Chapter XX

Eric Reiner was just passing down Doris Street when he heard a sudden shriek from his left. He exhaled sharply and turned to stare in the direction he heard it. For a moment, he simply stood there, waiting for any other noise that might give him a better idea of what might have happened but when the world went silent once again, a wave of fear washed over him.

That came from the forest, didn’t it? Doesn’t Wright usually head down that way? He didn’t want to even consider the possibility that something might have already happened, but he knew that if he didn’t check and something happened then he wouldn’t ever be able to forgive himself. It can’t be possible. Not now… Please…

Eric frantically glanced around the empty neighborhood street then, once he was sure he was alone, he readjusted his backpack and bent his knees.

“Proto,” he chanted softly.

The magic exploded under his feet and he was launched into the air, soaring over the roof of a house before landing atop the fence of their backyard. He briefly checked over his shoulder to make sure nobody had seen him, then chanted proto again and shot into the forest beyond. He kept in the air, darting from branch to branch and closely watching the ground below.

Where did that scream come from?! It had to be around here, right?!

He was desperate to make sure it wasn’t Evan, Rina, or Brad. He had been praying that Nigreos would wait until the time limit was up before he made a move, but he also knew that trusting the Master of Darkness to stick to his word would be a mistake. He needed to be ready for anything, but at the same time, there was very little he could do. That monster had almost killed him and Nigreos was sure to be far more powerful than it. If the Master was the cause of the scream, he knew he could very well be sprinting to his death.

But I have to check. For all I know, some bear wandered too close to the town and scared some kids. Maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with Nigreos at all!

Moments later, he heard shouting off to his right, so he landed on a nearby branch and pushed off in that direction, all the while listening closely in an attempt to identify if the voice sounded familiar. As he got closer, he began to feel progressively sicker, praying that he was getting worked up for no reason. Unfortunately, those prayers were ignored. He softly landed on a branch up in the canopy of one of the taller trees where he got a clear view of the forest trail below.

No… Please no…

Evan Wright was standing in front of Rina Davens with his arms outstretched, his eyes wide in both fury and terror as he faced down two figures nearly twenty yards ahead of him. Eric slowly turned his head, taking care not to make any noise, and followed Evan’s gaze to where his opponents stood.

God damn it… It’s him.

Nigreos Noctis didn’t look as if he’d aged even a day. He appeared identical to the man he saw the night his mother was taken away from him. It was the same black suit, pale white eyes, and firm features. Eric clenched his fists, feeling anger boiling up inside him as he took in the visage of the man he saw that day.

I’d never forget his face. I’d never forget that distinct appearance. If there was any doubt before, it’s certainly gone now. This is Nigreos Noctis. But…who’s the woman with him?

Beside Nigreos was his complete antithesis. While she wore a similarly styled suit, she was almost glowing a pure white. She stood tall and elegant, with long white hair and stern black eyes, a stark contrast to Nigreos’s powerful build. They were complementary to each other and Eric knew without even having to think about it that she was an Ijirian as well.

He didn’t come alone?! But then, who is she? She can’t possibly be another Master, right? Because if she is, then there truly is no hope. We couldn’t fight Nigreos if he were by himself, let alone if another Master stands by his side!

Panic spread through him as he scanned the scene for Brad, who he knew had gone after Evan, but there was no immediate sign of him. Only Evan and Rina stood on the trail, facing Nigreos and his partner in white.

Hopefully Brad’s already on his way home! For now…I have to do something! I have to save Evan and Rina somehow…even if it means risking my life!

“You’ve been warned,” Nigreos called over. “There’s nothing you can do now, but if you wish to stand and fight, then you, too, can meet an honorable end. However, I would advise that you do as we say. Give us Eric Reiner. Even if you don’t know where he is, I know Miss Davens does. One way or another, you’ll do as we say.”

So they are after me… I guess that’s not surprising. They want the stone, after all.

