Kyritus’s pulse shot adrenaline through his veins as he watched Rokus grab the door. The hair on the giant’s neck was standing up, and his shoulders trembled slightly. It was clear that Rokus knew the voice on the other side of the door—and was afraid. Kyritus turned to Tyran and found the man’s face pale. He was terrified, too. Kyritus gripped Tiber, drawn into the terrorizing energy.

“You know these kids are innocent, right?” Rokus asked warily. Kyritus wasn’t a kid. He was around twenty. But he accepted the title gratefully.

“I know,” a male voice said. “I’m here to help.”

Rokus chuckled. “She got you, too?”

“Not exactly. Let me in, and we’ll talk about it.”

“What about the others?” Rokus looked to the right, as if looking at invisible soldiers. The other man couldn’t see him, but it came off in his voice.

“They’re Lady Reece’s.”

“She’s alive?”

“She’s the queen….” The voice hesitated. “Kinda.”

Kyritus’s heart thumped, and Tiber shifted in his arms excitedly. He wrapped his hands around her mouth. The man’s words meant nothing.

“Lord Grollis will attack them if cornered,” Rokus said. “So no sudden movements.”

Kyritus turned and saw Tyran’s dagger unsheathed, looking at Tiber. It made Kyritus’s heart nearly stop.

“Lord Grollis,” the voice said sternly, “Lady Reece left a 100-meter crater in the noble district. If you even look at them wrong, Lady Reece will peel your legs a centimeter at a time for the next decade.”

Tyran gulped and sheathed his dagger as silently as possible.

Rokus waited for him to finish and then opened the door, revealing a disheveled man that Kyritus recognized. Or rather, he matched the notorious description of the sycount that was with Delin… Sara the day that she visited his tavern. When the man saw Kyritus and Tiber, a look of relief washed over his face. He walked down the stairs and sat on the water barrel as Rokus sat near the door, watching him carefully.

The man looked at Kyritus and then Tiber with an apologetic expression. “I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Edico. I’m here to help you get out of the third layer.”

“Why?” Tyran asked. “You don’t strike me as someone that could be bought or blackmailed.”

Rokus looked at Edico, who just chuckled and wiped his face. “I’m not,” he answered.

“So you helped her with… this?” Rokus asked.

“If you’re talking about the rebellion—then no. I didn’t know about it until she broke me out of the dungeons.”

“And you just looked around and thought, excellent, I have a new queen?” Tyran snorted.

“Have you ever seen a demon, Lord Grollis?” Edico asked coldly.

Tyran’s body tensed.

“Well I have. I’ve seen them roast human limbs on fires after battles. I’ve seen them torture people on battlefields. I once watched one club a dozen soldiers to death with their dismembered arm. They’re savage beings, and their king’s returning. If I had to choose between a tyrant hero and a good king, I’d choose the former.”

Tyran swallowed, and Kyritus held his breath.

“Is that all?” Rokus asked.

Edico looked at him. “No.”

A thick silence befell the room before Rokus asked the question that seemed to have been weighing on him since the beginning:

“Do you know if my family’s okay?”

Edico looked at the ceiling. “I can’t say. But if she could take over the kingdom, I’m sure she can protect a family.” He looked at Kyritus and Tiber.

Tiber’s eyes widened. “Did you hear that, Kye?” She turned and hugged him, giggling cheerily. “We’re Delina’s family!”

Edico looked at the siblings strangely as Kyritus’s cheeks heated up, and he turned away. Rokus ignored them and turned to Edico. “Is it safe for me to leave my family?”

Edico fished out a letter and gave it to him. “It wasn’t supposed to go like this.”

Rokus read the mysterious letter with emotional eyes, regret etched on his face. “I should’ve just done it when she asked,” he said. “Since I didn’t…. They’re dead. I killed so many of them.”

Edico put his hand on his shoulder. “Rokus….”

Rokus turned to him with a devastated expression.

“It wasn’t for nothing,” Edico said. His face twisted between positive confidence and… something darker. “I assure you. It wasn’t for nothing.”

Suddenly, Rokus, Tyran, and Edico turned in unison to the door when a divination pulse entered the room. Kyritus panicked and gripped Tiber, preparing for her to suffer an attack. Yet Tiber looked at him in confusion. “What’s going on?” she asked.

