Obeying the village chief's instructions, they traversed an oddly contoured trail, with Luna at the forefront, on a quest for a towering rock wall.

“Back there, the conversation heated up so quickly, that I forgot to ask why all of her workers are near naked men in skin tight underwear.” He chuckled as they slowly followed behind.

Selina remained silent though, trailing the end of her staff along the ground, scraping the dirt beneath as her thoughts drifted back to the tale she had just shared. The recollection of Lady Rain's demise by the followers of the Old Belief stirred a hint of fear within her. Uncertain about whether to trust Nilsine's assertions regarding the Old Order's visit to the village, she grappled with conflicting emotions.

“Do you think it’s real?” Selina spoke suddenly.

Aiken glanced back at her, aware of the concern filling within her. “Which part?”

“The whole thing.”

Aiken hesitated for a moment, uncertain about how to respond in a manner that would soothe her, even if only for a brief moment. But nothing came to mind.

“Are you scared?”

The question troubled Selina, tempting her anger to surface, yet her mind resisted.

“I believe the words you shared. It’s a significant part of tragic history for you mages but whether I believe the black dragon is real? That, I don’t know. It’d be easy to toss that idea as a crazy thing those folks believe in but, something about it does bother me.”

“What do you mean?” Selina asked.

“This morning… we all felt that odd feeling right? I mean that’s why we were all awake right?” Aiken paused briefly. An uncomfortable feeling, filling his body. He lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck, the rough texture of goosebumps beneath his fingers. It seems that same odd feeling from early this morning had returned. “There’s something about the black dragon and his followers that’s familiar but my body doesn’t like it… Shit, I don’t like it and the whole time you told your story, my mind wanted to rip my ears away so that I couldn’t keep hearing about them.” Aiken let out a sigh of concern, unsure of what to make of the words he just said.

Selina felt the urge to probe further into his words, but she knew there would be no answer suitable for either of them. Though she understood the feeling Aiken was sharing. Uttering the dragon's name, whether Sarketh or simply acknowledging the black dragon, triggered a familiar sensation. The foul stench that filled their room earlier, noted by Luna and her, held that recognizable feeling for Selina. Was it a sign of the dragon’s return? Or was it a sign of the things to come before his return? There were no answers, and all Selina could do was relate to that sensation Aiken shared.

“What if… what she said about the Old Order is true?” Selina said.

Aiken sighed again, and pulled his hand away from his neck, trying his best to ignore that familiar sensation.“Then those Renard’s and village folk are in big trouble.”

“Then shouldn’t we hurry?!” Selina yelled, flailing her arms against her sides.

“And what good will it do to rush ahead about things we still don’t know?”

“But!” Frustrated by Aiken's answer, Selina stomped her feet, leaving imprints of her boots on the dirt road they were walking on. “Even if we don’t know, shouldn’t we still show some concern when their lives are possibly at stake?!” Her voice grew louder.

“And then what? Stress ourselves over the details of possibilities?”

Selina stomps her feet again and slams her arms against her body in annoyance, her mouth quickly opened but her words wouldn’t come out. Instead she stomped her feet over and over, until her brown face turned red and tears fell down it.

Aiken stopped his walk and peered over his shoulder, at the upset Selina. “Selina…”

“Aren’t we supposed to care about what happens to those people, even if we’re only basing it on possibility? As someone who can fight, aren’t you supposed to care more?!”

With his back turned to Selina, Aiken lifted his gaze to the green field ahead, his mind swirling in thought. “No, you’re not supposed to care more… because my ability to fight was for me, because I wanted to wield a sword for a living and I’m sure most swordsmen who aren’t deluded by dreams of being a hero would say the same.” Aiken turned around to face Selina, whose brown face had flushed red, her eyes swollen with tears. “But that doesn’t mean that I don’t care, and while I agree that we should have some kind of concern for Aster’s village folk. What you’re trying to do is react off of your emotions toward the possibility of the Old Order being the culprits.”

Selina lowered her gaze, focusing on her dirty boots as she gently bit her lip. She recognized that Aiken was right; there was genuine concern for those people's well-being. However, she understood that rushing for an answer would only lead them to a dead end, and Aiken was trying to prevent that.