Eric took a deep breath, prepared to jump down and face them himself. He knew Evan wouldn’t protect him at the cost of his own life. Even Rina would give them up. Neither held any love for them, and Evan almost certainly sought revenge after what happened and Eric couldn’t even blame them. It only made sense.

Believing there was no hope, Eric was taken by surprise when Evan suddenly shouted.

“No! How many times do we have to tell you,” he snarled. “We don’t know anything! I-I refuse! You can do whatever you want to me! It won’t change fucking reality!”

Nigreos narrowed his eyes and sighed. “Why must you all be such a pain? Honestly, you’re all far more confident than you should be and in the end, it’s only going to cost you more pain than is necessary.”

“Just fuck off!” Evan shrieked desperately. “Get the fuck away from us! I won’t let you hurt anybody and there’s no way in hell I’ll let you touch Rina!”

Wright…he’s actually defending us? But…I don’t get it. Why would he—?

Without any sort of warning, a sudden flash of light shot toward him, giving him barely a second to react. The moment it entered his vision, he pushed off the branch and darted down toward the trail. He managed to land on his feet, but the extra weight of his backpack almost threw him off. When he raised his head, the branch he’d been crouched on hit the ground in a crackling of sparks, a light fire burning the part that had been severed from the tree. For a brief second, he stared at it dumbfounded before quickly recollecting himself.

I should have known there was no point in hiding. Not from them.

He straightened his posture, determined to confront them with as much confidence as he could muster, and faced the black and white figures ahead of him. He ensured that Evan and Rina were to his back, wanting to make sure they were safe to run. The unfamiliar woman had her arm outstretched and her dark eyes were fixated on him, a slight smile curling the corner of her lips. He quickly gathered that she was the one who tried to shoot him down, noting that her magic must be related to light in some way. Then, gathering as much courage as he could, he turned his attention toward Nigreos Noctis.

Unlike his partner, Nigreos was gaping at him in surprise. So many emotions seemed to be swirling within his white eyes and Eric found himself proud to have thrown him off even a little bit. Yet, even he couldn’t deny that he was also slightly surprised himself. He expected Nigreos to face him with anger and determination, but instead, the man seemed scared—as if he hadn’t wanted to face Eric yet.

And my sense… There’s no doubt that both of them are ridiculously dangerous, he thought. But…why do I feel more malice and hatred from the woman in white? Shouldn’t Nigreos be the one it's warning me of?

His sixth sense had always been reliable, helping him to determine who could be trusted and who couldn’t. He always deferred to it when meeting new people and he had expected Nigreos to set it off, but if he was being warned about her more than him, then it just made him all the more terrified to know who she was.

“I thought I sensed another presence,” the woman mused smugly. “But I never expected you to fall right into our lap, Mr. Reiner. And with the relic on you even.”

Eric narrowed his eyes. So she can sense the gem? I guess that shouldn’t be all that shocking. Maybe…I can use it to barter with them somehow. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s all I’ve got for now.

“Well, you wanted to speak with me, it would seem,” he replied, trying his best to suppress his fear and hatred. “Wright. Davens. I appreciate your help, but I’ll take it from here. You guys can go home now.”

“No, they cannot,” the woman replied. “As you already know, they are—”

“Perkari!”

He cut the woman off with a flick of his wrist, sending a burst of air straight for her chest. Her body instantly began to glow a bright white, as if she had become a being of pure energy, and the burst passed right through her. She returned to normal seconds later and her expression remained unamused. He hadn’t expected it to land, rather it gave him a good idea of what she could do.

“So you intend to fight?” she asked, a warning tone in her voice. “Is that what you’ve decided on even though we’ve already told you what will happen if you do?”

This time, he ignored her completely as he turned his head to glance back at Evan and Rina, both gazing back at him in fear. He nodded firmly, forcing as cheerful of a smile as he could.

