“Nice to see you again, too.” My former master smiled mischievously before sighing. “Is what I would say, but these are less than favorable times.”

“Why are you here?” I asked, flabbergasted.

“Well, a lot of reasons.” My former master tapped a finger on his bicep. “I always did want to see if the weather was what it was cracked up to be, a nice little vacation spot.”

“Imako, is now the time for jests?” Scyla glanced around, her eyes scanning for trouble.

“I guess not, young Eorial.”

“Why are you with Scyla?”

“Questions, questions. I suppose I can divulge some answers.” My master said.

“Quickly, please,” Scyla added.

“I can divulge some answers quickly.” He amended. “Troubling news had reached my ears that a conspiracy was brewing to the north, centered on the city providence of Akadia. We’ve known for some time that the inner circles of the crown were preparing for violence, which we were forced to prepare for as well, but this conspiracy was much more devious. A false flag.”

“False flag?” I raised an eyebrow at the man-beast.

“Yes, a false flag is-”

“I’m aware of what a false flag is.” I cut him off. “Get to the point.”

“In essence, they intended to direct an attack not against government officials, but the children.”

“Why? Why would they attack their own children?” I questioned, aghast.

“Two reasons. Dead children are a great way to drum up sympathy. Second, children have little impact on the practicality of war. After all, they don’t help plan or aid in future battles, so little is lost should they perish.”

“Still, it’s just… How? Why? They just settled their differences not long ago!”

“I’m not saying the crown itself were the schemers.” My former master addressed. “But those within their inner workings.”

“Where is your proof?” I narrowed my eyes. “No offense, but I’m aware of your position within Nochesuki. I’m not so naïve as to not notice how you’d likely want to paint them in a bad light.”

“Very good. If you were that naïve, either you’d had a free pass through life, which I’m aware you haven’t, or you’d failed to ever learn, which clearly isn’t the case. How I know starts with a question for you. Those you fought-”

“How did you know I fought anyone?”

“You reek of death and violence.”

“Fair.” I conceded.

“Those you fought, they could share magic and mana upon death, correct?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

The man-beast smiled sadly. “Because I’ve experienced it myself. It’s been some time, but I have another question: Do you remember when we were last together?”

“Yeah, on the way to the Pond.”

“Exactly. So you remember those pursuing us.”

“Of course.”

“Then I suppose it’s important you know something about those who pursued us. I clashed against them and discovered a rather alarming feature of this subjugation squad: that they grew empowered with every death. I took it upon myself to discover the secrets of such magic. What I discovered was that this magic, to link the mana core of mages, is an extremely tightly guarded secret that only certain individuals within the inner circle of the crown are aware of, a magic they’d then recently created to allow their mages, generally less capable than those who practice magic regularly, to arrest or even execute those wanted by the crown, such as myself.”

“And the fact that some random mercs-”

“Would have that magic used upon them is rather damning, yes. Another question, though this is more rhetorical in nature. Recently, you were subject to an attempt to cast you in a bad light, were you not?”

I remained silent, thinking back to the Honos Festum.

“I’ll take that silence as an answer. Yes, the truth laid bare. You were the catalyst for everything that has happened. You became the icon for exactly what they wished to push against, teaching magic to the royals, nobles, and wealthy elites. The crown had capitulated too much; thus, their close allies acted, and now it will force the crown to act on their behalf in response to the perceived threat of today. More drastic measures were taken when the prior attempts against you failed.”

“Why? When the truth comes out, they’ll lose all support instantly.”

“That’s why the truth won’t come out.” Scyla but in. “Subjugators are already on their way here to arrest you.”

“Me?”

“False flag, remember? And it wasn’t some random group or even Nochesuki being blamed.”

“Me?”

“Of course.” My master flashed a wolfish grin at me. “You ingrained yourself, waiting for the perfect opportunity, you with the mystery background, until everyone least expected it. Then you struck. A rather fiendish plan of yours.”

