Okay.

Tham nodded to himself, pursing his lips. Wearing the Mimicker as a helmet, he could see him, in the distance. Merdilen Arthenmon. Running toward the mountain, holding a flaming banner.

“This is it,” Tham said. “Right, Mimicker?”

“Yeah, let’s go already!” the Mimicker exclaimed. “We haven’t got much time!”

Tham narrowed his eyes, and started dashing up the street. The few onlookers, Unbaddians with questionable late jobs, scoffed at him as he ran on the dark cobblestone. Tham was terrified. All it took was a single guard to notice him and he’d be doomed.

He ran out into the open night as buildings gave way to tents and onlookers to slaves. There was no restricting wall here anymore. Who on Athoren would dare escape?

Tham didn’t know whether any soldiers noticed him or not. He was too scared to look around. What he did know was that Merdilen’s distraction was being effective. The army following Merdilen seemed to have left these streets empty.

Tham’s exhaustion got the better of him halfway through. The Mimicker was heavy, no matter if as a helmet, as boots, or as a sword. Drops of sweat hit the dry ground as he panted, trying to catch his breath. He never had been the athletic kind.

Come… on! Tham thought, desperate. I can’t stop now! Kayden needs me! My family will need me!

He continued running, only to stop a short while later. He glanced over at Merdilen. He was running smoothly, leaping from tent to tent, faster than all chasing soldiers. Then why couldn’t Tham even get to the mountain?!

A furtive silhouette scrambled along the corner of his vision. Another did the same on the other side. Tham turned to the left, scared, and exhausted.

A dark-skinned girl about his age leaned toward him from out of nowhere with emerald eyes. Her thick curly hair was so big it made her look even taller than Tham.

“An adventurer!” she exclaimed. “You’re here to save us, right?”

A man from behind him spoke as well.

“Thank you,” he said. “We believe in you.”

Tham paused.

…No. I can’t save you all, he thought. But he couldn’t say that to their faces. He winced.

“...Yes,” he finally said, closing his eyes. “I’m here to save you.”

The dark-skinned girl his age approached him, held up his hand in hers, and dropped a small vial of something into his hand.

“Take this,” she said. “I think you’ll need it.”

“What is it?” Tham asked.

She grinned. “Power.”

Tham looked at her eyes, those dazzling eyes.

“...Thank you,” he muttered. “I’ll be back.”

The girl nodded.

All around Tham a group of slaves had come together. They all then closed their eyes, clasping their hands.

They were praying.

“...I’ll be back,” Tham found himself repeating. There were still people who hoped in this world.

Far in the distance, in the mountainside, a chunk of rock was blown away by something Tham couldn’t see. That was it. Merdilen’s signal. Kayden had to be in there.

He continued running.

– – –

Kayden could hear chaos. It was far away and muffled, but something was definitely going on. Somewhere, outside whatever prison complex he was in.

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But what? He could just hope Tham wasn’t involved. Or in danger.

Maybe he could use it as a distraction to–

The gate to his prison cell opened.

“Hey, Kayden,” Lauren’s voice called out to him from the darkness. “Is the guy outside your friend?”

Kayden narrowed his eyes. “What?”

“He’s really wreaking havoc on my camp,” Lauren said through gritted teeth. “Blond hair, black coat, flaming banner. Ring a bell?”

“Uh, no.” Kayden genuinely didn’t recognize the description. But he wouldn’t have said anything if he had.

“Well, if you got a telepathic link with the guy or something,” Lauren finally said, her voice farther away, “tell him Harkatronic’s coming for him.”

– – –

Now what?

Merdilen had already brought all soldiers to his position, then blown a chunk off the mountain by Shardbending it to powder. The mountain wasn’t easy to climb while being chased by an army, but he had nothing better to do. He just had to buy some time for Tham to escape with Kayden, and then he was out.

It was clear these soldiers had never fought a Shardbender before. Even so, the adrenaline felt good. It made him feel alive again. Even though this was just an afterlife. What if he died here? He wasn’t about to find out anytime soon.

For each jump he couldn’t make he Shardbent the sand of his glove pockets into stone steps attached to the rock surface, turning it back to sand as soon as he hopped off. The soldiers didn’t have the same luck. They were having a tough time climbing with their steel armor, and most had already either dropped out or fallen off.

