I did not stop at our table. Instead, I walked past my friends and made for the exit. A weight settled onto my back as I felt gazes, both familiar and unknown, follow me. I ignored them, along with the murmuring, and stepped outside and onto a busy Colkirk street.

Anger simmered in my chest as I walked to the edge of the street before leaning against the front of a now-closed store. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply and wishing for a chilly evening breeze. Still, as I forced out the familiar rhythm of Origin Breathing, Aether bleeding into my core, the tension bled from my body.

I should have walked away. Wallace was scum, a cowardly, short-sighted, dishonest bastard, yes, but it was a pointless battle. I had earned nothing save momentary satisfaction. It was a decision driven by a desire for revenge and wasted my time and energy.

Then again...someone needed to do something, right?

"Vayne!" a voice shouted, and heat bubbled up in my chest again. I ignored the call, hoping he might take a hint and leave me alone, but that hope vanished as I felt a hand grab my shoulder.

When I opened my eyes, Leon stood in front of me. Amelia and Simon trailed behind him, and I ignored their worried expressions, instead focusing on Estton.

Leon's eyes burned, and his mouth was set in a thin line. He still had his wounded arm pressed to his chest, and if not for the irritation still simmering within me, I might have felt concerned.

I met his gaze and flatly responded, "What do you want?"

Leon released my shoulder, stepping back but remaining closer than I would have preferred. The fire in his eyes did not subside, even at my unfamiliar tone, but he did not speak at first.

"What the hell was that?" Leon finally demanded.

I shrugged, "Wallace seemed eager for a new challenger. I decided to oblige."

Leon's eyes narrowed, "This isn't a joke, Vayne. You could've been hurt. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking," I emphasized the word, "That Wallace is an arrogant, spiteful man who needed to learn a lesson. And no one else seemed in a rush to teach him."

"You shouldn't have gotten involved."

"Why not?" I challenged, "He almost broke your wrist. On purpose, in case you missed that."

Leon sighed, "I'm aware. And if I cared to make a scene, I would have. But I didn't."

It took me a second to make the connection. I shook my head and replied, "You knew. That is why you played nice like that."

"Of course I knew," Leon snorted, "I'm not an idiot, and I'm not that drunk."

"Then why? Why did you let him get away with it?" I asked.

"Because I have to," Leon said.

I did not respond, and Leon continued, "You don't get it, Vayne. I'm my father's representative, and that makes me a symbol. I have to set a standard for others to follow."

"And that standard is letting people like that get away with whatever they want?" I demanded, throwing one hand towards the bar, "Let them waltz around hurting people? You cannot seriously think this is the first time Wallace made a 'mistake.'"

"Probably not, no. But that doesn't change anything. I accepted his challenge. I took the risk. He might have injured me on purpose, but tell me, what does that look like? What if I had lashed out, pitting my word against his and demanding blood?"

It looked like a petty noble who wanted to hurt someone for an innocent mistake. Wallace had not injured anyone else. Half the patrons were too drunk to pick up on anything strange. They would not see a cruel man facing retribution but a noble flexing his power over his "lessers."

When I did not respond, Leon sighed again, "I'm not blind, Vayne. I know that plenty of nobles abuse their status and their wealth. But the only way to change things is to be better."

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I scoffed, "And in the meantime, people like Wallace can go around and hurt others without consequence?"

Leon's mouth pressed tightly, and his glare worsened. I knew I should not have said anything and that apologizing would be wise.

And, just as with Wallace, I found myself short on wisdom at the moment.

I stepped past Leon, half-turning, "I would suggest getting some sleep. You might not have anything broken, but your wrist is going to hurt like hell in the morning."

Then, I walked away, making for the inn.

Cat stirred as I entered the room, closing the door behind me. He yawned and stood again, blinking his green eyes in my direction, but I ignored his gaze. Instead, I paced back and forth along the narrow lane between the foot of the bed and the wall, replaying the argument with Leon in my mind.

It was a stupid, pointless fight. I should not have dug my heels in, but my temper had gotten away from me. Alcohol and annoyance with Wallace played a part, but it was not the whole story.

Leon had a point. At least, a semblance of one. If he had spoken out, it might have looked bad. And maybe his merciful attitude would change things, given time.

But it felt so naive, willfully so. Leon wanted to set an example, to make others with his power and status better. Kinder. More noble, as ironic as it sounded. It was an admirable goal but one that would take decades to achieve.

Meanwhile, people like Wallace could walk around and do whatever they wanted, hiding behind a flimsy shield of propriety. Based on his words and skills, I suspected he was a hedge mage, bitter and resentful about his position and seeking out people as victims of that resentment.

As noble a goal as Leon might have, how many like Wallace were out there? How many would commit acts of cruelty while people like Leon turned a blind eye? And if you could change things here and now, why should you not?

I growled and shook my head, laying on the bed and rubbing my eyes with my hands. Cat meowed, and I felt him shift beside me. A faint, familiar hint of affection ran through me for the creature. He was a selfish little thing, but if I was being honest, so was I.