“But that’s just objectively incorrect! Why would I ever do that? What would I have to gain?”

“Does it matter?” My master added. “The truth will be muddied. Accusations will be levied. You will be silenced. Unless you deem yourself in the proper state to battle a group of subjugators who will more than likely have that same core binding magic.”

“Not just that,” Scyla added. “The Chief Magus is with them.”

“Oh, well, that is definitely a dilemma.” My master tsked as if it was a minor inconvenience. “She is quite the formidable opponent. A battle against her could go any way. Perhaps the two of us could prevail against her and the aid of the subjugation squad with her if you were fresh. Alas, such is not the case. Anyway, even in such a hypothetical where we stood our ground, fought to prove your innocence, and prevailed against all odds, further reinforcements would put quite the damper on our victory, don’t you think?”

“Get to the point. What’s your point of being here? Just to warn me, or maybe to stop it yourself? Well, you were too late. I was too late.”

“Well, not exactly.” My master said. “I’m here to recruit you, speaking frankly.”

“I want nothing to do with Nochesuki.” I cut in, scowling, unsurprised that he would be here for something like that, even in the face of the events that had just unfolded.

“You still think in childish terms at times. Well, compared to me, you are still a child.”

“Don’t push me,” I growled, growing annoyed. Once, my master had seemed like a mountain of power that one could never see the summit of. Now, with five sage rings under my belt, I could see the peak. Perhaps he was still stronger than me, but I was confident enough in my own strength that I could give him a rather rude awakening if he thought I was the same meek kid from years ago.

“Relax. When events became clear, I rushed here as quickly as I could. One way or another, you’ve been thrust into the larger world. You are no longer a child; get used to it. If you believe yourself to be immune to the tides of fate, then you are more arrogant than few could imagine. The world has acted, and you are compelled to respond. You are a valuable piece on the grand chessboard. Enemies see you as a piece that should be removed quickly, while those who view you as a potential ally see a piece of significant worth, one that can impact the entire board by your mere presence.”

“So when you said recruit me-”

“You’ve already been labeled a wanted criminal, if not publicly. You will be forced into hiding, a rat scurrying around underfoot, or a hermit hiding in the backwoods of the world. Or, if you wish to do something more befitting of yourself, you can come with me. Events have already been laid in motion. So you must choose what it is you will do in return. Face reality, or hide from it?”

I glanced back toward the still-burning remains of the academy, my fists tightening up in anger and grief.

“You said the inner circle of the crown did this, correct?”

“No one else knows how to replicate the magic they use to bind cores together.”

If I really was wanted, then I couldn’t remain here. Sure, I could go into hiding, but what life would that be?

Then, there was the fate my students had suffered.

So many dead children.

For what? To paint a picture of the villainy of the enemies of the crown? It was nothing more than brutal politics.

What was it for?

I could run. I had the skills to remain hidden and even flee the country if needed. Tell myself I’d done what was right, avenged the students, and it was time to leave, my work complete.

Is that really what you want?

But all I’d done was break the knife used to stab their hearts. Those who had wielded the knife were still out there.

Where is the justice in that?

“Fine.” I crossed my arms. “Consider me sold. I’m not doing this for you, not like you made any attempts at contacting me before now anyway, not until I was worth being used.”

“You were young and immature. You needed time to grow up, both from a skill standpoint and as a person.”

I had doubts about the selfless presentation of his words. Still, while our interests aligned, even if I should doubt the sincerity of his words, I could do nothing more than trust those words.

“Good. Now that such things are solved, can we get a move on?” Scyla rubbed at her arm. “I got you into the city unnoticed, but the longer we wait around like this, the more likely my involvement will be discovered.”

“Yes, yes. I appreciate what you’ve done for me. I knew investing in your future was worth it.”

“Yeah, well, think of this as the last time I do a personal favor. Henceforth, I only chose to work with Nochesuki when it provides a direct benefit.”

“Very pragmatic.”

“Scyla.” I grabbed her arm suddenly. “My sister?”