“I’m sorry…” Selina's voice was soft and frustrated, making it obvious to Aiken that she wasn't accustomed to apologizing.

Aiken smiled at her explosive vulnerability. “I don’t think it’s something you need to apologize for. I think emotion is just a reminder that you care, but you’ve got to be careful in allowing it to guide you over a clear mind.”

Selina nods her head and Aiken wipes her reddened face clean of her dry tears. While Luna the line leader howled at them as she waited at the end of the trail for the two of them to catch up.

Aiken chuckled “I guess we shouldn’t keep Luna waiting.”

They gathered themselves and continued on the path Nilsine had pointed out. Selina shuffled through her emotions and eventually managed to steer the conversation onto a different subject.

“Did you finish whatever it was that you were writing?”

Aiken slows his pace and glances back at Selina. “And how’d you know I was writing something?”

“Do you think the loud tapping of your pencil wouldn’t wake me up?” Selina raised her staff and swung it towards Aiken's legs, but missed.

“Well, I’m sorry but writing isn’t my thing! My words take a while to come out!” Aiken raised his voice and shrugs his shoulders.

“Well you can think about what to say next without making any noise!” Again, Selina swings her staff at his legs and again, she missed.

“Are you trying to hurt me?!” Aiken jumps away from Selina and her swinging staff.

“Was it a letter?” She asked.

“I hadn’t written to my mom in a while and had a thought that she may be worrying about me. So, I decided to write a letter and give her an update.”

“Did you send it?”

Aiken nodded his head. “I gave it to Millie early this morning, right before we left and made our way to Nilsine’s.”

“Do you think she’ll write back?”

Aiken shrugged, a soft sigh escaping his lips, a hint of yearning for home in the sound. “I’m sure she’d love to send a letter back, even if it’s just to give me her motherly complaints about how I don’t write home enough. While immediately following up with her making sure I’m eating properly now that I’m not eating home cooked meals.” Aiken shakes his head, his mother's voice echoing in the recesses of his mind.

Selina giggles at Aiken’s obvious concerns of always worrying his mother. “If you ask me, it sounds like your mom is simply trying to care for you in the best way that she can since you’re not home.”

“I know… and I haven’t been the best son since I left home. I could definitely write home more often.”

The dirt path in front of them shortened and the way ahead came to an end. A cluster of green bushes and aged trees attempt to conceal a conspicuous, towering rock wall. Luna sniffed along the wall. Aiken, sensing something unusual, trailed behind Luna walking to the wall's end, where a cliff loomed above them, with another set of trees beckoning to be explored at its peak.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“I wonder if Nilsine’s men gave her the right information.” Selina said.

“You don’t think there’s anything here?” Aiken asked.

“I don’t know, it looks like a regular rock wall if you ask me.”

“I see…” Aiken pressed his hand against the rock wall, running his fingers down its rough surface with a gentle touch. “Well, it’s not like I can blame you because most folk would say what you just said.”

“Do you notice something different?” Selina asked.

“Just follow my hand.” Aiken's hand moved slowly across the rock wall, feeling its rough, lumpy texture under his fingers until suddenly the wall became smooth, losing its rough texture and instead resembling pavement, similar to what you’d see as flooring in towns and villages. Though this smooth surface lasted only briefly before giving way to roughness again, just a few steps ahead.

Selina’s eyes followed Aiken’s hand, and almost instantly she noticed something was different. “Wait… why’s it smooth here and not there?” She pressed her hand against the oddly smoothed surface of the typically rough rock wall, and under her fingers the smoothed wall reverberated. “It’s an illusion!” She turned to Aiken. “But how’d you know?”

“I didn’t, I only knew that something was different, all it took was a little observing. But the illusion? You found that yourself.”

Selina pulled her hand away from the wall, tendrils of mana reaching out to her, trying to caress her hand and pull it back. Luna howled and growled at the sight.

“Looks like the wall is a fan.” Aiken joked.

Selina laughed. “Actually, you might be right.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think, that whichever mage created this illusionary wall is from or is descended from Salem.”

Aiken tilted his head with confusion. “And how’d you get to that conclusion?”