Kyritus didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. His sister… wasn’t suffering from Tyrexis. But there was still… this going on.

“It seems they’re getting impatient.” Edico studied Tiber. “She’s healed, right?”

“As ‘healed’ as it gets,” Tyran said.

Edico nodded and released a divination pulse of his own. Then he turned to Rokus. “News of Lady Reece’s takeover sounds like propaganda. The only way we can get you out is in cuffs and hoods. Will you trust me?”

Rokus smiled ruefully. “Just promise me something, general.”

“If I can.”

“Take care of my family. No matter what, take care of my family.”

“Protect them yourself.” Edico stood and pulled out some cloaks and threw them at Kyritus and Tiber. Then he pulled out cuffs. “Let’s get you out of here.”

2

Sara awoke from a knock on her door. What part of three hours didn’t they get? she thought murderously. She had just fought a battle and worked until six in the morning. Someone had a death wish to wake her a couple of hours after she went to sleep. “Is the kingdom literally on fire?” she called out.

“Um… no. I….” Emma whispered on the other side of the door. “I… can leave. Sorry for waking—“

Sara sighed. “Come in.”

There was a slight pause, and then Emma walked into the room, staring at Sara, who was lying with both of her hands out like a human crucifix. As for why she was in that position, well, that was likely the reason Emma was there.

“How’s your wrist?” Emma whispered. Sara’s wrist had been locked in guillotine stocks when she toppled the guillotine, making the mechanism crash down, snapping her wrist.

“Hurts.” Sara sat up and scratched her stomach lazily, hair sticking out everywhere as she blinked. Emma giggled at her half-heartedly as she sat down beside the bed.

“Let me see it.”

Sara didn’t protest. She just handed it to Emma like it was used trash. “Thanks.”

Stolen novel; please report.

Emma smiled ruefully. “Sorry about this.”

“Don’t say—“ Sara’s eyes shot awake, and she screamed when her bones started shifting under Emma’s glowing hands. “God damn, I thought I did a decent job.” She had healed herself; it wasn’t perfect, but she didn’t think it needed to be rebroken!

“You did do a good job,” Emma said. “It’s just….”

“Just what?” Sara asked sarcastically.

“The wrist’s complicated,” Emma said. “You broke ten bones and half your metacarpals.”

“Oh….”

They sat in painful silence for about ten minutes before Emma finally asked the question on her mind:

“Was this… necessary? A… lot of people died. A lot of people… are getting hurt.”

Sara fell silent, contemplating her words, honestly considering it now that she had succeeded.

3

Rokus walked in mana deprivation shackles, head down in a cloak, as Edico led him and Tyran to a group of silver gliders beyond the wall. It had been a long walk through Helscope, with hundreds of citizens watching him and treating him like the criminal he was. The little one was beside him, holding Kyritus’s hand tightly. They were good kids. They didn’t deserve the hellish stares and jeering. But it was coming to an end. They had made it through the city and only needed to enter the silver glider stables. Yet that was the hardest because it was the most regulated and protected area of any point in the city, as only the rich or military elites could afford to write silver gliders. Thus, the silver glider stables were the genesis point of diplomacy and war.

Rokus’s heart throbbed as he heard a group of soldiers approaching.

“Oi! State your… wait! Isn’t that…?” The soldiers immediately recognized them and whispered about Rokus, Tyran, and the kids.

“I’m taking these people to the capital by request of the kingdom,” Edico said. “Please move aside.”

The soldiers shifted, but a wolf whistle cut through the air, making Rokus’s lungs seize.

“Don’t move, Lord Sullsburg.” A bold woman unsheathed her sword. Suddenly, the soldiers paused and then unsheathed their swords one after the other. Rokus flexed his muscles, preparing to snap the shackles. They were real (as a single divination pulse would expose the shackles as fake), but they were cracked, allowing him to break through them with ease.

“Is there a reason that you’re pointing swords at your superior officer?” Edico asked calmly.

“I’d rather not, general,” she replied, “but from what I last heard, King Escar had you in the lock.”

4

Sara took a deep breath, considering Emma’s question about whether what she did was necessary. “I’m not from this timeline. You know that, right?”

Emma paused her healing. “I did… but…. It kinda feels different when you put it out there like that.”

“Well, it’s true.” Sara closed her eyes. “I’m not sure what I did was best, but I do know it prevented something worse.”