This is gonna be–

A loud ringing in his head. Power. Approaching. He could feel it. Even so, he heard the roar before he saw the threat.

A hulk of a man with greased hair in steel armor was either jumping or flying toward him from the base of the mountain with a warhammer in his hands. No –he was falling up at Merdilen.

What on Earth?

It was almost too late that Merdilen remembered how falling worked as the man accelerated toward him to an absurd speed. Merdilen dove to the side, barely dodging the warhammer as it smashed onto the side of the mountain along with the man. Rubble blown away fell into the ranks of the imperial soldiers, dropping several from the heights of the mountain.

“Okay,” Merdilen muttered as he Shardbent the flaming banner into a longsword. “Things just got interesting.”

“Don’t worry, imperial warriors!” the hulking man shouted as he pulled himself up from the rock crater. “Harkatronic’s here!”

Merdilen started jumping and hopping throughout the mountainside, doing his best to avoid the hammer strikes.

If I get too far, he’ll use his falling power and smash me with the force of gravity, he realized as he observed Harkatronic’s every move for a blind spot, but if I draw too close, he’ll smash me with the force of his warhammer. My Shardbending range is my weakest point.

“You play well, kid,” Harkatronic said between breaths as he slammed his weapon toward Merdilen.

“I’m short,” Merdilen admitted as he ducked, “but I’m 22!”

“Still a kid!” Harkatronic roared. “And it shows.”

Merdilen felt his whole body get pulled forward toward his enemy’s weapon as a baseball to the bat. It was too late that he realized he could be a target for the falling power as well.

He couldn’t change course. So he Shardbent the warhammer into sand and flew straight through, feet first, kicking into Harkatronic’s chest. Harkatronic didn’t miss a beat as he grabbed Merdilen’s feet in response. Merdilen yelped as the hulk of a man spun him around, sending him tumbling down the mountainside.

Were it not for his quick reaction time, he’d have been flattened, but his Shardbending was fast enough for him to turn his entire set of clothes into highly-specific cushioned armor –one could never be too ready. He was running out of air, though. He wouldn’t be able to Shardbend for much longer.

“Endurance race,” he mutttered. “Not a fan of these.”

A single deep breath was all Merdilen could take before Harkatronic plummeted down at him, hammerless but with steel-gloved fists as big as Merdilen’s head. Merdilen rolled to the side as he Shardbent Harkatronic’s armor into something similar to osmium –the heaviest material on Earth according to doctor Alekis, even though Merdilen couldn’t get it quite right yet. It should be almost three times the weight of his original steel plate.

Merdilen couldn’t help but gawk as Harkatronic got to his feet nonetheless. He stumbled slightly, but didn’t for a second lose his footing. He glanced at Merdilen from under sweaty eyebrows.

“I will be… the Emperor of Athoren… you know.”

It was as Harkatronic started falling toward Merdilen again that Merdilen realized his mistake. Heavier material fell faster.

The osmium boot stomped into Merdilen’s chest with the force of a truck. He still had his cushioned armor, but it wouldn’t last long. He felt as if all air –Lawbending fuel– left his body.

Harkatronic grabbed Merdilen’s neck, pressing it against the ground.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t bury you right here and now,” he growled.

Merdilen couldn’t die here. He maybe had gotten himself into yet another conflict too big for his own good, but failing wasn’t in the plan. He still had to return to his real world.

His vision was going black. He could feel his consciousness fading away. He still had some air left –if not he would’ve passed out already. So he allowed himself to let out a slight grin.

“Because…” he whispered, reaching out with his hand until he could almost touch Harkatronic’s confused face, “you can’t.”

He could only Shardbend solid matter that had never been alive. So, within range as he was, he transformed Harkatronic’s hair grease into osmium as well.

Harkatronic arched backward with a shout, feeling his very hair pull down his head with unfathomable strength. Merdilen stumbled to his feet, catching his breath.

“It was a good fight,” he muttered, and kicked the desperating Harkatronic in the stomach.

Having lost all sense of composure, he misstepped, falling down the mountainside and into the mist below. This time, he didn’t return.