The city of Anthalopus would be perfect were it not for the tyrannical presence of the Skyfall Empire keeping everything ruined, Kayden decided.

It was a pretty place. Even with the lack of oxygen, with it being so high up in the mountain range, it was so full of life. Around every corner one could see wandering sellers, showing off their beads and clothes and fancy stuff. Exotic animals, both tiny and massive, roamed the colorful streets, either inviting you to hop on board or threatening to trample you down.

Aside from Haroken, who had asked to stay outside because of his overwhelming draconic size, none had to try too hard to enjoy the place. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a single gold piece to spare, and Merdilen’s code of honor seemed to go against faking money, but even so, taking everything in was a joy in itself. Besides, the best way to avoid suspicion was to act casual, Kayden knew.

And then, Kayden saw it. A beautifully juicy apple covered in chocolate, just calling out to him. Just like with…

“Hey, Bakor!” Kayden called out before he could realize what he was saying.

He froze.

Bakor.

Bakor would’ve loved this, right?

How could Kayden ever forget? He couldn’t recall details, but he knew he’d been through this before. Strolling with friends through Anthalopus. An urgent quest, a brief but beautiful moment of rest.

Nothing hit as hard the second time.

How could he ever forget? But, most importantly…

How was it he kept forgetting?

Kayden bit his lip, wincing.

Why now?

Why was he always running away?

Why was he–

“Hey, man,” Tham asked, tapping his arm and pulling him out of his daze. “You okay?”

Kayden stared at him for a few seconds, then blinked.

“...Yeah,” he muttered. “It’s just that… it’s nothing. We should move. We don’t have a second to spare.”

“Right,” Tham nodded. “Just… don’t pull yourself down, okay?”

“...Right.”

Kayden didn’t buy the chocolate apple. For some reason, he felt like having done so would’ve made him feel guilty. He forced himself to not think about unnecessary stuff and moved on.

There was a surprisingly low imperial patrol rate in this city. These streets didn’t seem that infected. Even so, Anthalopus still had its problems, they soon realized. Everything seemed a million times harder with several thousand meters between one and sea level. They soon started having trouble breathing and walking up streets. Not Kayden, though; his body was used to the lack of oxygen from his childhood in the Skylands.

“You all okay?” the Mimicker asked from Kayden’s back.

“...Yeah,” Hassah replied. “I just… need a moment.”

“This is… uncomfortable,” Merdilen added.

It was as they stopped to rest on the side of the main street that Tham spoke up.

“Uh, guys?” he said, catching his breath. “I hadn’t wanted to say this before, but… our Lawbending works with our breathing. Would less air mean less power?”

Silence.

“Oh.” Kayden hadn’t thought about that, but it was a really good point. “Well, that’s bad.” Even though the lack of air didn’t hurt his body, it could diminish his Lawbending abilities. After all, there was no Lawbending in the Skylands, even though all could breathe well enough there.

Kayden instinctively pulled back his hood, trying to breathe in as hard as possible. And a collective gasp emerged from the people, from the rocks, and even from the buildings as he did.

Kayden paused, looking around.

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“...Guess the world hasn’t forgotten your bi-colored eyes,” Merdilen muttered. As the crowd started shouting and calling out for imperial guards, he pulled back his hood as well, Transmutating his rod into a long black sword. “Fight, or flight?”

“Skyguard! On the ground!” a soldier screamed at them. “Hands over your head!”

Tens of soldiers quickly encircled them. Merdilen, Tham, Hassah, and the Mimicker all waited nervously at bay. Waiting for Kayden’s command.

“Okay, uh,” Kayden hesitated. “Run. Let’s meet on the base of the tallest tower –I’m trusting in you guys.”

From then on, everything turned to chaos. Tham Spacebent himself and Hassah atop a rooftop on one side of the street, while Merdilen leaped away and Transmutated a ladder to get himself to safety atop a building on the parallel side.

Kayden just ran straight up the street, slamming his way through the guards by using the Mimicker as a battering ram. He Timebent himself forward, but after just a few progressions, he felt his air run out and his power give way.

What?! Kayden thought, gasping. He should have no trouble breathing, right? Did Lawbending really exert such a toll?

