When Gust left his meeting with the Masters, his heart was racing and his mind was reeling. He’d been hoping Philo and Myles’s former master was a wandering cultivator, or a member of another school, but Christos’s questions put those ideas to rest.

Gust rushed home to think. He passed Alice, who offered him another chance to join in her Shintotsudo meditation, but there was too much on his mind. She even tried to get him to pause to talk about his recent advancement, but even an excited smile from a cute girl wasn’t enough to distract him. Even if Gust wanted to talk about his problems, he could never be certain one of the Masters wouldn’t be listening in. They were capable of a lot of things he didn’t understand.

It was only when he reached his home that he was comfortable enough to think. Did he sign Myles’s death warrant by bringing him here? And what about Philo? If the so-called Grandmaster truly wanted to find her, someone would already be out searching. Gust had to get to her first.

He wanted to send Philo a message, but could think of no way to do it without tipping off the Masters. They would sense everyone coming and going as easily as Gust might monitor the mana entering his soul.

And that was exactly what gave him the idea. Mana senses were good for just that: mana. As a cultivator grew in strength, they would appear brighter and with a wider influence on the ambient mana around them.

If Gust could surround himself with the maroon flame from his core, or the similarly colored mana it produced, then he would disappear completely. Both from eyesight, and mana vision, if Philo’s ignorance was any clue. Such utter darkness could not go unnoticed, however, which was what Gust wanted.

Instead, he utilized another recent lesson. This one from Saith.

Before heading to bed, Gust reversed his Demon Blades in the Void cultivation method and purged himself of all mana. It was a slow and tiresome process which lasted well into the night. Mana fled through every pore and wore him out, but there was still more to do.

Not long before sunrise, instead of leaving his home via the path and meeting Locke in the courtyard like any other day, Gust walked straight into the forest.

Without mana suffusing his body, Gust felt weaker than usual. He headed east for a few miles and, when he was surely out of range of the Masters, he pulled out his compass and activated it’s return function. The needle quickly pointed south, toward the verdant grove with the ancient maple tree.

Along the way, every bird rustling a leaf, every deer which trotted off as soon as it heard him, sent a chill down Gust’s spine. He was confident in his plan; if he held no mana, any mana sense would have trouble detecting him, but he was also aware that he was not aware of the limit of the Masters’ abilities. Fear drove him forward, running even as he grew tired.

A few exhausting hours passed before he found the huge maple tree and stared at the field of flowers and herbs around it. There would be plenty of time to harvest later, he told himself. Gust strained his memory as he retraced his steps toward Philo’s house. He doubled back several times, and finally found the place by midday.

Philo was outside when he arrived, tending to her garden as her long brown hair blew in the breeze. She noticed him suddenly and reached toward a bow before realizing who it was. “Where’s my brother?” she asked quickly. Then, “And how did you get so close before I noticed? You…” she paused as her gaze probed into his soul and found not even a mote of mana. “You’re empty?”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Gust nodded painfully, thinking of all the time he’d need to spend cultivating to regain the mana he’d purged last night. It was only pure mana, not as valuable as sword mana, but losing it still hurt. Not even a potion could refill his stores as quickly as the flames did yesterday.

“Never mind that,” Gust replied. Then he clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. “Your brother’s alright, but you need to leave.”

Philo’s expression soured and she crossed her arms. “I don’t take orders from Mages. If you want me gone, bring my brother back.”

“I can’t!” He snapped. “I don’t know who it is, but I think your former master is a member of my school. A very powerful one, in fact.”

“And you led my brother right to him?” she asked flatly.

When Gust nodded, her eyes flicked toward her bow but Philo didn’t move. Instead, tears gathered in her eyes and a deep pain sprouted in Gust’s heart. He grabbed her by the shoulders. “He’ll be okay! They’re going to offer him a place at my school, but I think they’re only interested in you. If you’re gone… well, they can’t kick Myles out once they’ve accepted him as a student! He might not be happy, but he’ll be safe. I’ll do whatever I can to make sure of that. I… can’t help you, though.”

Philo shrugged him off and shoved at Gust’s chest with a shocking strength. He nearly stumbled backward. She ran over to grab her bow, but once it was in her hands she froze. Philo’s dark eyes flicked back and forth as she tried to think. When Gust tried to speak to her, she turned away from him. He spoke anyway.

“You need to leave,” Gust repeated. “Go south. Fast.”

Tears spilled down Philo’s cheeks. “I won’t leave him! Myles is all I have left, what will I do alone?”

“Live,” Gust shrugged. “Cultivate. Become strong enough to protect him.”

“It’s only been a day, Augustus. I’ve barely copied ten pages from the manual you gave me. How am I supposed to be strong enough with that as a guide?”

Gust shook his head and fought to keep his voice calm. “Just keep the damn manual, then! I’ll figure something out. The longer you stay, the better chance they find you and… take you back.” He tried to make those words sound as threatening as possible.

Philo’s eyes widened and she stared at him for a long moment. Suddenly, she pulled her bow up and nocked an arrow, aiming it straight at Gust’s black eye. “Patrons damn you, Demon.” When she let go, Gust winced and felt a streak of wind slice his right cheek.

The arrow disappeared into the forest while Gust reached up to dab at the growing streak of blood. He watched Philo gather he belongings quickly, silently. There was only a small pouch to fill, and it wasn’t even a bag of holding. She had dried herbs, food, her bow and a quiver of arrows, and a thick book with green binding.

The girl stepped out of her house and looked south. “I don’t know whether to thank you, or tell you off,” she muttered. “They’ll still be looking for me, you know. Myles will search too, and I have no doubt they’ll have him followed. Or killed.”

“I’ll watch his back. I promise.”

“And who will watch mine?” She scoffed. “Even if I’m not found, I’m still no mage. Any other mortal will just think I’m a Demon. Like you,” she said sourly.

“We’re not so bad,” Gust muttered, but the circumstances disagreed. In a desperate attempt to make it up to her, he pulled something out of his bag and tossed it toward her.

Philo caught the blue vial nearly filled with mana potion and squinted as she stared at it. “This is…”

“Expensive, I know,” Gust finished for her with a smile. “I have a new friend who’ll make me more. Take it. Between that and the cultivation manual, you’ll be miles ahead of any mortal you’ll ever meet.”

Her hand closed around the vial and Philo nodded as she slipped it into her pack. “I don’t owe you anything for this,” she said, as serious as ever. “You saved my brother’s life, and I am thankful but… you ruined the home we’d made for ourselves.”

“I know,” Gust sighed.

Philo shook her head and took a few steps into the woods. Then she paused. “You’d better keep that promise. If Myles isn’t alive when I come back… I’ll kill our old master, then I’ll come after you.”

Gust stood there for a few minutes as she watched Philo wading through the woods, leaving her temporary peace behind. She didn’t turn around once.

When he finally headed home, Gust circled around the school until he found the northern path, then slipped into his home and fell into bed. There, he tried to quell the pain in his chest.

Every time it faded, he thought of two siblings who had no one in the world but each other… and how they might never meet again.