“I’ll have her taken somewhere safe; you have no need to concern yourself.”

I wasn’t fond of leaving Rosalina behind. Still, based on what I’d been informed of, we’d need to make a quick departure lest we risk being confronted by the Chief Magus.

“Is there anything else you need to take care of? Perhaps we should go for a cup of tea?” My master questioned sarcastically.

“No, so let us be off.” I snapped.

“Yes, let’s.” My master nodded before waving his hand out. “Bral.”

One moment, the world appeared normal; the next, it was as if everything had been painted in black, white, and grey, strange shadowy hues cladding everything in ink-like undertones.

“What the hell?” I raised an eyebrow at my master. “What did you do?”

“I dragged you into the shadows with me.”

“Bral,” I mumbled. “I’ve heard speculations about its existence as an unspoken primal element, but it’s been impossible to say with certainty.”

“That’s because it’s an element only magical beasts can utilize, and furthermore, Void Manes and our similar affinity cousins have a rather high proficiency at using such magic, even compared to other Elevated Magical beasts. Even then, it’s rather difficult. Few, if any, can use it the way I can.”

“And how many elevated magical beasts are out there?”

“In Haerasong?” My master scowled. “One. Me. Most fled long ago or otherwise weren’t born here and, as such, have no desire to involve themselves with the affairs of these lands. The rest were killed.”

“Sorry,” I muttered.

“It’s of little consequence.” My master didn’t appear to feel that way, but his face returned to a composed, neutral mask only a moment later.

“If you could do this, why did you need Scyla to help you enter the city in the first place?”

“Because it’s rather taxing to drag another into the shadows with me by several exponents. I had to conserve as much mana as possible to ensure our escape after the fact. With that said, we can discuss as we walk.”

Turning around, my master began to walk with a purposeful pace toward the general direction of the docks.

“We aren’t going to leave through the Ring Gate?”

“No, they could track us that way; they’d be able to determine our location through the mana lock of the gate.

“So, we boat?”

“Indeed. I have a craft awaiting our return, after which it will depart immediately. It will be at least a few hours before any realize we’ve already left the city in the ongoing chaos, and by then, it will be too late.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

We continued our jaunt through the streets, eyes sliding past us if we weren’t there.

Which, I suppose, was precisely how it appeared to the average person.

At best, a rather perceptive individual might have noticed what appeared to be shadows moving across the ground detached from any object within their immediate physical reality, but a quick rub of their eyes and they’d convince themselves it was just the light playing tricks on them, or perhaps that they were more sleep deprived than they’d initially assumed.

As we continued, I took note of the degree to what my master had meant about how taxing the magic would be, his face slowly contorting until, as we neared the docks, it appeared as if he was under an immense weight like he was shouldering the sky itself, his face strained with effort and concentration.

“Far… enough.” My master faltered mid-step before the world snapped back vibrancy. Thankfully, as we seemingly appeared from thin air, there was no one nearby to bear witness. “We’ll just have to hope no guards are between here and the dock, as I’m out of mana now.”

“I can take care of things,” I said. “I have enough mana to deal with any guards we might encounter.”

“Ahh, the beauty of being a sage. Us mere mortals are cursed with mana that must be replenished directly rather than your automatic replenishment through your rings.”

“Yeah, and I’m limited in my ability to store mana, considering I don’t have a core.”

“You’ve done fine for yourself.” My master looked at me up and down. “If I didn’t know better, I would assume you were a silver, maybe even a gold-ranked mage, given your current potential mana reserves.”

“How can you even tell? I make it a point of masking my mana.”

“I’m a magical beast. Surely you shouldn’t be surprised I can see through what a human cannot?”

“You know, on second thought, not the first time,” I muttered, recalling how Rosalina had been able to sense things regarding my mana that a human couldn’t.

“Not the…? Well, I can ask about that later.” My master said. “Let’s get out of here first.”

