I can’t believe I’m really back here, Lucas thought. More than that, he couldn’t believe the place was acting as his refuge. The idea of the overgrown city being a safe haven from outside attackers would have seemed laughable just a month ago.

His mana surrounded him in a small sphere, pushing back the plant life to form a bubble of empty space. He wasn’t pushing it to the edge of his range, instead keeping it close enough to keep them concealed from above as they navigated through the overgrown streets. Lucas didn’t want to risk a fireball from the sky. The plants grew back in behind them as he allowed the greater will to regain control.

It was all too easy to slip back into the familiar rhythm, creeping forward as the foliage parted ahead of him. Like he’d never left.

There were differences this time, though. For one, the heat. Sweat dripped from his brow, and his shoddy self-made clothes stuck to his skin. Waves of heat kept rolling through the clear space, raising the temperature bit by bit, and they hadn't been able to escape it thus far.

Jyn, Lucas thought with a grimace. The pyromancer hadn’t given up.

“We must keep moving,” Valerie said from behind him, her voice carefully controlled, and Lucas hurried forward. He hadn’t even realised he’d stopped.

That was another difference, of course. The company. Valerie stuck as close to him as she could without tripping him up, her white sword brandished and ready. It was their only source of light in the darkness, though she was the only one who actually needed it in the current circumstances. Lucas could use his mana sense to orient himself via the plants.

Her presence gave Lucas mixed feelings. On the one hand, not being by himself in this lonely overgrown place made it a far less depressing prospect to be back here. On the other, the one time he’d chanced a look back at her over his shoulder, the brief glimpse he got of the look in her eyes had frightened him enough that he’d kept his eyes forward ever since.

He tried to tell himself it was a trick of the light; she was holding her sword low, meaning its glow threw strange shadows upon her face. It only helped a little. If Rena had been the recipient of that dark rage, Lucas didn’t blame her for seeming so skittish, before.

Thoughts of Rena threatened to drown him in dark thoughts, so he pushed them away. For now.

Jamie was there in his chest too, and was not at all happy about the heat and the plants. Its presence was muted, like the monstercat was trying to hide within him. His senses were at their limit, despite their limited utility in this situation, and it seemed the cat wouldn’t let him turn them off. It made him even more aware of the heat prickling his skin.

They walked a winding route from the city, trying to stay ahead of whatever Jyn was doing. Mana was still flowing through the plant life, heading out towards the walls, which presumably meant Jyn was trying to take on the plant demon after all. But the flow was spreading out, as if having to cover more ground. Jamie’s hearing told him the fire was roaring louder and louder, with dozens of pops retorting every second followed by quenching hisses. An ongoing battle between fire and icebloom.

Lucas led the way, since he was the one who could actually see where they were going. They had no destination in mind for now; Valerie had simply instructed him to keep moving.

“Ser Jyn will be able to find us via our body heat,” she’d said.

“Is there anything we can do about that?” Lucas had asked. This had been moments after entering the city through the Worm’s Tunnel. “Make our bodies colder or something?”

“I can’t be certain how his magic works,” Valerie had said. “I have theoretical knowledge of pyromancy through research, but a man like Ser Jyn does not strike me as the type to recite spells from a dusty old tome. Our best option is to move out of his range as soon as possible.”

“How far will that be?”

“I don’t know.”

It had seemed to pain her to admit such a thing.

An hour or so had passed since then, and they remained on high alert, baking under the pressure of Jyn’s technique. They’d primarily moved in a straight line at first, only making turns when there were obstructions in their path. Most of the narrower streets had rubble blockages. They could have moved them with Lucas’ floramancy and Valerie’s brute strength, but time was of the essence, and more than a few times they’d had to double back on themselves.

Progress wasn’t exactly quick even with Lucas’ improved plant magic abilities, and the heat was becoming excruciating. Lucas’ breaths were coming in laboured gasps through dry, cracked lips. The very air itself seemed to burn his lungs. Jyn was trying to overheat them, cooking them within the plants in such a way that the plant demon wasn’t reacting because it apparently wasn’t registering this as a threat to it. What did it care if two people within its territory died from heatstroke?

Lucas longed for cold, for safety, for a moment to let him process his thoughts. In his heat-addled mind, one place stood out, a zone where he’d always been able to stop and breathe.

He moved on autopilot, Valerie following behind him. Something cool pressed against his back and lifted some of the burden, but not enough to sway him from his decision. The route wasn’t a familiar one—he’d never been out to this area of the city in his explorations—but it didn’t need to be, given the layout of the city. All the wide roads found their way to the keep in the centre.

The journey could have taken five minutes or an hour. Lucas couldn’t say. His body felt heavy, and not just because he’d started slowing down his mana to give him strength to keep moving. The heat made the air stale and thick. Like being in a sauna. If Lucas saw Jyn again, he would… Well, he’d probably not feel very bad for the man when Valerie killed him.