“Please, run. I’ll hold them off. Just get somewhere safe and don’t come back, okay?” he said softly. “I’ve got this.”

He then stared directly into Evan’s eyes, knowing he was the one that would be the hardest to convince. The boy stared back and seemed to understand what Eric was going to do, for he simply nodded back at him, grabbed Rina’s hand, and turned back the way they had come. Rina jumped up as well and followed, but not without a few terrified looks back over her shoulder. Content that they would be safe, Eric turned back toward the Ijirians, prepared to fend them off while his classmates escaped, but found them both merely standing there, watching him.

“You do know that’s pointless,” the woman inquired. “Once we’re done with you, we’ll simply track them down. It won’t take long.”

Eric shrugged, raising his fists out in front of him and sending his power swirling around his arms, ready for use at the first sign of hostility from either of them. He was surprised that the woman was the one taking the lead on the conversation. Thus far, only Nigreos had attempted to make contact with them, but the Master of Darkness had only stood by in silence since Eric’s arrival. It only called into question who was really in charge between the two of them, and he feared that if it were the woman, then she would most certainly be a Master as well.

“I remember you, you know,” he said, once again ignoring her and speaking directly to Nigreos. “I remember that night—the night you took my mother away from me.”

Nigreos’s eyes widened and a pained look crossed his face. “You do, do you?” he asked softly. “Then you’ll remember that I spared you once before, Eric Reiner. By law, I should have erased both you and your father, yet I kept you a secret because your mother was a dear friend of mine. I can save you again. We need not be enemies.”

The woman glanced irritably up at the man, but kept quiet, allowing him to now lead the conversation. Eric filed that observation away, then shook his head.

“No,” he stated flatly. “You are my enemy. I am not opposed to negotiations, but you already took my good friend away from me. You killed innocent people at that diner and you erased Vinny from this world so unless you can bring them back, I will not ever see you as anything more than a murderer!”

Nigreos shook his head, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Mr. Mickelson…is not dead, Reiner. He is simply gone from this realm of existence…somewhere far away.”

“Then bring him back!” Eric snarled.

At this, the woman stepped forward, her hand raised toward him as if prepared to strike. “You are not the one in a position to make bargains. You are at our mercy and therefore, you will do as we say. You will return the relic and you will give yourself up, along with every other magicless person who touched that stone. If you refuse, then we will eradicate you with force.”

Eric clenched his teeth, knowing she would be able to make good on that threat and realizing there truly was very little he could do to stop them. Yet, he stood his ground regardless. He couldn’t back down anymore. If they killed him there then they would have killed him later anyway. At the very least, he hoped to take them down with him. If his friends could be safe, his life was a small price to pay.

But…I don’t even know if I’d be able to kill them. That’s only a last resort. Clearly, this woman has no interest in negotiations, but Nigreos might be open. I simply have to try.

“You called yourself a friend of my mother?” he demanded of the man. “Then tell me…do you think she would want this to happen? These people you want to erase…are more important to me than I could ever articulate! If they die, I have nothing left! If you’re truly her friend then you would spare us! I’ll return your relic so just leave this town and go back to Ijiria! Leave us alone!”

Nigreos slowly shook his head, crushing any hope that he may have had to reason with him. “I can’t do that,” he stated. “I’m sorry, but I’ve already done what I could for your mother and now, I’m out of chances. I can spare you, but not them. So, either you come with us back to Ijiria and live where you were meant to live, or you die with your friends.”

Eric narrowed his eyes in challenge. “That’s not even a question. I would never abandon them! If they die then I’ll die with them! Don’t think I’m scared of you! If it’s to save them, I’ll take you both down no matter how much blood I have to give! They mean the world to me and I’m not going to leave them to die!”

“You’re a fool, Eric Reiner,” the woman snapped. “If you aren’t scared of us, then you really don’t understand the position you’re in. Clearly you already know Nigreos, but allow me to introduce myself. I am Album Luz, the Master of Light.”