Agreeing with the magical beast, we skirted through the last few streets and alleys separating us from the dock. On a few occasions, we had a close call, a nearby guard or the like doing their rounds, forcing us to hide with bated breath. While I had recovered enough mana to deal with a few individual guards, things would quickly turn troublesome if any heavy hitters were called in. Keeping a low profile was surprisingly easy; few were paying attention to us, instead pointing to the smoke spewing out from the remains of the academy in the center of the city.

“Almost there.” My former master whispered.

“Don’t jinx-” I cut off as we neared the dock entrance, now directly before us. “-us.”

To my displeasure, an entire company of what looked like soldiers had gathered, holding position by the dock gate. Furthermore, off to the side, I noticed several figures huddled up, one face in particular catching my eye.

Is that Leo?

Relief flooded me, relief that I might see another one of my students alive, even if it was surprising to see him here at the dock instead of at the academy.

“Halt.” The head soldier stuck a hand toward us. “The docks are closed.”

“On whose authority?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow at the man.

“The crown. We are preventing any suspicious figures from leaving the city.”

“He’s lying.” My master leaned in, whispering under his breath. “Take notice of the crest on his lapel.”

My eyes tracked toward the spot, and the symbol clicked after sorting through my memories.

That’s the Grucias emblem.

“Are you here on behalf of the crown, or are you just saying that?” I pointed toward the lead soldier, indicating his emblem. “Last I recall, the Grucias aren’t formally members of the crown. Therefore, acting orders shouldn’t be within your jurisdiction.”

“Mouthy one.” Another soldier grumbled, rolling his eyes. “The point is you’re to stand down.”

“Wait a minute.” The lead soldier turned back toward the gathered group. “Young Master, is this the teacher I’ve heard about?”

Leo suddenly blinked, looking around as if stirred from a stupor until his gaze locked on me. “Professor?”

“Leo. I’m glad to see you’re safe.”

“I- yeah, I was here to meet with some soldiers being rotated through the area.”

That explains the crowd.

“Well, then that makes things easy.” The lead soldier suddenly hefted his pike, pointing the tip toward me. “We have orders to take you alive if possible, but we can take you back in a bag if you resist.”

Great.

“What’s this about?” I feigned ignorance on the off chance there was something I was missing.

“You are wanted on suspicion of planning and executing an attack on Parisian Academy. Levied charges are murder, arson, trafficking, and treason to begin with.”

“The hell are you talking about?” I folded my arms. “Why would I have been behind this?”

“Well, based on the circulated reports, Professor Koor of Parisian Academy is none other than Rook Baster, a member of the known anarchist and terror-enacting Baster clan, as well as having connections to the Third Star of Nochesuki.”

Shit.

Dread filled me as I was reminded of what Scyla and my master had explained prior, that the attack on the academy had been a false flag attack that I was meant to take the fall for. Part of me had tried to hold on to the idea that they were somehow wrong, a silent plea from my heart to the universe that they had to be wrong. The fact that a random squad of soldiers was already waiting at the docks and were aware of the connection between my current life and my history, the same information the mercenary group hired had been privy to, it was as if I could see my silent prayer withering before my eyes, reality crushing what had remained of my vain hopes.

Wait, it’s almost like…

“Lies. All of it. And if I didn’t know better, it sure sounds like you’re the ones trying to put this on me.” I unfolded my arms, lightly flexing my fingers as I readied myself.

“See Young Master?” The leader soldier glanced toward Leo. “Your father was correct.”

“It- it can’t be true?” Leo was glancing between me and the soldiers, his face marked in confusion. “It’s not, right?”

“Listen, Leo, it’s not-”

“Enough.” The lead soldier began advancing as the other soldiers followed his lead with weapons drawn. “Surrender yourself now. This will be your first and only chance to be taken in alive. Do I make myself clear?”

“Looks like talks broke down.” My master grunted, trying to hide an amused half-smile as if this was precisely as he’d predicted the confrontation would end.

“Not helping,” I muttered toward him before addressing the soldiers. “You really don’t want this.”

