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Pragwyn’s Castle was more spacious than Earth's. The ballroom, double the size of the Spanish Hall, could host a football match and the public. It was brimming with people, alternating dancing and talking.

Taking a glass of sparkling wine from one of the servants walking around with trays, Vincent exited through the opened French doors, seeking refuge on the terrace. It was big enough to have a garden and many hidden corners.

One of those had a splendid view of the city. Lamposts had been lighted that night, some magically enchanted, some burning a petroleum distillate. It was the first dark night experienced by Vincent, the ring of planets and asteroids now circling the equator and invisible for the next weeks.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to enjoy the solitude. The last two weeks had been hectic and involved a lot of travel. At least, that helped him keep his distance from Irene. After intense bargaining, he signed the treaty and planted the Seed in Krivoburg a few days prior.

"You discovered my secret spot," a voice interrupted his solitude.

"Your Majesty," Vincent jumped on his feet, bowing.

"Karel, for you," the young Beauhemian king waved his hand. "A little help, please?" The Beauhemian King was trying to move a giant bush planted in a pot. "Here, now we can have a bit of quietness," the monarch said after they blocked the path to the green alcove.

Vincent nodded and sat on the bench. He didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. The king was seventeen but tall and looked more mature, both in his demeanor and physical aspect. Karel was about sitting peacefully and observing through his half-shut eyes. But when he spoke, it was to the point and offered deep insight.

"A word of advice," the king said. "If ladies sweet-eye you tonight, keep it in your pants. Many are spies."

"Really?" Vincent gasped.

"Of course. What better place for a man to brag about the secrets he knows than in the bedroom?"

"Vincent?" a voice called.

"Oh, God," Vincent sighed. "Here comes my girlfriend…"

"You don't love her?" the King frowned. "She's lovely."

"She's…" Vincent began explaining but gave up. It was too complicated.

"Here you are," Lila exploded through the bushes, ignoring the obstacles. She frowned at him, her balled fists on her hips. "Is it true you told Nina I'm better off with her and that she and I should make up?"

Moment of truth, Vincent sighed. I hope she won't make a scene. "Yes, Lila… I think Nina truly loves you," he said softly. "I'm only attracted to you… You’re a good person and deserve better… I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier…"

“You want to break up with me? Look into my eyes and—”

He did look into Lila’s eyes, his muscles feeling like boiled noodles. “No… I want you to break up with me… I care for you, Lila, enough to know I’m not what’s best for you.”

"Honey," she melted, sitting in his lap and kissing his forehead, arms wrapped around his neck. "Don't worry so much, I'm happy with you," she emphasized the word. "I have to go; my dance is in five. Love you." She gave him a short kiss and walked away, her steps a dance in themselves.

The King looked at Vincent with pity. Vincent suddenly felt like he was seventeen years old, and the other the adult. "Well… if you don’t love her… I have a concubine spot open…"

Vincent growled, and the King smiled.

"See? You have feelings for her. What’s wrong with letting yourself be loved and returning the favor? You're among the most powerful people in this new kingdom. Your mind has to be in the game. See you later."

Left alone, Vincent took his head into his hands. Did he hang on to the past too much? If he was honest with himself, Vincent could see a life next to Lila, even without having the same intense feelings as for his ex… But the problem was he could imagine that life next to Irene, or Raya too… It was not fair to them… At least the Raya situation had been solved.

He jerked up, getting on his feet. It was time to see Lila dance. As he approached the ballroom again, a woman shouted his name. "Vincent! We need to talk!"

In the distance, the Shaman was dragged away by a few tall servants, not quite security, but the kind of doormen who would step in to throw out an uninvited guest."Wait!" he yelled, waving his hand. "She's with me."

The servants frowned at him, likely wondering if he was in all his mind. The woman had her usual Mongol attire, which was far from the elegance of the ball. If anything, she looked like those gypsies who read the fortune at fairs.

"What's up?" Vincent asked.

The Shaman grasped his elbow, speaking with intensity. "You must find Irene within the hour, or she dies. You must embrace the Raven, or you die."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"What?" he gasped.

"You must find Irene within the hour, or she dies. You must embrace the Raven, or you die," she repeated the same text, rolling her eyes until they showed only their whites, then fainted.

"Shit! Put her in a bed somewhere," Vincent caught her in his arms and handed over to the servants before darting away. "Have you seen Irene?" he grabbed Jorge's arm. Like many other guests who wanted to enjoy the party but not the crowd, he was looking at Lila's performance from outside, standing on a bench.

"No," the young man shook his head, keeping his eyes on the dancer.

"She's in danger. I need you to search for her with the drone. Come!" Dragging Jorge behind him, Vincent took him into the isolated alcove and produced the drone from his spatial storage. "Search in the castle's courtyard first, I'll go ask more people."

While Jorge used his phone to make the drone ascend, Vincent Strode went to the dancing room behind the scenes and waited a minute until Lila finished her act, biting on his nails. When asked, she said she hadn't seen Irene either. Vincent's heart was beating wildly. Unexpectedly, a hard slap over the back of his head made him see a cluster of green stars.

"You mother fucker!"

"Raya! You're alive!" Lila yelled, jumping to hug the Amazon.

"He abandoned me in Vienna, allegedly for my own good, the piece of shit!" Raya screamed.