Despite his resolve, he couldn’t stop his features from contorting in horror at her words. No… Another Master?! Are you kidding me?! There’s two of them?! How in the hell am I supposed to fight them! It was hopeless before, but now…

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

Album smiled darkly. “I see you understand what that means. Then you know there’s nothing you can do. Even with your powers, Nigreos and I could kill you without effort. You’re a child. So you should be scared. Your life is in our hands.”

He was scared. He was more scared at that moment than he had ever been in his life. Two Masters of Ijiria were standing before him, prepared to kill him if he forced them, and they wanted to wipe out everything he had built in Wilham. His fate was in their hands, and yet he refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing him shake. If he went down, it was going to be with as strong of a fight as he could give.

“I’m not scared of you!” he repeated. “Nigreos! Album! Give me all you’ve got, because I’m not backing down! This is my town and if you want to take it away from me, then you’ll have to kill me! I’m not going with you! I’m not leaving them behind!”

He felt his power surging within his body, the wind expanding from his arms to swirl around his entire form. He knew their conversation would soon be coming to an end, and then, he would have to give it everything he had.

“Reiner, please!” Nigreos shouted. “It doesn’t have to end this way! Think about this!”

Eric swiftly shook his head. “There’s nothing to think about. I will never abandon them! There’s nothing you could ever offer me that would ever change my mind!”

While Nigreos clearly sought to work things out peacefully, Album only eyed him challengingly.

“So be it, Mr. Reiner. Then you’ll die…just like your mother did.”

He had been ready.

He had gathered the resolve to fight them to the death and Album shattered that all with one simple sentence. His eyes went wide and with that brief hesitation, he felt the swirling of his power recede back into his wrists.

“Album, don’t,” Nigreos hissed, but the woman ignored him.

“Is that all it takes?” she inquired darkly. “All that confidence reduced to a child’s terror with a few mere words?”

Eric took a step back, shaking his head in panic. “N-no. What are you…? You’re just trying to get in my head!”

“I’m not,” she stated. “Your mother was also determined to fight and in the end, she lost her life.”

“Album, shut up!” Nigreos snarled, but she ignored him, continuing on with more fervor than before.

“She was far more powerful, far more trained, than you are, and Nigreos was still able to overcome her. She rebelled against Ijiria and he was forced to kill her. If you’d like to wind up dead like her, then by all means, fight us, Mr. Reiner.”

The woman was smiling and he knew she was enjoying herself. He wanted to shout at her that she was lying, deny everything she was saying, yet he sensed no deception in her words. Even his sense failed to warn him if she was lying or not. All that time, he’d been waiting for his mom to return and he always told himself that she would. She promised to come home and make up for the lost time. She told him that she would train him in magic. He knew she’d come back. He’d been telling himself that all this time.

So…why am I not surprised?

Somewhere deep inside, he had known. It had been ten years since she left and there was still no sign of her. Every time he considered the possibility that she was dead, he shoved it deep inside and refused to acknowledge it, but he knew the truth. No matter what, his mother would never have abandoned him for so long. She would have found some way to come back. The only reason she wouldn’t have returned was if she had been dead.

“Reiner,” Nigreos began hesitantly. “It’s a delicate subject, but let’s talk about this. Stand down and we can—”

“Did you kill her?” he breathed. “Did you kill my mother, Nigreos?”

The Master of Darkness stared back at him, his eyes narrowed in consideration. “Reiner…”

“Perkari!”

He lashed out in such fury that the burst of wind launched from his hand with more power than he had ever used. Nigreos barely jumped out of the way, the burst passing right by his head and smashing into the trunk of a tree behind him, sending splinters of wood shooting out in all directions.

I’m going to stop them! This man… He killed Mom! He took her away from me! She’s never coming home because of him! And now…he murdered all those people at the diner and he…and he killed Vinny! He’s taken so much from me! I won’t let him have anything else! I won’t lose anything else to this monster!

