It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Caste let out a screech of pure agony as blood exploded from his chest from where the bullet left his body. He fell over, shaking and clutching where the blood was pouring from his chest.

He suddenly silenced himself, reached over and touched Keoni’s Rune, only once, then said “I zpeyr chea.”

Caste opened a Mir-Gate below himself, falling through and dragging Keoni with him. She tried getting back, but the current forced her through.

She landed next to him with a thud on the dirt. Jefu was only a couple hundred meters away.

Caste didn’t get up. Keoni approached him, not seeing the rise and fall of his chest.

He was dead now. She didn’t exactly understand how he was going to be alive again, but all she knew now was Caste was nothing but a dead corpse.

The anger ate through the shock of being so easily defeated by the Mir-Cognate. But now, she had his body, she could do whatever she pleased to him.

He’s your friend, isn’t he?

Keoni shoved that soft thought to the back of her head, angrily pacing back and forth. The grass below her was shifting colors to match the tint of Caste’s now blue blood. After collecting herself, she opened a Mir-Gate back to the Physical World.

She stepped through, but she didn’t move. Keoni opened her eyes to see herself standing right on the portal, but she wasn’t passing through.

Snarling, Keoni tried again, but with the same outcome. She kept reopening, but all she could see was a black void that she couldn’t fit through.

On the now moonlit horizon, someone was walking towards her. They felt familiar, like Keoni had seen them before.

Probably another Cognate I saw in Finx. They're nobody.

As they got closer, Keoni could see some defining features. She was a fox, much larger than Keoni and seemingly much older. She was in the most common outfit for a Cognate, with the shawl over the all-black pants and top. Gold thread laced and decorated certain tips, like the hems, of the fabrics. She also wore a necklace threaded with three different Runes. She seemed very muscular, as her way of walking was almost intimidating.

Keoni glanced back at Caste’s dead body, wondering if this Cognate was after him. She took a defensive stance, ready in case she did try.

Once the Cognate was about three meters away, she stopped.

“What do you want?” Keoni snapped. She was plenty frustrated, and didn’t need anyone or anything making it worse.

“Only to talk to you, Keoni.” She responded. She sat down, bringing her hands up in a non-hostile gesture.

Keoni didn’t buy it. She summoned her quarterstaff and took a threatening step to her. “Then speak.”

“Tell me how you feel.”

What? What in the name of Trin did she want? “That’s none of your concern.”

“Then let’s make it my concern. The Quuarks are invading your home, and killing the people you know very well and treasure in your heart.”

“And I can do something about that.” Keoni tried another Mir-Gate, failing again. She glared at it.

“It is infuriating, that Caste keeps telling you to run, to get away, when you know for a fact that you can do something to help them.”

“Exactly,” Keoni replied, exasperated. It was almost refreshing that someone finally understood her morals.

“And that something is to kill them all.”

Keoni nodded. “Nobody can hurt the citizens of Everton.”

The Cognate stood up. “No, Keoni. Kill them all. Watch as the people you once knew submit to their graves and suffer for an unjust cause.”

“That’s not what I said, and you know it.” Keoni growled. “Quit gaslighting me.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

She paced forward. “Then how do you explain this?” She swung her hands to her front and cast a Mir-Gate larger than one Keoni had ever seen it. Again, Keoni didn’t go through.

The sight was ghastly. Bodies of both sides were scattered everywhere. Most of them had been shot, others killed with magic.

Keoni’s magic.

She’d hit civilians. Innocent people who were only trying to avoid the attack, the raid. Wounds much like the soldiers’ decorated them too. That was her doing, her cause.

“No...” Keoni muttered. “I didn’t kill those people.”

The Cognate closed the gate. “Yes. You. Did.” She was the one to snarl.

Her blood boiled again. Keoni tried landing a blast, an orb, something on this Cognate, but her magic was interrupted by the Mir-Cognate grabbing her wrist and squeezing tight, stopping her magic.

“People will continue to suffer because of you.” She was now head to head with Keoni. “People will die, be tortured, and scarred because of you.”

“No. Stop talking.” Keoni tried struggling out of her grip.

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“Did it ever occur to you, that possibly, information was being temporarily withheld from you with good reason? Did you ever notice how many times things got out of hand?”

Keoni panted. Her heartbeat was accelerating, and her eyes were welling up. Her mind was processing what she was saying way too well. You should’ve listened to Caste. You should’ve trusted him. You shouldn’t’ve killed anyone.

The thoughts from before rushed into her head. I killed someone. I killed many someones.

I accidentally killed too many someones.

Her voice raised. Her scolding was stern and her expression filled with fury. “If you stuck with what you were trained to do, all of that harm would’ve been avoided. Trust me, you have so much potential, but it has to be harnessed the right way. Now swear on your life you will not use magic of any kind, in any way, that you were not trained to.”

Keoni stared blankly at the stranger. “Who are you?”

“Answer me, Ngo.” She barked.

“I… I swear.” Keoni stuttered. The Mir- Cognate let go.

“Sit.”

Keoni rubbed her sore wrist, obeying. She wanted to go help. But now she’d just vowed to not use any magic, really.

It’s fine. I’ll just do it when this Cognate isn’t around.

“Close your eyes. Again, I am going to ask you how you feel. But instead of telling me, I want you to think to yourself.”

Why am I even listening to her? A complete stranger? I should be back, protecting the people I’m familiar with. She’s just like Caste, so stuck up like she’s lived for thousands of years and seen everything.

Oh wait. They both have.