He’d feel bad for Wick, though. The shieldmaster’s wails still echoed in his mind. They wouldn’t stop.

Soon, the walls started transitioning from stained-green stone to white marble, and the designs of the buildings got more grandiose. He barely registered any of it beyond a slight feeling of relief. They were getting closer.

Valerie was silent behind him, the cooling presence still pressed against his back. He’d expected her to be more vocal about this situation, to be peppering with questions about where they were headed, but she hadn’t said a word. Did she suddenly trust his judgement? That was an unsettling thought.

They entered a building and headed down into its basement where a once-secret passageway lay wide open, its hidden entrance having long ago been battered open by a particularly enterprising tangle of roots. Finding this place would have been impossible without the plant demon’s network to mooch off, and the tunnel might have collapsed without its thick roots running through them. Lucas mumbled his appreciation to it as he stepped into the tunnel.

The tunnel was actually cool for a few minutes, though the heat soon caught up with them. It was worse, down here. More enclosed. Practically an oven. There were positives, though; since Lucas didn’t have to worry about attacks from above anymore, he could push out his mana to the edge of his current range, giving them a much larger space without plants.

Happily, the walk was a short one. Though Lucas couldn’t actually say how long it was. It might not have been short at all.

Valerie went first up a ladder when they reached the end, shoving aside a marble floor panel with one hand. It flipped through the air and shattered against the high ceiling. Lucas had already moved the plants above out of the way beforehand.

From here, things were very, very familiar indeed. He didn’t even have to use the plant demon’s network to check for directions. Along this corridor, down that one. Through that arch, up those stairs. Around a corner, then a left, then a right. He was moving faster, building up speed as their salvation neared. He barely even noticed as the world opened out ahead and above of them, the ceiling turning from a high corridor to a cavernous dome.

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Familiar plants entered his range. Ones that had felt the touch of his mana for dozens of hours. They welcomed him back like an old friend, bending to his will faster than any plant ever had before. They parted before him at his command like it was what they were always meant to do. Lucas found himself practically running.

Cool air hit him, and he collapsed to his knees, just… breathing. He stayed like that for a long while, feeling clammy and heavy and nauseated. Time passed. The cool thing that had been pressed against his back trailed up his neck, then down his sides. Everywhere it touched, it seemed to wash the heat away. It went under his armpits, down his legs, over his stomach. Lucas had never felt such relief. Even Jamie started uncurling in his chest, stretching out as if reaching for the cool relief.

Clarity returned to him bit by bit as whatever Valerie was doing beat back the onset of heatstroke. The moment he opened his mouth to ask for water, he found something soft and cool at his lips. The liquid was more viscous than water, and it soothed the aches of his body as it passed through him. A familiar feeling. He thought back, trying to remember what she’d called it.

“Holy water,” he heard her say, as if from a distance. His eyes had fallen closed, and he opened them.

The first thing that came to him upon seeing his surroundings was relief. It was a surreal thing, to be happy to be back where he’d started, when not so long ago he’d never wanted to see it again. The dome was unchanged, with vines and moss creeping along it. The sky burned red beyond gaping holes in the marble high above, granting just enough light to see the looming wall of plant life around their circle of safety, just as he’d left it. He’d forgotten, being away for who knows how long, just how big this place was. From the circle at the centre, he could have plopped down a football pitch in any direction without hitting the walls.

Lucas laughed. He couldn’t help it. When he was done, he let himself flop onto his back with a sigh.

Valerie lowered herself to her knees, taking up the same position as the last time she’d given him some of the healing water from her flask. Her countenance couldn’t have been more different. Soot stained her skycloak, much of her blond hair had fallen loose of its braid, and there was a mixture of dirt and soot on her pale cheeks. The biggest difference, though, was the expression on her face.

Gone was the stoic composure that had greeted him after the battle against the beasts back then. Replacing it was a wide-eyed look that seemed to clash between hope, shock, and disbelief all at once.

It was almost worse than the snarling rage he’d seen when he looked at her earlier.

“Are you truly Lucas Brown?” she asked almost reverently, her voice quivering.

Lucas nodded. His heartbeat pulsed in his head at the movement, and he winced. Heatstroke really wasn’t a nice feeling.

Fuck Jyn, he thought with venom.

“How long ago did you arrive here?” Valerie glanced around the centre circle, taking in his makeshift bed and little odds and ends he’d accumulated during his stay. He felt a bit bad for leaving them behind, seeing them now.

“About a month, give or take,” Lucas said. His voice came out remarkably clear, considering how dry his throat still felt. Would she give him another sip of holy water if he asked? By the wonder in her eyes, the answer was probably yes. Lucas didn’t ask.

She nodded. “I’m sorry you felt the need to hide yourself. But I can’t fault your decision, given recent events.”

Wick’s scream echoed in his head.

“You killed Rena,” Lucas said. He hadn’t meant to make it sound like an accusation, but it did.