“Reiner, just think about this!” Nigreos shouted.

But he ignored him, opening his mouth to send another burst his way, yet before he could do so, another flash of light blinded him, and a sudden pain erupted in his chest, propelling him backwards. He almost lost his footing and barely managed to stay standing, but when his vision cleared, Album’s face was only inches away from his. He stared into her pitch black eyes and could feel her breath against his cheek. He exhaled sharply and he slowly lowered his head to see her hand shoved straight through his chest.

“Album!” he heard Nigreos shriek.

“You never stood a chance,” she whispered. “In the end, your fate was sealed, Eric Reiner.” The woman smiled, but it wasn’t the smug grin he had expected. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes as she whispered, “Erasurei.”

My sweet child. I’ll never let them harm you. I’ll always be right here, by your side.

Album’s features suddenly contorted in shock and a second later, her body lurched backwards, flying across the trail in a flash of light before smashing into a tree and collapsing at its base, unmoving. Eric stared blankly at it, hardly processing what had happened, and when he turned back to his chest, he found her arm still sticking out of it, blood oozing from the stump just above her elbow. He realized he wasn’t feeling any pain and when he absently reached up to tug it out, he still felt fine. He yanked the pale arm from his chest and, while his clothes were torn and stained red, his body was fine, as if there had never been a cut in the first place. He tossed the arm aside and raised his head.

Album was still laying beside the tree, her eyes barely open as she gaped at the stump of her right arm, and Nigreos was in the same place as before, looking between the two of them as if failing to understand what had just occurred.

I don’t know what just happened, Eric thought, stunned. But I’m not letting this opportunity pass me up!

“Proto!” he snarled, sending all his mana throughout his body as he lunged at Nigreos, prepared to bring the murderer of his mother down.

***

Nigreos reacted seconds before Eric reached him.

“Coreas!” he chanted, waving his arms in the direction of the oncoming boy.

The moment the words left his lips, the shadows of the surrounding forest came to life, bursting out from behind the trees and flying straight toward Eric. With speed that surprised him, the boy raised his own hands, not showing any fear as the black tendrils began to close in on him.

“Nex!”

A shield of air erupted from Eric’s fingertips, stopping the shadows from reaching him, but at the same time, his progress was slowed, giving Nigreos the time he needed to rush toward where Album lay. He didn’t have any idea what just happened and he was still struggling to process it. He had been determined to work things out peacefully between them and Eric, wanting to spare the boy’s life, but Album kept antagonizing him. He understood what her goals were. She was trying to force Nigreos’s hand and make it so that they wouldn’t have a choice but to erase Eric. She wanted him to hate them so much that reasoning with him would be impossible.

And she succeeded, he thought bitterly, watching as the furious boy propelled himself up into the trees, putting distance between the two of them. Eric’s eyes were fixated on him, and his bloodlust was clear in the dark gaze directed down at him. I don’t have a damn choice! He’s going to fight me until his energy runs out so I’ll just have to incapacitate him and hope we can talk this out!

He glanced back at Album, whose back was pressed up against the tree. She was already using magic to stop the bleeding of her arm, but her skin was even paler than normal and her eyes were half-lidded.

What happened to her?! I’ve never seen an attempt at erasing fail, let alone with as much backlash against the eraser as that!

Album had moved to erase Eric without his consent, and while he had been furious at her decision, he now realized that it revealed yet another anomaly regarding the boy. Contacting him via mind magic was impossible, and now they saw the repercussions of trying to erase him. Everything was contradicting what he had expected, and he no longer knew what to think.

Damn it! Well, with Album down, we can’t try erasing him again…and I doubt that would be a good idea even if we could. I can’t kill him so I’ll just have to take him down and capture him! We can question him from there!