“I get that, but….” Emma bit her lip. “It just feels… excessive. Aelia…”

“It is excessive,” Sara said. “But it’s the only thing I knew how to do. You and Raul, you guys could’ve found another—“

“Then why didn’t you tell us!” Emma asked in frustration.

Sara turned to her and found tears streaming down Emma’s cheeks. Then she looked away. “Not you. I meant the yous from my timeline. You guys don’t understand yet.”

5

Rokus’s heart pounded when the woman questioned Edico, but his general stayed calm.

“I can’t discuss details on military affairs,” Edico said, “Now sheath those swords before you face court marshall.”

Electricity charged the atmosphere, creating a blanket of tension between them. It was hard for Rokus to put into words, but it felt like when people moved, he could feel it as if they were underwater, and swimming sent thick sensations between everyone in the area.

“Hey, Commander?” An enemy soldier whispered to the woman.

“What?”

“If he’s tellin’ the truth, we’re getting court marshaled. If he’s not, we’re all gonna die. We can’t even handle him, let alone The Gian—“

“This is your duty, soldier,” she said, “even in the face of death.”

“Enough,” Edico said. “I have royal paperwork to transport Major Rokus Jomther, Lord Tyran Grollis, and two suspects to Lemora.”

Rokus could feel the woman’s glare. “That’s what’s concerning. We’ve been searching for these four for two days, yet you found them in two hours. Care to explain that?”

One of the soldiers with Edico leaned in and whispered: “If they won’t abide by confidentiality, we’re in trouble. Our orders were to erase their existence, and these people… will tell everyone.”

Rokus felt an icy current pass through his veins. Things weren’t working out as expected.

Edico took a deep breath and unsheathed his sword. “Forgive me,” he said to the woman. “Too much is at stake.”

The soldiers barely had a moment to scream before Edico’s pressure disappeared from beside Rokus. Then, a body flew into the stables, cracking the wood and sending silver gliders screeching as they pulled against their ropes, trying to fly away. The soldiers yelled. Suddenly, an arrow whizzed by, and one of the accompanying soldiers rushed in front of the kids, blocking it with his shield.

“Close your eyes!” Kyritus yelled, clamping his hands over Tiber’s ears.

The fight was a one-sided massacre as Edico stalked through the ranks, slaughtering a dozen soldiers—leaving no witnesses.

6

Sara watched Emma ruefully. Her friend tried to counter her claim of nativity, but she fell silent in rueful acceptance. That pained Sara, but she didn’t have other words to say other than the truth. So that’s what she did.

“Daniel’s from the future,” Sara said. “He’s the one that made the magic circle Brandon used.”

Emma stopped crying and looked at her. “What?”

“Yeah.” Sara felt cold needles of anxiety poking her skin all over as she spoke, but she couldn’t look away. “He tried to bring you back to life. He tried to reset everything. His motivations are good—but they almost got us killed. What do you think that we should do about him?”

Emma’s hands shook as goosebumps rolled up her arms in thick mounds. “W-Why are you asking me?”

“It doesn’t feel good when you’re forced to confront danger, does it?” Sara smiled, but it was empty. “Emma, tell me….”

“What?”

“If I went to Prenth to kill their princess—“ Sara’s eyes turned cold. “Do you think that anyone could stop me?”

Emma swallowed hard and looked away. “No.”

“Well, Daniel’s like that, too,” Sara said. “And as long as he’s alive, I can’t protect anyone I love here. The second I look away, he can kill them, and he’s already proven capable of that. So what do I do, Emma? Kill Daniel in his coma and protect the people I love, or give him the benefit of the doubt and risk everyone’s lives?”

Emma trembled. “Is this the only way?”

“I don’t know. Once you see enough death, it certainly feels that way.” Sara felt empty just saying that. “That’s why I’m asking you.”

7

Edico sheathed his sword and unlocked Rokus and Tyran’s chains. “Let’s move.”

Rokus pulled off his hood and looked at the corpses scattered around the nervous silver gliders, standing majestically in their stables. “Was this all necessary?” he asked.

“If these two get hurt, Lemora will burn,” Edico said gravely. “Now help the kids. I’ll take Tyran.”

Kyritus held Tiber against his chest, shielding her eyes. Edico could see the pain and confusion in his eyes.