“No, we do.” A soldier within the group spoke up. “You’re a child-murdering villain who should have never been let near this place.”

They advanced lockstep, a synchronized movement that reminded me of how I’d once seen Tez and Zet fighting together.

“No more games, kid.” My master sighed as he stood next to me. “It’s time to get to work.”

Looking back, I wish I could say that in the ensuing fight, I held back, expertly dispatching the soldiers so that they were nothing more than incapacitated, waking up with nothing more than a big headache or, at worst, a concussion.

And yet to have said that was what happened would have been a lie.

When push came to shove, my life weighed against theirs; I knew who I was picking. I’d come too far just to lay down and accept death at the hands of soldiers who may have been working for those in part responsible for today. So when the lead soldier thrust his pike toward my chest, I dipped low under the thrust, snatching the haft of the pike and ripped it free from his grip, my strength taking the man by surprise. Using that same momentum, I twirled once, spinning the pike overhead before lancing it through another soldier’s skull. The signal to begin, my master began to set about butchering soldiers at my side, his nails now savage talons that rent flesh with ease.

Even low on mana as the two of us were, to call it a ‘fight’ would have been disingenuous, nothing more than alleviating ourselves of the conscious decision to butcher men and women who could protect themselves little more than flailing children could from a pair of lions. With only the dredges of my mana, I swept through them with speed and grace enhanced by flow, a crimson blur as blood trailed in my wake like the tail of a celebratory kite.

In what couldn’t have been more than two or three minutes, the entire company’s worth of soldiers lay dead, their blood soaking the wooden planks of the dock as I panted for breath, mind blanked of thought as my master wiped his shrinking talons clean.

“That wasn’t too bad.” My master spoke after a few more seconds. “Thankfully, no mages. Guess they really were just a unit rotating through the area. That aside, our boat is just at the end of the pier. We can be out of here within the next five minutes.”

“Good.” I didn’t want to think about the massacre we’d just enacted, but there were no other choices. There had simply been too many of them; if the Grucias were part of the conspiracy against me, they would have had zero intention of ever taking me alive or backing down.

Mind a mixed mess of frenzied adrenaline and agonized stillness, I followed a few steps behind my former master until a voice shouted out, the anger lacing it palpable.

“Liar!”

I stopped midstep, wincing as I did.

“There is more here going on than you understand,” I answered Leo, never turning around.

“Liar. I didn’t want to believe it at first. My father said you were dangerous to have around! But I knew you! You always treated us fairly. But that was a lie, wasn’t it? Just an act?”

“I was set up,” I said.

“Then why do this!?” Still facing away from the kid, I could imagine his sweeping gesture at the massacred battalion. “Innocent people don’t butcher others!”

“Let’s go already. Ignore the kid. We don’t have time for this.” My master turned around briefly to glance at me from where I’d been frozen to the pier. “Kid is part of them anyway.”

Stomach churning, I couldn’t deny what he’d said. It wasn’t Leo’s fault that he’d been raised around the family he had; the Grucias had long volunteered to provide the tools of violence that the crown had leaned on numerous times in the past. Perhaps in another world, another timeline, he would have had the opportunity to learn from me, fully inoculated against the ways of his family who’d grown fat on blood coin.

But this wasn’t that ideal world. I didn’t have the time to try to make a teenager understand everything, not when, at any moment, the head mage and her subjugation squad could roll up to the dock and cut off our only chance of escape.

Staying silent, I followed my master once more as Leo continued shouting.

“Rias was at the academy! If she’s dead-”

As I cut the boy off, I shoved down the swell of pain radiating throughout me. “Those who are responsible will pay, Leo.”

“I see.” I heard the boy say as I left him behind, his voice saddened, broken even.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.

Following my master to a boat moored at the end of the pier, a small crew was already beginning to ready a medium-sized ketch for sail as we embarked.

“Imako.” The captain of the craft stood at salute as he approached us.

“Imako?” I raised an eyebrow as I glanced at my former master.