“I will do what I must to protect you while you remain in this vulnerable state,” she said, unashamed. “Far too much rests on your survival for me to show mercy to anyone who would do you harm.”

Lucas sighed, deciding to leave it there. Seeing someone die didn’t sit right with him and it never would, and Wick’s cries would stay with him for the rest of his life… But it was hard to feel too bad for the woman herself when he recalled the terror of a magic arrow with an unknown effect flying at his face. He’d seen what some of those things had done to beasts. He wasn’t going to chastise Valerie for killing someone who was trying to kill him.

“You’re not actually going to kill everyone Jyn and Rena care about, are you?” he asked. Because he would have to chastise her for that.

Valerie eyed him. “If you would prefer I didn’t, I will refrain.”

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. “Please don’t.”

Confirming she actually meant it was still a little disturbing, though.

“As you wish,” Valerie said. She was still staring at him, searching his face. “I should have figured it out sooner. Black hair, blue eyes, a cleft chin, a severely undeveloped mana system for your age, ignorance of things everyone would know. I saw the signs, but… I told myself I believed you’d arrive one day, but perhaps a small part of me doubted after all.” She sighed. “This situation could have been avoided. I apologise again, Lord Lucas.”

Lucas cringed. “Please don’t call me that. Just Lucas, please.”

“It is the appropriate title for your status. While it will be necessary to withhold your identity for some time, you will eventually be put in a position of considerable power.”

“Really don’t like the sound of that. The whole position thing.”

“It’s reality, I’m afraid,” Valerie said. Her lips twisted. “I’m not unsympathetic, believe me. I know the weight of expectation intimately. And I’ve read the Four’s accounts of their early days here. I understand this whole situation must be as confusing and distressing for you as it was for them. But the reality is that you are here, and you have been granted an immense power that people will wish to use for various ends.”

“And you’re no different,” Lucas said bitterly.

“I’m not,” Valerie admitted. “But a lot has been written about you. About your personality, your ideals. If any of it is true, I believe you’ll follow the path of the Hero as foretold.”

“Saving the world,” Lucas said, “is not exactly something I have a lot of experience with. I’m just some guy. Surely there was someone out there in the universe who’s saved a thousand different worlds? I really don’t understand how I ended up chosen for this… duty. How any of my friends did, honestly. Don’t get me wrong, I love them all. They’re awesome. But I don’t see how they’re any more suited to it than I am.”

“It had to be someone,” Valerie said simply. “Regardless of what you decide to do, know this: I will be here to help you. My mind and sword are in your service from this moment onwards, body and soul.”

Lucas didn’t know what to say to that, so he let his head tilt back and rest on the cold, hard ground. The red-pink sky was slowly bleeding away to black, and darkness was creeping into the summoning hall.

He was at the edge of the safe circle, and he reached out to touch the nearest plant. The network lit up in his mind’s eye. It was settled, calmly going through its regular routine. Jyn’s attack had ceased, evidently.

“What do we do about Jyn?” Lucas asked.

“I will have to silence him," Valerie said. "Luckily, I imagine he won't give up and retreat for civilisation to alert his allies, so I will have opportunity."

Lucas grimaced. "Right. But how do you beat him? What was he even doing, back there?”

"Unfortunately, I cannot guess as to the particulars of the technique he was employing, but I suspect he was transferring the heat from fires he was creating to our location so as not to earn retaliation from the plant demon.”

“It was retaliating, though.”

“Hm. Interesting. Regardless, it appears the wards on the summoning circle are still active, and have thwarted his plan for now.”

“Yeah. Had a feeling that would be the case.” Lucas closed his eyes, feeling out the plant life around him with his mana. It was all so vibrant, compared to anything outside. The so-called demon’s influence. He felt drowsy. Even the crappy bed he'd made weeks back sounded inviting right now. “So he was trying to kill me too," he murmured.

“Yes, and I imagine he will continue to do so. The concept of stealing the power of the Prophesied Heroes is not a new one,” Valerie said. “Those delusional enough to believe in it have dreamt up many different scenarios where they could have the power for themselves, and killing the Hero to tear the power from their corpse is among them.”

Lucas shuddered. “How do you know for sure that’s not possible?”

Valerie was quiet for so long that Lucas opened his eyes and looked at her. She was gazing up at the roof of the Summoning Hall with a carefully neutral expression.

“Valerie?” Lucas said.

“There are certain things that are merely facts to me. Words on paper, or stories related by mentors and teachers,” Valerie said slowly. “It occurs to me, belatedly, that these histories, accounts, and records I’ve memorised might not be such a distant thing to you, Lord Lucas. I fear I’ve already revealed information that could have been handled more sensitively.”

Foreboding dread settled on him. He almost didn’t want to ask, but now felt he had to. “What do you mean?”

Valerie drew in a fortifying breath, squaring her shoulders. “We know the powers are not transferable after death,” she said, “because Lady Aarya’s body was recovered.”