Selina put her hand over the illusionary wall, tendrils of mana slowly reached out to her. Caressing her fingers and eventually her entire hand as if it were a newborn baby.

“If it were looking to turn me away, this wall would’ve ate through my magic and I’d probably be missing my entire hand.”

“So, we can walk right in?”

“If my assumption is correct then yes, which means we can snoop around without ever alerting them.”

“And if we break the illusion instead?”

“Then this place would be swarming with mages faster than a merchant trying to catch a sale on merchant road.”

“Ha!” A loud laugh erupts from the bottom of Aiken’s stomach and he cackles. “Those merchants are definitely something else.”

Together, they laughed and reminisced about Selina being bombarded by merchants back in Uni. It was her first taste of how bloodthirsty merchants could be, especially when they’re grouped together selling as one.

Selina smiled, letting out a breath of stress that the memory had stirred within her. “Here’s hoping that doesn’t happen again.”

“I think you’ll find out that merchants are typically able to control themselves.”

Selina nodded. “I guess I won’t know until we’re done here.” She lifted her hand and slowly pushed her fingers onto the illusionary wall.

The magic embraced her, pulling her hand further into the wall. Selina slightly lost her balance, but Aiken was there to steady her. The once obscure, smoothed rock wall began to fade, revealing a glimpse inside to whatever these people were trying to hide. But there wasn't much to see; it looked like a regular cave with limited space. However, at the very back, Aiken's eyes caught a glimpse of a small, narrow pathway that seemed to lead further inside.

The interior of the hidden cave lay open and free for the three of them to explore. But before they could, something grabbed Aiken's attention. It was a sensation familiar to all three of them, causing the hairs on their bodies to stand on end. The same feeling that had plagued their morning was fast approaching.

“We should make this quick.” Aiken stepped ahead and into the cave as Selina nodded in agreement. “Luna, watch the entrance and keep lookout for anything.” She barked instantly at Aiken’s command and immediately began patrolling the cave’s entrance and the shrubbery keeping it hidden.

Inside, the cave was empty, except for a few wooden crates filled with empty bottles and a small oval table. Aiken immediately headed for the narrow path he had noticed, with Selina following closely behind. The crevice was tight, especially with Aiken's bulky sword on his back, but he knew they had to pass through to complete the job. Aiken took off his heavy sword and slid his body into the crevice.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” She asked with an obvious tone of concern.

“I just hope I don’t get stuck.”

“Well, maybe I should go first then?”

Selina's suggestion was probably the best way to handle the situation, but since Aiken had already wedged his body into the crevice, he decided to stick with the plan and press on. He forced his way through the tight crevice, feeling the cave walls pressing tightly against his chest and back. He had to take big breaths and hold them, as trying to breathe in the tight space was painful. Selina watched on, a look of concern plagued her face as she hoped Aiken wouldn’t get stuck. Though, Aiken made it to the other side, gasping for air and spreading his arms as he enjoyed the comfort of having his own space again.

On the other side, Aiken scanned the room but found it empty, mirroring the cave's entrance. There were wooden crates filled with empty bottles and a small oval table. However, unlike the other room, there was a cardboard box under the oval table with its top ripped open. Inside the box were rows of dull crystals, devoid of life or color. They resembled a toy or a prop one might find in a doctor's office just for looks. However, Aiken suspected there was more to these crystals. Why would these people go out of their way and hide them behind an illusionary wall?

“Are you alive?” Selina’s soft voice cut in between his thoughts.

“Yeah and I think I found something.” Aiken yelled through the crevice.

“What is it?” She asked.

“I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure these are crystals.”

“Crystals?” A thought from Selina’s alchemy class clicked in her mind. “Could you toss the crystal to me through the crevice?”

“Uh.” Aiken tilted his head as he stared at the crevice. “I think so but won’t the crystal break?”

“No, crystals are much harder than you know. A normal toss and drop won’t cause it to break unless it’s a fake.”

“Alright then.”

Aiken tossed the crystal into the crevice, its echoing impact on the cave floor suggesting it remained intact. Selina shouted, "I got it!" Aiken took a breath and squeezed himself back into the crevice, slowly making his way to the other side.

“Oh no.” Selina’s concerned voice whispered as Aiken came out of the crevice.