---

I woke the following day and, after changing, made my way downstairs. Amelia and Simon sat at a table in the foyer, the latter showing her something in a notebook with an animated expression on his face. When I approached, he jumped and stuffed the booklet into a pocket.

"Working on something secret?" I asked, stopping a couple steps away from them and raising an eyebrow.

Amelia grinned, "You've got your secrets, don't you? Why can't I?"

I yielded the point with a shrug, then glanced around, "Have Leon and Sophia not woken up yet?"

"Sophia came down a little while ago," Simon said, "She said something about doing some training, then left. I haven't seen Leon since last night. I helped him apply a healing ointment, so his wrist should be better, but..."

He trailed off, and I stared at him.

"But?" I asked after a few seconds.

"But you two had an argument, and we aren't sure if he's still in his room because he's sleeping or because he's still angry," Amelia filled in with an eye roll.

"I see," I replied, nodding before shrugging one shoulder, "Well, I suppose we should wait for him."

Amelia stood and grabbed my arm, "Absolutely not. We are only staying here for another day, right? I'm not going to have you sitting here and pouting the entire time."

I scoffed, "I do not pout."

Amelia stared at me with a clearly unimpressed face, "Uh huh. Simon, are you coming?"

"Uhh, I think I'll go check on Leon," Simon said, his eyes landing on where Amelia had grabbed my arm, "Maybe we can meet up again later?"

"Sounds good to me," Amelia turned to me and smiled, "Come on, scowl-y."

"I do not scowl, either."

"Whatever you say."

Amelia and I spent a pleasant day together, walking through the city, eating an early lunch, shopping, and talking. I had expected a lecture, but she seemed more eager to enjoy our time together and possibly distract me rather than add to my frustrations.

Simon joined us sometime after lunch, though when I asked about Leon, he pointedly deflected from the question. We wandered down the street, stopping to try various games of chance and magical skill. Some involved dice or cards, others pushing small amounts of mana through little knickknacks and devices to race one another or trigger lights and sounds.

I even managed to win a prize, a small stuffed animal, by striking the center of a target using a mana bolt. It would have been more impressive, but Amelia and I agreed that anything larger than the palm of my hand was impractical for a journey on the road.

Finally, we returned to the inn around sunset to find Leon and Sophia outside, having a quiet, tense conversation. The younger twin had a soft glare, and I noticed Leon's injured arm was in a makeshift sling, wrapped in white bandages.

Both Esttons noticed us, and though neither looked angry, I noticed that Leon's smile was a little tense.

"Oh good, you're back," Leon said, gesturing with his free hand, "I was worried we'd have to track you down."

"Is something wrong?" Amelia asked, extricating her arm from mine.

"Not at all," Leon said, "But I figured since this is our last night here, we should make it special. I spoke with the innkeeper, who recommended this beautiful spot nearby."

Several minutes later, we sat on a small balcony, high enough to see over most surrounding buildings. It gave us a perfect view of the city, which glittered in a thousand colors from torches, candles, and magical lights. Even the setting sun added its own touch to the vision, an orange-red disc glinting over the horizon.

The only thing on the balcony was a round table and five chairs. Leon had brought a few wine bottles, which he and the others drank eagerly. I stuck with water, having decided that alcohol was not the best idea until I learned to control my temper.

Amelia had taken my hand at some point, and I enjoyed the moment, the frustrations from the previous evening mostly forgotten. Leon was still pointedly not speaking with me, and he had chosen a spot on the opposite side of the table, but it was better than another fight.

And, on the horizon, I saw something even better.

"A storm," I said, pointing with my chin, "Coming quickly."

"Should we head back?" Simon asked, his words a little slurred thanks to his twice-refilled wine glass.

"Of course not," I responded, "And you should watch carefully, Simon. Elvor was a water mage, after all."

The gray, roiling mass came on slowly, taking almost a half-hour to reach Colkirk. It appeared to be a massive storm, and at such a distance, I could see the rain falling from it in heavy sheets. Anyone and anything underneath it would be left waterlogged for days after it passed.

As the first edges of the storm reached Colkirk, they broke. The stormfront curved, drifting apart as if curving around a titanic, invisible dome. Rain slid away, seeming to follow that same barrier rather than fall onto the city.

Slowly, the storm split down the middle, bisected as if by some impossibly vast blade. It broke into two, curving around the city until Colkirk was ringed by gray clouds.

No one spoke for a long time. Even Sophia looked around with wide eyes, seeming at a loss for words. Finally, Amliea broke the silence.

"How the hell can one mage do this?" Amelia murmured, "I mean, I get it. Archmagi. But..."

Even though I had seen similar feats, a part of me agreed. I had thought Sophia's demonstration was impressive enough, but this? It was not an order of magnitude greater. It was a hundred times beyond anything any of us could acccomplish.

A small thrill ran through me as I remembered that I had accomplished this at least once. And I would do so again, no matter what it took.

We stayed on that balcony for hours longer, though our conversation never resumed. Instead, we sat there, protected by magic almost beyond comprehension, and wondered how far we still had to go.