Nigreos brought the mana to his fingertips just as Eric sent another few bursts of air flying his way. The shadows erupted around him, stopping the attacks before they could reach his body. However, the boy reacted quickly once again. He dodged into the trees, using wind magic to go further into the forest, as if attempting to escape. Yet, Nigreos could tell that wasn’t the case. He was simply trying to lure him into the denser trees.

This just shows how little you know, boy. Over there, in the shadows, is my home turf!

Nigreos glanced back down at Album and cocked an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

She scoffed weakly and scowled back at him. “Just go get him.”

He nodded, then took off running into the trees and in the direction Eric had gone. He sent the shadows swirling around him, concealing his presence from wherever the boy might be hiding. The sun was just below the horizon now and if he could hold him off for a little while longer, there would be enough darkness to incapacitate him in an instant. He could hear Eric moving around up above, but no attacks came his way. Instead, it sounded like he was simply sprinting around in the trees, avoiding staying in one spot for long.

Well, it seems he has some sort of strategy, Nigreos thought. I shouldn’t underestimate him. He’s already escaped the nerich. Clearly he isn’t a fool.

“Eric!” he called out, lowering the shadows enough that he could speak with him. “Enough of this! Stand down! You can’t beat me!”

Sensing the presence of the relic to his right, Nigreos turned and stared up into the canopies to see the boy standing upon a branch, staring down at him with fury in his eyes.

“I’ll stand down if you leave,” he snarled back. “I’m not losing anybody else to you, Nigreos! If you choose to remain in Wilham, then I will fight you with everything I’ve got!”

“Damn it, boy!” He scowled. “Coreas!”

Once again, the shadows went directly for him, but the element of surprise was all but gone. Eric dodged from the branch right as the shadows destroyed it, moving further up into the trees and out of sight. However, he had the relic on him and so, tracking his mana was easier. Yet, it wasn’t as strong as it should have been. They were still close enough to the school that the pocket realm’s power was faint, and combined with Eric’s own mana, the distinction was harder to make.

Nigreos grit his teeth and sent the shadows crashing into every spot he sensed the boy’s presence, always barely missing him as he dodged and weaved through the leaves. Eric started moving further into the forest, so Nigreos took off running after him, prepared for any other wind attacks headed his way.

“Wha—?!” he exclaimed suddenly.

The ground beneath him burst upwards, the rock solidifying around his legs and holding him in place.

Rock magic?! So he isn’t just proficient in wind?!

Realizing that another attack would be coming, Nigreos raised the shadows up, only to see a large ball of flame hurtling toward him. The light of the fire weakened the shadows and he quickly abandoned them, pulling up a shield of wind to blow the flames in all directions around him.

What the hell?! How does he know all this?! Abi couldn’t have taught him! She left when he was hardly seven years old!

The fires struck the branches at the base of the trees, setting them alight. Realizing that if the forest caught fire then his dark magic would be weakened, Nigreos furiously slashed the rock around his feet apart with a burst of wind magic, then darted out of the way as another fireball struck the spot he had just been. The heat of the fire began to sear his skin as he chanted a few more spells, shooting water from his hands and engulfing the small remains of the flames before they could spread through the forest.

“Do you intend to burn this place down?!” Nigreos roared. “All to get a little revenge?!”

“I don’t intend to burn anything!” came the reply, yet the voice sounded as if it was echoing all around him. “You won’t let this place burn, will you, Nigreos?! If it does, your power won’t be as strong!”

That little shit! He really knows his spells. Clearly he’s had some sort of teaching!

“Fine then,” he growled, feeling his frustration increasing. “I see I’ve misjudged you!”

The Master of Darkness then uttered another incantation, feeling his body merge with the surrounding shadows and out of Eric’s sight. His ability to be absorbed by darkness was more powerful at night, but the sun was low enough that it would serve its purpose against a child.

I’m sorry for whatever I’m going to do to you, Reiner! But you’re leaving me with little choice! I’ll try to limit the amount of pain I inflict upon you!

