Noah said. ¡°But if you¡¯ve got questions about Wizen, then I can front them. Leave the girl out of it. Wizen¡­ well, I got more of his story during our fight. He was a bad man, but I know why he did what he did. I know everything she knows about Orlen.¡±

    ¡°That would be more than acceptable,¡± Tillian said with a nod. ¡°I suppose that does explain all the demons here. What, did you bring everyone you met out of the Damned Plains with you? For that matter ¡ª how did you even do that?¡±

    So he does know they¡¯re demons. What kind of Inquisitor is this?

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Noah said slowly. ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as a typical Inquisitor. Not to intentionally seek out trouble, but isn¡¯t your order generally not much a fan of demons?¡±

    ¡°The Inquisition has been fragmented and distracted for years. They¡¯ve been distracted from their original purpose.¡± Tillian shook his head and let out a sigh. ¡°Demons are only a problem when they act up. There are so many of them in the mortal plane that aren¡¯t any worse than the other mages running around. No, I don¡¯t care about demons because they¡¯re demons. I care about threats to the general populace. And right now, that threat is Orlen.¡±

    ¡°He gave me candy,¡± Lee provided. ¡°People that give you candy can¡¯t be bad.¡±

    You would get kidnapped so fast. I really need to set some time aside to teach Lee some basic stranger-danger stuff. Then again, I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s the danger, but it¡¯s about the spirit of things. The younger demons look up to her.

    ¡°That is the most objectively wrong sentence I think I¡¯ve ever heard,¡± Noah said. He examined Tillian for a few moments longer. ¡°But perhaps we should talk after my class is finished.¡±

    ¡°After?¡± Tillian frowned. ¡°I think¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said flatly. ¡°My students take priority, and I don¡¯t think an hour or two is going to change anything. We aren¡¯t finding Orlen anytime soon.¡±

    I¡¯m really more interested in seeing how he reacts to being told he can¡¯t have what he wants than I am in actually delaying the meeting. The way someone handles a rejection says a lot about them.

    Tillian considered Noah for a moment, then inclined his head. ¡°Fair enough. We did just interupt your class. Sorry about that. I¡¯ll stay out of the way until it¡¯s done.¡±

    Noah smiled. ¡°Perfect. And I¡¯ve been wondering who the hell this Orlen person is myself. I have a lead on him, actually. Not a good one, but there¡¯s a demon in my group that worked for someone he hired. You can speak with her while I finish things up here.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± Tillian¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That¡¯s perfect. I guess Revin actually knew what he was doing.¡±

    ¡°Why does that imply you thought I didn¡¯t? I¡¯m very competent,¡± Revin protested.

    ¡°I do,¡± Noah said as both he and Tillian proceeded to ignore Revin. ¡°She should be¡­¡±

    Noah trailed off as he scanned over his class again.

    There was no sign of Linestra.

    ¡°What?¡± Tillian asked.

    ¡°Where the hell is Linestra?¡±