Seira watched as Kiro stood over his mother’s dead body, the last embers of her mana burning in his channels. Leila’s disoriented soul floated away, and an old, white-haired woman that she vaguely recognized ushered it towards her.

The Elders bored down on them, their collective auras choking like the air before a thunderstorm.

"Insolent Sun!" Supervisor Ba shrieked, "You dare kill your own mother?"

Kiro spat, even as his knees shook from the effort of standing. "Oh, trust me, Supervisor, you'll get your turn."

"Traitorous boy! I will tear your arms —"

The air behind the supervisor rippled, and a devastating aura spread through the air.

“You failures! Fifty of you are sent to capture one measly girl, and this is how you end up?"

Seira's eyes widened, and she had to suppress a scream. Hong Ma stood on a fountain of fire, looking down upon them like a Saint passing judgement. The circle of Elders bowed before their matriarch, not even paying attention to Kiro, who was struggling to push himself from the ground.

"Still, I suppose you have at least accomplished your mission. Oh, you little Brave, do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me?”

Seira desperately scrambled back, but in an instant, Hong Ma was beside her, lifting her up by the neck.

Kiro's aura flared, but the matriarch kicked him aside without a second thought.

"Do you know how much time I've invested in this trifling pigpen?"

Seira struggled against her grasp, but the woman's hand was like an iron vice. She forced all of her remaining mana into her channels, crashing a burning first into her assailant's head, but she might as well have tried to punch a stone wall.

“I’ve spent two hundred years breeding your kind to achieve an unprecedented level of latent talent, and you decide to escape?”

Hong Ma tightened her grasp, allowing her hand to flare up with scorching blue sparks.

Seira’s throat convulsed, but the grip on her throat was so tight she couldn’t even cry out.

The matriarch gave a sadistic smile, gradually stopping the flames. “We wouldn’t want to kill you too fast, now would we? To think — I was a half a step away from immortality, and you nearly ruined it! Well, now I have you. Your pathetic Anomaly of a brother can’t save you, nor can that poor excuse for a Saint. And now, I can make you really feel my pain.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

A Huang clan mystic came up to them, clearing his throat. “Ah, honored matriarch, there’s…”

“Do you know how much panic your antics have caused me? Do you know how many days —”

“Honored matriarch, I beseech you —”

“Quiet, scum!”

The Huang man winced, saying his words as fast as possible.

“Matriarch-I-sense-an-attack-beyond-anything-I’ve-ever-seen-please-I-don’t-want-to-die!”

Hong Ma blinked, looking around them. “Foolish man, I sense no attack! I will —”

Aer landed beside them, knocking the matriarch away with a speeding kick. Seira fell from the air, but her master caught her, gingerly setting her down onto the grass.

“It's okay, Seira. You're safe now. You did amazing."

The Saint flew above them like a specter of death, killing intent flaring from every inch of her skin. "Old hag, you have disregarded my numerous warnings and grievously hurt my apprentices. I suggest you leave, before you face a fate far worse than mere death.”

Hong Ma stood, cackling with triumph.

“No, stupid Saint. I suggest you leave!”

The matriarch revealed a glowing talisman, brandishing it as if it were a legendary sword.

“Do you know what this is, woman? This is an immortal protection charm, forged by the immortal Barithian smiths!”

Aer sighed, wincing as she prepared some sort of technique in her palm. "Hong Ma, I think the better question is… do you know what this is?"

She waved her hand, displaying a violent arc of electricity between her fingers. “This is true lightning, just as damaging to the spirit as it is to the body. Even this little spark will shred through your ‘immortal protection charm’, and a bolt the size of my arm will kill you so thoroughly that even another Saint would have a hard time getting back up. Now, I’m going to say this again: I suggest you leave.”

Hong Ma laughed, preparing a technique in her free hand. “You bluff, Saint. Even the best of my world couldn’t conjure more than a handful of true mana, and I’ve seen your techniques. You are nowhere near them.

The matriarch pushed her hands out, preparing a technique hundreds of times stronger than anything Seira had seen her mother do. “Now die!”

Aer sighed, clutching her lower dantian. "Get lost."

The light in her palm grew to a blinding white, and Seira passed out.

***

“Seira, can you hear me? Seira...”

She groaned, cracking open an eye. “Stop it… It’s not even morning yet…”

“Seira!” Arms wrapped around her, pulling her in for a tight hug. “Thank the heavens.”

She yawned. “Kiro?”

“It’s okay. We’re safe now.”

He let go, holding up a glowing green orb. “How do you feel? Are your burns…”

She looked down, wincing. Angry scars lined the length of her forearms, still tender to the touch. “How long was I out? My arms…”

“Only about half an hour. This is a Third Circle healing treasure, but I’m not powerful enough to use it to its full capacity. Aer will be back in a moment, but she’s… dealing with her own injuries right now.”

“What happened?”

Aer appeared behind her, embracing her. “I overstrained myself when dealing with your matriarch — but don't worry about that. I'm just glad you're okay."

Just then, a figure emerged from the cave's interior. Kiro was instantly beside it, holding Rain to its exposed throat.

"Who are you, and what do you want?"

Rynn stepped out of the shadows, confusion evident on his face. "What in the heavens happened here?"