He followed the shadows of the forest up into the trees to where Eric was crouched, frantically surveying the ground for where he went. Swiftly, Nigreos emerged from the shadows and reformed his body on the branch behind him, his arm extended to send the shadows through him.

“Coreas,” he whispered.

Eric exhaled sharply and instantly responded. “Proto!”

He flew into the air, once again barely escaping the attack as he spun around to stare back at Nigreos. This time, he wasn’t going to allow himself to let the boy escape. He was taken by surprise at first, but now he was ready to defeat him. Eric was in midair and at a close enough proximity that he wouldn’t be able to dodge.

“Devare!”

The shadows all swarmed toward him, shooting into his mouth and yanking his body further into the air. He had no intention of killing him, but he would allow the darkness to block off his oxygen long enough to knock him out.

I’ve won, Eric. You did well, but—!

Don’t think I would ever let you harm him, Nigreos.

Without warning, the soft voice of Abi Reiner shot through his skull, and moments later, light shone through the shadows surrounding Eric. They began to disintegrate, releasing the boy from its hold and allowing him to drop down toward the forest floor. Realizing the light was following the shadows down to his fingers, Nigreos frantically cut off the spell, but not before it reached his prosthetic sensium hand. The moment it touched, the solid black metal exploded, sending a wave of pain down his arm.

The explosion knocked his body from the branch and off the side.

“Ventus!” he shouted, sending wind swirling around his body to break his fall.

When he landed, he used his left hand to pull himself to his feet and hurriedly surveyed the forest. Eric had already dashed into the trees somewhere and the power of the relic was getting further and further away. He wanted to immediately rush after him, but he couldn’t bring his legs to move as he stared at the stump of his right hand.

Why? What the hell happened to me? That was Abi’s voice, but…

He clenched his remaining fist as realization dawned on him. He liked to consider himself very versed in even the most rare of magics, so once it all connected in his head, an answer finally came to him. It explained every anomaly surrounding the boy that he and Album had come across, including both the inability to reach his mind and why both the erasure and the shadows failed to harm him, yet Nigreos couldn’t bring himself to accept it. It was a magic he had only read about.

“Blood magic,” he uttered. “Abi… Why?”

He turned and began sprinting not in the direction of Eric, but back toward where he had left Album. If he was right, then pursuing Eric was pointless. He wouldn't be able to harm him with his own magic. Nigreos faded into the shadows once again and began to glide through them. As he did so, he summoned the shards of sensium into the darkness, allowing them to reconnect around the stump of his hand, reforming what the blood magic had destroyed.

She couldn’t have, right?! Why would she do something like that?! Did she know this day would come?! Did she fear that I would betray her someday?!

As these thoughts went through his mind, he emerged back on the trail where Album was still laying against the tree. Her right arm was reattached to its stump and she was weakly chanting healing incantations under her breath. Without a proper healer, she wouldn’t be able to feel her arm again, but if she didn’t want to lose it completely, reattaching it now was the best option. They could have Iris Mackia properly heal her arm once they returned to the Citadel. She briefly glanced up at him once he arrived before turning her attention back toward her job, her features barely hiding the pain she was experiencing.

“Blood magic,” Nigreos said softly. “Abi used blood magic. That’s why you couldn’t erase him.”

Album smiled bitterly. “Yes, Nigreos. I figured as much.”

“So what do we do?” he demanded. “If we can’t erase him, or even harm him, then how do we end this?!”

The woman scoffed, cringing in pain once again. “Don’t be a fool, Nigreos. You already know the answer to that. If Abi did use blood magic, then it means only we can’t magically harm him. So, send your creature after him before he escapes the forest.”

Nigreos gritted his teeth. “It won’t work. My own magic is infused with it, Album! It’s probably how he escaped it the first time!”

“Who said anything about magic?” Album snapped, fixing him with a furious stare, and he realized in that moment just how truly angry she was at this turn of events. “It’s got claws…doesn’t it?”