The man with the crystal helmet watched the little impromptu wake from the sidelines. His gaze could pierce the veil that separated the liminal realm from the rest of Aernor with ease. It was only one of the perks his shard of the Far-Looking Glass granted him.

He had been shadowing those two and their Brethren companions throughout their descend into the Halls, the solitary, unseen audience to their little drama. They had proven to be quite the refreshing distraction.

He'd been wondering how well they’d fare against the outsider and its unfortunate host. They had exceeded his expectations greatly. It was just as well, too; the otherworldly entity had served its purpose and was of no use to him anymore. It was the least of the three he’d summoned to help him with his work.

The other two and their chosen hosts had left the Halls as soon as their business was concluded, eager to enjoy their stay on Aernor. He’d only let It That Whispers haunt the Halls on a whim. He’d probably have to get rid of it himself at some point, hadn’t the two Brethren and their new friends intervened.

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

He took another look at the duo, studying them.

The young ërne was nothing to write home about, though his resourcefulness had proven to be refreshing. His transient nature was by far the most compelling thing about him. He had some potential, yes, but potential was far from rare. Would he have the tenacity required to fulfill it? That was the question. So far, even the rank of Copper was out of his reach.

The older one was more interesting; besides her skill with the blade and the little trove of dangerous trinkets she carried on her person, that one had áeld blood running in her veins, however thin. She also held the rank of Gold and seemed to have been trained on a Path of áeld origin. Just as the other, the straw-haired one had. That was uncommon enough to warrant a closer look.

Maybe he should keep tabs on the two, check on them from time to time. They had proven to be more refreshing than any of the Brethren.

He gave them a last look, then set for his laboratory near the Heart of the Halls to resume his work. Unbeknownst to her, the older one had been right.

There was a lot to be done.

END OF BOOK 1