“There, you finally got my name.” He shrugged as if it was of little concern.

“We’ll be ready to set sail in about a minute. I take it you achieved everything you needed to.”

Gesturing toward me with a quick jerk of his head, my former master, Imako, smiled wolfishly. “We managed to save the damsel.”

“Not a damsel.” I snapped. While I wasn’t fond of the banter, given the bleak events of the day, it also allowed me to avoid thinking about the same horrors. “And you are?” I questioned the saluting man, who thankfully stopped saluting as he turned toward me.

“Garcett Hodge, captain of the Dark Star and one of the admirals of the Night Fleet.”

“Night Fleet?” I questioned.

“It’s the name of the fleet we’ve accrued within Nochesuki,” Imako answered. “Absolute pain in the ass to get as many ships built as we did without anyone finding out, but it was a good thing we did. This war would be a slaughter without the naval capacity to hold waterways and engage in aquatic warfare.”

“War. Right.” I glanced at the deck of the small ship. “So, this is the Dark Star? An impressive name for such a… average ship.”

“No, this is not my lovely Dark Star,” Garcett answered. “This is just a craft we used to pull into the dock.”

“Sailing in on a warship is likely to draw suspicion after all, right?” Imako snorted.

“Aye, that it be,” Garcett spoke. “So then, where to next, Imako?”

“Where else?” My master put his hands on his hips, pointing towards a star unseeable in the daylight hours. “Take us back home.”

“Home it be.”

“Home?” I questioned.

“Home.” My former master nodded. “Otherwise known as headquarters.”

“Set course for Satellite Island!” Garcett shouted at the small crew as the ship began to pull away. “Daylight is precious, and time is a-wastin’, so get to it!”

“What’s Satellite Island?” I questioned. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Of course not. It was kept off official records since it was discovered three hundred years ago.” Imako tsked as if it were obvious. “For a country with a vendetta against magic and the like, you think they’d want to advertise there was an island of dense mana concentration only a few leagues off their coast? Anyway, it’s surrounded by a mana-induced storm at all times. Even if it weren’t for their ideological stance, they’d probably have kept it off limits just for the danger it posed to any would-be explorers or adventurers.”

“That still isn’t enough reason for being officially wiped from any records. There are plenty of places like that within and near Haerasong, after all.”

“Fine, you got me.” My former master sighed, throwing his hands up. “The real reason is it has the particular quality of inducing awakening.”

“Awakening?” I raised an eyebrow at the magical beast. “You mean like-”

“Yes!” He snapped his fingers together. “Extended exposure to the island can make those with little to no innate magical talents capable of harnessing mana.”

“Wait.” I frowned, a thought occurring to me. “If such a place exists, and you knew of it, then why didn’t you bring me there as a kid? Instead, you forced me to trek up some gods forsaken mountain while being hounded by enforcers, then abandoned me!”

“Oh, relax.” Imako waved my irritation off like he would a buzzing fly. “Three reasons. Reason number one: distance. The Pond was, relatively speaking, nearby, located within the northern region just as we were. Satellite Island is off the southwest coast, past even Songhold. To have made that journey would have been to trek nearly the length of the entire continent.”

“We could’ve taken a ship.”

“Hah, maybe.” Imako barked out a laugh. “Or maybe they’d have realized who I was, and we would have been stuck spending weeks being tailed by the navy.”

“Fine.” I conceded the point. “What are the other reasons?”

“Reason number two: You were just a green-eared kid. Do you really think I was about to bring an unproven kid to our secret headquarters? Just so he can awaken his talents? This brings me to point three. Talent. You had none. Zilch. Zero. Even if brought to the island and awakened to your innate ability, it would have been like awakening an ant to its full strength. It doesn’t matter if they’re two, three, or even ten times stronger. They’ll never stop a person from stepping on them. That was you. A Blade of grass will never be a tree.”

“What do you take me for now, then?” I asked, irritated and unsurprised that the magical beast, after years apart, was already back to flinging jabs as easily as he breathed.