“Don’t think about that. Please, why did you even house Caste in the first place?”

Keoni glanced back at his body, catching sight of his branding mark. It had been that single mark that retold her the story of her family being taken away.

She grabbed Kaedin’s Rune and fidgeted. He was so helpless. He was in pain, and he offered to help find my family.

“There are things that are much more important than they feel. There is one person who needs your training and your help more than ever, just like Caste.”

Keoni gasped. Ryley.

She’d forgotten about him. Entirely. He was alone, if Caste was here.

The Cognate picked her up off the ground. “You are a Defender. You protect those who need it more than anyone else. The Mir-Cognates will defend Everton, but you need to defend Ryley.”

She pressed her hand on Keoni’s Rune. “There is a place Caste wants you to go. He’s given Kaedin instructions for you to get there. Now, go. Find Ryley and find safety. My Defenders will hold onto Everton.”

Keoni nodded. “Again I ask who you are.”

“You may call me Tivt Enipok, Quujhok, or just Ruka. You are now free to roam in the Physical world.”

Before Keoni could remember what Tivt Enipok meant, Ruka was gone without a single trace.

Her mind straightened out. She left Caste behind, opening a Mir-Gate again.

She wasn’t expecting it to work. Keoni yelped as she fell through, landing in the middle of the street.

The sound of thousands of weapons firing and clashing rang into her ears. She spotted where Caste had been shot, as there were multiple tufts of loose fur that had exploded off him when his body jerked.

Keoni ran in the direction Ryley and Caste were going when she broke away. All those mornings of jogging were about to pay off.

Plus, Ryley was pretty clumsy and couldn’t run as fast as Keoni could.

A huge, mechanical foot that seemed to come out of nowhere suddenly went right into Keoni’s path. As it slammed down, Keoni had to skid to a stop.

Right as its bladed arm swung for her, a Cognate leapt ahead and threw up a shield, protecting Keoni. “Get your filthy hands away from these civilians!” He screamed.

Keoni started running again while the mech was occupied. She heard the response from the pilot who was now behind her. “It’s about time this poignant 3rd-World town had a taste of modernity!”

She jumped over a small pile of debris. Luckily, she didn’t know this part of Everton that well, and was incapable of feeling sad for the destruction that took place.

It didn’t take too much running before Keoni started calling out his name. “Ryley!” She was almost out of the town’s boundaries.

After around ten shouts of his name, she heard a weak response. “Keoni?”

Keoni’s ears whipped to the sound, sending her flying to him. Her heart was already pounding from the amount of running, but if possible, it did accelerate after seeing him sitting against a brick wall.

“Ryley! Why aren’t you running?” She collapsed next to him, squeezing him into a tight hug.

“Ow. Owowow. Careful.” He whimpered. He was clutching his side and didn’t hug her back. When he spoke, Keoni let go.

“What happened??”

“I got shot. In the side.” Ryley responded, and Keoni just now noticed how he was pressing a blanket against it, trying to stop the blood from rushing out. “Nothing serious.” He hesitated. “I hope. Where’s Caste?”

She stopped worrying over it immediately, reminding herself that Ryley was trained in first aid. “He’s not with us.”

Ryley scoffed. “I can see that.”

Keoni sighed. “No. No. He’s dead, Ryley. A stray bullet went through his heart.” At least that’s what she assumed, based on how fast he died.

“We should’ve never split up.” Ryley clenched his teeth. “But never mind that. Let’s get out of here.”

“Kaedin apparently has instructions on where we should go.”

“How about Kramery? It’s the closest.” Ryley coughed.

Keoni shook her head. “One step at a time. You’re probably in a lot of pain, but we have to at least get to safety. An abandoned barber shop wall is not safety.”

“You’re right.” Keoni held her hand out, helping Ryley stand. “But I shouldn’t move too much. It’s only going to make this worse.”

Keoni pulled him up, putting most of his weight against her. Ryley still held onto the blanket with both his hands, not letting go.

Ryley limped against her, staying off the leg attached to his wound. He was grinding his teeth and quietly sobbing, but not protesting. Keoni felt horrible. She knew he had to be in so much pain.

With relief, they passed the last few houses marking the border. It was less than a mile walk to the rolling hills, and from there, the mountains separating the land.

After about ten minutes, Keoni laid Ryley down on the ground, also resting in the grass. Now almost in the distance, she could see smoke rising from Everton, and hear the sounds of battle.

Of war.

“Keoni, I might pass out. You need to hold this on my side no matter what.” Ryley whimpered.

“I’ll hold it now; save your strength.” She grabbed a hold of it, applying pressure and allowing Ryley to let go.

Ryley dropped his arms and closed his eyes. “I can’t believe Caste is dead. It feels like yesterday that he was explaining to me that he couldn’t actually die. What’d it look like?”

“It looked like he was dead.” Keoni said bluntly. She didn’t want to talk about it.

Ryley got the signal. “Whatever happens, we’ve got to keep going to safety. Forgive my sorry motivational speech, but there are too many things to solve before we can settle down.”

He coughed again. “And we’re together, just like all those years ago, when we met in the E-M section in the public library. We’re not going to fall apart. Though Caste isn’t here anymore, we can’t stop. We will keep going. Let’s find your father, first and foremost. Y’know, after we find a place to sleep, water to drink…”

Keoni smiled. “You always know what to say.” He was serious, though he spoke like he wasn’t. And he was right.

The first priority was living another day. Second, reuniting herself with her dad.

Let’s just hope it’ll be easy.