The wooden cabin on the outskirts of the town was dark; only a torch lit up the whole cabin.

The room smelled of wood, damp earth,

Markus, the black-haired man sitting across from me, was fiddling with a piece of wood with his blade.

He was whittling away at a stick, his face set in concentration, though I knew he was just as focused on the conversation.

I ran a hand over my bald head, a habit I’d developed over the years when frustration gnawed at me.

“The poison didn’t work.”

My words lingered in the air, met with sharp looks from the other three.

“How?” Elisa, the woman with the ponytail, hissed, her voice low but filled with venom. I just learned the names of them and know nothing about their history.

She leaned forward, her dark eyes boring into mine.

“How did he notice?”

I shrugged, though I knew my answer wouldn’t satisfy her.

“It must’ve been the wolf-like creature. That thing is more than it appears—smarter than it should be, probably magical.”

Elisa slammed her hand on the table.

“Damn that beast! We had everything planned perfectly, and now this... this kid is still walking around like nothing happened.”

She hated loose ends from what I can see, and Marsil was proving to be a particularly troublesome one.

Markus, still chipping away at his stick with a calm precision, spoke without looking up.

“Marsil isn’t just some kid,” he said, his voice steady.

“He’s a mage, connected to Eval, no less. That alone makes him dangerous.”

The mention of Eval made the room fall silent for a moment.

Eval Morningstar. His name carried weight.

His influence was vast, his plans often shrouded in mystery.

And now, Marsil—a young mage with ties to him...

“He’s a target. We can’t let him join the Morningstar Act. If Eval has chosen him, it’s for a reason, and that reason could disrupt everything we’ve worked for.”

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples.

Markus wasn’t wrong.

Eval didn’t waste his time with people who weren’t useful to him.

If Marsil was on Eval’s lists, it meant he had potential.

“He’s too powerful for his age. The reports from Grimrock Prison Mine said he was close to Eval, and that is where these two guys meet. I believe the prison riot and escape should be orchestrated by these two. That’s not something we can ignore.”

Elisa scowled.

“Then what’s the plan? If the poison didn’t work, we’ll need to get creative.”

“We’ll have to do it ourselves,” Markus said.

At that, the fourth member of our group, a wiry man named Garret, finally spoke up.

He’d been sitting quietly, his sharp eyes flitting between us like a hawk surveying its prey.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“You’re suggesting a direct confrontation?”

Markus shrugged.

“If that’s what it takes.”

Garret let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.

“You’re underestimating him. He’s not just a mage; he’s resourceful. He’s already evaded one of our attempts. Do you really think he’ll fall so easily?”

“At this point he will be expecting an ambush or an attack.”

“I believe from what we know about him, he should be at the level of an adept mage; fighting against a prepared and waiting adept mage is hard, harder than it sounds...”

I raised a hand, cutting off their brewing argument.

“Enough. We can’t afford to let our emotions cloud our judgment.”

I leaned forward,

“Marsil is dangerous, yes. But he’s also young and inexperienced. That’s our advantage. If we’re careful, we can neutralize him before he becomes a real problem.”

Elisa crossed her arms, her jaw tight.

“And how do you suggest we do that?”

I paused, considering my next words carefully.

“We’ll set a trap. Something he won’t see coming. If we play this right, we won’t even have to confront him directly.”

Markus nodded slowly.

“A trap could work. But it needs to be precise. No room for error this time.”

“And no more poison,” Garret added, his tone pointed.

I met his gaze and nodded.

“Agreed. Poison was too impersonal, too easy to detect. This time, we’ll use something he can’t anticipate.”

As I stared into the flickering flame of the torch, my thoughts drifted to Eval.

What game was he playing, bringing someone like Marsil into the fold?

And what would happen if we failed to stop him?

I clenched my fists, my resolve hardening.

We couldn’t afford to let Eval’s plans unfold unchecked.

Marsil had to be dealt with—before it was too late.

I took a deep breath, my eyes scanning the room.

I could feel the weight of their anticipation, their need for direction. It was my role to provide it.

“Balance must be protected.”

“The Morningstar Act—Eval’s grand plan—is a threat to everything that our history built. He wants to disrupt the balance, to shift the power in this world as he sees fit. We can’t let that happen.”

Elisa, her arms crossed and face blank as a slate, nodded slowly.

She always had that unnerving calm about her.

“I understand why Eval Morningstar wants to change the balance.”

“He thinks he’s the one who can fix everything. But it’s not logical. Power isn’t something you can redistribute without consequences. It’ll only make everything worse.”

Her words hung in the air, heavy with truth. I knew she wasn’t wrong.

Eval had a vision—one born out of arrogance, perhaps, or desperation. But vision without foresight could destroy everything it sought to change.

Markus, still fiddling with his knife,

“The whole continent would descend into chaos,” he said, his tone grim.

“A magic civil war on a scale we’ve never seen. Mages and rulers fighting for dominance while the people we’re supposed to protect are caught in the crossfire. There’d be no one left to govern if the Morningstar Act is completed.”

I nodded, leaning forward to emphasize my point.

“Exactly. Eval thinks he’s building something new, something better. But all he’s doing is lighting a match over a powder keg. And once that explosion starts, it won’t stop until everything we know is gone.”

Garret added.

“You think we can stop him, though? Eval’s no fool. He’s got resources, influence... and now he’s pulling in someone like Marsil.”

I felt a flicker of unease at the mention of Marsil.

“We have to stop him,” I said firmly.

“We don’t have a choice. Eval’s plan isn’t just about shifting power; it’s about rewriting the rules entirely. If he succeeds, there won’t be any rules left to hold the world together.”

Elisa uncrossed her arms and rested her elbows on the table, her fingers steepled.

“So, what’s our next move?” she asked.

I let my gaze linger on each of them for a moment before responding.

“We stop Marsil from joining Eval. He’s the key to whatever Eval is planning next. If we can take him out of the equation, we’ll buy ourselves time."

“We have two hundred mages and chosen warriors working to take on the members and allies of Eval.”

“We should be alright as long as we don't make dumb mistakes.”

Markus set his knife down, the soft clink of metal against wood breaking the silence.

“And if Marsil doesn’t cooperate? If he’s already too loyal to Eval?”

“Then we do what needs to be done. This isn’t just about Marsil. It’s about the future of our world. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made to protect the greater good.”

The room fell silent again, the weight of my words settling over us like a shroud.

They understood, even if they didn’t like it. We all knew the stakes.

Eval Morningstar thought he could reshape the world in his image.

But we wouldn’t let him. Not while we still had the power to stand in his way.

“Let’s prepare,” I said. “We’ve got work to do.”