Liv sped towards the City of Lightning, not needing to run far to reach her destination. This city wasn't very far from the City of Fire, given that they were originally a single city. The city was run by two brothers, who eventually decided that they wanted to run separate cities. They established the cities close together so they could help each other out. Then they expanded outwards, the original twin castles they held becoming the starting point before they created two separate cities. The brothers had actually ruled these cities after a long tenure as a pair of legendary heroes. Their specialty was things of the Deep. They had gone down to the depths of the earth to destroy giant worms and many other things. At one point, they had actually killed mechanical beings sent to cause chaos, dragging the burrowers out and chopping them up while launching giant pillars of stone at the fliers.

  Liv kept running, the story coursing through her mind in a split second. She had memorized many of the novels after her parents told her these people were real. The spirits had told Liv to honor those who came before, so she did, remembering the people who had defended the innocent to their last breaths. Liv dashed into the city of lightning, not bothering to bring up a shield of Dream as runes flickered into Liv's magic sight through the walls. She ran through the suddenly empty streets, going at full speed, which burned her muscles, but was something Liv could hold for quite a while, having energy to increase her stamina. Liv ran up a building, using Wind to push herself up, and continued running, thanking the spirits in passing. She jumped to the next roof, scanning the city as she continued towards the point where the altar in the last city had been. If these were sister cities...

  An aura of lightning called.

  Liv stopped, her heels almost digging into the stone of the rooftop she was on, as she took off in another direction, chasing the aura. She swiftly got closer, runes flying past her at incredible speeds.

  Liv jumped down directly in front of the building. Runes covered the entire thing as soldiers stood everywhere possible. One at the front, the captain, held up a hand and all the soldiers raised their weapons. More filed into the area behind Liv. "Criminal... Liv, with no last name, I have the honor of finally apprehending you after killing many of the Emperor's men. Lay down your weapons and do not resist, or I will have the even greater honor of killing you."

  Liv charged.

  Not expecting this response, the captain almost fell off the building before Liv ran right through the spear wall, simply stepping between two spears before the soldiers could react and slamming both of them to the sides. She heard the captain complaining that the soldiers were idiots before opening a door and finding... another vault.

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  The soldiers came in behind her. "So? Ready to surrender now?"

  Liv walked up to the vault, ignoring the soldiers. This was a sister city...

  Liv started knocking on the door, the pattern swiftly coming to mind.

  "Hey? What are you doing? Stop that!"

  Immediately, Liv knew she was on to something. Obviously, there was no stopping involved.

  The soldiers were immediately ordered to charge, but Liv quickly finished, the door opening right in front of her as she stepped in. The soldiers stopped, waiting for further orders. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? KILL HER!"

  Unable to withstand the wrath of their superior, the soldiers stepped into the room. Liv turned around to face them, her hand on the altar.

  The soldiers, as one, raised their spears and charged. Lightning erupted from the altar, the room getting bathed by incandescent arcs. All that hit Liv were absorbed, poured into her as the link with Vivian was deepened once more. Sister cities...

  Liv swiftly received the rest of the power, launching a wave of lightning to take out the rest of the soldiers, who fell apart under the assault. Stepping back, she jumped onto the altar, Lightning teaching her how speed up.

  Liv stepped forward, disappearing. The soldiers milled around, confused, as a sudden crack sounded, Liv almost instantly reappearing next to the captain, with a sword at his neck. "Who wanted to arrest me?," she asked sweetly before disappearing again.

  Liv did not reappear in the room.

  Outside, Liv started running once more. Getting out of the city was a priority. Suddenly, she felt a rush of energy. Someone was standing in front of her. They held a sword and no emotion was showing on their face. "You know how embarrassing it is that you escaped from me once? You even managed to find the altar of shadow afterwards. I have never ,ever, ever, EVER, let someone get away from me twice. And very few people have escaped once. You will not be the exception to my record."

  The man's aura suddenly appeared and pressed down on the location. Walls of stone appeared, blocking in the area. There was no escape. The man's sword shone with an inner, fiery light. "I, the king of fire, will kill you," he said, the man's emotions once again suddenly calm. Liv looked around for weaknesses in the walls and found none. There was no choice but to fight. She pulled out her own sword, battered as it was getting, and called a wind spirit over, generating a wind blade and tossing it at the man. He batted it away without a thought. Liv turned it around, coming back at the 'king of fire', and, apparently not noticing it, he let the blade get close.

  The man quickly twisted away at the blade got to his face, but still got cut on the cheek, a clear red line running along his face.

  Anger settled in the king of fire's expression. The sword started burning, fire flickering on it. The man twisted his sword, pointing it at Liv. "I will murder you now," he said with a calm voice, his words and actions showing her differently. Liv gulped as the temperature suddenly rose, reevaluating him in her mind. He was now a true wielder of fire in her mind. The man would never be a capitalized King of Fire, but he was, in her opinion, a wielder of the element, and a proficient one at that. Liv suddenly ducked as a massive wave of fire was sent at her head. Her eyes widened as the heat caressed her forehead. No, this man was definitely a King of Fire. The capitalized kind, too.