“A person who, when faced with the reality of their innate talents, or lack thereof, forged themselves a new path that wasn’t dictated by what their biology or fate had predicted of them. Even now, your biological talents are less than any I’ve met, or is that lima bean you call a mana core secretly a store of untold quantities of mana?”

I rubbed at my midsection defensively. When I was still fresh into my journey of becoming a Sage, I’d attempted to see if I could somehow find a way to foster its development, yet no matter how much I tried, be it with purified mana or sage mana, it had remained as little better than a calcified stone smaller than my thumb.

He’s right.

“I disrespect your talent because I respect what you’ve become against all odds. That was why I brought you to the Pond over the Island. You did not need to awaken a non-existent innate talent. You needed to be shown a different direction entirely.”

“Fine, fine, you win,” I admitted in defeat. “It all makes logical sense, and I’m not so much of a child to get hung up on a perceived misgiving.”

“Look at you, really grown up, aren’t we?” My former master winked at me before frowning slightly. “Be that said, while on the subjects of being grown up or not, I believe someone wants your attention.”

Pointing one of his sharp nails back toward the pier, my eyes trailed along until they landed upon a lone figure standing at the edge of the nearest dock.

In a romanticized world, it would have been when my former students tearfully waved me farewell, wishing me the best for the future and thanking me for all I’d done for them and how they’d never forget me.

Too bad this wasn’t an ideal world; this was reality. More often than not, the only reward for giving it your best, overcoming and summitting the mountain of adversity blocking your path, was just another mountain, the promise of more trials and tribulations.

“One day!” Leo shouted, his face no longer mixed up in a torrent of conflicted emotions raging one against another. “One day, you’ll get what you deserve! Until then, every waking moment I have in this world will be spent working toward justice against everything you’ve wrought!”

Tentatively at first, then with aggravated resolve, the young man reached for the emblem upon his breast, ripping it free. Then, raising his hand clutching the emblem to his face, he spat onto it before tossing it into the water.

A low whistle came from behind me as I briefly looked at Imako.

“What?” I questioned.

“The boy is serious. That there is nothing short of Finis Sanguinis. End of Blood.”

“And what’s that?” I questioned inquisitively.

“I forgot you were a country bumpkin, what with you living in this fancy city here. Think of it as the counterpart to the Honos Festum. If the Honos Festum is the legal method through which honor and perceived injustice can be dealt with in the highest of fashions. Finis Sanguinis, on the other hand…”

I watched the boy, hoping to see signs of anger or even pain on his face, emotions of a fleeting temporary. Instead, I saw nothing but unwavering determination, a fire burning in his eyes that I knew would not, could not, be put out with anything less than my demise.

“A blood feud.” I sighed, tearing my eyes away from the boy.

“Bingo.” My former master confirmed. “But think of it as the blood feud to end all blood feuds. Honestly, I’m surprised a boy his age would even be aware of such a right, but then knowing the Grucias, they probably do nothing but preach honor and pride and slack-jawed bullshit meant to convince themselves they stand for something other than being crown-sucking opportunist vultures.”

Deciding the conversation was at its end with that, the magical beast in human form waltzed off, exchanging words with a few of the sailors on the small sailboat, his mind already moving on from the day’s events.

As for I…

Don’t think about it.

I tightly closed my eyes, letting only a few sparse, burning tears of anger and helplessness escape. I did not cry for myself, nor even what I’d personally lost of my life. I would feel those regrets later; it was only natural.

I wept for the loss of innocent lives and lives yet to be lost.

Everything had changed. Maybe it would be a day, two days, or even a few weeks, but there was no lying to myself or hoping otherwise. A black storm had arrived, crashing upon the shores of Haerasong. Like the herald to some vast master, today would only mark the beginning of worse things to come.

“All I can do now,” I opened my eyes, forcing myself to look past the horizon and face what was to come. “Is brace for a desolate tomorrow.”