“What’s wrong?”

“These crystals are used to store life.”

“Store life?”

Wide-eyed and with her skin flushing, Selina grabbed Aiken's wrist. “We need to get back to Nilsine!”

“Hold on Selina, I need you to take a breathe and explain what this crystal is.”

Selina squeezed the crystal tightly in her hand, troubled by the truth it revealed. Aiken placed his hand on her shoulder, ensuring she felt his presence as he stayed within her view.

“In Salem when we first started learning of the Old Order and their means of sacrificing the mana of the weakest in hopes of the black dragon’s revival. They also made mention of the death crystal.” Selina’s words were slow and Aiken’s eyes had fallen to the crystal in her hand.

“You mean the one in your hand?”

Selina nodded.

“When mages of significant power were at their ends, moments away from death whether naturally or through injury or battle. They would seal and store their soul alongside their powerful mana into these crystals and use them as sacrifices in there rituals as a means of providing a more powerful offering of mana for the black dragon.”

BOOM!

An explosion echoed amongst the walls of the cave, the floor under them slightly shaking causing them to fall off balance. An aggressive growl followed immediately after, Luna’s white fur rushed into the cave almost begging for Aiken and Selina’s attention.

BOOM!

Another explosion. Luna howls over the echoes of the explosion finally catching the attention of the distracted Aiken. He rushed for the cave entrance where Luna stood. In the distance a rising cloud of smoke filled the fresh air of Aster, the rising flames of multiple fires just under those clouds.

“Selina!! We’ve gotta go!”

She stuffed her pocket with the death crystal and hurried to Aiken and Luna’s side. Selina covers her mouth in shock as she watches Aster in flames.

“We need to help them!”

Selina rushes ahead of them and hurries down the path they came from.

“Let’s go Luna!”

With the other two trailing right behind her.

******

The burning smell of wood fogged the air in the village. Many of the homes and other buildings had fallen to the fires and it was difficult to know how many of the village folk were able to make it out in time. Nilsine’s home was guarded by her half naked men as they urged any folk injured or unsure of where to go inside for protection.

“Where’s Nilsine?!” Aiken yelled as the three of them rushed into Aster.

“She ran toward the village entrance. It seems the Renard family was captured by those hooded harassers of theirs.” One of the men standing by Nilsine’s front door shouted.

“Are the village folk okay?!” Selina shouted back.

“We’ve pulled out the one’s we could see but seeing as almost every house is caught in flame’s it’s hard to really tell if we saved everyone!” The man shouted.

Aiken nodded his head and looked amongst the fire, unsure of which way to go to reach Nilsine. His eye’s jumped to the path behind them, the way they just came.

“Okay, I’ll hurry to Nilsine. Selina and Luna I want you to focus on putting out those fires and saving anyone else who might need our help.”

Luna whined at his words and Selina protested right along with her. “You can’t go by yourself! Who knows what you’ll run into!”

“But I can’t let Nilsine die, otherwise we miss out on our payment.” Aiken smiled.

“This is no time to be making jokes!” Selina stomped her feet.

“Listen, if you two follow me, that means we leave these folks to fend for themselves and what if in those fires there are those who can still be saved? Would you rather let them die just to help me?”

Selina furrowed her brows, frustrated at his words but understanding the truth in them. “When we’re done here we’ll be right behind you.”

“I expect nothing less.” Aiken smiled. “Luna, protect her as you would me. Help her deal with these fires and help anyone who can be helped.”

Luna upset at Aiken’s decision to go alone whined. Aiken crouched down and rubbed her head.

“I know it’s not how we usually do things but these people need our help and this is the best way to do so.” Luna whined again but this time she hurried to Selina’s side, understanding the truth in Aiken’s words and the desperation of the situation at hand. “Don’t worry, I won’t die.

“YOU BETTER NOT!” Selina swings her staff at Aiken, slapping the side of his head with quite a bit of force.

“RELAX!” Aiken rubbed the side of his head. “ILL BE FINE AND SO WILL YOU! Focus on the task at hand.”

Selina sticks her tongue at him and immediately turns her back to him. “We’ll make sure these fire’s are put out.”

Aiken nodded although she couldn’t see him. “I’m counting on it.”