“Look, kid,” Edico said, unknotting the straps holding the six-foot bird in front of him. “There’s a lot more to this than you understand. So don’t hold this against Lady Reece. This was my decision, not hers.” He mounted his glider and reached his hand out to Tyran.

“You’re not taking me to prison, are you?” Tyran asked.

“If Lady Reece wanted you dead, you’d be dead,” Edico said.

Tyran accepted his hand hesitantly and got on, despair in his eyes.

Rokus mounted one and offered his hands to Kyritus, asking for Tiber. “This world’s fucked up, kid. Let’s get you far away from it.”

Kyritus swallowed and handed him Tiber. Rokus sat her in front of him so he could hold her in the air. Then he offered his hand to Kyritus. Kyritus accepted it without hesitation. He didn’t know what he felt, but he thought… it should be worse. Maybe it was because he had struggled his whole life and had seen adventurers fight and kill each other since he was a kid, but he didn’t feel much looking at the dead soldiers or thinking about the week’s events. His only focus was on survival; he’d figure it out once they got to safety.

8

“I-I don’t know what to do….” Emma wiped her eyes, talking about whether to let Daniel live or die. “So please don’t ask me. I’ll trust you….” They sat in silence for a few minutes until she winced and asked, “Do you plan to kill him?”

“Maybe,” Sara confessed. “But I’m going to talk to him first.” It would take at least a year to consolidate control over the kingdom. Until then, Kyritus and Tiber would just be political targets, and countless people would try to take them hostage. Since the heroes had the power to destroy normal guards, a single one joining the resistance put her family in jeopardy. With that being the case, she was hiding her family for now. She had time for Daniel to wake up and speak to him. After that… she didn’t know.

“Just promise me….” Emma gripped Sara’s now-mended wrist tightly. She paused and then looked up. “Promise me you won’t leave me in the dark anymore.”

Sara furrowed her brow. “You still want to be part of… this? After everything that’s happened?”

“Of course I do, you idiot!” Emma wiped her tears with her sleeve. “I-I trust you. Even with Mary… Even with Jason…. I trust you, Sara, and so does Raul. So please….”

Sara felt pangs of guilt pass through her. “Emma. I’m not a good person. So you shouldn’t—“

“Stop pushing us away!” Emma yelled, emotions boiling over. “W-We want to help you. So please….”

Sara closed her eyes. “Okay.”

9

Rokus flew twenty miles west of Helscope until Edico led them back to the ground. They landed in a forested region, surrounded by majestic trees glimmering in the sunlight.

“This is as far as I go,” Edico said. “It’s also as far as these gliders go.”

“I figured,” Rokus chuckled bitterly as he helped Kyritus and Tiber off the bird. Silver gliders were expensive and conspicuous. Millions traveled the roads between kingdoms, so it was easy to blend in. But flyers required permits and were tracked over borders. Flying was out of the question.

“Take this.” Edico took off a ring and gave it to him.

“A ring?” Rokus asked. There were no engravings on the band.

“It’s a mana-locked spatial ring.”

“Is it safe?”

“Lady Reece made it herself.”

“You’re jokin’ me.”

“I’m not.”

Rokus activated the ring. “It’s not gonna kill me, right? I don’t fuck around with half-baked magic.”

“It’s safe,” Edico said. “There’s tents, food, and more money than you need. I’m sure she packed it.”

Rokus looked at the kids. “This ain’t my place, but I think I deserve it. What’s her relationship to ‘em?”

Kyritus gulped, and Tiber listened with wide eyes.

“It’s more the relationship they used to have,” Edico said. “I think they were lovers.”

Tiber’s eyes lit up, and she tugged on Kyritus’s sleeve. “Delina’s lov~es you,” she giggled.

Kyritus’s face heated up, and he pulled his sleeve back. “Stop that.”

Edico chuckled and turned away. “Take good care of them. I’ll take care of your family.”

Rokus took a deep breath. “I’d rather do it myself.” He looked at the kids. “If she trusted you enough to come here, can’t you do it?”

“If you don’t want to, I will, but….” Edico’s eyes sharpened. “War’s coming.”

Rokus’s eyes widened. “Are you donning the robes again?”

“I am,” Edico said.

Rokus felt threads of cold excitement weave through his veins. War was coming, and his general had returned.