"Calm down, calm down!" Lila interposed herself between the two. "It's proof he loves you. He did the same with me."

"He abandoned you in Vienna?" Raya widened her eyes.

"Told me I'm better off without him. He's a sentimental wreck. His former fiancee left him because Vincent killed her brother in a duel. He’s afraid to love again…"

"She left him only because he killed her brother?" Raya creased her nose. "She’s stupid or something? Never mind… Come here so I can strangle you, you asshole!" she tried to go around Lila to grab Vincent.

People had started noticing the quarrel on the other side of the partition despite the background noise. A few curious pair of eyes were already peeking at them through a few slits and gaps in the curtain.

"We don’t have time for this, Irene is in danger," Vincent yelled.

Raya stopped her assault. "Irene? I saw her walking through Mala Strana when I came here."

"Thanks!" Giving Raya a brief hug, Vincent avoided her next slap by jumping near Jorge. "She's in Mala Strana somewhere."

"Understood," Jorge said, aiming the drone at the narrow streets. "Nothing for now…"

"Fuck…" Vincent kneaded his hands. "I should go search around myself."

"Wait! Man, we're idiots… She has a tracker on her phone… we all have… Give me a moment. Oh shit! She's there…"

"Where?"

"Look!"

Jorge's phone showed the Corvinus Prague residence from afar. Only one room was lighted. The master bedroom. Zooming in and descending, the drone's camera revealed first bits, then the whole content of the space. Three people were inside: Ludwing, his remaining sidekick, and Irene. Tied on a table and unconscious, the girl had her wrists cut open, her blood flowing in two buckets underneath.

In that second, Vincent knew he loved her. All the things he said to her were lies, meaningless pretenses to run away from what he really felt, hanging on to a past that was gone.

Jorge fainted. Vincent pulled his revolver out of the storage and Strode. Appearing in the room, he discharged all his six bullets into Ludwing's head. The projectiles stopped a few inches from the king, blocked by a forcefield, and then fell to the floor. He then tried to grab Irene and jump away but failed. His skill wasn't working anymore.

You are inside a pocket universe that prevents you from using your skill to any destination except this room.

"You disappoint me," Ludwing said, tapping his cheek with his index.

"We had a deal," Vincent hissed, replacing his gun with the axe. "No violence between us."

"This is not violence," the King of Hungary shrugged. "It's justice."

"You monster!"

"He's in his right," the thin, pale sidekick interjected.

"The girl and I bumped into each other on the streets, and she started asking me about magic," Ludwing said. "Questions only somebody reading my ancestor's manual could have known to ask. There's a price to pay for people who steal our heirlooms: death. Yet, I decided to be merciful. I will give her some of my blood, and she will join our family."

"She'll become your thrall," Vincent sneered with bitterness, showing his teeth at Ludwing, yearning to bite his throat out.

"It's not so bad as it sounds," the acolyte said.

"Let her go," Vincent leaned forward, prepared to attack. "This is contrary to the treaty we signed."

FAQ Warning: Treatises do NOT cover stealing priceless artifacts and heirlooms. Owners of said artifacts are allowed to exercise force to recover them and pass judgment on the thieves. The possession of such artifacts can be contested only through regulamentary duels.

As a favor owed, Brindabella (the Archetype of Youth and Games) has sent you a warning through the intermediary of a Shaman.

"Assholes Archetypes," Vincent hissed. "What are you good for? Absolutely nothing!"

"See?" Ludwing shrugged and turned his palms upward. "I'm in my right. Please vacate the premises."

"I want a duel. That's what the rule says, right?" Vincent said coldly.

"A duel, you say…" Ludwing leaned his head leftward. "Hm… What about this: I let her go, but if I win the duel, you become my minion? It's only fair; you killed a lot of my people."

Shit! That's what the warning said. Embrace the Raven or die… It means I can't win… Fuck… "Let her go first!" Vincent snarled.

At a snap of Corvinus's fingers, Irene's cuts closed, and her ties were undone. She moaned and opened her eyes, but she was so weak that she couldn't raise. In a second, Vincent was near her, caressing her forehead. "I'm here… don't move…" Activating Health Transfer, he pushed his HPs into her. A minute later, she had regained color, but his health pool was at half.

"Curiosity killed the cat…" she whispered, giggling faintly at her own pun.

"She needs help. Let me take her to safety," Vincent asked.

"You will not leave this place until you become my servant," Ludwing shook his head. “And that will happen either if you’ll be dead or alive.”

Vincent shook the young woman’s shoulder. "I want you to get on your feet and go to the castle."

Irene straightened her back, trying to appear tough. "I won't leave you alone!"

"I love you…” She hiccuped, surprised. “I was an idiot for not realizing before… Please, go… I can’t fight if you’re in danger…"

"True," the pale sidekick said, casually cleaning their nails with a knife. "Damsels in distress getting in the way are the leading cause of death for heroes. Like villans' monologues…"

"Please," Vincent whispered in her ear, kissing the soft skin between it and her cheek.

"I love you too… Come back alive," Irene whispered back, grabbing his neck and pecking his lips in a brief kiss. With his help, she wobbled her way out of the room. Vincent looked out the window until she exited the building, then the courtyard. A group of people waited outside, undoubtedly warned by Jorge. Raya, Brandi, Jong. The fighters. After they caught Irene in their arms, a bright forcefield blocked the mansion's access.