The imperial guards wouldn’t take long to catch up with him, and his gasping for air wouldn’t even let him move.

“Do you even know where the tallest tower is?” the Mimicker asked, back into a sword in Kayden’s back.

Kayden shook his head as he scrambled into a side alley.

“Okay,” the Mimicker said, and after a few seconds, spoke again. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” Kayden nodded between ragged breaths. “We’re… far enough in our friendship so as… for me not to have a choice.”

“Then jump into the street and stand upon me.”

Kayden frowned. “What?”

“You said you trusted me,” the Mimicker said.

“I, uh, trust your judgment,” Kayden said. “What I don’t trust is our luck.”

“What now, then?” the Mimicker said flatly.

“We, um…”

The alley had no exit.

“I need something… to climb with,” Kayden then said.

“You’re barely able to breathe and you want to climb?” the Mimicker asked.

Kayden felt dizzy. He had performed way too many time progressions just then, and they hadn’t even been enough. The world was spinning.

Was he…?

No. He couldn’t pass out. Not now.

Not… He couldn’t… Pass…

– – –

The Mimicker had been through a lot. In no previous user had he found a person who cared about it more than Kayden. But really few previous users had shown the stubbornness Kayden was showing now. As Kayden fell to his knees and then to the ground, the Mimicker knew it’d have to get creative.

Think, it told itself. Shift.

The Mimicker had no strength in itself. It could only change shape; it had always relied on others to do the heavy lifting.

But now, it was alone. No Kayden, no Tham, no friends. No one.

There was nothing the Mimicker could do, was there?

A terrible thought crossed the Mimicker’s mind.

What if I turn into a rock?

It’d be safe as a rock. That’d be easy. Smart. He’d left so many users behind before.

But… had any of those been a friend?

It had to think fast.

Really fast.

– – –

The next thing Kayden knew, he was sliding down the street at a perilous speed, shooting down the slope, lying upon the Mimicker as it protected him from the friction as a strange, thin, sled-like form.

Kayden yelped as they accelerated, slamming through people and carts and animals as they slid down the mountain.

“Brace yourself!” the Mimicker called out to him from below his body.

Both Kayden’s head and stomach hurt like never before. It was all so fast. And then, everything stopped, and he lurched forward, flying several meters before crashing onto a wall, hearing several big somethings go crack and snap. But his instincts worked faster, and he regressed time on himself by a fraction of a second, back on the sled, now still.

He was back at the base of the mountain, near to where the city began. Haroken was leaning over him not even five seconds later, demanding an explanation.

“Really big miscalculation!” Kayden said, getting to his feet and recovering his breath now that air was once again a thing. “We’re all spread out now. Let’s go, Haroken. Stealth is no longer an option. We need to save Tham, Hassah, and Merdilen.”

Fear was starting to build up in Kayden’s chest. How on Athoren would they find them before the imperial guards did? And how would they get them out afterwards? What about the information they needed?

“Yes. Climb on top, Kayden and Mimicker. We need to save everyone.” But Haroken then paused for a moment.

“What is it?” the Mimicker asked.

Haroken looked down. “We don’t have any advantage here. We don’t have the element of surprise. We’re not stronger, or bigger. We can’t even breathe properly here. ...I shouldn’t fight battles I can’t win.”

Kayden nodded slowly. “I get you.”

Haroken breathed in deeply. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Look,” Kayden then said with determination. “I won’t tell you what to choose. And I can’t tell you we will be able to save everyone, or get the information, or even that we’ll all get out alive. But I can tell you one thing. I’ll fight my very life and blood out if it means keeping you alive. If it means keeping you all alive. I can’t promise anything more than that. It’s your choice.”

Haroken looked up at the sky, as if wanting to soar up and fly away. He couldn’t. He had no wings. But Kayden knew there was something else he could indeed do.

“Okay,” Haroken then declared. “Let’s fight this battle. Let’s save everyone.”

“Right,” Kayden said, and forced out a grin. “Haroken, Mimicker… we all have gone through way too many wars. So let’s do it like in our own old times. Let’s get through it, and survive like the three of us know how. Let’s win this thing.”